Here's Why I Won't Be Panning Make-up Anymore

Right now, for the first time in over 2.5 years, I'm not actively trying to use up any make-up. In 2014 and 2015, I participated in two year-long Projects Make A Dent, and then since July 2015, I did three back-to-back Project Pans, completely finishing or at least getting very good use out of some older products in my stash. My initial plan for 2016 was to do three 4-month seasonal Projects 10 Pan, and I managed to complete two - but as you know, with the arrival of our baby, I decided against doing that third Project, reasoning that I wouldn't have much time or mental energy to wear any make-up.

And you know what, I'm really, REALLY glad that I don't have any panning challenges going on anymore. Even if it wasn't for my imminent new mama lifestyle, I think I would have probably copped out of that final Project Pan for 2016 anyway. I've been thinking a lot about this for the past two months of desperately trying to finish as much as I could from my last Project Pan, and I came to the conclusion that at this stage, I really need to take a step back and reevaluate my reasons for doing these challenges in the first place, and whether they still apply to what I want to gain out of my make-up collection and make-up hobby in general.

If I'm being completely honest with myself, my main reason for panning make-up is to use up as much as I can from older and/or unloved products, and thus be able to remove them from my collection without feeling the guilt of 'good products going to waste'. That's it. Yeah yeah, I could also say that I love rediscovering old favorites, or experimenting with combining, layering and repurposing my products, but at the end of the day - no, I just want to get them out of my stash. Not because they're bad products; I've thankfully learnt my lesson and never include product hates in my Projects anymore - but for some reason or another, I know they're nearing their time and I just want to give them that last chance. Or, uhm, more like multiple months of daily wear number of chances. They may be old favorites I've abandoned at some point and no longer remember why; they may be products I've worn only a handful of times and don't know very well; they may be products I already have functional dupes/ back-ups of already in my stash. Either way, I just know I don't really need them anymore, and want them gone.

So if I want them gone so bad, why wouldn't I just declutter them, or in case or really old products, pitch them straight in the trash? Well, uhm, because like I said above - I mostly like, or at least used to like these products, and getting rid of them straight away triggers a lot of guilty feelings. And then it does happen on occasion that I just didn't know the product very well, and including it in a Project Pan makes me realize how much I actually enjoy it. But I don't think guilt trips are such fantastic motivation to make yourself use a certain product for months at a time. And in my two and a half years of panning, I've realized there's a lot of downsides to my method.

Unfortunately, I believe most project panners fall into the phenomenon of absolutely hating at least some of their chosen products at some point in their Project Pans. Obviously sometimes, a product just turns out to be a complete dud, but even in the case of the good ones, forcing yourself to use them day in and day out can quickly turn a favorite into 'I just can't look at you anymore'. You may have included your Holy Grail red lipstick in your challenge, but do you really now want to wear it a couple times a week? What if it turns out you're not into red lips at the moment? This is something I've privately dubbed 'abusing your make-up products'. You'd rather wear a My Lips But Better shade, but you've made the committment, so you reach for the red anyway. What used to be a cherished shade for special occasions becomes a high maintenance make-up statement you're dreading to wear on a casual Tuesday.

What I'm trying to point out is that whatever product selection you pull out for a given Project, those products become the driving force of your make-up style and application for the duration of the Project. Here are examples of some conundrums I've personally come across during my challenges: I like contour and bronzer SOMETIMES for certain looks, but I absolutely don't want to wear them every day with everything. I really like shimmery cream eyeshadows, but no, I don't want to wear shimmer on my eyes every day for months. I enjoy wearing a bold lip, but I'd rather decide spontaneously when and which shade exactly as opposed to making myself wear a deep berry at least twice a week. When I make myself wear these products as if on a schedule, I lose the joy of wearing precisely what I want at the time. That makes me feel frustrated, and unhappy with my make-up, or even itching to buy more products for my collection just to feel inspired again - even though I may already have things in my stash I could use to achieve my desired look.

Some of you may say that what I'm describing here can be easily avoided if I just allowed myself to rotate my chosen products with other things in my stash when I feel like switching my looks. However, based on my individual experience, I can't do that at all if I'm hoping to finish my Project Pan products in a reasonable amount of time. And by reasonable, I don't mean a short amount of time at all - in fact, I'm absolutely incapable of using up anything within a couple months. Examples of my personal panning 'times': 3-4 months for a creamy pencil eyeliner. 4 months for a lipstick or lip gloss when rotated with two other lip products. At least 12 months for a pressed face powder and foundation. Closer to 2 years - or more - for a concealer. Probably about 2 years for a bronzer or a blush, used exclusively. Don't even want to think how long for an eyeshadow palette - here's my progress on the small-ish Nude'Tude, used for 8 months straight. See what I mean? If I was also wearing other make-up while trying to finish items from my Project Pans, I would probably need to spend over a year doing just one little challenge.

And ultimately, what for? Just to proudly display my empty make-up containers for all the Internet to see? To feel a little less guilty about having a crap ton of stuff in my collection that will never be used up completely? What am I trying to prove to myself? Maybe the time has come for me to finally accept that most of my make-up will expire before I'm able to finish it. Is that such a bad thing? Is it so terribly wasteful to pass on, or toss an eyeshadow before I scrape the last bits out the pan? Can't I just enjoy it for as long as I want and then simply move on?

