Project Pan 2019 - Update #2

I was expecting this quarter to be as slow as the last so it has been a pleasant surprise that I've managed to get through as many items as I have.  In no particular order.

The NYX Dark Circle Concealer Corrector in Light / Pale is finally gone.  It has taken a little while but every last bit on this product has been scrapped from the pot.  As I said in the previous post it does do a good job at correcting the colour under my eyes, but doesn't provide the type of coverage I normally like.  NYX is cruelty free though.  At the moment I haven't brought another concealer to replace this one as I want to just use my foundation for now until I decide what I'm going to do with my makeup moving forward.  I am tempted by the RMS Beauty Un Cover-Up so that might be my next expensive purchase.

I started doing more smokey looks this quarter which meant that the Living Nature eye liner in Midnight did go a lot faster than before and is now finished.  There was also a lot less product left in this than I thought.  This is a lovely dark black, very smooth to put on, and easy to smudge.  It's also cruelty free.  However, its lasting power is not as good as I would like so even if I do but another eye liner it won't be this.

The Barry M lip liner in Red or 3 was also another product that has also now completely gone.  It got very soft at the end and kept breaking every time I tried to sharpen it, but I think that has more to do with the age of this item rather than the overall quality of the product, which is really good.  It worked really well with the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani lipstick in 714 but also looked very nice worn on its own.  Barry M is cruelty free and for the quality of the product you get for the price I would recommend this.

The Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani lipstick in 714 is so painfully close to being finished.  Just a tiny bit more, though I know in reality there's still a few days worth of wear.  I do really love this lipstick, in fact I might even go so far as to say it's the lipstick for me.  It's matte without being drying and the perfect blue red tone that's very flattering.  It also has pretty good staying power and Urban Decay is cruelty free.  I am actually looking for more natural lip products, if any, in the future so I won't buy this again for now.  However, it'll always be a favourite.

There is one product that I haven't actually finished but will be getting rid of and that is the Buxom eye shadow palette in Dolly's Wild Side.  It is a beautiful palette and the eye shadows are very good quality, but they just aren't the type of colours I would naturally go for and I don't really feel that the colours suit me particularly well.  I wouldn't really have realised this if I hadn't tried this product for the amount I have this year so I'm glad I gave this a go and I'm not just keeping this palette with me.  It has been well used but it's time for it to go.  I'm going to have a look and see if there is anywhere that I can donate this rather than just throw it away.

I started using the The Body Shop lip liner in Hot Date this quarter.  It definitely isn't as red as I thought it was going to be, more of a darker tea rose, but it's a beautiful colour.  It's also very soft and I seem to be getting through it quite quickly.  It might even be gone my the next update leaving me with no lip liners left and that's something I'll be very happy about.

I also started using the The Body Shop black liquid eyeliner.  It was a bit of a learning curve as it has been many years since I last tried using a liquid liner.  It doesn't help that my eye lids are so sensitive and blink at just about anything.  Needless to say the lines have been sort of thick over the last couple of months, but I am getting better at it.  I don't actually know how much of this product is left so I guess it will be just a blindly use until it's all gone.

The NYX Powder Blush in Taupe and The Balm highlighter in Mary-Lou Manizer look pretty much the same as they did in the last update despite the fact that they are both used every time I wear makeup.  I'm hoping to reach pan (though not actually finish) by the end of this year but I'm not going to hold my breath.

As with the last quarter I haven't touched The Body Shop Matte lip liquid in Tahiti Hibiscus just yet as I'm waiting to finish my current lipstick first.  I should definitely get to it in this quarter but whether or not I'll be able to get this finished by the end of the year is another matter.

Yes this has definitely been a good quarter for using up my makeup and it's been very satisfying.  However it does mean that next quarter is probably going to be another slow one.  If I'm lucky I should get two products used up but not much more.  It really has been satisfying to watch my makeup collection reducing to a more manageable size, closer to the product selection I would like to have in the long run.  I think I will still have one more year of this but that should be the last run.

