Project Use Up Update #11

The final month is now on it's way and it's very clear now which products I have a chance of finishing by the end of the year and which I really don't.  Whilst I obviously hoped to finish all of this items this time around I'm still pretty pleased with the amount of progress I have got done so far.

Let's start with the got bit.  I have finally used up the MUA lipstick in Raven.  I really like MUA as a brand as the products are pretty good quality for the price and they are cruelty free.  I was also surprised by the fact that I actually quite liked wearing a black lipstick.  Dark colours tend to suit me, but I wasn't expecting black to.  The only thing I didn't like was how glossy this product was, which meant it didn't last very long and tended to get everywhere.  If, for some reason, I decided to get another black lipstick it will need to be matt.  However, if you like black, glossy lipsticks I would recommend this one.  That now only leaves the Gosh Velvet lipstick in Matte Plum to go and I think I can get this finished by the end of December.

Next is the Living Nature eye liner in Midnight.  Progress is slightly slower this month as I don't like doing a full on smoky eye when I'm wearing a dark lipstick.  It's still going down however and I will definitely be a carrying it on to next year's project.  It hasn't got the best staying power and I do find smudges under my eyes, but nothing too bad.

NYX Dark Circle Concealer Corrector in Light / Pale is another slow and steady, and I've managed to take off another section.  I'm pretty sure this will also be another carry over to next year.  The creaminess of this product (an issue in summer) has actually turned out to be a blessing over the colder months and it's definitely holding up better now that the temperature has dropped.

Let's not even discuss the Barbara Day Even Smoother eye primer in Vanilla.  We all know where this one is going.

And lastly the Argan Oil hair treatment.  I've used up all my liquid shampoos and am now testing out a shampoo bar, which has turned out to possibly be a little bit too oily for my hair type.  This means I haven't needed to / wanted to use a hair oil and so progress has slowed right now.  I'm going to leave it for a couple of weeks and see if my hair settles down once it gets used to the shampoo bar as I may need to go back to using a hair treatment.  If it doesn't then I will need to find another use for this product, possibly a body moisturiser, to get it used up.  Either way it's going to be a carry over to next year.

My progress so far:

• Project Use Up 2018
• Project Use Up Update #1 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #2 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #3 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #4 
• Project Use Up Update #5 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #6 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #7 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #8 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update# 9
• Project Use Up Update #10

Project Use Up Update #9

This month has seen the same slow steady use up with nothing actually finished as last month.  There has been some good progress in some of the products, mainly the lipsticks, but I think it'll still be a couple of months before anything actually goes.

As before we'll start with the Barbara Day Even Smoother eye primer in Vanilla.  I'm using this every time I wear make up, but again, there's no obvious change from the outside.  I am tempted to actually remove this product from the tube to give me a better idea of how this is doing, I just need to find a container.

You can see how much of the Argan Oil hair treatment has gone, but the progress here is probably just as slow as the eye primer.  As before, I use this every time I wash my hair (about twice a week) so the progress is slow but steady.

I have finally been able to reach the edge of the NYX Dark Circle Concealer Corrector in Light / Pale and will now start increasing the size of this.  I don't think I'll be able to finish this by the end of the year, but I am now on the final run and don't think it'll be long before I need to buy a new concealer.  Do you have any recommendations on more natural concealers worth spending the money on?

I've been using the Living Nature eye liner in Midnight a little bit more by slightly changing the style of my make up.  This has meant that my progress has been a bit better this month then last.  It's still going to be roughly another six months before this is gone, but at least I've worked out how to get through it quicker.

My lipsticks is definitely the area where I've seen the most progress, probably because I've had a week off where I could wear makeup almost every day.  I made sure that I wore the MUA lipstick in Raven as least a couple of times during the week to really work on getting through this one.  There is a possibility that this will be gone by the end of October, but it will need some extra work on that.  The other lipstick I've been concentrating on is the Gosh Velvet lipstick in Matte Rose.  This is a really nice, easy lipstick wear, but it's matte properties does mean that it stays on longer then other lipsticks and, therefore, takes a little longer to get through.

And that's it.  Not a particularly long blog this time, but there is definitely the usual lull in progress you normally get in a project pan around this time of year.  I'm aiming to definitely finish the lipsticks by the end of the year, but I think expecting the other items to be finished is probably a bit unrealistic.