I've realized that I don't want to force myself to use anything in my stash at the expense of completely abandoning other perfectly good products that I'm naturally more inclined to wear at the time. While in theory, it makes sense to get good use of older or less used products first instead of constantly reaching for the same selection of current favorites, in practice you're just making yourself miserable by preventing yourself from using what you're inspired by at the time. Make-up should be fun, right? Then why go to all these lengths to make it seem like a chore?

Now, I feel the need to point out the obvious and say that this is just MY (current) experience. I do feel a great sense of achievement in finishing make-up products and I think it's a lot of fun to share my make-up empties here on the blog or on Instagram. However, that fleeting satisfaction from seeing a large amount of pan in my powder doesn't outweight the fact that I'd probably much rather be using something else and just remove the damn thing from my sight. Your experience may be different though; make-up is extremely personal and I can see a whole number of reasons why panning may work much better for other people. So you do you - I'm just trying to explain why it no longer works for me. You know, all in the spirit of friendly discussion :)

This is also not to say I'll never finish another make-up product in my life - I AM hoping to use up things in my collection, but I'd just much rather not put any deadline on myself to do so. I'd rather it happen organically and spontaneously, just by me wearing what I feel like at any given time. I now want to get to know every single product in my stash, not just a select handful. I'm hoping that by having a better grasp on everything I own, I will not only become more creative and satisfied with my looks, but maybe also be able to further downsize my make-up stash (uhm, we'll see about that). In terms of an actual 'game plan', I'm planning to utilize the 'make-up basket' system from now on - basically rotate my products every couple weeks or so to make full use of my stash. I don't want to be super strict about it though - if I feel like using something else and have the exact picture in my mind of the product/look I'm aiming for, I'll just reach for that instead. If after a couple months, I notice there are certain products I'm actively avoiding in the rotation, then that's a good indicator that they should hit the road. We shall see how that works out - let me know if you sometimes want to see my make-up baskets in the form of a blog post!

How do you feel about Project Pans and using up make-up in general? Is this a system that works great for you or you can't even imagine making yourself reach for a specific dozen of products for a few months? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Pan That Palette 2016: 5 Eye Looks with The Balm Nude'Tude

One of the main post ideas I had after writing my rambling rant on how I'm currently not so much into make-up products (here) was to do different eyeshadow placements all focusing on a single palette. That palette is obviously The Balm's Nude'Tude, which I'm trying to pan this year.

From my understanding, there's some sort of general consensus online that Nude'Tude is not a great neutral eyeshadow palette - the undertones are weird, it lacks a matte highlight shade but has too many dark mattes, and so on. And yeah, I can see that - for my fair complexion with cool undertones, a lot of the shades in this palette are not ideal, even though the shadows themselves are pigmented and easy to apply. But while these shades may not be ideal, they're still absolutely workable and wearable. Let me show you how :)

1. Gradient Gunmetal Smokey Eye:
Use a dark eyeliner at the lashline as base; I'm using the Stila Bluefin Smudgestick from my current Project Pan - that's where the teal microglitter is coming from. Set the liner and blend it upwards and inwards from the wing with a matte black (Serious). Apply a shimmery taupe (Selfish) to the center of the lid and the lower lashline and blend out. Continue building the matte black at the lashline to the desired depth, smudge a very small amount on the outer part of the lower lashline. Highlight the inner corner with a white pearl (Sassy), blend out the outer corner and crease with a warm matte medium brown (Sultry). Finish with lots of mascara and black eyeliner on the upper waterline.

2. Daytime Cat Eye:
Apply a mix of yellow and pink pearl shades (Snobby + Stubborn) all over the lid and highlight the inner corners with Sassy. Define the crease with a matte brown (Sultry) and the lower lashline with a shimmery bronze (Schitzo). Line the upper lashline with Silly mixed with a drop of Inglot Duraline; it's a liquid silicone product that turns powders into long-wearing cream formulas. I just poured a drop directly into the corner of my eyeshadow pan so that I can still use the rest as a regular powder eyeshadow with my brushes. I have to admit that I was disappointed with how Silly performed as a liquid liner; I was hoping for a subtly glittery wing but the result was that of a dark matte brown, very similar to the shade Sleek from the palette. So far, no matter what I do, I cannot make the beautiful shimmer in Silly show up on my eyes :(

3. Sophisticated Khaki Smokey Eye:
Apply a darker taupe/ grey/ khaki cream eyeshadow all over the lid, blending it out into the crease - I've used Benefit Creaseless Cream in Skinny Jeans. Blend out and warm up the crease with a matte brown; I decided to use my face contour shade (NYX Taupe), but you could use Sultry from the palette. Define the outer corner with a dark khaki brown (Sophisticated) and dab a little yellow pearl (Snobby) on the centre of the mobile lid with your finger. Brighten the inner corner with a mix of Sassy and Snobby; I decided that Sassy alone would be too cool-toned. Line the lower lashline with Sophisticated, pop a little Snobby in the center of the lower lashline to mirror the lid placement. Black mascara on the lashes, black eyeliner on the upper waterline, green eyeliner on the lower waterline (optional - I had TIGI Perfect Eyeliner in Green lying around, so I thought why not).

4. Aegyo Sal-inspired:
This is one of the looks I liked from the Korean Beauty Secrets book I've recently reviewed. For those not in the know, aegyo sal is that little roll of fat on the lower lashline that babies often have (some adults too), and of the trendier looks in Korea is to either highlight or mimick that by applying a shimmery eyeshadow to the under eye area.

