Project Pan 17 Update #12

So this is my last post for 2017.  I had hoped that as my traineeship was over and I was waiting for a job in the field I would have a lot more opportunity to wear makeup regularly, using up much more product than before.   Unfortunately I got ill and was in now mood for putting time into applying the makeup or touching my already soar  and red nose.  I did make some progress, just not as much as I had  hoped.

Let's start with the Urban Decay original Naked palette.  I had hoped that there would be more obvious change in these shadows.  However, apart from more of a dip in a number of them there isn't any obvious changes here.  I'm doing something different with my palettes next year so this won't be part of my next project pan as such.

There's more of a dent in the Barbara Day eye primer but this is still not complete yet, so I'm rolling it into next year's project pan to use up.  It works pretty well, though not great, but as I can't find out if Barbara Day is cruelty free or not I want to use it up and I won't buy it again.

As the never ending story of this year the MUA powder foundation in Shade 4 and Bourjois blusher in Ceidre still look like they haven't been used, despite using them every time that I wear makeup.  These products are both quite old and I'll now be getting rid of them.  Both MUA and Bourjois are cruelty free (though I will be checking Bourjois' status again in 2018 as I've heard mixed things).

Now for the products I've added in for this last month.  The Pacifica perfume in Tuscan Blood is now finished.  I liked the smell a lot better than I thought I would, but it doesn't linger for very long and I prefer more simple scents.  Pacifica is cruelty free though.

I've managed to get through a lot more of the Zoya Pixie Dust nail varnish in Dahlia then I thought I would this month.  There's still a bit to go so I'll be rolling this into next year's project pan to finish off all my nail varnishes and then my nails can breathe.  Zoya is a cruelty free company.

I've managed to make some more progress in the Neal's Yard lipstick in Persimmon despite not wearing it regularly.  Lipstick is the one bit of makeup I definitely don't wear when I have a cold.  This product is also being rolled over into next year's project pan as one of the four lipsticks I want to get through.  I do quite like the colour and texture of this lipstick (and Neal's Yard is cruelty free), but I don't think I will buy this product again as I'm thinking of only having one lipstick in my makeup bag in the long run.

The Living Nature eye pencil in Midnight may be a very soft pencil which is easy to use, but it's still taking a long time to get anywhere.  In fact, it doesn't seem to have gone down at all.  I'm glad that I've started this early as I think I'll be lucky to even finish this by the end of 2018.  Living Nature is a cruelty free company, but this product isn't the longest wearing eye liner I've ever used, even when it is set with an eyeshadow.

So that's the end of my project pan for this year.  I didn't use up as many products as 2016 and I decluttered quite a few (something I haven't done before).  I will be doing another project pan next year as an incentive to reduce all my beauty products to the bare minimum. 

Thank you for coming along for the ride and I hope you have a great New Year!

To see my progress so far:

• Introduction
• Project Pan Update #1
• Project Pan Update #2
• Project Pan Update #3
• Project Pan Update #4
• Project Pan Update #5
• Project Pan Update #6
• Project Pan Update #7
• Project Pan Update #8
• Project Pan Update #9
• Project Pan Update #10
• Project Pan Update #11

Project Pan Update #11 and Other Products

I knew this month was going to be quite a slow month when it came to using up products, especially as I've added products in.  So it's not surprising I haven't really got a lot to talk about.

Let's start with the eyeshadow.  I've been using the Urban Decay Naked original palette every time I wear makeup (about three times a week now).  There's more of a pan on Toasted and some very small dips in the other eyeshadows, but nothing obvious.  I'll carry on working on this palette alone until the end of the year and then I'm going to make a few small changes.

The Barbara Day eye primer isn't really showing any further improvements, but at least I now know it's going down.  Always a good thing.

As usual the MUA powder foundation in Shade 4 and Bourjois blusher in Ceidre are not showing any signs of change.  I'm going to keep using these until 2018 and then they'll be going in the bin, so I'll do my best to use as much as possible.

Now for the items I've added in for this last two months.  The Pacifica perfume in Tuscan Blood is going down pretty quickly and I should be finished with it in the beginning of December.  Always nice when one of the products is easy to use.  I'm actually enjoying the smell much more than I thought I would, but I probably won't buy it again.

The Zoya Pixie Dust nail varnish in Dahlia has also gone down quite quickly (probably because I need to put on three coats everyone I use it), but I don't think it'll be finished by the end of the year.  Still, it's my last mail varnish so that's not too bad.

