Project Pan 2020

I have to say that last year went pretty well when it came to my project pan.  At least, much better than how I was expecting it to go.  I'm expecting this year to be pretty similar as I don't have a lot of items this time and this year is mainly the year where I go through the last of my products to really downsize and simplify my makeup.  However, though there aren't too many items (5 really), most of them are going to take a while to use up so this is going to be a pretty slow project pan.  Because of that I'm going to do the quarterly updates that I did last year otherwise there's going to be some pretty boring posts.

Starting with the one item that I know is definitely going to take at least this year to go through and that's the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani eyeshadow palette.  There are 15 shades here, though they're not the biggest eyeshadow pans I've seen which gives me a little bit of hope.  They are a little powdery, but I do really love most of the colours so it shouldn't be too difficult to make myself wear this every time I wear makeup.  However, I definitely don't need this many eyeshadows and there are some colours there that I don't normally gravitate to, at least not anymore.  So, to push myself out of my comfort zone I'm going to make myself hit every single one of these colours at least once this year.  In fact, let's say at least once every quarter.  I think that should be do-able.  I'm not expecting to finish it but I am hoping to hit pan on at least five of the shadows.

Powder foundation is definitely my foundation of choice.  That's probably quite strange for a dry skinned girl, but I just find it much easier and less messy to use, and I don't feel like it's sitting on my skin like an unpleasant layer.  This is my last foundation and it is the Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation in Blondie.  I really like it and it suits my skin, but if I'm honest I much prefer the compact foundations or the loose powder.  Just so much less mess involved.  I've already gone through quite a lot of this but getting it finished by the end of the year is still going to be a challenge.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do once it's used up as, as with all these types of products, there's always the issue of mica.  I guess I'll just have to do my research and make a decision when the time comes.  For now, I'm just going to concentrate on getting this finished.

This The Body Shop Eye Definer Crayon Kohl in Black is also my last eyeliner.  It's a very soft product and, whilst the colour is good, I do end up putting on a few layers when I use it so I'm not expecting this to take that long at all.  I don't think it's a product I'll get again once it's gone as I prefer a liquid or gel eyeliner, but once it's gone I'm going to use up the black eyeshadow I have in the UD x Gwen Stefani palette before I make any decision on buying another eyeliner.  Right now The Body Shop Kohl is 9.5 cm long.

The Burt's Bees Matte Lip Crayon in Napa Vineyard is one of the last two lip products I have and, as you know, I'm thinking about not owning any lip products once they've gone other than a lip liner.  We'll wait and see on that front, but for now this is the first lip product I want to get through this year as I'm already using it.  It's a beautiful colour, however, I find it difficult to apply this neatly as the crayon is so thick and it was difficult to keep the point it had at the start.  To be honest, it probably needs a lip brush to really apply it properly, but I can't be bothered buying one of those so I'm just going to persevere with it as it is.  I also think that the texture and colour would make it a good cheek colour and will be using it there as well.  That should probably reduce the amount of time it'll take to use it up.  This lip crayon is 2.4 cm at the moment.

This was a naughty buy I really shouldn't have done when we stopped off at Bangkok on the way to New Zealand.  I just really want to try an Asian brand.  However, if I'm honest, a liquid eyeliner or mascara probably would have been better, I'm just more obsessed with lipsticks.  Any way, this is the Mistine Cosmetics OHH Lipstick No. 01.  I can't really say too much about it as I haven't started using it yet and won't until the Burt's Bees product it finished.  It seems like it will be a lot more matte in texture and pigmented than the Burt's Bees.  I guess I'll find out.  At the moment it's 2.8 cm in length.

Lastly are the Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blushes in Royal, Genius, Pop, and Vibrant.  I'm not going to try and use these up (that would be insane) but I am going to try each one and decide if I want to keep all of them or if there are any that really don't suit me and can be gotten rid of.  I also want to play with the two blush brushes I own as I really don't feel I need both and could probably get rid of one.  I think I know which one it's going to be, but I still want to give both of them a fair go.  I should probably have this one completed by the end of the first quarter.