My progress so far:

• Project Use Up 2018
• Project Use Up Update #1 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #2 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #3 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #4 
• Project Use Up Update #5 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #6 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #7 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #8 and Other Products

Project Use Up Update #8 and Other Products

As expected this month has been a no use up on the project front so this is going to be a pretty quick blog.  I have, however, managed to use up other products over this month.  

Let's start with the never ending Barbara Day even smoother eye primer in Vanilla. I've been able to scrape more from around the sides but it still doesn't look like there is much change here.  I'm half tempted to scrap what's left into a jar so I can actually see any changes, but that might be at the end of the year.

Next is the NYX Dark Circle Concealer Corrector in Light / Pale.  I'm still working on one side of the product, which has gone down a bit this month to the point where I think I will have reached the packaging by the end of the coming month.

Still slow and steady on the Living Nature eye liner in Midnight front.

I decided to set a goal of wearing MUA lipstick in Raven at least once a week in the last two weeks in August and that's had a real impact on getting through this product.  I'm going to keep this goal for the next few months and should be able to get this lipstick finished by the end of the year.  Despite using the other two lipsticks over August they don't seemed to have gone down at all.  I am going to try and get these finished by the end of year, but it will be a push.

Lastly the Argan Oil hair treatment.  Now that I've got into the habit of using this every time I wash my hair I'm starting to see actual progress on this product (though I couldn't get a photo that actually showed the line here).  I have excepted that this product will take a few years to get through, but at least it's on its way out.

I'm also putting my Urban Decay Naked original palette into this post as it's the palette I've been concentrating on this year.  I have decided to only use this palette for the rest of the year as I am thinking about getting rid of it at the end of 2018 as the formula is beginning to change.  There is pan on two of the shadows and I think I can hit pan on two others as well.

Now for the additional products.  Let's start with the Georganics Coconut Oil Toothpaste in English Peppermint.  I've really enjoyed using this and it worked well on my teeth.  It wasn't a big deal using the spatula every time I brushed but I would like to try some of their products which don't need the spatula.  This product is vegan and cruelty free, and definitely worth a look.  Right now I am using some Lush toothtabs, but I will definitely return to Georganics  once these are gone.

And there's the Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive.  This is my third tub of this, I really love it as it is very effective at removing dead skin and making my skin soft.  Sensitive obviously as I have sensitive skin, this is vegan and cruelty free.  I will definitely buy this again, but only after I have finished my other face mask.

My progress so far:

• Project Use Up 2018
• Project Use Up Update #1 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #2 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #3 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #4 
• Project Use Up Update #5 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #6 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #7 and Other Products

Project Use Up Update #5 and Other Products

So it's June already, hasn't this year gone fast.  I thought using up the products would slow down but I've actually managed to use up two products this month. Go me. 😁

Let's start with the Neutrogena anti-aging hand cream.  I didn't think I was going to use this up this quickly, but the amount of sun we've been having this month and the fact I have been outside all day long has meant that there has been a lot of reapplying.  Having the extra moisture of this with the SPF has been great, but as Neutrogena is not cruelty free and there are other options I won't be getting this product again.  I've also reached my goal of having only one hand cream now.

The next item was the Pacifica roll-on perfume in Island Vanilla.  The more I used this the more product the ball released at each application (hopefully that makes sense), so I used proportionally more of it each time.  I do like the smell, but I don't like the roller ball application and the scent doesn't last so I wouldn't buy this product again.  However Pacifica is a cruelty free company so I will try other products of theirs.

Whilst I haven't finished the Burt’s Bees hand salve I have used a lot of this over the last month.  My work does dry my hands a fair bit so they do need moisture at night and, at the moment, this is what I'm using.  I think it'll be gone by next month.

And now for the other products.  Barbara Day eye primer is still plodding along nicely.  I can actually see into the tube now and there's a fair amount gone - yay, finally!  It will still be a long time before this is finished and will probably last all through 2018.  I don't know if the product has started to deteriorate or if it's a change in the face products I'm using or heat, but the eye shadows are definitely not staying on as long as they used to.

The NYX Dark Circle Concealer Corrector in Light / Pale has gone down a little, but as I don't use it a lot as it only goes on my undereyes I'm not expecting it to be a fast mover.  It does help hide the darkness under my eyes, but possibly not as much as I would like.

The Living Nature eye liner in Midnight is moving along in the same steady fashion.  It is going a little faster now that I am also using it in in my lower lash line, but there is no way I'm going to use this up by the end of the year.  Not unless I start eating it.