I'm saying this is aegyo sal-inspired because I do not have that 'baby eye fat' and what's more, I actually have some fine lines in that area that look more pronounced when covered in shimmery eyeshadow. So I've only applied a mixture of white pearl (Sassy) and shimmery champagne (Stand-offish) to the inner half of my lower lashline and around the inner corner, and a medium matte brown on the outer half of lower lashline. For my lid and crease, I applied a light layer of satin pink (Stubborn) all over as a base, and topped with another fine layer of warm matte brown (Sultry), buffed out into the crease. I also applied a smidgen of dark matte brown (Sleek) along the outer portion of my upper lashline, but otherwise skipped eyeliner.

5. Typical Monika Daytime Definition:
I realize that in my photos, this looks exactly like the second look (Daytime Cat Eye), but it's a little different: a typical Monika look has a more defined/ darker outer corner, and the upper lash liner is thinner and less winged out. For this look, I used the shimmery champagne (Stand-offish) on the lid, a matte medium brown lightly through the crease (Sultry), and a matte aubergine (Sexy) in the outer corner. A mix of the champagne (Stand-offish) and pearl white (Sassy) on the inner corner, medium matte brown (Sultry) along the lower lashline. The upper lash line is accentuated with a darker eyeliner (Stila Bluefin), lightly set with a matte black (Serious). A black eyeliner to tightline and lots of mascara.

I was the happiest with my Aegyo-sal inspired look - it was quick and easy and yet quite a bit different from my comfort zone (look 5). For a bit more drama, I also liked the first look - I quite like the smoked out lashline as opposed to lots of darker shades in the outer corner of the eye. But all in all, I've been leaning towards less eyeshadow lately, and I'm particularly not that fond of eyeliner at the moment. I think that daily eyeliner wear (due to having various pencil liners in my Project Pans/ Projects Make A Dent) has started to feel a little boring to me, and I appreciate the cleaner/ more effortless look of having only mascara-ed lashes against the lighter background of the eyelid.

All in all, it was a good experiment. I've been using The Balm's Nude'Tude for over a month now, and I can't really say that it has felt like a challenge so far. Every time I reach for the palette, I'm able to come up with little tweaks or slightly different placements. I've also been mixing and layering all the shades quite a lot, and it's fun. There's a whole LOT you can do with 12 different eyeshadows - and I actually feel like the variety of looks I've been able to achieve comes more from trying various approaches and styles as well as combining shades as opposed to having a variety of actual eyeshadows to choose from. What I'm saying is - I don't need 10 neutral eyeshadow palettes. For me, there's going to be more variety in looks in the scope of a single palette versus across those ten different selections. Almost every single neutral eyeshadow palette has a light shimmer, a medium brown, a cool and/or medium shimmer, a dark brown. Sure, the undertones may be different - but the basic placements remain the same. Once blended together, a lot of eyeshadows from palletes that may at first seem very different in the pan will actually look nearly identical on the eyes.

Which look was your favorite? Do you tend to do the same eyeshadow look every time you do your make-up, or do you like to experiment?

My First Project 10 Pan of 2016: Introduction

Throughout my two Projects Make A Dent in 2014 and 2015, as well as my last Project 10 Pan, I've learnt quite a few things about my make-up preferences and my threshold for product fatigue. My biggest realization is that I really don't mind using the same products again and again, day in and day out, as long as I like them to begin with, and as long as I'm continuing to feel a given color scheme. This last part is quite important, and the main reason I've decided to introduce a few changes into my panning projects from there on out.

In my last Project Pan (here), I picked out quite a few summery shades: the bronzey Pixi Endless Eye Pen in Copper Glow, the Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in Watermelon Twist, a mint Orly Nail Polish in Gumdrop. The thing is, since I started the Project in July, I only had two months of summer left to enjoy those shades, and then as soon as the cooler weather hit, I was really over wearing them. My fall/winter skin also hated the two ultra-mattifying base products in that Project, the Revlon Colorstay foundation and the MAC Pressed Blot Powder. All of those things combined made me think that I would probably do much better with a shorter seasonal project... I feel that three months is a bit too little time for me to be able to see any significant progress, but I figured that 4 months would be just right. So my current project will run from January till the end of April, which is when I'll surely be once again in the mood for more spring pastels and warm summer shades.

Here's what I decided to pick out for this project after much thought and careful deliberation:

1. Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation in PK-1 (review here): My goal for this product is to use up half of the bottle. Judging from previous projects, that should be doable, and since it's my current favorite foundation, and I'm no real hurry to get it out of my stash - it just needs some loving.

2. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light (review): There's a LOT of powder in this compact, so my loose goal is just to make a more significant dip in the middle. Again, I really like this product, I just want to make sure I'm using it.

3. Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Bluefin ($22 for 0.01 oz): According to my calculations, Stila Smudge Sticks have about a third of an average eyeliner's volume; that, coupled with a softer formula, should allow me to use the entire thing up in 4 months. I'm sorry that I'm not able to show you exactly how much I have or track my progress in any way, but it's a retractable pencil that doesn't wind down. At any rate, I really enjoy this deep blue glittery shade, and want to make sure it's used before it dries out.

4. NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base: I've already had to take the stopper out, so there's not much remaining in the tube. It's my favorite clear eyeshadow primer, but I've had it for a long time now and it's nearing the end of its shelf life.

5. NYX Powder Blush in Taupe (review and swatches): I'm not a huge fan of bronzer on myself in the winter (it just tends to look a bit off), so I would like to hit pan on this contour shade instead. I used it a lot a couple years ago, but it has recently fallen to the wayside, so I'd like to see some use there before it needs to be thrown out.

6. Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer (swatches): Still one of my favorite lip gloss formulas. I would like to use up the whole tube, but we'll see how it goes - it has three times the amount of product as my beloved Buxom lip glosses, for example. I would say that right now, I probably have at least 2/3 of the tube remaining.

7. Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie (review): Due to the soft slippery texture, the Lip Butters get used up quite fast, and I've had good luck with the Peach Parfait shade in my previous Project. I'm hoping to use it all up (by the way, in the photos, both lipsticks are fully wound up).

8. Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick in Cherries in the Snow (review and swatches): If Cherries in the Snow isn't a quintessential winter red, I don't know what is. Mine looks a bit mangled because I shaved some off to give to a friend to try - which also means I don't have as much remaining in the tube, and I'll be trying to finish it.

9. Zoya Nail Polish in Jem (nail swatch): The first shade from Zoya I really fell in love with. I doubt I'm going to be able to use up the entire bottle, but half of the bottle sounds good enough to me - plus, it may turn out then that it gets too thick and gloopy even with a thinner and will have to be thrown out at that point anyway.

10. theBalm Nude'Tude Eyeshadow Palette (shown here): Now, that's a big one. I've been contemplating doing a Pan That Palette Project for 2016, but to be honest, I really can't predict how well or how bad it will go. So I'm dipping my toes here by including Nude'Tude in my Project Pan, and I'll decide at the end of my four months if I want to roll it over to the next two Project Pans and try to use it up by the end of the year. Nude'Tude is probably the smallest by volume neutral palette with 10+ shades that I own, and the formula is quite soft, so I'm hoping to see large dips and maybe a tiny bit of pan on a couple shades by the end of April. Wish me luck!

There's no blush this time, and no cream eyeshadow, because I was getting a bit bored with those two product categories in my previous Projects - but I'm quite sure you'll see them back again during the summer and/or the winter challenge. I'm feeling quite good about this Project, and I'm actually looking forward to using my chosen products; as you could see, a lot of them are firm favorites of mine. I'm thinking I'll update you once on my progress at the halfway mark (two months in), and then of course I'll post a Project finale.

Have you planned any panning projects for 2016? Do you prefer doing personal projects in your own time or participating in seasonal challenges (Finish X By...) with other bloggers or YouTubers? Personally, I find community challenges like that a bit too stressful - my usage is too slow to fit in with those Projects, but I love following everyone's progress! If you're currently doing a Project Pan, please leave a link to your post in the comments - let's cheer each other on!

Capsule Collection 2015 Progress Round-up and Goals for 2016

It's New Year's Eve tomorrow, so prime time I think for a (probably overly lengthy) round-up of this year's attempts towards a smaller, well edited beauty stash in general, and a make-up capsule collection in particular. I'm very happy to say that in 2015, I've made some really big strides in downsizing my collection, and it's brought me a great satisfaction to learn more about my make-up preferences, curb impulse purchasing, and really use what I already own and love.

So what exactly have I been doing to reduce my stash? I've already discussed my various strategies in other posts on this subject, but let's rehash. I believe the key to my progress this year has been what I like to call a three-pronged approach. Firstly, I have been decluttering my vanity and passing on products that are no longer favorites to family and friends. Secondly, I've been slowly but surely using things up via Project Make A Dent and Project 10 Pan. And thirdly, I have stuck to my low-buy of only purchasing two make-up items a month. Alright, let's elaborate on these three points.

2015 could easily be dubbed 'The Year of the Declutter' in the online beauty community, mostly thanks to the popularity of Marie Kondo's 'Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up' (my thoughts on the book can be found here). However, this year has not been my first year of decluttering my collection. I believe I actually started going through my make-up with a fine tooth comb back in 2013, pulling products aside and gathering them into small pouches to give to coworkers and some family members. I also got rid of quite a few items towards the end of 2014 (read my post here). In July of this year, I did another bigger purge (documented here) on top of constantly weeding out smaller things here and there.

Box of products to donate, currently housing 4 face mask sachets, 3 blushes, 1 powder and 5 lipsticks.

I've now permanently assigned a box for products to give away that I keep close to my vanity, so when I pull out something I have not used in a while and after a few days of wear decide I don't care for it anymore, it doesn't go back into my drawers. This is how I would like to keep decluttering from now on - not in a some big way, deliberating on every single product I own, but on a case-by-case basis, only when I realize there's something in my stash I could definitely live without.

This year, I've also finished or very nearly finished the highest number of products since I started collecting (hoarding?) make-up 6 years ago. I have just published my Project Make A Dent 2015 and Project 10 Pan 2015 finale (here); I'm getting rid of 19 products through both of those challenges. I realize that for some seasoned make-up panners, that's not a very significant amount, but for me, it's an achievement I'm quite proud of. On top of those 19, I have also used up a fair number of other make-up products that I've been including in my quaterly make-up posts: there's been a whole lot of mascaras and lip balms as well as some face primers.

Box of finished make-up products from my panning projects.

In both of these Projects, as well as my Project MAD in 2014, I focused mostly on some older items in my collection, and while I'm happy to have them out of the way, I think for next year, I should include a lot more newer items; the thought of them sitting in my vanity drawers unused, gathering dust, makes me a little anxious. If there's one thing that panning make-up has taught me, it's that you need to make sure you're including firm favorites in your Projects; otherwise, you're forcing yourself to use mediocre stuff while your best products are going to waste, stashed away for hypothetical future use.

