Project Pan 17 Update #1 and Other Products

This month I did a lot better that I was expecting.  I knew I was near the end of some products, but I didn't realise how close I actually was.  So, let's start with the products I've used up......

The first is the Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray (missing it's top - I have no idea where that went).  While this was travel size it still lasted a very long time and it was very effective at making my makeup last all day rather than slipping off my face around lunch time.  Urban Decay is also cruelty free (but their parent company isn't) so if you want to try a setting spray I'd definitely give this one a try, just remember to shake it.  However, I'm not that bothered about keeping my makeup lasting that long, so I won't actually be buying this or any setting spray in the future.

I also finished the last of my Faith In Nature Replenishing Aloe Vera Eye Gels.  I remember loving this product when I first started using it many, many years ago, but now it doesn't feel moisturising enough.  It could be the age of the product I have now, but it's most likely that I know need something much more moisturising now that I'm in my 30s.  You can't get this product anymore any way, but I do really like Faith In Nature products so I will probably have a look at other eye products they have when I finally need to.  Faith In Nature is also a cruelty free company.

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray came as part of a tester box and I was interested in using it as I do have issues sleeping.  Theoretically it should have worked, but I'm not sure I noticed any real difference to say for certain.  I also couldn't spray it onto the part of the pillow I actually lay my face on as I was allergic to it, so I was spraying it on the underside of the pillow.  As far as I can tell This Works is cruelty free and it could work on people whose brains are a little less active.

The last product I've used up is the e.l.f. High Definition Undereye Setting Powder in Sheer.  While this is meant to be just an undereye setting powder I have read reviews that have said that it is just their face powder in a smaller container, so I've been using it as an all over powder and it's been pretty good at that for the price.  I think it would be good under the eyes as well, but I have such dry skin under there at the moment that no powder is working and I don't think I can give a fair opinion on it.  E.l.f. is cruelty free, but I would just get the face powder instead of buying the undereye setting powder and use it for everything.

I have been mainly concentrating on 4 of the eyeshadow I have put on my project pan: the Natural Collection shadow in Sable, the pink / purple shadow from the H&M palette, the purple Body Shop shadow and the Body Shop shadow in Coconut About You.  You can definitely see increasing pan on three of these and I'm hoping to get through the two purple colours in the next couple of months.  I have also been using the Natural Collection shadow in Sea Shell as a highlight on my eyes and cheekbones, but there isn't any obvious change on this eyeshadow as yet.  There isn't much movement on the Urban Decay palette, but that should hopefully start later on in the year.

I've been using the Barbara Day eye primer on a daily basis, but it's very difficult to see what progress there has been.  I might try the trick I've seen people use when they put the container in hot water the make the product fall to the bottom. However, this product is very thick and it might not work.  I probably won't know until it's right at the end.

The Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl Waterproof Eyeliner in Superblack is a great eyeliner and I forgot how much I like using it, which is just as well as I'm using it on a daily basis.  It's also taking a very long time to get through, which means it probably wasn't a good idea to put it in a project pan.  But there is still progress and I think I should be able finish it by the end of the year. 

I've been predominantly concentrating on the Bourjois Colour Boost this month and have made quite a lot of progress.  However, this hasn't been as much as it could be as I have been using the NYX butter gloss since I noticed a slight change in the smell.  I don't think it's off yet, but it will be getting there.  As with the eye primer, it's difficult to see where I am with the butter gloss.

It looks like I'm finally working my way through the Wella System Professional Polish Cream.  I've worked out that the trick with this product is to put it in my bag and then I can just add it when my hair gets a bit frizzy, which is a lot at the moment. 

I didn't mark my Jean Paul Gaultier Eau De Parfum as I couldn't take marking the bottle - it's so pretty.  But I've definitely got quite far as you can now see it between the lace of the corset section. It should only be another couple of months before this is gone.

I've only been concentrating on the Max Factor Glossfinity nail polish in Raspberry Blush this month and there has been some progress, but probably not as much as it could be. I think the main issue is, as before, I seem to have gotten out of wearing varnish and I forget to put it on.  I am still hoping to get through all these polishes though, lovely manicured fingers crossed.

