Last Year's Holiday Buys: Faves and Forgotten

[Kim888]

Now that the Holidays are upon us again and there’s tons of new product and gift sets and all the sales are coming up I thought it would be interesting to look back at last year's friends & family sale and November VIB Sale purchases!

What are you still loving/using that you purchased during holidays 2020 and what has been long forgotten!?

[ShortErica]

Whoa - no idea what happened with the formatting!

[tastelikewater]

Faves:

-Somehow I'm still working through last year's Give Me More Lip set! It takes me forever to finish a lip product, and there are a few I kept but rarely wear because the shade or formula isn't my favorite (reds and liquid lipsticks, respectively). The highlights are the Hourglass Lip Stylo, Bobbi Brown Luxe, ABH gloss, and YSL Rouge Pur Couture. 

-The LE Hourglass Ambient Metallic Strobe Lighting Palette. This was my first Hourglass purchase, and I couldn't believe I was spending $62 on it, but it's the best highlighter I've ever put on my face. No glitter, all glorious sheen. 

-Briogeo Curl Charisma Leave-In Creme is a savior for my wavy hair. 

Forgotten:

-Tartelette In Bloom. I purchased it thinking it would be the perfect everyday neutral palette. It's fine, but in comparison to my other palettes, the performance and quality just isn't there. I gave it to my sister because she loves it. 

-Drunk Elephant The Littles set. My combo skin + rosacea did NOT like these products. Such a shame, because so many people rave about the brand, but I had to return it. 

-Shiseido Facial Cottons. Tried them, liked them, but then discovered some cotton rounds at Ulta that I somehow like even more. 

[CC3616]

Looking back through my orders the big standout was that there were lots of great 100 point perks last holiday season; tata harper masks, SR good genes, Nars lippies, glamglow. Hopefully we have more good perks this year! 

What I got (either I did great on my low buy, or spent a ton at ulta LOL):

The tata kit was a great value and I had only used the mask before that, so I enjoyed trying a couple more things. Foot masks had an adorable holiday sweater print. Bite agave kisses was eh for me. Maybe it was just mine, but the scrub sweated and leaked everywhere after a couple uses. The LP duo was a gift, good value set. The little boar mix brush I LOVE and use all the time.

[gonerogue]

@CC3616 The mini boar brushes are my absolute favorite. I keep one at home, one at work, and one in the car. I recently got 2 of the dark rainbow ones on sale as replacements but that package got stolen so now I am waiting for the holiday ones to launch so I can stock up 🙄

[skcfan]

@CC3616 I feel like I really need those foot masks now!

[darkiceis]

@skcfan  The SC foot masks are so hydrating and feel like a spa treatment.  They are addicting as well.

[Kim888]

@skcfan you totally do! Their foot masks are great!

[ChristineR07]

I'm doing some organization/declutter this weekend. I will post back what I find. 🙂 I'm 100% certain I've got some good stuff in there.

[MissPuff]

I've learned by now that most of my holiday makeup items will be neglected within a month of purchase, too many shiny new things, so that I've restricted most of my holiday buys to skincare and gifts.

Forgotten: Bite's Mauvember Multistick - The color is so pretty but I just can't stand the formula. Not creamy enough for a blush, too dry for a lipstick. I should have opted for the Liquified Lip version instead. And I probably picked up a couple of eyeshadow palettes, which are automatically forgotten because I just don't use colorful eyeshadow on a daily basis. Still haven't learned this lesson since I'm STILL buying palettes.

Neglected: Almost all the Nars Powermattes that I picked up except for the two shades I wear all the time, purchased when the formula first came out (Get It On, Starwoman). Turns out, I'm just not into liquid lipstick, no matter how hard I try to be. I picked up even more mini's this year and while it's my favorite formula for liquid, I just never reach for liquids if anything else is within reach.

Also neglected, the ABH Amrezy Highlighter - I was in LOVE with this for a solid month, then just stopped using it all together. The golden glow is gorgeous, but a little too extra for everyday wear. Now that I've remembered it, I will dig it out for the holidays!

Faves: Tom Ford Boys & Girls - Last year introduced the Girls, with the Ultra-Rich formula that I love. Bianca, Gala, and Ines rotate through my purse year-round, along with quite a few of the boys. You can never go wrong with Tom Ford 🙂

Also a fave, the Becca Lightchasers - Champagne Dream flashes Bellini, I feel like people didn't like the formula (it was a touch harder/less creamy than her regular pressed powder highlighters) but I find myself using this all the time. Love that peach/pink glow.