Lastly, in 2015 I have been really sticking to my make-up low buy of purchasing only two new products a month, which I started three years ago (I elaborated more on my low buy progress throughout that time in this post, if you're curious). One of the strategies that helped me the most was writing down every single make-up purchase in a journal. This may sound silly, but looking at how much I already bought this year, all listed in one place, month by month, often deterred me from placing another order. According to my notes, I actually purchased 21 products this year, so I came in just a little under my allowance; one thing I wasn't sure how to count were make-up brushes and gifts - some of them I included in my final count, some of them I didn't. I also didn't count gifts with purchase, but there weren't very many of them this year.

To sum all of these efforts up, I have definitely succeeded in reducing the size of my beauty stash in 2015, while both enjoying what I already have and occasionally treating myself to a new acquisition. I feel good about my progress; I think I'm pretty close to achieving my perfect balance of sustainable consumerism, lol - or being a make-up fanatic without so much waste, if you will.

For 2016, I want to continue my path, but focus less on decluttering and more on using up what I own as well as buying less. I will be doing more Project Pans next year (introduction post coming soon!) to move products out of my ownership, and I've already announced my 2016 Skincare (face and body) No Buy over a month ago (read more about it here), which so far has been a success.

As far as my 2016 Make-up Low Buy, I had contemplated making it even more challenging by going down to just one make-up purchase allowed per month, but in the end, I decided I don't want to do that - I think it may already be quite difficult for me with my skincare and bodycare no buy thrown in the mix. The 2016 2-item allowance includes all cosmetic purchases, as well make-up brushes and nail polish. It doesn't account for gifts from friends and family, gifts with purchase and PR samples. Rolling unused buys forward is allowed but not encouraged (by which I mean that if I only purchase one thing one month, I am allowed three products the next, but I'll do my best not to do that). I think these rules are quite fair and should definitely be doable for me. I will also continue writing all my purchases down - I have also applied this strategy to clothing and accessories purchases this year, and it's been very helpful.

And that's it! I hope it was at least somewhat interesting for those of you who are also trying to reduce; I would love if you shared your progress and plans for 2016 in the comments, or shared little tricks and tacticts that made it easier for you to work on your goals. Have fun tomorrow at your New Year's Eve parties - we need to celebrate our downsizing achievements, after all!

Project Make A Dent 2015 and Project 10 Pan Finale

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! It may just be too much excitement, but on top of one more sleep til' Christmas, today I'm sharing the finale of my Project Make A Dent 2015, started twelve months ago, and Project 10 Pan 2015, which I started in July (click for intro). Are you ready to see some make-up empties?

You might be thinking that I got beyond bored with all my products after working on them for such a long time and was more than ready to move on to something else. And on one hand, that's true; I have definitely been neglecting most of my make-up stash, and I'm happy to go back to some things I haven't played with in a while. But on the other hand, I got weirdly attached to the products I've been panning, and as I was setting them aside to be recycled, I almost felt a little sad. As you'll see in a moment, not all of my products are completely used up - but since all of them are quite old by now, I promised myself I'll be tossing them by the end of the year. Having them all lined up to go in the trash almost made me go back on that promise, although it really is time to say goodbye!

Progress of Project MAD at the third update, 9 months in.

Let's start with my Project Make A Dent. As you may remember, the goal of this challenge is not necessarily to use everything up to the last smithereen, but rather to put a good dent in your products. Well, I certainly did that! If you'd like to see what my chosen items looked like in January, click here. In this post, I wanted to show you how much progress I made in the past three months, so I'm comparing with the photo from the end of September.

Project MAD Finale, 12 months in.

A little reminder: the products I have finished at the second update in June (click!) were Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Rockstar, Make Up For Ever HD Powder mini, Michael Todd Creme Glace lipgloss in Natural, Revlon Superlustrous Lipgloss in Coral Reef and Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Porcelain. By the end of September, I have not used up any new items. As of now, I have one more product that's completely gone: the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo. The four remaining items that are not used up all the way are the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze, Stila Convertible Color in Lillium, Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Nuage, and Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58. All of them show quite a bit of progress and I've been using them nearly every time I wore make-up, with the exception of that Nano eyeliner, which was so bad I kinda gave up on it shortly after the third update.

Products at the halfway update, 3 months into the Project.

As for my Project 10 Pan I started 6 months ago, I have some nice progress to report as well. At my halfway update in September (click!), I have finished two items: Buxom Full-On Lip Shine in Dolly and the Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait. Since then, I have used up four more products: Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation in Intensity 1, both of my Orly mini polishes in Gumdrop and Rage (the bottles are not completely empty, but the polishes are too thick to use now), and Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Copper Glow (I can't sharpen it anymore). I have also hit major pan on the MAC Pressed Blot Powder, and used up quite a bit of Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in Watermelon Twist and Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Combination/ Oily Skin; my marks were a bit off on that one when I started so there's been more progress than what you see from my sharpie lines. The one product that I didn't get to use a whole lot was the Elf Mineral Lipstick in Rosy Raisin, which broke off at the base of the bullet and couldn't be salvaged - so while it's not gone, it needs to be thrown out anyway.

Project Finale, 6 months in.

Overall, I'm really happy with my results. 6 finished products out of 10 in Project MAD, and 6 out of 10 in P10P. Like I mentioned above, all of the products I've been working on this year are exiting my stash, no matter if they're entirely used up or have a bit left, because I feel that they're too old now to stay - with the exception of my MAC Blot Powder, which is quite old but I can't detect any changes in color, texture or scent from when I first purchased it. To sum up, that's 19 majorly used products on their way out; that's a lot!