The last two products here are the Makeup Academy (MUA) foundation in shade 4, that I use for contouring, and the Bourjois blush in Ceidre.  There isn't too much obvious progress on these, but I am using them on a daily basis.  The blush is definitely old though as it looks like I going to have to scratch the top layer off to be able to keep using it.

As for products that aren't part of my project pan, I finished the e.l.f. Daily Hydration Moisturizer with spf 15 and stopped using the Lavera Intense Volumising Mascara in Black.  The moisturizer was good and I liked that it had spf.  It also worked very well as a base for my makeup, but is wasn't moisturizing enough for my skin at this time of year and I had to use another moisturizer first.  I really wanted the Lavera mascara to work, especially as I can get it locally.  Unfortunately, this not only smudged around my eyes, but it also stung my eyes a little bit when I removed it.  I've been using it with a layer of a waterproof mascara over the top, but it time to try something else that doesn't sting.

So that's it for now.  I don't think there'll be any products gone next month, but I'm glad to have used up what I have already. 

Project Pan for 2017

As last year's project pan went pretty well and helped me get rid of a number of items I really don't need I decided to do it again in 2017.  This year there are 24 products I want to use up, which seems a little more realistic, and in some of the areas I should be able to add to the items as the year goes on.

So, starting with the eyes:

Natural Collection in Sable

Natural Collection in Sea Shell

The Body Shop in Coconut About You eye shadow

The pink / purple eyeshadow from a H&M palette

Max Factor in Untamed Green

The gold eyeshadow from a H&M palette

A The Body Shop purple eyeshadow, but I can't remember the name it's so old - ops

Urban Decay Naked 1 palette - am counting this as one product for now

Barbara Day Eye Primer in Vanilla (Tescos)

e.l.f. High Definition Undereye Setting Powder in Sheer

Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl Waterproof Eyeliner in Superblack

For the face and lips I have:

• Bourjois Color Boost in Orange Punch
• NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee
• Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray (travel size)
• Makeup Academy Pressed Powder in Shade 4
• Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher in Cendre De Rose Brune

For nails I have the roll over nail polishes from last years Project Pan:

• Barry M in Cyan
• Barry M in Black
• Barry M in Bright Red
• Max Factor Glossfinity in Raspberry Blush 

Hair, face, and body:

• Jean Paul Gaultier Eau De Parfum in Classique
• Wella System Professional Polish Cream
• Faith in Nature Replenishing Aloe Vera Eye Gel
• This Work Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

This should be a good selection of products that will be easy to get through and those that I'm expecting to take the whole year to ensure I keep my motivation going.  It will also mean that I will have gotten rid of all the non-cruelty free products I have left in my home. 

As usual I will keep a note of my progress.

Project Pan Update #12 and Other Products

Well that's 2016 over and done with, and the end of the year has been quite busy and I haven't had a lot of free time.  Our adopted dog is lovely, but does have some issues which we've been working a lot on so that we have a healthier, happier dog.

And now for my last project pan update of 2016 (and I will apologies now for the quality of the photos - it's so dark at the moment and I had trouble getting the lighting right).  I had put in a number of products in 2016 projects that I knew I probably couldn't get through, but I wanted to push myself to try and get through as much as possible.  Out of the 35 products I picked I managed to use up 26 - yay me 😁.  

So, let's start with the eyeshadow.  One of the eye shadows, the Sephora dark brown, just fell out of the pan.  I'm not entirely sure how as I don't remember dropping my z-palette, but I opened palette and the pan was empty.  As that was no longer available I started using the Maybelline dark grey shadow as a crease colour.  I'm not sure if it's just the age of the shadow, but this hasn't been particularly easy to work with and I'm happy to just get rid of it without reaching pan as I don't want to keep anything that I have to put work into using.  I have been working through the other eyeshadows at the same rate as always and I'm happy to let go of all of them apart from the pink / purple shadow from the H&M eyeshadow palette.  I haven't reached enough of a pan of this to be happy to throw it away and so I'm going to add it to my next project pan, along with the other eyeshadows I didn't even get to start on.  I won't be buying any of these again as none of the products are cruelty free.

