Rolling Project Pan Update #2

It's been a couple of months now since my last update and I have been wearing makeup again, on and off.  I've gotten rid of a few more items and my makeup bag is beginning to look more like how I want it to in the long run.

The Bain and Saron Vegan Cake Mascara had actually dried up too much for me to use anymore so that's just had to go straight into the bin.  It's a shame that I didn't get to try it out again, but I can't really imagine it would have worked out differently from when I last used it.  Still, it's a shame to throw away so much product.

There are now only two lipsticks left.  The GXVE lipstick in Original Recipe, which I am going to use up and then replace with a lip pencil, and the Beauty Bakerie lip whip in Mon Cheri which I'm in two minds about still.  I wore this to my wedding and I really love the colour so I want to use this up completely.  However, it does come off the centre of my lips strangely during the day and it's quite difficult to get off.  I'm going to keep wearing it for a little bit longer and make a decision then.

I did also get rid of some tools as well as I had duplicates of one item (an eyebrow brush that's in a style that I just don't use), some mascara wands I brought for the mascara cake and haven't used, and an eyeliner brush that I don't need for the style of makeup I do.  I have kept a couple of brushes that I'm not using right now, but that I know I will use in the future as my makeup changes.

I'm also going to get rid of this Lipcote that I bought many years ago as it's supposed to help stop your lipstick from coming off and it does, I just don't use it as it turns out it doesn't actually bother me that much.  This is very old now and I probably shouldn't be putting it anywhere near my lips.

And that's it.  It's probably going to be a while before I do another update on this as I basically have to wait until I've used up some more products.  However, it feels good to be getting rid of things that I'm not actually using anymore instead of just holding onto them out of guilt.  Bye, bye things.

Project Pan 2023 Update #1

Slightly amusingly, since I'd made this decision to do a little project pan again I haven't actually been wearing a whole lot of makeup.  Definitely not as much as I should have to get an idea of what I want to do about it.  This is going to be a very quick post.

Firstly, the Tarte blush in Vibrant I thought I would be getting rid of as it's quite bright I'm actually probably going to keep it as I had forgotten how well it goes with my skin tone.  I'll keep playing with it, but it looks like all the blushes are staying and I'll be using them for decades. 😂

I haven't tested the Bain and Saron Vegan Cake Mascara as an eyeliner yet so I will need to do that over the next couple of months.  I also want to try it again as mascara just to see, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it still won't.  So there is a possibility I'll still get rid of it as I do have a pencil eyeliner that is just easier to use, but we'll see.  I might prefer the look.

Unfortunately, the Memi Luxe Lipstick in Old Flame is going to have to go.  I love the texture and colour (in fact I would buy this again) but the heat melting it in the past has made it very difficult to use and it is a little bit old now as well.  The other lipsticks I'm just going to work my way through.

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter wasn't something I was going to test or attempt to get rid of, but it does now look like I've managed to somehow use a lot of it.  However, this is only because I forgot that this highlighter does not travel well and I took it with us to Brittany.  It then completely crumbled and fell out.  A sad moment as I was hoping to get a lot more use out of it, but oh well.  I don't think I'll replace this.

While we were in Saint Brieuc I did do something I wasn't supposed to do, which was buy more makeup.  Well, a lip liner to be precise.  I've been looking for a colour that was similar to my lip colour just to make them more defined when I don't want to wear red lipstick, but I wanted a lip pencil as it'll last longer and is easier to keep hygienic.  It wasn't a cheap product, but practically matches my natural lip colour perfectly.

As for the tools I'm using, once I've made a decision on the Cake Mascara then I can decide what brushes I'm going to get rid of so that I have only what I need.  

 

So the amount of makeup I have has basically remained the same as when I started, which I guess is a good thing as it means I did a good job of getting rid of things before.  I do have plans to replace any liquid or cream products with drier products once I've used them, but I will need to do some research on this.  I will definitely replace the lipsticks with just one lip pencil once they've gone and I am doing some research on the concealers, though the main issue there is mica.  This hasn't been the most effective project pan ever, but it also hasn't been that long since I started.  I'll know more about what I want to do once we get to the end of December, but it is looking like I'll just be using products up until I have one left rather than just getting rid of them straight away.  I guess we'll see.