[courtneyinsea]

Agreed about the Bite Multistick. I struggle with the same feeling about the formula being not quite right for any individual use.

[Kim888]

@MissPuff I totally agree about the light chasers - I only got one color but I thought the formula was nice! I didn't understand why people didn't like them 

[Lazybeautybeast]

I finally got to look at my collection.

Neglected (Just out of season, hoping to get more use out of them in the winter):

• Too Faced White Chocolate Palette 
• Sephora Collection Snow Glow face palette

Forgotten (I like all these but they aren't favorites and I don't reach for them often):

• KVD Beauty Metal Crush Extreme Highlighter Palette 3 x 0.08 oz/ 2.5 g
• Most of the tarte Holiday line (Treasure Box Holiday set, tarte Buried Teasure palette, and Goddess Highlighter)
• Some of the shades from the lippie sets below

Faves:

• Tarte Rainforest of the Sea mini lip stick holiday set- This had my favorite shade of the RoS line, Margs. I hate when I fall in love with a LE shade ☹️
  
• Stila Stay All Day mini lip set- I got the set of 8 and 3. I love these because I got to try a bunch of shades and the minis are because I'll never finish a full one and they're are perfect to throw in my purse for touch ups.
• Bite Agave Kisses lip set- I loved this set because I got to try three products. I finished the lip scrub and balm recently but I'm still working on the mini Agave lip mask.
• I got a lot of Sephora Favorites sets (Skin Wonderland, Scouted by Sephora, Everyday Essentials, are the ones I remember) last year. Surprisingly, I think I have gone through (or passed along) most, if not all the products from the sets at this point. I think I'm only going to grab one or 2 sets this year because I have tried most of the products at this point. I also think the value on them are not as good this year.

[MissPuff]

@Lazybeautybeast , @Kim888 Oh I remember that Tarte Mermaid Kisses lipstick set. Somehow all the colors worked on me, there was a rusty red that was perfect and I was sad to use it up 😞 

[Kim888]

@Lazybeautybeast ooh I loved that tarte set as well! It had so many great shades 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@Kim888 Glad to hear you're liking the Lancome lipstick...I just picked up two and am waiting for them to arrive.  Hoping I'll like at least one -- then I can look for even more shades in the line 🙂

[makeitup305]

Faves: PMG Lipsticks. I got 4 last year and though I don't use them as much as I should I love them. 

Forgotten: the Moschino bear that originally came out in Spring of the year and they brought back in Winter. I knew I wasn't going to use it much but I haven't picked it up at all.

[PinkEvergreen]

@Kim888 My faves were the gifts I bought for others. I jumped right away on the L’Occitane deluxe advent calendar because I had a feeling it would sell out quickly — and it did. It was so well-priced at C$69 because it included so many great items in perfect sizes. I bought three for special women in my life that I knew would love the items and they all raved about it. One woman said it was her first-ever advent calendar. I was so happy that she got L’Occitane instead of waxy chocolates like most of us did when we were kids 😉

As for forgotten items... All the ColourPop Super Shock eyeshadows and ColourPop eyeshadow palettes that Sephora stocked, and all the Stila Liquid eyeshadow sets Sephora sold. They were total fails for me. I always prime and set my eyelids and I have never in my life encountered eyeshadows that creased and disappeared as quickly as these did. I know they are very popular with everyone, so I’m not going to fault the brands. I’m going to fault my own bizarre eyelids that seemed to completely repel all three formulas. 

[suzyo]

The only item I still love is the Hourglass Ambient Strobe Palette. The CoverFX set, and Bite Mauvember are neglected, but not forgotten. the ColourPop is definitely forgotten. I haven't touched it at all 😞

[makeitup305]

@suzyo I love the Strobe palette. I don't know how Hourglass hasn't come out with those as singles yet.

[PinkEvergreen]

@suzyo I was so disappointed in the ColourPop collection. It looked completely different from the promo photos (which made the shades seem so bright and colourful) and some were so glittery. I ended up giving them all away to very happy teenagers! At least my loss was their gain 😊

[suzyo]

@PinkEvergreen I do remember wishing they were more opaque, but I still liked them. I just never even think about them, you know? I have way too much, lol!