I've finally got through the purple Elf eyeliner.  I thought I wasn't going to finish this by the end of the year, but I started using it as a lip liner as well to add some darkness to my lip colours. I thought I had one more use to get out of it, but it's gotten stuck in the lid and I can't get it out anymore.  I don't think you can get this colour anymore from Elf and I think I will stick with black or brown eyeliners from now on.  However, Elf is cruelty free and I will have a look at the website again once I need to get a new liner.

The Mac Cremesheen lipstick in Creme Cup is also finished.  The colour didn't really suit me, but I liked the texture and scent of this lipstick.  However, I didn't like them enough to justify the price of these lipsticks, and Mac no longer has it's cruelty free status so I won't be buying anymore of these product even with a range of colour selections they have.

The Sinful Colors nail varnish in Rich in Heart was also another product that I thought I wasn't going to get to finish by the end of the year.  But I actually put on the last coat on New Year's Eve.  There is a little bit left, but I'm counting this as finished as it's become too gloopy to use.  While I like the colour, Sinful Colors is not a cruelty free company and I won't be buying from them again.  The other nail varnish colours that were in my 2016 project pan will be added into this year's project pan along with the Tesco's brought Barbara eye primer.

The last project pan product is the Wella Polish Cream.  This hasn't moved very much during this year, but, to be honest, I kept forgetting to use it.  I did think about getting rid of it, but have decided to move it into this year's project pan and use it up completely.  If I remember to use it at least twice a week I should be able to do that.

The last products I've used up this year are the Bourjois 150th Anniversary powder, the Natural Collection lip liner in Mulberry, and the Urban Decay / Gwen Stefani lipstick tester in 714.  The Bourjois powder is a good powder to use for the price of it and smelt lovely, but not overpowering.  It was easy to work into my skin and Bourjois is cruelty free, but I'm not much of a fan of loose powder and the colour was a little bit too pink for me.  I'm a big fan of Natural Collection and Barry M lip liners as the colours are great and good quality.  This Mulberry colour was a lovely colour and the pigment was good enough to change the colour of the lipsticks I was wearing.  I don't need a lipliner at the moment, but I will look at Natural Collection again when I next do.  The Urban Decay lipstick tester in 714 is a lovely matte red  which reminds me of a vintage lipstick in colour, and I really enjoyed wearing it.  It does dry your lips a little, but nothing a bit of exfoliation and moisturising doesn't fix.  I actually have this in the full size.  Urban Decay is a cruelty free company.

To see my previous project pan updates click below:

• 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

This month has been a month of me trying to use up the last of my samples.  It hasn't really much of an impact on the products in my project pan, apart from my Mac lipstick as one of the samples was the Urban Decay / Gwen Stefani lipstick in 714 (a matt red).  I haven't actually finished that sample yet as it's so pigmented and lasts a long time so re-apply is not necessary. Hopefully next month.......so let's begin.

As always let's start with the shadows.  Probably the most obvious difference is the pinky / purple shade which is building a nice dip.  The plan is to reach the pan on this shadow and then get rid of it and I think I will manage this by the end of the year.  It's replaced the silver shadow as my main shadow and so the silver shadow hasn't made much progress at all.  I've also been using the dark grey shadow as my eye liner instead of the brown liner and I will just see how far I can get before January.  I've finally managed to get to the pan on the top left of the brown eyeshadow and am just working down the left side of the pan and will hopefully get at least half way.  Lastly, the white shadow is carrying on the same as before.  I don't think I'll finish it by the end of the year, but seeing as this was almost full at the start of this year I'm quite happy with it.  None of the companies that make these eye shadows are cruelty free.

The Elf purple eye liner is taking a lot longer then I was hoping and I'm not sure this is going to be finished by the end of this project.  It's not very pigmented so you have to go over the same spot a few times before you get and colour.  It works better if you push harder, but obviously you don't want to do that on your eyes.  I might have to finish this in my next project.  Elf is cruelty free and, once I've used up all my other eyeliners, I will have a look at the other pencil eyeliners they have.