Do I Project Pan Again?

I stopped doing project pans a couple of years ago as I had finally down sized my makeup bag to a size where I was using all the products I had quite happily and didn't really feel like I had any surplus that I needed to worry about.  However, I have noticed that recently that I haven't actually warn any makeup in the last few months.  Not that that's a problem at all, but it does make me wonder about whether or not I really need all the products that I now have left.  Having a quick nosy through my bag did make me realise that I probably now have too many products for the amount of makeup I actually wear.

So, I've decided to bring back the project pan for the rest of this year to see if there are any products that I either don't want anymore or that just need to be thrown out.  It is very unlikely that I will actually finish any products in the next four months, but it would be good to get through the liquid items at least before they go bad.  I then need to decide, if I carry on using makeup, what products I want to replace them with as they might not get used very often.

I don't actually have that many liquid products, but the ones that I do want to get through are my concealers, Barry M's All Night Long Full Coverage Concealer.  I had brought Oatmeal first and then realised that it is way too light for me, even in winter, and so I also got Almond.  I tend to mix the two for my under eyes and use Almond on it's own for other areas on my face.  In the future I want to have a powder form of concealer, just for the longevity of it, but I think it might be difficult to find one without mica in it.  Obviously I'll just be working my way through the mascara, but I never keep more than one of those anyway.

Then there are the lipsticks, of which I have three.  They are all different variations of red, which is pretty much the only lipstick colour I wear at the moment, and whilst there are perfectly good reasons as to why I have three it seems a little bit silly to continue having three.  One did unfortunately get ruined in the heat (my Memi Luxe Lipstick in Old Flame) and, though I have tried to carry on using it as I love the colour so much, it's probably time to just let it go as it's just too messy to use.  I think once these are all gone I'll look into just owning a red lip pencil instead as that'll be easier to keep in the long run.

As for the dry products, I'll definitely be keeping the one eyeshadow I own (Urban Decay Solstice) as I just love this colour and how it looks on.  I'll also keep the eyeliner as I only have one of those.  However, I do think that four Tarte blushes, even though I also use them as eyeshadows, is probably a little excessive, especially as I'm pretty certain I don't reach for all of them.  I'm definitely not going to be able to use any of them up in the next few months, but I can decide whether or not I like the colours and get rid of the ones I don't.  I can't see myself needing to replace these anytime soon.

The last items I wanted to make a decision on are the solid mascara and my highlighter.  I really wanted to love the Bain and Savon Vegan Cake Mascara, but I just haven't been able to keep it on my lashes.  I just seem to end up with panda eyes, probably because my eye lids are so oily.  I do want to see if I can use it as a form of liquid eye liner, but I think I'll just have the same panda eyes problem so this might be a product that just has to go.  I've had my the Balm Mary-Lou Manizer for quite a while now as well and this is a product that's had quite a beating.  I do also use this as an eyeshadow, but I'm not sure if using a highlighter is still something that I want to do.  As with the other products this is unlikely to be something I can use up by the end of the year, but I will be able to decide if it's something I want to keep.

And that's it, this isn't really going to be a use up project pan, more of a what do I really not want /likely to keep using anymore project.  I should hopefully end up with a very basic kit by the end of it which I don't have to worry about going off anytime soon.  That way it can be there for when I want to use it with the knowledge that I probably won't be reaching for it very often.  Once I've decided on how much that is I should probably look at my makeup brushes.  I am glad that makeup has never been something I've felt I've had to wear to feel good about myself, but I do enjoy using it when I want to.  I just don't want to own this much of it anymore. 

Project Pan 2021: Update 4

This is going to be a very quick blog as I only have one product to talk about and I am no were near finishing it. 😂

That product is The Balm highlighter in Mary-Lou Manizer.  This is a very beautiful highlighter and I also use it as an eyeshadow.  It suits my completion well and, despite how it looks in the pan, is actually very subtle on my skin.  It's also cruelty free.  Last time I wrote about this I wasn't sure if I was going to keep it, but actually I really like it so it's staying in my makeup bag for now.