I've only photographed the Gosh Velvet lipstick in Matte Rose here as that's the only one I've really been wearing this month.  I have been putting the Gosh lipstick in Plum on my cheeks just not enough to make any difference to the length of it.  I'm going to really concentrate on the Rose lipstick this month (this should be especially easy as I'm off for a week this month) and hopefully get it almost finished.

I have actually been remembering to use the Argan Oil hair treatment this time, but you only need one pump each time so it is definitely a slow mover.  I think this will be one that lasts for a few years, unfortunately.  It does make !y hair very soft so I guess that's not a bad thing.

The last two products are not part of my project use up but which I am no longer using and decided to just get rid of.  The first is the travel sized Superdrug nail polish remover.  This works very well and I had almost finished it, but as I no longer have any nail polish to remove it seems pointless to keep it.  The other is the Barry M Iron Mani nail hardener.  I had thought that I would carry on using this even after I had stopped using nail polish.  However, in the end I haven't used it at all and my nails are doing fine without it.  So it's going, which is a shame as I haven't used that much of it.

My progress so far:

• Project Use Up 2018
• Project Use Up Update #1 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #2 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #3 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #4 

Project Use Up Update #4

So this was definitely going to be the month were using up the products slowed down significantly.  The main reason is obviously I'm not wearing makeup on a daily basis now that I work outside.  However, I have needed the moisturising products more and so have been able to work on these more.

So, let's start with the Barbara Day eye primer.  We all know the score with this, I use it every time I wear makeup but you still couldn't see any difference from the outside.  I did get bored and swirled the brush around and there is now a section where the product has moved away from the size (finally!) and I most be half way through by now, but I just can't tell for certain.

The NYX Dark Circle Concealer Corrector in Light / Pale is now my only concealer and is getting a lot more use.  However, I do only use this on my undereyes and so it is going down, just slowly. It will definitely take me the year though.

The Living Nature eye liner in Midnight is another slow mover in my makeup bag, but like the other products it is going down.  I am trying to do makeup looks which use more eye liner (especially as I am using the Gosh Velvet lipstick in Rose more), but it is still moving slowly.  Though I am beginning to think I might be able to get it almost finished by the end of this year now.

I have given all my lipsticks some love this month.  Once I had worked out that I could use the Gosh Velvet lipstick in Matte Plum as a very pretty blusher I've stopped using it on my lips for now.  Instead I now mainly wear the Gosh lipstick in Rose.  I also bit the bullet and wore my MUA lipstick in Raven.  This lipstick was much more creamy and transparent then I was expecting and didn't really stay on my lips evenly when I first put it on, but I do still love the way it looks and will wear it again.

Since the Pacifica roll-on perfume in Island Vanilla is letting more product out every time I use it then it used to I'm now using this up a lot quicker.  Unfortunately the previous lines I had have now disappeared but there is definitely a big jump.  I wasn't wearing it to go to work, but have started wearing this everyday again which means that this will probably be gone in the next two months.

As before, I am completely forgetting to put the Argan Oil hair treatment on.  This is really something I need to remember to do everytime I wash my hair.  Thankfully, my travel brush makes my hair a bit frizzy which is a good reminder to regularly use this so I don't spend my time looking like I've stuck my fingers in the mains.  I don't use conditioner anymore so this is probably an important step I need to remember.

Now that the Neal's Yard hand cream is used up I've moved onto the Neutrogena anti-aging hand cream.  This is slightly different in the fact that it has SPF in it so it makes sense the put this on during the day.  This is a completely different habit for me and something I have never done before.  I've put it in my coat pocket to try and get me to remember to put this on as I leave for work.  The one good thing about this is that I can (and have) put it on my face to add SPF protection and a strong moisturiser.  The extremes of the weather means that the skin on my face takes a real beating so this extra moisture can only be a good thing.  It was full at the beginning of the month so there's only one line.

Lastly, the Burt’s Bees hand salve.  This has definitely taken on an important role in keeping my hands healthy over the last month.  Weirdly I don't think it's the work that is drying out my hands but the hand soap I use at the hostel where I'm usually staying.  At the end of every night I put this on my finger nails and along my knuckles.  The next morning my hands always feel a lot softer and it's definitely helped reduce the skin cracking I usually get.

See my progress so far:

• Project Use Up 2018
• Project Use Up Update #1 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #2 and Other Products
• Project Use Up Update #3 and Other Products

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.