There is one extra thing I'm going to be doing whilst I go through this project pan and that is basically going on a no buy for 2020.  I will let myself buy mascara when I need to and concealer once the foundation has finally run out (I've basically got my eye on the RMS "Un" Cover-Up), but for everything else I'm not going to buy anything new until I have used everything else up.  So no eyeliners until the one I have and the eyeshadows are completely gone; definitely no blusher, highlighter, or contour probably ever - that stuff is going to last me for years; and definitely no lip products until these are all gone and I've gone a few months without any lipstick at all.  I actually feel like I want to use up most of the eye shadows before I let myself even look at another lip product.  I don't actually think it'll be too hard and I like the challenge of it.  

So possibly the last year of project pan here we go.  Good luck everyone, I hope yours all go well.  Let me know what you're planning to get rid of.

Project Pan 2019 - Update #4

January 2019

This was a quarter of nice surprises when it came to my project panning.  I thought that it would be a quarter where I was working my way through products with a plan to finishing them next year.  However, I actually managed to meet my targets for pretty much all of the items this year.

Starting with The Body Shop black liquid eyeliner.  I really had no idea how far along I was with this, but I actually managed to finished it in November.  By that point it was getting pretty difficult to get product out of the packaging and I needed to dip it in repeatedly to just do one line on my eyelid.   Once I had gotten used to using liquid eyeliner again I really liked this product and the look that it gave me.  It stayed on really well throughout the day even on my oily eyelids, was well pigmented, and the applicator was very easy to use.  The Body Shop is also cruelty free (at least at the moment) and so I would recommend this product it you're looking for a liquid eyeliner to try.  I won't be buying any more liquid eyeliner whilst I try to use up some other products, but I will look at this again once it's time to buy a new eye liner.

Unfortunately I can't say the same for The Body Shop Matte lip liquid in Tahiti Hibiscus.  I had got to the point with this product where it was also getting more difficult to get products out of the packaging, but not enough to really mean that you couldn't get a good lip coverage from it.  However, whilst I really liked the colour on my lips I didn't like the product itself.  This was mainly because I couldn't work out a way of stopping it from going on my teeth, and I tried a variety of things.  I put on very little, I smudged it in, I did the finger through the lips tactic, I licked the back of my lips...….and nothing worked.  It still got on my teeth.  So once it started to get difficult to use I was happy to call it quits.

And now for the product I am really surprised by, The Balm highlighter in Mary-Lou Manizer.  I really didn't expect to hit pan on this at all this year, but there it is a tiny little bit of the pan peaking through.  I've started using other areas of the product now to work through it evenly and I'm also still using it every time I put on my makeup as I do really like it.  It looks very bright in the pan and when you initially put it one, but once I've worked it in a little it actually looks surprisingly natural and pretty on my skin.  I don't think I'll put it in another project pan, but I am just going to keep using it until it's all gone.  The Balm is also cruelty free, however this highlighter does contain Mica in it so I don't think I'll buy it again once it's finished (unless the ingredients change or it can be guaranteed that the mica has been ethically sourced).

Lastly is the NYX Powder Blush in Taupe and it's still going strong.  I use this every time I put on makeup too, as a under cheek natural contour, as an eye crease colour, and under the eyes as a definition shadow.  However, there is still no pan.  I do still really love this product so I can't decided whether I want to roll this over to next year's pan or just put it back into my make up bag to use up like The Balm highlighter.  NYX is also cruelty free, but it also contains the problem Mica ingredient so I won't buy this again either.  I'm also wanting to streamline my makeup in the long run and contouring is probably a step that I will take out without really missing it.

December 2019

All in all this hasn't been too bad a year when it comes to using up my makeup.  It now all fits into my one make up bag, including one relatively big palette.  I'm happy with the progress, but I definitely want to keep reducing it more.  Now that wearing makeup is no longer part of my work life I'm really don't see myself wearing it much at all (apart from doing these project pans) and so even having this number of products seems silly to me.  At the moment I'm working out what I want to put in next year's project pan and I think that that project will probably be my last.