And that's it, my last project pan is now over.  I can't believe how many products I actually had when I started this a few years ago, but now I'm down to just a small bag of makeup, no nail polish at all, and one of each for all my toiletries and other beauty products.  I may still get rid of some products here and there when I no longer enjoy using them, but that's it in the active using up of my items.

Project Pan 2021 Update 3

And then there was one.

As I had hoped in the last update I have managed to completely use up the Cien eyeliner pen in Black, mostly by wearing smoky eye looks every weekend.  I've looked everywhere I can think of but haven't been able to find anything on Cien's cruelty free status so it's not really a product I would recommend to anyone.  I also found that, on my eye lids at least, it transferred quite easily, though it was very easy to put on.

So that just leaves The Balm highlighter in Mary-Lou Manizer to go.  The chance of me using this product up by the end of the year is unbelievably small and right now I'm in two minds as to whether or not I want to keep it after the end of this project.  I'm not going to lie, I do really like the look of it as an eye shadow in conjunction with a blusher, but do I really need a highlighter in my make-up bag.  I'll keep using it until the end of the year and then maybe take a little break from it before I make my final decision.  It is a beautiful product though.

And that's it, a very short post as there really isn't much to say here.  It's just as well I'm going to do a 'what's now in my make up bag' with the next update otherwise it would just be a paragraph.  Bring on me highlighting absolutely everything for three months.

Project Pan 2021 Update 2

 

And then there were two, sort of.  That's another quarter of a year down and another three months of slow progress on using up these beauty products.  There is a bit of a change to these items, but nothing to do with me actually getting through the products myself.

Let's start with the NYX Blush in Taupe which I have actually decided to just get rid of.  The texture seems to have changed a bit and isn't the easiest to use anymore, with me having to constantly scratch the surface to get any colour on my brush.  It also now seems to go on a bit patchy as well.  If I'm being honest, I'm also getting a bit bored of this product and no longer have an interest in doing a sort of contoured look.  The cool tone of this blush does make it a good product to use for contouring and NYX is cruelty-free, which would normally mean that I would recommend this item.  However, I have heard some pretty bad things about the way NYX do some of their publicity that makes me not really want to use their products anymore.

I've done a much better job of using up the Cien eyeliner pen in Black this quarter than last with the more smoky eye looks I've been doing.  The liner is now down to 1.4cm from 3.1cm and I don't think it'll take me much longer to use it up completely.  This eyeliner does go on pretty easily, but it also smudges and transfers pretty easily too so I won't necessarily recommend it to anyone.

Lastly is The Balm highlighter in Mary-Lou Manizer.  It wasn't looking like too much had changed, other than a slightly larger section at the bottom of the visible pan, but then I knocked it (not even dropped it) and a big chunk of the product fell out the last time I opened it.  It's still not going to be gone by the end of the year, but I'm actually alright with that as I've found that I quite like this product.  It gives a very nice and surprisingly natural glow, at least on my skin tone, and is a pretty quick extra step.  I've been using it on my eyelids, over a blush, as well as on the tops of my cheeks to give a slightly shimmery look which actually lasts quite a long time.

So, perhaps a little more exciting project pan update than I was expecting if we were really pushing it.  I knew this year wasn't going to be one where there was a large change in my makeup collection, but 2021 is more about it down to the size I want to end the year with.  Hopefully, by the end of the next quarter, I'll have finished the eyeliner, and then that'll basically be it for the year.

Project Pan 2021 Update 1

As expected this project pan has gone very, very slowly.  In fact, I'm not entirely sure you can see any difference in the products at all.  Admittedly, I'm only wearing makeup a couple of times a week, if I even remember to put it on then, so that's probably not helping.  Prepare to be very underwhelmed.

Despite having to give the NYX blush in Taupe a bit of a scrape as the top layer had hardened and I wasn't picking up any product on my brushes, it doesn't look very different from the starting photo.  I've been using this for contouring and eyeshadow, and I guess the dip in the centre is getting a little deeper, but no pan just yet.  I'm already feeling that this product might be one I can just get rid of at the end of the year without finishing.

