I never turn down an opportunity to participate in a beauty-related tag – even when no one actually tags me. Needless to say, I was super excited when I saw Allie Gline’s new tag, the 21 Questions: Makeup Edition tag, making the rounds on Youtube. Keep reading for my response to this fun, makeup-focused tag.

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My Thoughts on 21 Questions: Makeup Edition

1. What is the oldest makeup product in your collection?

I’m fairly certain that I had an old single eyeshadow from 2005. While I obviously don’t wear this eyeshadow anymore, I’ve kept it all these years for purely nostalgic purposes because it defined my early makeup wearing days. Also, I still have my Urban Decay Naked Palette on display in my vanity.

2. What is your most recent makeup purchase?

As of this writing, ColourPop’s new Serum Blushes were my most recent purchase.

3. What is the first makeup product you ever used?

Prior to my eye liner days, I’m fairly certain I owned quite a few children’s makeup items from Claires. However, I don’t consider these items the first makeup products I used because I bought these items before I wore makeup regularly.

Like most emo kids that grew up in the late 90s and early 2000s, eyeliner was my first makeup product. I loved to channel my inner Avril Lavigne with aggressively dark eyeliner rimmed around my eyes. In fact, I used to rock this ultra-smokey eyeliner without mascara.

4. What is a makeup trend that you used to love but now you hate?

ColourPop’s Sweet Talk Palette was one of the first brands to kick off the trend of pressed glitters in eyeshadow palettes in a mainstream way. At the time, this pressed glitters made palettes more visually interesting and people loved having another texture to play with in their palettes. I loved this, too.

No more. Please. I don’t want to see pressed glitters in eyeshadow palettes. They aren’t eye safe and most are not biodegradable.

5. What is a makeup trend that you used to hate but now you love?

Honestly, I can’t recall any trends that I used to hate. However, there are products that I never used to think I could wear. For example, for a long time I didn’t think I could wear lipsticks because I hated the way that my lips looked with lipstick. At the time, I didn’t understand how different finishes and undertones make a huge difference in how a lipstick wears on each person.

6. What is your favorite step in your makeup routine?

Applying eyeshadow is my favorite step in my makeup routine. I love the creativity and endless color combinations. However, applying foundation is a close runner up. Nothing transforms a makeup look more than the perfect foundation.

7. What is a makeup product you can’t live without?

Lip balm, brow gel, mascara, and primer are the four products that I cannot live without. As much as I love eyeshadow and cheek products, these four staples add a little boost on days when I don’t feel like doing a full beat.

8. What sparked your love for makeup?

As someone who started wearing makeup in elementary school (eyeshadows & glosses), I’ve always loved the creativity and playful colors of makeup. As I got into middle school and started to purchase “real” makeup, I loved using makeup (like eyeliner) as self-expression and to create looks inspired by my favorite music artists at the time.

9. What is the worst makeup look you’ve ever done?

My gut reaction: every look I’ve ever wore in middle school. However, my (now hidden) Facebook albums tell a different story, because there are a ton of documented instances of horrible makeup looks from when I was in high school. For example, I wore one of my most iconically terrible looks while attending Hillsong United’s first-ever concert in Boston.

Why is this look *especially* horrible? I convinced myself that I was the lightest shade in the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation range. Needless to say, I looked like a grey-toned, sickly ghost.

P.S. Can we appreciate my early 2010s styling here? I used to love pairing long shirt-dresses with sweaters and those pointless high waisted belts.

P.P.S. Also, would you believe that those were may natural curls? My hair hasn’t been the healthiest in recent years, but I would love to get my hair too look like this again.

10. What is your favorite makeup look you’ve ever done?

This is such a hard question – but there are two favorite makeup looks that immediately come to mind. In general, I feel like these two looks epitomize my style in that love I neutrals and colors, as well as soft glam and a full beat.