I had hoped the Neal's Yard lipstick in Persimmon would have been a little shorter by now, but it seems to be taking its time.  It's a nice colour for the season though, so I don't mind wearing it on a regular basis.  It's the only lipstick I'm going to concentrate on right now, but I will be adding more onto next year's project.

Lastly the Living Nature eye pencil in Midnight.  I knew this product would take a very long time to use up, but I just wanted to start it now in preparation for next year's project.  It's a very soft pencil and pretty easy to use, but it doesn't have the best staying power ever.

The last product I'm going to write about here is the Jāsön's Sun Facial Sunscreen.  This is a great product, is easy to use, protects my skin well, and I have no reactions (both in the allergy or spot department) to it.  I have a few other SPFs I want to use up first, but once they are gone I'll be buying this again.

To see my progress so far:

• Introduction
• Project Pan Update #1
• Project Pan Update #2
• Project Pan Update #3
• Project Pan Update #4
• Project Pan Update #5
• Project Pan Update #6
• Project Pan Update #7
• Project Pan Update #8
• Project Pan Update #9
• Project Pan Update #10

Project Pan 2017 Update #6 and some decluttering

Throughout this month the words that have run through my head have been ' slow and steady' and that is precisely what this project this year has been.

Let's start this month with the one product I have managed to finish and that is the Barry M nail paint in Cyan.  This is a beautiful colour and I've actually quite enjoyed wearing it everyday (probably because blue is my favourite colour).   I wasn't able to reach right down to the bottom as the polish became too thick to use, but as I'm not wanting to worry about using thinner or anything like that this is now being classed as done.  I have already moved onto the Barry M nail paint in Black.  Barry M is cruelty free and I love the colour, but as I want a more natural polish and am looking to only own one or two in the future I won't be buying this one again.

As I am no longer doing my face makeup on a daily basis there isn't a lot of obvious change in my eyeshadows.  When I have been wearing makeup recently I have been using my Urban Decay Naked original palette.  You can't see any actual changes in this, but it has reminded me just how much I love this palette.  For my single eyeshadows in the Z palette I have only really been using the Natural Collections shadow in Sable (there is an obvious change there) and The Body Shop shadow in Coconut About Me.  I did try the Max Factor shadow in Untamed Green but it really didn't have good staying power nor did it suit my skin tone at all so I'm just going to get rid of it.  I'm also going to get rid of the other single eyeshadows as well (apart from Sable) as I've made good progress on them and I feel happy just letting them go now.  They are also not my favourite products to use and I don't want to keep using products I don't like over others when I'm no longer wearing makeup everyday.

I had hoped to have finished my Jean Paul Gaultier Eau De Parfum by the end of this month and I'm so close!  But unfortunately I still have a little bit left at the bottom.  I will carry on using this on a daily basis and hopefully it will be gone my next month's update.

The progress on my Barbara Day eye primer has (not surprising) slowed considerably.  There is still some sign of movement at the top but still not enough for me to be able to mark a line on it yet.

The MUA powder foundation in Shade 4 and the Bourjois blusher in Ceidre 48 are still the never ending stories when in comes to progress.  I am getting a little bored of using them so I might bring some other products next month to give myself a break.  At the end of the year, if not before, I will definitely think about decluttering these.

And that's it.  This blog is definitely getting shorter to write about now that the products are going down.  I've started looking at other products I want to add to the list as I work my way through and will hopefully get to them before the end of the year.

To see my progress so far:

• Introduction
• Project Pan Update #1
• Project Pan Update #2
• Project Pan Update #3
• Project Pan Update #4
• Project Pan Update #5

Project Pan 17 Update #5 and Other Products

With the swap over this month from one type of job to a completely different one I wasn't sure how much I was going to get through and, as expected, there hasn't been a huge difference in most of the products.

Apart from one and that is the Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl Waterproof Eyeliner in Superblack, which is now finished.  I thought I had a little more to go and, as I'm only now wearing makeup on the weekends, I thought it was going to be a while before it went.  However, when I was putting it on last week the last part of the eyeline fell out and landed on the floor.  So, I'm calling it done.  It is a good dark colour and is really easy to apply, but the staying power isn't as good as I remember (thought that could be due to the age of it) and it's on the grey area list on Logical Harmony so I'm not going to get anymore of their products for now.