Project Pan 2019 - Update #3

As predicted, this quarter has been a very slow one, not helped by the fact that I've been wearing make up a lot less over the last few months.  That being said I have still managed to get through the couple of items I had hoped for in the last update.  Of the products left two are going to be difficult to actually track progress on as it is difficult to see through the packaging.  So it looks like I'll just have to keep using them until nothings seems to come out of the packaging.  Fingers crossed that happens before the end of 2019.  

Starting with the products I've finished, the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani lipstick in 714 was the first to go.  If there was going to be a red lipstick I would make myself then this would be it.  It's exactly what I want with the right shade, blue undertones, and a matt finish.  It also has really good staying power with very little transfer.  It's basically the perfect red for me and Urban Decay is cruelty free.  However, having spent many years wearing lipstick all the time I am wondering if that's really something I want to bother with anymore and, once my lipsticks are done, I'm going to go without to see how that goes.  If I do decide to carry on wearing lipsticks I'm probably going to go for more natural ones any way, so it's unlikely I'll be buying this again.  But I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a red lipstick.

The next thing to go was the The Body Shop lip liner in Hot Date.  I actually liked this product a lot more than I thought I would, probably because tea rose is one of my favourite lip colours.  It's also very creamy and easy to apply, though that does mean that it's staying power wasn't the best - at least on the lips.  I have regularly just used it on it's own as a lip colour with some lip balm and have also tried putting it on my cheeks as a bit of a stain (it actually worked really well as a cheek stain so definitely give that a try is you have it).  The end of this lip liner is actually the end of all my lip liners, which I am very happy about and I don't intend on buying anymore lip liners from now on.  If I do get any lip products in the future it will just be a lipstick or stain that I can just use on it's own.  The Body Shop is cruelty free (though it's parent company isn't) and I would recommend this liner is you're looking for something that has a creamy texture to it.

The Body Shop black liquid eyeliner is one of the products where I really have no idea how far along I am.  There is definitely less product coming out on the applicator then when I first started using it (which is actually making it easier to use but does mean that I have to dip the applicator back in more often), but there's no real sign that I'm close to finishing it.  I may just keep using it until the recommend shelf life is up and then stop for hygiene reasons, but I'll see how it goes.  Now that I've got used to using this I actually quite like it and the look it gives.  It does need a couple of coats to make it properly black and it does begin to flake off a little bit by the end of the day, but the applicator makes it very user friendly and it's definitely one of better ones I used in all my time wearing makeup.

Then there's The Body Shop Matte lip liquid in Tahiti Hibiscus, which I have finally got into wearing this quarter.  It's definitely a lot redder than I was expecting from the outer packaging and I quite like it.  When it comes to staying power the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani lipstick definitely beats it and I did find the lip liquid on my teeth a few times (always attractive), but it is very comfortable on the lips and doesn't seem to dry mine out at all.  This is another one where it difficult to tell how far a long you are and the only indicator I have is that I now have to wiggle the applicator a bit more to get any product out.  I may have to just do the same thing as I'm going to do with the liquid eyeliner and use it until they recommend you chuck it for hygiene reasons.

And lastly the NYX Powder Blush in Taupe and The Balm highlighter in Mary-Lou Manizer.  They are both finally beginning to show signs of progress and I can see where the products are beginning to go down.  I still don't think I'll actually see pan by the end of the year but it's good to know I am going through these products, especially as so little is needed with each application.  They will probably both be rolled over to what I hope is going to be my last project pan in 2020.

That's it for this update with eight products gone and four left to go.  Obviously I would have hoped that I'd have been further along than this but it's still pretty good progress.  I'm already looking at what I have left in my stash for next year, which I think is actually going to be more of a year of testing things out and deciding what I want to keep rather than a panning project, but more on that later.  The Body Shop liquid eyeliner and liquid lip are the two products I'm really going to be concentrating on now and, fingers crossed, they'll be done in the next three months.

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 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