Project Pan 2019 - Update #1

We are a quarter of the way through the year and I have only got through two products.  However, I knew that this year was going to be a slow and possibly difficult year when it comes to using things up.

Let's start with the products I have used up, starting with the Argan Oil hair treatment.  I had stopped using this as a hair treatment as my hair no longer needs moisture added to it and was using it as a body moisturiser instead.  Due to that I actually used this up within the first month.

The Urban Decay lip liner in Ozone was the next product to go.  I've had this product for a long time so I was glad to move this out.  It's a very good product and works very well at keeping the lip product on your lips and only on your lips.  Urban Decay is also cruelty free.  If I was going to buy another lip liner once I've used all my other lip liners up it would be this one as it's very effective and can be used with multiple lip colours.

Another of the roll over products from last year was the NYX Dark Circle Concealer Corrector in Light / Pale.  This is going as slow and steady as it did last year and I should be finished by the end of this year.  It is quite a good product at reducing the colour of my undereye circles, but doesn't give as much coverage as I would like.

The last roll over product is the Living Nature eye liner in Midnight (from 7.1cm to 6.3cm).  As I have been wearing red lipstick every time I wear makeup I have only been doing a line on my upper lash line and no smokey eyes.  That means I haven't used that much of this liner this quarter.

And the red lipstick I've been concentrating on is the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani lipstick in 714 (from 2.9cm to 1.8cm).  I wasn't sure if I would like wearing this after I had gotten so used to wearing dark lipstick in my last project pan / use up.  But I actually really love this colour, it's actually the colour I have always wanted, especially with it being matte.  However, even though it's matte it hasn't dried my lips out at all.  This will definitely be done by the end of the year and maybe by the end of the next quarter.

The lip liner I have been using with this is the Barry M lip liner in Red or 3 (which I've had for years) (from 6.2cm to 5.3cm).  Despite the fact I use it to fill in all my lips before I put on my lipstick it isn't going down as fast as I thought it would.  The colour is also a very beautiful red and, though a much warmer tone, goes really well with the 714 lipstick.  I expect this to be finished by the end of the year as well.

I hadn't used the NYX Powder Blush in Taupe in over a year and I had forgotten how much I loved it, but as a contouring product not a blush.  It looks really natural, but you don't need to use a lot so it is probably going to be years before this is gone.  The same can be said for the The Balm highlighter in Mary-Lou Manizer.  This is a beautiful highlighter and actually looks quite natural (at least in the way I put it on).  It will take a very long time to use it up, but I'm not sure I'm that bothered about that for either of them. 

Lastly is the Buxom eye shadow palette in Dolly's Wild Side.  These are beautiful colours and very easy to use.  I use Lingerie Lover as the all over shade, Spoiled Sexy as the crease colour, Silk Sheets as an inner highlight, and Wild Nights as a liner for my lower lash line.  I go between Champagne Buzz and Mink Magnet as my main eye shadow colour.  Not surprisingly I've put quite a dent in Lingerie Lover, and there are some little dents forming in Champagne Buzz and Wild Nights.  It will be interesting to see how this goes through out the year.

I haven't even touched the The Body Shop black liquid eyeliner (though I really should with the red lipstick), The Body Shop lip liner in Hot Date, or The Body Shop Matte lip liquid in Tahiti Hibiscus.  I'm not going to touch the lip products until I have finished what I am using at the moment, but I think I'll bring the liquid eyeliner into my daily makeup as a change now and then from the pencil.

So, not too bad a start, though obviously more would be better.  I wonder how the next three months will go.

Project Pan 17 Update #10 and Other Products

It turns out that October has been a good month for finishing off products. I was beginning to finish that I would never see the end of some of these, so it's been feeling good.  I've also decided to add in some products to see if I can get them completed by the end of this year.  The products are a little bit ambitious, but I thought I would give it a go.