Next is the product I'm most happy about, the Lily Lolo eye primer.  I didn't think that I would actually finish this this month so I'm happy that it's all gone.  As I've said before, this doesn't do a lot for priming my eyelids, though that's probably because they are oily, but it did work well as a primer on my face.  I'll now start on the eye primer I bought from Tescos a while ago.  Lily Lolo is a cruelty free company and I will look at their other products when I actually need to get more makeup.

I only actually used this lipstick, the Mac cremesheen in Creme Cup, for 2 weeks this month so I'm quite impressed with how much I've managed to use compared to previous months.  I haven't completely finished the lipstick sample I was using instead this month, but I think I can finish off both of these by the end of next month - hopefully.  Mac is not a cruelty free company.

As before I haven't been wearing nail varnish that much this month either.  I still like the look of wearing nail varnish, but I'm just as happy without and I haven't really been bothered with the work you have to go into to keep them looking nice.  Because of this there hasn't been much progress on this nail varnish, and this has been the only one I've been using.  This polish is an alright quality, but Sinful Colours is not a cruelty free company so I wouldn't buy it again.

The Wella Polish Cream is the other product I keep forgetting to use despite it being on my dresser and, as you don't need to use a lot of it at a time, I'm not getting very far with it.  It's just not a step I think to use and I will probably have to put this into my next pan as well.  The scent is alright and it does help with the fizziness, but not more than my oils do and, with Wella not being cruelty free, I won't buy this again.

Apart from the never ending lipstick, I've managed to use up the last of the samples I have, but firstly I'll start with the ones that I actually finished a couple of months ago but forgot to put in my blog.  The first is the Urban Decay / Gwen Stefani lipstick sample in Firebird.  This is a deep fuschia cream lipstick and I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I actually loved the colour and it suited my skin tone very well.  It's going to be a while before I get through all my lipsticks, but I'm going to keep this in mind, especially as Urban Decay is cruelty free.  The next is a sample of the perfume Love Story by Chloe.  This is quite a flowery scent, but not too strong and it didn't give me a headache, which flower scents can do.  I'm not sure about the cruelty status of Chloe, but I want to be going for more natural scents anyway I won't be buying this in the full size.

The John Masters Organics citrus & neroli detangler worked a lot better than I was expecting.  I've stopped using conditioner and noticed it didn't make any difference to the condition, softness or how tangled my hair got, but I did notice that my hair felt less tangled when I used this product.  It also smells pretty nice too and the actual size is only £17.  I want to see what my oils are like first, but if I feel like I need an extra bit of help with my hair I will look into getting this.  I did have high hopes for the Pai Rosehip BioRegnerate Rapid Radiance Mask as this is a pricy brand and I have liked other products of those I've used.  Unfortunately this didn't have the effect I was hoping.  It didn't feel like my skin was any more improved than before and I actually got some small spots around my nose every time I used it.  I think I'll stick to my Juice Beauty face mask.  Pai is a cruelty free company though.  The Acorelle eau de parfum sample in Vanilla smelt great.  The sample doesn't come in the traditional way but is in the form of a wipe, but the actual perfume comes in the traditional bottle.  The smell is a very accurate vanilla smell, but doesn't have the overly sweet smell that lots of them have, and it lasts all day.  This is definitely a perfume I would like to get in the future and Acorelle is a cruelty free company.  The last sample is The Natural Deodorant Co clean deodorant balm in vanilla & manuka.  I wasn't sure what this was going to be like as you have to apply it with your hands, but I actually preferred this method to the conventional way.  The product was also really good, lasted all day, and didn't feel sticky or wet.  This is definitely one of the best natural deodorants I've tried.  The only problem I had with it was the smell reminded me very slightly of stale washing and that my skin reacted badly to the bicarb.  However, The Natural Deodorant Co have balms that don't contain bicarb in them and different scents, so I might give these a go and see if they work just as well and they're cruelty free and vegan.  If they do then I think I've found my new deodorant - once I've used up my back stock.