I have been able to get a bit more use on my eyeshadows.  I've now used around half of the Coconut About Me and The Body Shop purple eyeshadow which I used more of this month.  The eyeshadow in Sea Shell has also finally shown some actual movement with the pan being much larger than before and I'm going to carry on using this over the year.  There's also been a lot more movement in Sable as I am now using it as an undereye powder and a base shadow on my eyelids.  I'm not expecting a lot more movement in these shadows for the next while as I want to get some more use out of my Urban Decay Naked 1 palette for the next couple of months.  One thing I have decided to do is to get rid of the gold shade from my H&M palette (middle of the very right column).  This is because I have golds in my Urban Decay palettes that are much better quality and are less powdery, with much better staying power.  It is unlikely that I will ever reach for this (H&M is also in the grey areas of Logical Harmony) so I might as well get rid of it.

You can't really see any movement in my Urban Decay and it'll be interesting to see how much I get through over the next few months, but it may be that I need to do a 'Pan that Palette' on this palette specifically next year.

I've actually been quite enjoying wearing the Barry M nail varnish in Cyan this week, mainly because blue is my favourite colour, so it hasn't been too much of a chore.  My use has been pretty consistent, but I have noticed that the formula has begun to get a little thicker now so we'll see how it goes over the next month.  Barry M is a cruelty free company, but I want to look at more natural nail polishes in the future so I probably won't buy this again.

There is much more progress showing on the Barbara Day eye primer (again at the top) so it looks like there is finally some actual movement in this.  I will keep using it throughout the year, but it is very unlikely that I will finish this by the end of the year.

As before, there is no obvious change in my MUA powder foundation in Shade 4 and the Bourjois blush in Ceidre 48.  I'll be amazed if I hit pan on either of these by the end of the year.

I didn't manage to finish the Jean Paul Gaultier Eau De Parfum by the end of this month, but it is very near to being finished.  I will carry on putting this on every day but, as it won't be as much as before, it'll probably take a couple more months before this is completely finished.

The other product is the Soap and Glory Thick & Fast Super Volume Mascara in Super Jet Black.  I was actually quite disappointed with this product as I was expecting thicker lashes which lasted.  Unfortunately, while it did make my lashes a little thicker it also flaked everywhere and I was constantly having to clean it up carefully (it smudged a lot across my skin when I tried to move it) throughout the day.  I got around this by putting a waterproof mascara over the top, but I'd rather not have to do that.  This and the fact that whether or not Soap and Glory is cruelty free is a grey area I won't buy this again.

To see my previous posts on my 2017 Project Pan:

• Introduction
• Project Pan Update #1
• Project Pan Update #2
• Project Pan Update #3
• Project Pan Update #4

Project Pan 17 Update #4 and Other Products

 This month has been a little more successful than I thought it was going to be.

Let's start with the product I'm most happy about finally finishing and that's the Wella System Professional Polish Cream.  This product does help a bit with frizziness and smells nice, but it isn't as good as the oils I usually use and is not cruelty free so I won't be getting it again.  I am happy that this has finally gone, but it is a reminder to not buy something, just because.

I've also used up the NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee.  I didn't manage to get absolutely all the product out of the container, but I did take out the stopper so that I could get as much as possible.  It's not really my colour (I seem to have been going through a pink phase for some reason), but the texture and smell were nice.  It is a good product, but I won't buy it again as I'm not a lip gloss type of girl.  There is also the whole are they, aren't they when it comes to cruelty free.  I've moved on to some of the other lipsticks that I have and am hoping to use another two products by the end of the year, which should take the number down to 4.

The eyeshadows are doing well.  Now that I'm doing a type of brown, smokey eye The Body Shop eyeshadow in Coconut About Me is moving along a lot quicker.  I've also been using Sea Shell on my eye as well as a highlighter and this has helped move it along, but obviously hasn't helped with two purple eyeshadows which have been put on the back burner for this month.  I had watched a YouTube channel by MakeUp Geek about covering up undereye circles which recommends using an eyeshadow as the powder rather than your usual face powder.  So I've been using the Natural Collection eyeshadow in Sable for this and have now managed to hit pan.  The rest have remained the same.

The smokey eye look has also helped me work through Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl Waterproof Eyeliner in Superblack.  I am much more hopeful that this will be finished by the end of the year, but, as I won't be wearing as much makeup come the end of May, things will slow down on that front quite a lot.  However, good progress with this one so I'm happy.

I'm now using the Barry M nail varnish in Cyan as my main nail varnish.  All the Barry M varnishes I've had have always been liquidy but very pigmented, which means you don't need a lot to get the colour.  This, of course, means there's not as much progress as I would hope, but I still managed to get through a fair amount this month.  Even though I won't be wearing face makeup on a day to day basis I will still be wearing nail varnish, so I'm hopeful that I will still be able to get through them all this year.  I wasn't sure about this colour, if I'm honest, but since I've been wearing it on a daily basis I have to admit I actually really like it and it does go well with my skin tone.