I had actually forgotten how lovely The Balm highlighter in Mary-Lou Manizer is.  I'm also using this as a multi-use product, using it as a standard highlighter on my cheeks and under my eyebrows, and as an eyeshadow.  I actually really like the eye look I get from layering this highlighter over the NYX blush and this combination lasts for most of the day, which is unusual for eyeshadows on my eyes.  However, as with the blusher, the pan isn't looking any bigger than before.  Not yet anyway.

The Cien eyeliner pen in Black is the one product I thought would have a more obvious change.  I was just using it to line along my top lashes, but then I realised that if I did a more smoky look, lining all along my waterline, it would use up the product quicker.  So far I've managed to use 0.6 cm and, if I keep that up, it'll be December before I finish it.  However, I've only been doing these smoky looks for the last few weeks, so I'm expecting to be finished with this product before that.

And that's it.  An absolutely thrilling post of a snail's pace project pan. It actually reminds me of the snail in Monster's University who tries to make it to his first class on time at the start of the movie and only gets there when the school year is over.  I'm not really expecting the next post on this to be any more exciting, but it is giving me more of a clear idea of how I want my makeup stash to look moving on from this year and whether I want to keep trying to use up products I don't have any love for anymore.

Project Pan 2021

 

Last year I managed to get rid of the last big chunk of my makeup to get it down to the size I want.  I will admit that I do still have too many blushers, but I do love all the colours and can't really see myself getting rid of any of them any time soon.  I've decided that this will be my last year of actively panning as I don't intend on getting any more makeup, other than mascara, concealer, liner, and lipstick (maybe) when I run out.

This year's project pan will be a very small one but will take quite a while to get through as they are mostly powder products.  In fact, there are only three items in total and they are.....

The NYX blush in Taupe.  I've had this for a while and got it because someone recommended it as a good contour colour.  It is a nice product, but I don't really see myself doing such in-depth makeup application anytime in the future so it would be good to get rid of.  I'll also be using it for eyeshadow and eyeliner, which should hopefully help move it along nicely.

Then there's the Balm highlighter in Mary-Lou Manizer.  This is a very beautiful highlighter, though it is cracking a little - probably from all travelling it's had to put up with recently, but again this is probably more than I need for the type of makeup I'll be wearing in the future.

The last product is the Cien (Lidl) eyeliner pen in Black.  I got this as part of a pack when I was buying mascara.  It's a perfectly nice liner and very creamy, but I want to go for something a bit more natural in the future if I have a liner at all.  This is starting at 3.1cm.

And that's it, just three this time.  It is going to be quite a slow-moving process and probably difficult to get these done by the end of the year as I'll only be wearing makeup on the weekends (if I remember).  So we'll see how it goes.

Project Pan 2020 Update #4

This is my last blog of 2020 and it seems almost appropriate that, after such a year, it's something as mundane as a project pan update.  Especially one this short.

This quarter I only had the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani eyeshadow palette to work on, except it didn't exactly go to plan in as much as I basically stopped wearing make-up.  That being said, I still managed to hit pan on Skimp (it's small but it is there), but not on Zone as I had hoped.  I did really like a number of the colours in this pan, especially Steady and Baby, but the actual quality of the shadows is not great as they're quite chalky and I find them difficult to blend.  I'm going to wear this for one more week and then I'm going to move it out of my makeup bag.  It has had a good round so I don't feel too bad about not using it up completely before letting it go.  Urban Decay is a cruelty-free company and most of their products are good quality items, this one just falls a little bit short on that front. 

One thing this palette has shown me is that I don't really like using eye shadow as an eyeliner, I much prefer a pencil.  Not the most important revelation this year, but good to know none the less.  I am going to do one last project pan next year and then that should be me down to the amount of makeup I actually want to have now.  I just need to decide exactly what it is I want to work on. 

Project Pan 2020 Update #3

Exactly as I was expecting, this quarter has slowed down quite a bit as I basically only have the palette to work on now and I haven't even been wearing make up that regularly these last three months.  