Final progress on my liquid products marked with a sharpie.

I've really enjoyed panning this year and I'm very satisified with my small achievement. Looking at my progress, some of you may think I wasn't really committed to my products, and maybe if I really stuck to using them day in and day out, more would be finished by now. That's not really true though; I've used these products about 98% of the time I wore make-up (which is not daily, by the way). Take that Stila cream blush, for example - it's a mini that had a tiny bit of pan showing to begin with, and at the end of twelve months of use, it's still a far way from being used up. But I have been using it ALL THE TIME - I think that just goes to show that I use very small amounts of products when I apply my make-up. So I do know that I gave my items as much attention as I possibly could, and I can't expect more from myself than that. How are your projects going, dear readers? Are they drawing to a close too, or continuing into the New Year? I already have a new Project planned for 2016, so stay tuned for my intro in just a few days...

Project Make A Dent 2015 Third Progress Update & Project 10 Pan Halfway Update

Another three months have flown by and it's time for my third Project Make A Dent progress update; my last one before the Project's end in late December. I've decided to lump my Project 10 Pan update together with the Project MAD as not to overwhelm you with two very similar posts in quick succession - and truth be told, there isn't any real difference between the two projects aside from terminology. I'm thinking next year, I may just stick to one really big panning project.

Starting with Project Make A Dent, above is what my items looked like in January, when I started the challenge (click!). Just to recap, at the last update in June (click!), I have had already finished five items: Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Rockstar, Make Up For Ever HD Powder mini, Michael Todd Creme Glace lipgloss in Natural, Revlon Superlustrous Lipgloss in Coral Reef and Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Porcelain. Since then, I haven't completely used up any more items, but have put noticeable dents in several: the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo is very nearly done, and the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze as well as Stila Convertible Color in Lillium have even more pan showing. I've worked a bit on the Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Nuage too (I can see a bit of progress there!), but the Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58 looks pretty much the same to me.

All in all, it's about as much progress as I was expecting to make - I've realized since the beginning that I wouldn't be able to entirely finish some items, but it's enough for me to know that they've had plenty of use.

As for my Project 10 Pan, it's going really, really well. Above is what my products looked like at the beginning of the challenge in July (click!). Since then, I'm counting two products as finished (both have about a week of use left, but I'm counting them in for convenience): the Buxom Full-On Lip Shine in Dolly and the Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait. I'm also very nearly done with three more items: the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation in Intensity 1 and both of my Orly mini polishes in Gumdrop and Rage. In the close-up shot of my liquids, they actually only look half used up, but the reality is that even with constant thinning, they're getting too thick to apply - I may get one more manicure out of each one, and then they'll be gone.

I can also see lots of progress in the Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Copper Glow as well as some progress in the MAC Blot Powder; the dip in the middle seems to have gotten deeper and I'm hoping to hit pan very soon. There's a little bit of change in the other two lip products, the Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in Watermelon Twist and the Elf Mineral Lipstick in Rosy Raisin, but not a whole lot - I'm hoping to get cracking on those now that the other two are out. The last item, the Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Combination/ Oily Skin, has stayed nearly the same - it's a bit too light for me at the moment (I know! That Tuscan sun, I tell you...), so I'm planning to use it more in the upcoming months.

Overall, I'm still very satisfied with my progress and commitment to these Projects. Sure, I have started to feel bored with some of my products, or have discovered that maybe I wasn't such a fan of the given color/ formula in the first place - or else, that my preferences have just changed. And that's okay - I'll keep those things firmly in mind both for future projects and future make-up purchases. Have are you guys doing with your Projects? Any success stories to report?

Project 10 Pan 2015 Intro: All Make-up & Nail Polish

I've been thinking about this Project 10 Pan Introduction post for months now, and finally the time has come to reveal my products. As you probably know, I'm still continuing my Project Make A Dent, which is a yearly challenge, but since five of the products selected for it have already been finished, I decided to go ahead and start another panning project. I hope it's not too boring and/or confusing for you; if you're not so much into that type of content, please feel free to skip it in the future; for my part, I'll be doing my best to space these posts out with reviews or what have you to keep things interesting :)

Without further ado, here are my products: it's all make-up and nail polish! Starting with the face, we have Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay in Place Make-up in Intensity 1 (I'm estimating there's between 1/3 and 1/4 of the tube left) and Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Combination/Oily Skin in Ivory (1/2 of the bottle left). These two give me a range of shades to work with, as well as different levels of coverage. To set my base, I've chosen the MAC Pressed Blot Powder in Medium Dark.

For the eyes, I've only added in my Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Copper Glow (click here for a review and swatches). The reason there aren't more eye and no cheek products included is that I want to keep this Project quite realistic; from doing my Projects Make A Dent, I know that it takes me absolutely ages to use up eyeshadow, blush or bronzer. I'm actually really counting on completely finishing my selected products and thus moving them out of my collection.

For the lips, I've opted for a variety of choices: the Elf Mineral Lipstick in Rosy Raisin (click!), a sheer nude, the Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait (lip-swatched here), a shimmery pinky peach, the Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in Watermelon Twist (click!), a lightweight but bright pink, and the Buxom Full On Lip Polish in Dolly (click!), a neutral mauvey gloss to pair with all of these or wear on its own.

I've marked my progress with a sharpie on the more liquidy products for future reference.

I've also never attempted to use up an entire bottle of nail polish before, so I'm starting slow by adding in these two mini Orly Nail Lacquers in Gumdrop, a mint green, and Rage, a metallic rose gold. Both have about 2/3 of the bottle left.