I've had these Faith in Nature Replenishing Aloe Vera Eye Gel for quite a while (in fact I don't even think they've made this for a few years) and they take forever to use up.  I decided it probably wasn't best to keep using this around my eyes, just in case, so I've been using it to moisturise my hands and other areas of my body that need it.  I have one more of these to go and am in the market for another natural eye cream, though my oils seem to be doing a good job.

To see my previous project pan updates click below:

• 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 #10 and Other Products

Despite it only being a few weeks since my last project pan post I've actually done quite well (and don't worry there are other blog posts in the pipeline - slight hint there).

So, let's start, as always, with the palette.  The pan is much bigger in the white eyeshadow and I'm actually thinking that I'll be able to finish this by the end of the year.  I'm quite glad about this as it is quite a stark colour to be using as a highlighter for me. I've also almost completely cleared the top of the brown eyeshadow and will probably completely clear this in the next couple of days.  After that I'm just going to keep working down from there. I have a good pan on the silver and the one thing I now know is that silver is definitely not a good shade for my eye colour and complexion and won't get this colour again.  As the pan is so large on the silver I'm now going to just concentrate on the pinky/ purple shade and if I can get a pan on that by the end of the year I'll be happy. I've also put back in the dark grey to see if I can get more use out of it in these last 2 months.  None of these products are from cruelty free companies so I'll be happy to be getting rid of them on the new year.

I'm working through the elf purple eyeliner very quickly and I'm aiming to have this finished by the end of November.  It's definitely not a good quality eyeliner and I have to repeatedly go over the same area to get any real colour.  It also doesn't go through the water line very well and the repeated application at each use means that I usually have to sharpen the pencil every two days.  I have usually found elf eyeliners to be quite good so I think this might just be an age thing.  If I do this finish this liner before the end of November I'll start working through my Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl which is one of my favourite eyeliners, but which I've had for a long time now and should probably use up. Both these companies are cruelty free.

The Lily Lolo eye primer is going along nicely.  I have managed to make quite a large pan which includes the left side of the pan.  I'll be working on the bottom section of the pan over November, but there is still a large amount of product to use and I'm not sure this will be completely finished by the end of December.  Though Lily Lolo is a cruelty free company and I have seen good reviews from people of other products from this company I won't be buying this particular product again - it just doesn't really work with my skin type.

The last product in this project pan is one which I wasn't expecting to make as much progress on as I did and that's my Mac lipstick in Creme Cup. I've been wearing this practically every day and, to make this more wearable for my skin colour, I've been wearing it with my Natural Collection lip liner in Mulberry.  This not only makes it a beautiful tea rose colour, but is also helping me use up the lip liners I have.  Now that I've found the clear, waxing lip liners you can get I'm wanting to use up all my liners that are of a specific colour.  The texture of the Mac lipstick is a nice one, but there are other lipsticks with the same texture and as they are not cruelty free I won't buy their lipsticks again.

The last two products are not part of my project pan but are part of my general attempt to reduce the products I own.  The first is the Harajuku Lovers perfume in Gwen which was part of a Christmas box set a couple of years ago (excuse my reflection in this picture).  This is a lovely coconut scent and I did enjoy using it on a daily basis, but as I'm wanting to go more natural with my perfumes (and I'm not actually sure of their cruelty status) I won't get this specific perfume again.  I'm working through another perfume at the moment, which is the last perfume I actually own, and then I will start buying perfumes that are more naturally based.  I don't think I'll be finished by the end of the year, but I think I'll be close.

The last product is a The Body Shop lotion in Cocoa Butter.  If I'm buying a body moisturizer from The Body Shop I would normally go for a body butter, but I wanted to try this lotion to see if it would work over the summer periods.  It didn't.  Even though my skin is less dry during the summer this still wasn't enough to keep me soft and dry free. You also can't get all the products out of the container without cutting it open.  I did cave at one point and brought a couple more The Body Shop body butters in my favourite, discontinued scent of Smoky Poppy when they were on sale.  I absolutely love this scent and it works well on my skin, but once these are gone I will go back to my very effective plain, old shea butter.