That being said getting through the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani eyeshadow palette has been going quite well.  Now that I've reached pan on Blonde I've moved onto Skimp as my highlighter colour, which I'm hoping to pan on by the end of the year.  I've also managed to get quite a good pan in Stark, so I'm not going to work on it anymore as I want to reach pan on other colours.  The one colour I was expecting to see more progress on was Anaheim as I use it as my contour colour, but I do use it more evenly so maybe there's more progress happening then it actually looks.  What I'm hoping is that the pan will suddenly appear........in the next three months.  These are not the easiest shadows to work with as they are quite chalky, but I'll keep working on them and we'll see where we are by the end of this year.  After using it for nine months though, I think I'm pretty certain I'm going to be decluttering it by the end of this year.

The good thing about all this hand washing is that I've had to put on more hand cream, which has made using up this Welsh Lavender Ltd Farmers' Hand Cream much easier.  This was one of my add on items and I wasn't expecting to finish it this quarter so I'm quite happy that it's gone, even if the reason for it isn't that great.  I really like this product.  It works really well, smells amazing, is in a reusable /recyclable packaging, supports a UK farm, and this product is vegan.  However, I couldn't find anywhere that said if it was cruelty free or not.  I would like to buy this again, and other products they have, but I think I'll find out from them if they test on animals first.  Would recommend otherwise.

All this means last quarter is going to be all about the eye shadow palette.  However, depending on what job I manage to get, if I manage to get a job, I'm not sure how much of an opportunity there will be to actually wear make up.  So, how much I'll get through this quarter is going to be anyone's guess, but if I can get a couple more pans before the end of this year I'll be very happy.

Project Pan 2020 Update #2

As expected after last quarter's many use ups, this quarter has been pretty slow with only one original product gone along with an add on one.  Lockdown has meant that I've basically worn makeup every day as I haven't been able to work, do any other outdoor activities that really don't require any form of makeup, and it's been good to have something to add to my day to help the time pass.  There's not really much else to say so let's just get to it.

The Mistine Cosmetics OHH Lipstick No. 01 is now completely finished.  This was my final lip colour and I'm going to go lipstick free until the end of this year to decide what I want to do next.  This was a really nice colour, good texture, and had pretty good staying power.  It also didn't dry out my lips too much which is always good for a matt lipstick.  However,  I won't be buying this lipstick again as I can't find out anything about its cruelty-free status.

The last original product left is the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani eyeshadow palette.  As with all palettes, this is taking its time, but I am getting to every shadow and using a number of them for more than just eye colour.  I was using Bathwater as my highlighter but now that I have a good pan on it I've moved to Blonde.  Zone is now my all-over base eyeshadow instead of Anaheim as I've started using Anaheim as my contouring shadow, and it's actually a really good colour for that.  I've also started using Stark to set my concealer as well as it's not a bad match for my skin tone and, now that I no longer have a lipstick to wear, I've started doing much darker eye looks, which means me using much more of the shadows then were being used before.  This includes using Danger as my undereye liner as the blue coincides with the blue of my eyes and it's a subtle but nice pop of colour.  This should mean that I get through a number of these shadows pretty quickly by the end of the year, hopefully.

Now for the two products that I've added to this project pan as an incentive to use them up.  There's nothing wrong with either of these products specifically, they are just getting a bit old.  The first is the Fair Squared Shea Lip Balm, which I started really working on at the beginning of June and managed to finish in June as there wasn't nearly as much as I thought there was.  It's a good moisturiser, but it does leave a weird feeling film on your lips and, even if you put on just a little bit, leaves white bits in the corners of your mouth.  There is also a slightly weird taste, which is probably why I was put off using it, to begin with.  The other balms that came in the pack were really good though and I would recommend them overall.  They're also fairtrade, vegan, and cruelty-free.

The last item I've added is the Welsh Lavender Ltd Farmers' Hand Cream.  I didn't really feel like I needed this too much at the moment as I'm not doing my usual manual work.  However, I am doing a lot of hand washing and I've noticed that there are some dry patches forming so moister would be a really good thing right now.  It's a good incentive to use this up as I have had it for quite a while now.  It's also a really nice cream, so if you can get it I would recommend it.

So that's it for now. I can't believe how few items I actually have left in this project compared to the projects I've had over the last few years.  The number of beauty products I own has definitely gone down and I'm really happy about that.  I'm thinking I probably will do another project next year just to work out what I actually want to keep, but that will be the last one and, hopefully, I won't find myself in another situation where I need to do this again.