I'm quite excited about this new Project, and I'm looking forward to playing with these products on a regular basis - well, I've had a head start on some of these after finishing items from my Project Make A Dent, so I know a few of these should go pretty quickly and hopefully motivate me to keep going. I haven't quite decided how often I should update you on my progress; I'm giving myself till the end of this year to complete this challenge, so let me know your preferences on the frequency of updates.

Are you doing a Project Pan this year? If so, please link your posts in the comments, I'd love to follow your progress and cheer you on!

Project Make A Dent 2015: Second Progress Update

We're pretty much right at this year's halfway mark, so it's perfect time for my Project Make A Dent Use It or Lose It edition progress update! I'm now 6 months into the challenge of making a concentrated effort to use my selected make-up products on a regular basis, and I'm still going strong! The photo below shows the usage on my items at the starting point of January 7...

And this photo shows how these products look today (here's the first update at 3 months, if you're curious). I'm very happy with my progress so far; I've completely used up half of the products! The first to go was my Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Rockstar, quickly followed by the Make Up For Ever HD Powder mini. The Michael Todd Creme Glace lipgloss in Natural and Revlon Superlustrous Lipgloss in Coral Reef took a while longer (actually, there's still a bit of Coral Reef left in the tube, but the consistency wasn't the same any more), as did the Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Porcelain; however, as soon as the latter started squirting more product on my clothing and walls than on my fingers, I called it done.

I still have five more products to go, and among those, I made a nice dent in the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo and Sephora Nano eyeliner in Nuage, and I hit pan on the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze! Again, the Inglot Gel lipstick no. 58 and the Stila Convertible Color in Lillium prove to be the most stubborn, but I make sure to use them as often as I can - I'll be happy just to get some use out of them before tossing them at the end of this challenge.

Like I hinted before, I'm planning to start a separate Project Pan in an attempt to use up even more products lingering in my make-up collection; hopefully I'll be launching that next month, after I finish the Project Use Up Those Freaking Samples. You may be thinking that's a lot of challenges to have going on, but I'm actually weirdly excited about finishing old items from my stash, and not necessarily rushing out to replace them. Claire's recent post on using up the contents of her medicine cabinet really resonated with me, and I'm intending to continue emptying what I already have. Don't get me wrong, I still get swayed by the curiosity to try out new products and sometimes end up purchasing something I didn't exactly need, but I can say that I'm able to manage my impulse buys a lot better these days.

Let me know how you're doing on your stash-reducing journeys; I know that a lot of you are making a similar attempt to streamline your collections, be it through Project Pans, purging or low-buys, even if they're not official and just a personal goal you're trying to achieve. I love hearing about your progress and tips for making the most of what you have!

Project Use Up Those Freakin' Samples: Halfway Progress Update

It's been a month since I started my Project Use Up Those Freakin' Samples, and we have another month left to go, so I thought it's perfect timing for an update! I'm going to give you my counts so far, include some shots of what have been used up (please let me know in the comments if you have any questions on the products that aren't mentioned otherwise!), and share some of the favorites I've discovered.

Overall, I think I've been doing really well! I've used up 9 deluxe samples so far. Depending on their size and purpose, these minis can last me anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks, so I think 9 is a really good number. Now, when it comes to my foil packets...

I've used up 29 so far! Not bad, huh? You know, the crazy thing is that despite the fact that 29 seems like quite a lot, I feel that I haven't made a big dent in my make-up bag stuffed with samples. I haven't actually counted how many were in there to begin with, but I'm guessing there's still A LOT left. So I think that after the end of this Project, I will need to incorporate the remaining sample packets into my regular routine to get them out of my stash.

Now for some favorites; even though I've tried a fair number of new products, I've only found a couple I liked enough to consider purchasing a full size of at some point in the future. I really enjoyed using my sample of the HABA VC Lotion, a moisturizing toner/essence with Vitamin C. I though it was an excellent alternative to a heavier daytime serum for the summer, when my skin tends to get oily very quickly. In fact, I liked it so much that I purchased a similar product with a lower price tag, the Rohto Hada Labo Hyaluronic Acid Lotion (review forthcoming).

I also really enjoyed my sample of Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm, although I doubt I'd drop a hundred bucks on a cleanser in any foreseeable future. I still quite like the Dermalogica Ultracalming Cleanser I used to have a full size of, and the Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Toner with niacinamide worked well on my skin. For bodycare, the Nuxe Reve de Miel hand cream felt moisturizing but non-greasy for the daytime, and had a beautiful honeysuckle scent. The Ayres Body Butter in Jasmine and Rosemary had an interesting whipped texture that glided wonderfully on the skin, and the fragrance was very interesting - I was finally able to figure out that it smelt quite similar to a cough syrup I used to use as a child.

I'm still quite pumped about my sample project and I'm looking forward to knocking more out in June. Thankfully, despite some cautionary tales from you guys, my skin didn't totally freak out from trying out different products most of the time, although I did experience some issues with product incompatibility - like when I layered a serum and moisturizer that must have been quite heavy on silicones, and my foundation annoyingly started to roll on top of them. Have you guys discovered any new interesting products by using your samples recently? I know a few of you were thinking of joining me in this Project, and if you did, how has your progress been?

Project Use Up Those Freakin' Samples: Introduction

The time has come to finally clamp down on those stacks of sample sachets and deluxe minis I seem to hoard in various drawers and pouches. I hinted in my last empties post that I was thinking of doing this project - and then I thought that it would be too much work and maybe using up samples would just happen organically - and now I'm back thinking it won't, so at least I can give this my best shot and see how it goes.