11. What is your favorite drugstore makeup product?

If I had to choose one favorite drugstore product, I would have to choose foundation. Contrary to what many makeup bloggers say in regards to “investing” in expensive foundations, there are AMAZING options at the drugstore. Maybelline, L’Oreal, and Milani typically release amazing foundations that vary in finish and coverage. However, if we’re being “loose” about how we define “drugstore makeup,” the ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadows are my all-time favorite affordable makeup option.

12. What is your favorite splurge makeup product?

Eyeshadow palettes are my favorite splurge makeup product. Of the higher end formulas I enjoy, Pat McGrath and Natasha Denona are two of my favorite luxury eyeshadow makers. Both women are talented, legendary makeup artists who are known for their editorial eyeshadow styles.

13. What is your most repurchased makeup product?

As a category, eyeshadow palettes are the products that I purchase the most. As it stands now, I currently own 200+ palettes.

However, my most repurchased makeup products are likely staple products such as the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation, Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer or Milani Stay Put Eyeliner. However, Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion or All-Nighter Setting Spray are other strong contenders, too. P.S. You can check out 15 high end skincare products I’ve repurchased over the years.

14. What is your earliest makeup memory?

Did anyone else ever play with Blush Art growing up? Or was this just a weird thing I did as a kid?

15. What is your favorite place to shop for makeup?

Sephora is my favorite place to shop for luxury or high-end makeup. However, in recent years Ulta has made major efforts to diversify their shelves by carrying more luxury and indie makeup brands. Nevertheless, I typically only shop from Ulta during a sale.

From an affordable makeup standpoint, three of my favorite places to shop from are CVS, Target, and ColourPop. First thing’s first, too many US shoppers sleep on CVS. The makeup that CVS carries is often priced slightly higher than the makeup sold at big-box retailers like Target or Walmart. However, CVS’s coupon program is unbeatable. If you wait for a sale and sign up for their rewards programs, makeup prices end up cheaper than other mass retailers.

Second, since 2018 Target continues to level-up their beauty selection. In fact, the experience and vibe in newer Target locations feels particularly high-end. Moreover, from a brand perspective, Target sells so many hidden gems. Similar to Ulta, they’ve made serious efforts to partner with indie brands, too.

Last but not least, ColourPop gets a special shoutout as a favorite place to shop for makeup. There is no other brand that puts out makeup that is collectively as high quality, trendy, and affordable as ColourPop. Also, the brand constantly launches new products and formulas, which makes the shopping experience fun.

16. What is the most underrated makeup product you own?

My Kopari Lip Glossies are the most underrated makeup products in my collection. Whether you define this is as an ultra-glossy lip balm or an ultra-nourishing lip gloss, I am obsessed with the Lip Glossy formula. I use this lip product as my first step in my lip care routine prior to applying my other lip products. This lippie makes a huge difference in the appearance of wrinkles and lines in my lips.

17. What is the most overrated makeup product you own?

In looking at my blog, it should be very apparent that I love brands like ColourPop so much; however, I’m not afraid to admit that not every single release is hype-worthy. Sometimes the beautiful packaging and affordable price point add to the hype more than the product performance. For example, the Disney Villains collection and the Midnight Masquerade collection have some of the most beautiful and well-executed packaging. However, the products aren’t the most amazing things I’ve ever used.

18. What is a discontinued makeup product you wish would come back?

The Urban Decay Stay Naked Weightless Foundation needs to come back. Although the new version is “fine,” it is an inferior formula compared to the brand’s original. More specifically, when compared to the original, the reformulated version looks heavier and drier. You can see where both Urban Decay foundation formulas fell within my ultimate foundation ranking.

Also, I’d love to see Urban Decay bring back the original Naked Palette and for Anastasia Beverly Hills to bring back the Master Palette by Mario. TYSM.

19. Where do you go for makeup inspiration?

Instagram and YouTube are my main sources for makeup inspiration. However, musicians like Hayley Williams, Gwen Stefani, and Lights were major sources for beauty inspiration when I was growing up.

