RECAP: *My* 2024 Beauty Wrapped
My beef with Spotify’s annual Wrapped campaign is longstanding and well-documented at this point. I started out a fan — “Data? To tell me about me? LFG!” — but they lost me when they told me my “sound town” is Bridgeport, CT and described my March 2024 as my “Boujee Football Rap season.” The original spirit of Wrapped is just too far removed now from the brainchild of the design intern that never got her due credit 😒.
All that said, at least we get something for music. Meanwhile, we’re left for dead every December to look back at our own year in beauty. Like: “What did I buy to still be Rouge? Why do I have so many lip pencils?!” I appreciate my friends in mainstream media that take on the challenge of organizing awards and summarizing launches + industry trends for the collective, but I still find myself craving the ‘me, myself and I’ in it all.
My stab at a beauty Wrapped for the majority is coming up soon! In the meantime, I wanted to take a look back at my 2024 beauty story and the new discoveries and favorites that came with it. By category, in no particular order, my 2024 in beauty:
Makeup
HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Bio-Radiant Gel-Powder Highlighter with Fermented Arnica in Bronzite
I picked this up at Sephora on a whim in March — as one does to feel something — and have been so in love ever since. The gel-powder formula creates a glowy, natural-looking highlight that melts onto my cheekbones. The deep bronze color makes it so there’s no chalky or unnatural looking glitter streak when I apply it with a brush.
Lady Gaga makes my favorite under-eye concealer (which I was going to eagerly include on this list until realizing that I’ve been using it since 2023 🫠), but I hadn’t explored her color offerings. Still enjoying this one!
Lip Lab Custom Lipstick
Also in March, I visited the Lip Lab at the Century City Mall for the first time. My friend and I planned it as a surprise bridal shower for another friend to get her some lipsticks for a marathon of wedding events. This experience is so underrated! I made my perfect my-lips-but-better shade in a bullet formula with an easy-to-find metallic blue tube, vanilla scent and taste — and got to name it (Stunnin’ Vibes ✨ idk, Love Island UK was on). The best part is that they keep the shade on file so I can re-up when I run out.
PATRICK TA Major Dimension Eye Illusion Eyeshadow Duo in Still At The Club *FREE
Disclaimer: anything labeled *FREE was just that. Important for you at home to know the difference between what I purchased and thought was worth my $$ vs. what I fell in love with after it was handed to me.
Real talk, I was just as skeptical as the girls clutching their pearls over the cost in Trendmood’s comments when this first launched in Fall. But my job was to push it regardless, lol. So my team and I learned a lot about slurry formulas, which create a dreamy, wet gel texture vs. the dryer powder ones we see most often — and can also be pricier to perfect. The payoff of this “sepia and cocoa sparkle” duo, as she’s described, is perfectly buildable because of its translucent base (also a slurry ting). So I can do just one side for daytime sparkle, or layer both for nighttime drama. Bonus: the compact is small and saves me from having to travel with a larger palette just for my go-to eye look.
Stila Stay All Day Dual-Ended Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Intense Black
I bought this at Ulta as part of my Coachella prep in April. It was time for something new after my last eyeliner had dried up (a little too quickly, if you ask me). I referred back to a previous poll recap and saw this one mentioned enough to go for it. I credit the dual ends to my most consistent winged eyeliner streak in recent memory. The original tip lays the shape, and the micro one perfects it every time.
KISS The New Natural False Eyelashes in Silver Ring
Lashes are my guilty CVS pleasure. I go in for a prescription and I leave with strips. When I saw these, I was just coming off a run of KISS’ My Lashes But Better collection and figured, why not? I feel like these are basically the same (both lightweight, medium-length 12mm) but I’m a sucker for new campaigns and packaging. Plus, they were 50% for Black Friday so I bought the rack. 😅
Skincare
iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Extreme Cream Anti-Aging, Firming, & Lifting Refillable Moisturizer *FREE
This launched in late January, but I admittedly dragged my feet on using it consistently at first. I was convinced the thick texture would make me break out! After sitting through enough media desksides, looking at the same incredible before-and-afters, something finally clicked. I use three pumps each time, morning and night. I’m hooked. I’m convinced my smile lines are lessening and my skin looks lifted and plumper. Better late than never!
