Maybe what you need is an eyeshadow primer and not necessarily a palette? It’ll help with the longevity of your eyeshadow if your main issue is it fading throughout the day.

That said, the best way to ensure you will have shadows you know you will use is to buy singles in colours you know you like.

What’s your skincare routine?

Flannels has it.

Has your skintype changed? Is your skincare routine the same as it was when you started using Colorstay?

Brow gel - Do you want a clear one or a tinted one?

Liquid bronzer - IDK.

Blush - Powder, cream, or liquid?

Lipstick - I don’t think you can go too wrong with MAC or Revlon.

Brushes - Any particular brushes you’re looking for?

Yep, I definitely learned loads from Marlena way back when.

I miss Claire, too.

The only product I toss regularly is mascara. Everything else I own, I go by smell or texture change, or if it isn’t performing as well as it once did.

Powders generally last much longer than creams and liquids.

I stopped buying pre-made palettes (especially large-ish ones) several years ago because that sort of thing was a common occurrence for me: there were colours in palettes I owned that I almost never used for whatever reason. There were even a couple of palettes I had that ended up going largely untouched in my drawers (one had colours I had trouble incorporating regularly; the other was an all-matte palette with a very hard formula to work with). IMO, pre-made eyeshadow palettes are a waste of money unless you know you’re going to use most, if not all, of the colours in one.

This is a big reason why I’m a huge advocate for buying single eyeshadow pans and building an eyeshadow collection that way (especially once you know what you gravitate toward generally). It may cost more upfront than a pre-made palette, but you’re going to have eyeshadows you know you love and will use, and if you pan any colour, you just have to repurchase a single pan versus seeing if whatever palette is still available, which also makes it much more sustainable and cost-effective long-term.

I prefer to spend on complexion products (mainly foundation and concealer; I don’t use a face primer as I think my skincare is sufficient-enough prep). I’m more apt to find shades that work for me from mid-range or higher-end brands than more affordable ones (I’m on the very pale side).

You can absolutely save on mascara; I personally wouldn’t spend much more than $20-25 USD on one.

Eyeshadow-wise, I am #TeamSingleEyeshadowPans versus buying pre-made palettes. Pre-made palettes can be good when you’re starting out since you’re still figuring out what you like. However, I think long-term it becomes more expensive, wasteful, and simply not worth it. (That said, I’m not averse to buying a trio or a quad if I think I’d get good use out of the shades.) With single eyeshadows, the expense is in the short-term (buying an empty palette to put your singles in + the eyeshadows themselves), but long-term cost is lower since you’d only be repurchasing one pan at a time, not to mention you (hopefully) have a selection of eyeshadows you know you love and will use. There are a number of brands that do single pans at varying price points – Sydney Grace, Devinah, Looxi, Colourpop (I think you can also depot any pre-made palettes of theirs pretty easily?), Terra Moons, Dandy Lions, Lethal Cosmetics, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Inglot, Glaminatrix, Clionadh, among others.

For cheek, lip, and brow products, I think you can go either way.

In my bedroom, in front of a window where my vanity desk sits. (I sit on the edge of my bed.) I also have a mirror in there.

EL Double Wear Maximum Cover is supposed to be fuller coverage than regular Double Wear. Unfortunately, the shade range is pretty limited.

Why haven’t you loved what you bought?

Most, if not all, foundations contain titanium dioxide — not as an SPF ingredient but as a white pigment. A lot of them will also use a mix of physical and chemical sunscreens, as I’ve found. (These are just what’s available through Sephora and Ulta.)

• Rare Beauty’s tinted moisturizer: homosalate, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide
• Dior’s foundations that contain SPF (Forever Glow and Matte): octisalate and titanium dioxide
• Estée Lauder Futurist Skin Tint: octinoxate, octisalate, and zinc oxide
• Bobbi Brown Skin Long-Wear: octinoxate and titanium dioxide
• Clinique Even Better (regular): octinoxate, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide
• Both Shiseido Synchro-Skin foundations: octinoxate, titanium dioxide
• Laura Mercier’s tinted moisturizers use only chemical sunscreens (avobenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, oxybenzone).
• Shiseido Revitalessence uses just octinoxate.
• Estée Lauder Futurist Hydra Rescue: ensulizole, octinoxate, octisalate, zinc oxide
• La Mer The Soft Fluid: octinoxate and titanium dioxide
• Too Faced Born This Way Healthy Glow: octinoxate, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide
• Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint: homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide
• Clinique Age Defense BB: octinoxate, octisalate, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide
• L’Oréal Infallible Fresh Wear: octinoxate and titanium dioxide
• L’Oréal Age Perfect Radiant Serum: homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, titanium dioxide
• MAC Studio Fix Fluid: octinoxate and titanium dioxide
• NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer: octinoxate and titanium dioxide
• TULA Radiant Skin Brightening Serum Skin Tint: avobenzone and octisalate
• Clinique Redness Solutions: octinoxate, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide
• Chanel Vitalumière Aqua: octinoxate and titanium dioxide
• MAC Studio Waterweight: octinoxate, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide
• e.l.f. Camo CC Cream: octinoxate, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide
• Dermablend CC: homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene
• Chanel CC Cream: octinoxate, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide

Also keep in mind that a lot of foundations, and even some skin tints, don’t contain SPF, and that layering SPFs on top of each other won’t increase your sun protection.

As for fragrance free, anything from Clinique will definitely give you that. For others, you’ll have to go through the ingredients of the various products.

I didn’t compile the list. Someone else did (linked in that same thread). You’ll need to ask them.

You lumped it in with brands that are L’Oréal-owned, which is why I pointed it out.

In that case, you would then need to boycott all these brands, too.

Also: Ahava.

Here’s a list of pro-Palestine brands.

Beautycounter is an MLM, for what it’s worth.

LYS is at the more affordable end of “clean beauty” (products are the high teens/low $20ish USD range), but they don’t have any eyeshadows in their line-up. MOB Beauty may be another option for you.

MAC is owned by Estée Lauder, not L’Oréal.