20. What do you hope to see LESS OF in makeup’s future?

Celebrity Makeup Brands: Honestly, I am so tired of celebrity makeup brands. Although I understand the desire to enter the makeup space and I love a few celebrity lines, I am overwhelmed by the seemingly endless barrage of new brands. Also, it is tiring trying to decipher who genuinely loves and uses their brand’s products versus who is not telling the entire truth.

Plastic Packaging: I hope to see less plastic packaging. There are so many innovative product formulas available, but many brands continue to use cheap, plastic packaging that cannot be recycled. Innovation is needed in this area.

Consumerism: Lastly, I hope to see the conversation around consumerism change. I know that I’m not alone in feeling the pressure to online shop and feeling like I’m battling an addiction to buying makeup. However, I don’t think the conversations around consumerism in the beauty space are particularly helpful. In fact, sometimes I find the disclaimers or “justifications” for owning a lot of makeup disgenuine and condescending.

[[Anyone else feel annoyed when influencers try to “justify”large collections with the excuse owning a ton of makeup is “their job”? As a viewer and blogger, this comment irks me. Most content creators (like me) start their blogs, channels, or pages as a form of creative expression and a hobby where they share their love of the beauty space. In many cases, these creators likely owned more beauty products than the average person. Moreover, they pursued this job due to a desire to test or play with beauty products.

Moreover, brands and consumerism are what allows influencers or creatives to rely on social media for income. How so? Brands are paying for the ads that run on post platforms (which creators can monetize), brands pay influencers for sponsored content and/or gift them with new releases in the hopes of receiving a review. Why do brands do this? Social media influencers are more likely to influence a purchase decision than nearly any other paid channel.

Therefore, I find the excuses or justifications for owning a large beauty collection disingenuous. Beauty influencers rely on their followers, either directly or indirectly, to purchase products in order to survive in the social sphere. As such, the disclaimers ring hollow – even if the actual intention was genuine.

P.S. As someone with a ridiculously large collection, I am not intending to shame anyone for the size of their collection. Moreover, I am not dictating what is or isn’t normal or acceptable. Instead, I’m merely voicing my frustration for these lame and ridiculous justifications.]]

21. What do you hope to see MORE OF in makeup’s future?

Inclusive Packaging: I’d love to see more makeup brands putting in effort to create packaging that is ability-inclusive. What does this mean? Packaging is often designed with the general public in mind; however, disabled customers still buy and wear makeup. There are ways to make packaging more inclusive to those who might have mobility or vision handicaps.

Sustainability & Transparency: I hope to see more brands pushing towards sustainable packaging and ingredients sourcing. Also, I want to see brands moving away from meaningless marketing terms such as organic, natural, clean, etc. and actually focus on ingredient literacy.

Killer Affordable Makeup: Do not let anyone tell you that drugstore makeup cannot compete with higher end makeup. As someone who has literally tried thousands of products at this point in my life, I can confirm that this is a huge lie. While price can play a role in setting our exceptions, it does not dictate quality. I’ve tried bad formulas from both affordable and luxury brands. Ultimately, there are brands at all thresholds that make amazing products – including drugstore brands. I’m happy to see that drugstore brands have been bringing their A-game in recent years to disprove this toxic narrative.

Final Thoughts on the 21 Questions: Makeup Edition Tag

As someone with a huge passion for the beauty space, I always love to participate in challenges or tags like this. I love an opportunity to sit back and reflect on my beauty journey, purchasing habits, and trends. Like many posts before this, the 21 Questions: Makeup Edition Tag provided me an opportunity to reflect on how my makeup habits have changed as I’ve grown as a person.

I’m tagging anyone to participate in the 21 Questions: Makeup Edition Tag if you want to answer these questions.

Do you love Beauty Tags? Read these posts…

• FMK Beauty Brand Tag
• The Eyeshadow Palette Tag
• The A-Z Alphabet Makeup Tag
• Vogue 73 Questions Parody

Let’s connect on social media: Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin’ | Influenster

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How would you answer the 21 Questions: Makeup Edition Tag? What do you want to see more of in the future of the cosmetics industry?

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