I'm finally seeing some progress in the Barbara Day eye primer (just at the top).  I think this one is going to take a very long time to use up and I'm definitely not going to get it finished by the end of the year.  However, I'm not actually that bothered about that.  It's quite a good eye primer, especially for my oily eyes, and is the last one I have so if it takes a couple of years that's fine.

As before the MUA powder foundation in Shade 4 and the Bourjois blush in Ceidre 48 are showing no real change.  Slow and steady with these.

As for the Jean Paul Gaultier Eau De Parfum I am getting through it and might actually have it finished by the time I start my new job.  I will keep using it at my new job (if it's not finished), but not to the extent.  It will definitely be finished by the end of the year.

As for other product, I've been testing the Neal's Yard Wild Rose Moisturising SPF30.  It smells really nice and I was able to put it all over my face, including over my eyelids, without having any reaction to it.  However, I found it a bit too thick to use.  Even with warming it up in my hands first I still felt like it was pulling on my face.  It also didn't feel like it was very moisturising and, in fact, my skin seemed to get drier quicker when I was using this.  The outer packaging doesn't really hold up to constant use either, but the things that means the most to me is what's inside and I don't think I'll get this one again.

To see my previous posts on my 2017 Project Pan:

• Introduction
• Project Pan Update #1
• Project Pan Update #2
• Project Pan Update #3

Project Pan 17 Update #3 and no other products this time.

I wasn't sure how many of the products I was going to be able to get through this month, if any, so I wasn't expected this month to be a particularly successful one.  This is especially true as I wasn't wearing any makeup in the last week of March.  That being said, there is one product that I am getting rid of and a couple where I am very close to finishing.

The product that I'm getting rid of is the Max Factor Glossfinity nail polish in Raspberry Blush.  This is the polish that I've been concentrating on over the last 3 months and, though it isn't completely finished, it has become so thick it is now too difficult to use.  The colour is quite nice, but isn't one I would normally go for and, of course, Max Factor is not cruelty free so I won't be buying this one again.  It also didn't last particularly long with all the typing I do.

There has been the same steady progress in the three shadows I have been concentrating on this month, which are The Body Shop purple eyeshadow, The Body Shop shadow in Coconut About Me, and the Natural Collection shadow in Sea Shell.  Even though I have been using Sea Shell every day that I've been wearing makeup as a highlight I haven't seen as much progress as I would have expected, so I'm going to concentrate on it more over the next month.  These are all from companies that are cruelty free, but as I'm trying to downsize everything I own it's unlikely I will buy these again.

There has been more progress this month on the Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl Waterproof Eyeliner in Superblack than in the past (even with missing a week) and I'm expecting to see even more over the next month.  It is a good product, but doesn't seem to have as much staying power in my waterline as I remembered it used to - or maybe my eyes are just more watery at the moment.

I have made a lot more progress in the NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee then I was actually expecting and you can see right through parts of it so I am expecting it to be finished by the end of the upcoming month.  However, I'm not holding my breath as I've found in the past the products I thought were almost finished lasted for ages.  This is a very nice product and very easy to apply.  NYX is also cruelty free, but I won't buy this again as I have realised I'm really not a lip gloss/ butter gloss type of girl.

The Wella System Professional Polish Cream is another product that is very close to being finished.  I've been remembering to apply this to be hair on a regular basis this month and I think I only have another weeks worth or product in here, as long as I carry on remembering to apply it as before.  With regular use I can now definitely say that, while it does help a little with frizz, it's definitely more to do with the products I am using to clean my hair rather than this item in particular.

As before, and despite using them on a daily basis, there is no obvious progress in the Barbara Day eye primer, the MUA powder foundation in Shade 4, and the Bourjois blush in Ceidre 48.  The blush is obviously getting old as I am regularly having to scratch off the top layer that has hardened, but this doesn't seem to have increased the progress by any significant amount.  I will keep using them and hope to at least reach pan by the end of the year.

There is no significant progress in the Jean Paul Gaultier Eau De Parfum.  Thankfully I do really like the scent of this, in fact it's known as my signature scent, so using it on a daily basis has not been a problem.  This will definitely be a product that lasts until the end of the year, but I'm happy to keep using it until then.

I haven't finished any additional products this month and actually that's a good thing as the reason is because I have now gotten rid of practically all the additional products I used to have.  A couple of items may appear here and there, but these should now be few and far between.

To see my previous posts on my 2017 Project Pan:

• Introduction
• Project Pan Update #1
• Project Pan Update #2