The first product I finished first was the Natural Collection eyeshadow is Sable.  This is a lovely colour and it really like the texture of this shadow, but I don't need any more eyeshadows at the moment so I won't be buying it at any point in the near future.  However, if I ever get to the point where I'm completely out of eyeshadow I will think about repurchasing the duo this comes from.  The research I've done shows Natural Collection is cruelty free.

The second item is the Barry M Nail Paint in Bright Red.  Unlike the other nail varnishes which got too thick to use at the end, this one lasted right until the very end.  I really loved this colour and I think if I do decide to have one nail varnish once everything else is finished, this is the type of colour I would like.  Barry M is cruelty free.

There are some very small dents in a few of the shadows in my Urban Decay Naked original and there is actually a very small pan in Toasted.  It's probably because I use this everyone I wear makeup underneath my lower lash line.  Now that I don't have Sable I've started using Virgin and Naked as my all over lid shadow.  That should hopefully make them go down quicker.  Urban Decay is cruelty free.

The Barbara Day eye primer has finally started to show real progress with product visibly moving away from the side tube.  It's very satisfying to finally see this going and, though I know it won't be finished by the end of the year, it'll definitely be finished next year.  Then I'll either look into having no eye primer or finding a more natural alternative.

The MUA powder foundation in Shade 4, and Bourjois blusher in Ceidre are still going strong and not really showing obvious signs of the amount of use they're getting, though the blusher is now looking a little flatter then before.

So, the products I have decided to add into this project are the Zoya Pixie Dust nail varnish in Dahlia, the Neal's Yard lipstick in Persimmon, Living Nature eye pencil in Midnight, and the Pacifica roll on perfume in Tuscan Blood Orange.  I'm being a bit optimistic with these, but I think I will get at least the perfume finished by January.  All these brands are cruelty free.

There are two additional products I have finished this month.  The Lavera Intensive Care hand cream.  I brought this when my hands were getting dried out by some soap at work and it worked pretty well.  It's not the richest moisturizer, but it was good to use before typing on a computer (tacky keys are never good) and has been pretty effective with the drying I now get with my work gloves.  Lavera is cruelty free and I company that I really trust.  I've also finished the Organic Glam base coat.  This is a very good base coat for a more natural alternative and I do think that its claims of preventing yellowing of the nails is true, but not sure about the protection from nail breakage.  Organic Glam nail varnishes are three free and cruelty free.

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 17 Update #9 and Other Products

This month has definitely been a month where I haven't been wearing makeup as much as I should have been to use it up for a project pan.  I have made some progress, but it's been really slow.

It almost seems pointless showing this photo as there really isn't much obvious change.  There is a dip going on in Toasted probably because I use it every time I do my makeup as an undereye shadow.  Other than that, everything is moving quite slowly as I'm trying to use all the shades equally.  Urban Decay is a cruelty free brand.

This shadow is the one that has gone down the most.  This is the Sable shadow from a duo eye palette by Natural Collection and is a really good shadow for both setting your eye primer and under the eye to set my concealer.  Both of the sides are now gone and the lower section should be used up within a week.  I might actually be able to complete the top section by the end of October, which would be great.  It is beginning to crumble a little bit now that the side sections have gone, but hopefully it won't fall out before I've finished it.  Natural Collection is a cruelty free brand.

I finished the Black Barry M Nail Paint in the first week of September.  Since then I've been working on Bright Red.  I haven't got a far as I had hoped or expected, but I think I'll definitely get it finished by the end of October.  That will leave me with one last nail varnish by Zoya to finish to be nail polish free.  Barry M is cruelty free.

And now for the world of the never ending makeup.  Here are the Barbara Day eye primer, MUA powder foundation in Shade 4, and Bourjois blusher in Ceidre.  All of them are going down, but not fast enough for it to be obvious on the photo.  I'll be very lucky if these are finished by the end of this year.