Vacation® Shake Shake SPF 50 Mineral Milk *FREE
Another one I sat on for a while after initially receiving it. Over the summer, I decided I was good on my then-face SPF and wanted to switch to a mineral one. I dug this one out, mainly because I’d heard so many great things about Vacation® (again, poll recaps) and wanted to be one of the gworls. SPF 50 is great as it is for anti-aging sun protection, but I really love that the “proprietary non-nano ZincWater™ formula” doesn’t break me out, doesn’t leave a white cast, and plays well with makeup. Love her!
Body
Fenty Skin Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream with Tropical Oils + Shea Butter
I HATE that I love this. Body creams + butters are a category I’m usually able to get for free — or at least for the low. The November day I caved, I’d just run out of CeraVe and still had a Sephora gift card hanging around from June. I love the texture and light “Fenty Fresh” fragrance so much that I’ve already done the girl math to keep it in rotation for 2025.
Vacation® Chardonnay Oil SPF 30 Sunscreen *FREE
Another Vacation® banger. I was DIRECTLY told about this a year ago (polls!) and still slept on it. Well, I was glowy and protected all summer when I finally fished it out of my overstock drawer. The scent gives Almafi Coast getaway.
Hair
Cécred Moisturizing Deep Conditioner
I was very tempted to buy the entire Cécred line on launch day in February, but I found some restraint deep down. Of the items I bought*, while the Hydrating Shampoo and Moisture Sealing Lotion are still on regular wash day rotation, the Moisturizing Deep Conditioner is the stand out in my heart. I keep calling it a mask accidentally — that’s how rich it is. My natural hair always feels so hydrated and bouncy after letting the conditioner sit through an everything shower.
*I also bought the Hydrating Hair Oil in this order, which I’ve since retired. I used to love an oil but this era of my hair prefers a light souffle/cream moisturizer. Just so you know this is unbiased by my Bey-llegiance.
Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler *FREE(-ish)
This was one of my birthday gifts in June from Chris & Cali 💕 I’d wanted one for a while, but could never justify that price. I didn’t know how much I needed her until my first wash day! Attention Black girls: yes, this is for us too — and I’m sorry in advance.* I have no idea how Dyson air blows differently than regular blow dryers, but my hair is dry and detangled in just a few passes. The Firm Smoothing Brush is enough to stretch my natural 4C hair during a wet-to-dry blowout, but I’m curious about grabbing the wide-tooth comb attachment. And then the curling barrels and round brush on my weave? Chef’s kiss every time.
*Yes, I’m sure a Shark or whatever could do this too but DYSON!
Fragrance
PHLUR Vanilla Skin Eau de Parfum
Though I knew for a while I’d enjoy this scent, I didn’t do anything with that theory (I’m seeing a pattern) until I was sent a thank you box of other PHLUR stuff this Fall. One of the items was the new Vanilla Skin Natural Deodorant. Natural deodorant is cute in theory, but let’s be so fr — I’m not leaving the house without aluminum. BUT the scent! I dropped into Sephora on the last day of the Fall Savings Event and added the travel size EDP to my bag. After I predictably ran through it before the month ended, the full size went on every Christmas list in hopes of getting multiples 🤞🏾
Ellis Brooklyn MIAMI Nectar Eau de Parfum *FREE
I have my co-workers to thank for this. I love Ellis Brooklyn’s SAND Hair and Body Fragrance Mist, and was convinced to try this one as a result when it launched in April. Very much giving a “if you love that, just wait until you try THIS” kind of hustle, lol. And they were correct. I’ve described this like a piña colada cloud, especially when layered with SAND. Perfect for my endless summer lifestyle living at the beach.
*Too Early to Call*
Some notable or promising things to call out since I’m here:
Another Sephora Fall Savings Event buy. I wanted a plum blush for a November wedding, in a meet-in-the-middle finish between dewy and matte. I ended up barely wearing any to balance my deep red matte lip so it’s due for a true re-test.
Topicals Cognac Faded Under Eye Masks
I already love the OGs so this was an easy impulse buy during the early access last week! I just don’t actually have these new ones in my possession yet to count them in 2024 replays.
And that’s the year — through my vanity’s POV.
As always, thanks for being here! You didn’t miss being added to this round of ✨data✨ since it was all about me but if you’d like to play Makeup the Majority in real time, check me out on Instagram at @MAKEUPTHEMAJORITY!