BEAUTY PRODUCTS I DON'T BUY ANY MORE (+ WHAT I USE NOW INSTEAD)

 

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After writing about beauty for over a decade, it's fair to say that my taste in products has changed quite a bit! Today I wanted to look back at products I don't really buy any more, why they're not of interest to me any more and what I now prefer to use...

First up, we have powder cheek products. It's funny because in my late teens and early 20s, when I had more of a combination skin type, I associated cream products with being shiny on my skin and lacking longevity. Now I'm 31 I've done a full 180! It's been a transition since I was 26/27 but I've now reached the point where I don't even use the powder products I still have around, so I'm absolutely not buying anything new in this category. I just find now that for my dry skin, creams are far more forgiving and blend effortlessly. I also just find that they mesh more with my complexion makeup and have a more natural look on the skin. When I use powder products, I just don't like how they look; even with face powder I do only apply it to the t-zone and under the eyes, not where I want my glow to come through (like I do for my cheeks). 

The next product type I just don't go for any more are makeup primers. To be honest, I think this is really about redundancy; I feel like I've got my skincare routine down, and as someone who now wears sunscreen daily I just choose the right formula to work under makeup. Sunscreen formulations get better and better every year and there are a lot of products in my collection now that not only work under my makeup but actually enhance how it looks and applies. Plus, those pore-filling matte primers just don't work for my makeup preferences any more.

I've also stopped buying eyeshadow palettes. Partly, this is because I just don't reach for them as much as I used to (if I'm getting a little more glammed up; sure, but for day to day I do tend to go for quick cream shadows) and after buying palettes on a whim and engaging in excessive consumerism around needing to have the newest palette launch, I realised just how long it takes to use an eyeshadow palette. Don't quote me on this, but I do find these palettes stay good for far longer than the expiry dates suggest and I've used many powder shadows far beyond that point. However, even with palettes I use regularly from years ago, I struggle to hit pan on my favourite shades. I just don't think that even those who wear makeup daily need more than a handful of eyeshadow palettes, and if you choose them carefully rather than impulse-buying, you can cover off a lot of bases and give yourself plenty of options within that. So, I've personally decided not to bring any more into my life! 

Next, we have something I'm happy to use but wouldn't buy again myself, and that is SPF 30 sunscreens. SPF 30 can be effective when applied correctly and I think they're fine for autumn / winter, but honestly: for me SPF 30 was always something I bought because it's lighter and a lot more cosmetically-elegant, but these days that's really not the case. These days, you can get gorgeous, elegant, lightweight and fast-absorbing SPF 50 formulas that work as well under makeup as they do for a day at the beach, plus they offer you that extra bit of room for error in case your re-application wasn't quite as regular as it should've been. As I'm a creator, I'll still use up the SPF 30 formulas I still have or get sent but they're not something I feel I need to seek out.

Ok, so this is a brand rather than a product type, but I no longer buy products by ColourPop, the reason being that they're proudly the 'fast fashion' of makeup. Don't get me wrong; at least when I was buying their products, they were generally really great quality, especially for the price-point. However, they obviously prioritised the conveyor of new launches over keeping fan favourites available (other than the occasional 'it's back!' re-release) and that just doesn't mesh with my makeup preferences. It breaks my heart a bit when a makeup product that just works for me gets discontinued and ColourPop have done that to me time and time again! I guess I just got tired of going to reorder a favourite product and finding it was no longer available and sought out more consistent brands to purchase from.

Finally, it's probably no surprise if you keep up with my posts, but I don't go out of my way to buy single-ingredient serums these days. I'll try them if I'm gifted them and I use up what I have, but generally they're not something I tend to choose, with the exception of retinoids (which are very powerful and therefore usually best used as a standalone step). I do sometimes choose standalone Vitamin C too but do prefer formulas that combine it with other antioxidant boosters. This is because typically the ingredients being pushed as single active steps are ubiquitous at this point. There's hyaluronic acid in my moisturiser. There's niacinamide in my toner. Layering them with single ingredient serums with the same stuff in there is at best redundant and at worst detrimental. I also just tend to prefer multi-active formulas that combine different ingredients targeted at a specific concern.

Are there any product types you've dropped out over the years, and why?

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