The last product is not part of my project pan but is something I finished this month and it's The Neal's Yard Organic Eye Make-up Remover.  I really wanted to like this product but unfortunately it didn't really work out.  Because I have watery eyes I regularly wear waterproof mascara.  Despite it saying it's for waterproof mascara and me holding a cotton pad dampened in the product over my eyes before wiping I still had to rub my lashes quite hard to get the makeup off my lashes.  It also made my eyes a little bit soar.  However, I do have sensitive eyes and so it might not be the same for someone who doesn't have this and who doesn't wear waterproof mascara.  It's a shame but that's how it goes.

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 17 Update #8

As with around this time last year progress on my project pan has slowed right down.  In fact there are no completed items to report.

I use the eye shadows from the Naked 1 palette every weekend, but as I don't use it everyday there isn't much progress to see.  The Natural Collections shadow in Sable has gone down a little, but I use it for more then just a base shadow.  Both of these companies are cruelty free.

My Barry M nail paint in Black has gone down a fair amount in August and is now beginning to thicken up.  It's not finished yet but I'm expecting it to go at the beginning of September and then I'll move onto the last varnish in my project pan, Barry M nail paint in Red.  This colour is already well used so I'm not expecting it to take too long before it is gone as well.  Barry M is a cruelty free company.

The Barbara Day eye primer and Bourjois blusher in Ceidre 48 are still showing no real signs of progress.  It's unlikely either of these will be finished by the end of the year, but I am still getting use out of them.  The MUA powder foundation in Shade 4 is now finally beginning to show a dip in the middle, yay!  This has made using it a lot more satisfying and the change is probably due to me now using it as one of the colours in my crease when applying my eye makeup.  It's also highly unlikely I will finish this by the end of the year, but if I get pan on it I'll be happy.

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 17 Update #7 and Other Products

It's definitely getting a lot harder to use up products now that I'm not wearing makeup every day, but I'm still doing my best to get through all the items and it's much better now that I've decluttered a few items.

I have finally managed to finish off the Jean Paul Gaultier Eau De Parfum.  I've been wearing it everyday, even when working out in the field.  Even so, this perfume does last a very long time to get through, especially as I never had to reapply it during the day.  It is still one of my favourite perfumes and actually my signature scent, but I'm trying to find more natural perfumes and one that I can be certain is cruelty free.

The Barry M nail varnish in Black is also going a long quite quickly.  It's not as opaque as I thought it might be so I've had to put on thicker layers then normal.  This has helped get through it quicker then my previous varnishes.  I'm hoping it'll actually be done by next month and I can move onto the Red colour.  Barry M is a cruelty free brand.

On the eyeshadow front it's difficult to see any changes in the Urban Decay Naked palette, probably because I am only using it on the weekends, but I am still making good progress on the Natural Collections shadow in Sable.  I'm using this product every time I wear makeup as a base eyeshadow over my primer and under my eyes on top of my concealer. Both of these companies are cruelty free.

As always, the Barbara Day eye primer, MUA powder foundation in Shade 4 and the Bourjois blusher in Ceidre 48 are still showing little progress compared to last time.  There is some progress from when I first started using them at the beginning of the year, but I won't get these finished by the end of it.  I am starting to use the foundation through my eye crease as well as to contour my face.  It's hardly going to make a huge difference, but every little counts.

The other products I've finished this month are the Bellapierre Cosmetics lipstick in Cat Walk (a cruelty free company) and the Butter London Hardwear P.D. Quick Topcoat (also cruelty free).  I really enjoyed using this lipstick.  It's not a long lasting lipstick, but it's not bad and comparable to other more mainstream lipsticks, but the texture was great and it smelt amazing.  Apparently the colour really suited me, but it's a little too pink for my liking (I prefer the tea rose colour).  However, I was impressed with the lipstick and might get another colour from them in the future - once I've used up all my other lipsticks.  I really liked the Butter London topcoat.  It was a little pricey at £15 (they don't actually make this anymore but I think you can still get this product in some retail stores) but it really did dry really, really quickly, made my nail polish last a long time, and lasted a lot longer than other topcoats I've tried in the past.  I would actually buy it again if they still had it.  Butter London is a cruelty free company.

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 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