So that's it for this month.  I'll just keep plodding along and hopefully have more to show it the next update.  I did have a moment (a couple of months ago) when I felt a little uninspired as nothing seemed to be moving very quickly, but now that things seem to be moving along again I feel like I have more interest in using these products on a daily basis.

To see my previous project pan updates click below:

• 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 #9 and Other Products

So this blog is definitely long overdue (as are all the others) and I have no real excuse other than the fact that my temporary job has been physically very tiring.  I was starting to get used to the work though, but, unfortunately, it has now ended.

As I was doing physical work outside I decided not wear any makeup during the week for the last month and a half, and this means that there hasn't been a lot of progress on that front.  But I have managed to make progress through some other products as I reduce the amount of items I have.

So let's start with the never ending eye shadows.  There has been a little bit of progress and actually more then I was expecting, but I am going to be hard pushed to finish these by the end of the year.  However, it does look like I will be getting an admin job again so I will be back to wearing makeup everyday.  I am also going to have to decide whether or not I will keep these shadows after the year it out or whether I will get rid of anything that is left - they are very old and I have given them a good go.

The purple e.l.f. eye liner is actually going a lot quicker than the teal one.  This colour doesn't seemed to be as good a quality as the teal and I, therefore, need to use more of it to get the same result.  Though I know this is does make me feel quite good whenever I look at it.

I have now been using the pink shade of the Lily Lolo eye primer also as a face primer as well as an eye primer to help use it up and I can feel the pan under my fingers now.  Once I had hit pan of the yellow shade it didn't take me long to finish so I'm expecting this will be the same.

My Mac lipstick in Creme Cup has also gone down more than I was expecting based on the lack of use.  As with the eye shadows I will be able to get more use it it if I do get the administration role, but it may not be finished by the end of the year.  It won't be far off though and, with the e.l.f. eye liner, this is giving me some encouragement.

One product I have been able to finish off has been the from nature lip butter in coconut.  This was relatively effective, but not the best lip butter I've ever used and it did leave a strange white cast on my lips.  This whiteness would be gone by the morning though and it was effective enough to moisturise my lips even after using a matt lipstick.

I haven't made much progress on the Wella System Profession Polish Cream, mainly because I keep forgetting to use it despite it being on the top of my dresser.  It's not a natural thing for me to put in hair products so I definitely have to remind myself every day about this.  Though it does make my hair less frizzy I don't notice any large difference to my hair so I won't be replacing it once it's finished.

As with the make-up I haven't been wearing nail varnish on my nails either (mainly as I was harvesting cash crops where you are not allowed to wear nail polish).  I have been concentrating on this Sinful Colours in Rich in Heart as the company is not cruelty free.  It is beginning to thicken up so I don't think I'll get much more use out of it so I'm hoping it'll be gone by the end of the year.

The last three products aren't in my project pan but are part of my attempt to only have the bare minimum of beauty products.  The first is The Body Shop's Shea hand cream which I have used up completely.  It worked very effectively, especially with the hands on job I've had, but definitely isn't moisturising enough for winter.  The next is one of the natural deodorants I've been testing, the Dr. Organic Manuka Honey Deodorant.  I had though this product was effective when I first started using it, but became less so after a while and I had to use it in tandem with a conventional deodorant to use it up.  The Wella Silvikrin hairspray is not a product I've used up but one I've decided to get rid of as I never use it.  I never use hairspray, even when I do complicated hairstyles, as I don't like the feeling of hard hair.  I did try using it to help keep my eye brows in check but it seemed a very strange thing to do.  I've also read that it isn't very good for you as you inhale some of the spray.  I might look for a more 'natural' product, but as it's not something I use regularly I might leave it out completely.

It's unlikely that my next job will be an outdoors one again so I'm hoping I have more progress in the next up-date (though this is only in a few weeks). 

To see my previous project pan updates click below:

• 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