I'd contemplated a total halt on my full-sized products and focusing solely on the samples for about a month, but in the end, I don't feel comfortable doing that; I do think it would be too much of a bother, and I don't want to risk my skin freaking out on me. So instead, I've decided on a more gentle approach: I will incorporate as many samples as I can, substituting some, but not all of the products in my regular routine, and I will switch back and forth depending on how I feel, especially with regards to potentially less troublesome body and haircare.

For the sake of my sanity and enthusiasm for this project, I would like to focus more on discovering some new favorites through using my samples, or at least squashing some lemmings. If it turns out I absolutely hate a given sample - no pressure, I'll just toss it. In the end, its purpose is exactly that: to allow me to try a product out, and if I dislike it, there's the end of that. I'd prefer not to think of this project as some using up race where I need to bang out foil packets with the speed of light in order to succeed.

Since I generally use very little of any given product (maybe except for sunscreen), I'm giving myself two months to focus on this project; one-use sachets usually last me between 2 to 4 uses, so it may take a while before I make any significant progress. I will do a Project Finale towards the end of June to show you the final sample empties count, but in the meantime, if I find some outstanding products, I may do a separate favorites round-up. What do you think? Also, if this sounds appealing to you in any way, I'd be over the moon if you wanted to join me! You don't have to be a fellow blogger, just post on Twitter or Instagram and tag me, or use a hashtag... Why, #useupthosefreakinsamples, of course.

Project Make A Dent 2015: 1st Progress Update

Happy April Fool's Day! I'm not joking though when I say that I've made quite a bit of progress in my Project Make A Dent during the first quarter of the year. I know some people are capable of zipping through their products (can you tell I've been watching a lot of YouTube 'panning community' videos?), but I only wear make-up a couple times a week, so I'd consider my progress so far a big success.

Enough rambling, I know you want to see it rather than hear about it. The photo above shows my starting point as of January 7 (you can read the introduction post here); the photo below shows my progress as of end of March:

Sooo... let's address the elephant in the room. That tube of Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo? It's not all used up, just missing in action. More specifically, I left in Colorado when we went to visit our friend back in February. He's now coming to visit us in Brooklyn this week, so I'm hoping he'll remember to bring it back for me, but yeah. Fail.

In other, more optimistic news, I've made some really good progress on the Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Rockstar, Revlon Superlustrous Lipgloss in Coral Reef, Michael Todd Creme Glace Lipgloss in Natural, Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Porcelain (you can see my check marks in the close-up above for these three products), and the Make Up Forever HD Powder. Judging from my progress so far, I imagine that these five products will all be completely used up by my next update in early July.

I was really hoping to hit pan on my Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze, but despite regular usage, there's just a deeper dip showing in the jar. But you know how these updates go - now that I've written up this post, I may finally hit pan this or next week. I have also been steadily using the Stila Convertible Color in Lillium, but I cheat on it with other blushes, so my progress is rather slow. I have been struggling the most with the Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58, as it's difficult to wear such a bright shade every day (I can see just a teeny, tiny bit of progress there), and the Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Nuage, because the formula of this one is just... awful. It has very little pigmentation and staying power, but the liner itself is incredibly hard and scratchy. I can only use it to line my lower lashline; but on the other hand, I've noticed that the core of this pencil is actually broken somewhere inside the casing. At some point most of the core will just break off completely, I'll have to sharpen it a lot to get to the last remaining bit - so that will make it go pretty fast, right?

I've managed to keep my motivation/ excitement level pretty high so far, but I am aware it will drop off a bit as the product boredom creeps in. Morever, like I said in my introduction, I am thinking of doing another separate Project X Pan once at least half of these Project MAD products kick the dust - that may come some time in June, most likely. How are you doing with your Project Pan/ Project Use it Up challenges? I'd love to know!

Capsule Collection: How to Make the Most of Your Make-up Stash

I haven't mentioned this anywhere (mostly to avoid making it official), but I'm on a no buy this month; and similarly, I only bought one puny make-up product last month. I've been really focusing on what I already have instead, and trying to make some progress on my new Project Make A Dent 2015. I've been pretty happy channeling minimalist vibes lately, and experimenting with maximizing some of my favorite products - and so I've come up with some general tips on how to make the most out of your existing make-up stash, also known as 'how to use the same products again and again without getting bored out of your mind'.

I'll be illustrating my ideas with some face shots, in which I'm wearing the lip products from my Project Make A Dent line-up, just to show you different ways I've been using them and to hopefully inspire you to try something new with your products, regardless of whether you're trying to hit pan or just have fun with what you own. I've included some quick swatches of the three products I'm using so you could see how they change depending on the application method:

L-R: Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58, Revlon Superlustrous Lipgloss in Coral Reef, Michael Todd Creme Glace Lipgloss in Natural

1. Experiment with using different tools. The easiest example here is foundation, which can look completely different depending on how you  apply it: with your fingers, a brush, a damp Beautyblender. Case in point: Face Atelier Ultra Foundation, the base I'm currently trying to use up, has a lot more coverage and a more matte finish when used with a RealTechniques buffing brush compared to when I use it with my damp sponge, which sheers it out and makes it look more dewy. But you could also apply this principle to products like pencil eyeliner (a neat line against the lashline, smudged out with a pencil brush, winged out using an angled liner brush) or your lip products (a lipstick applied straight from the bullet, or using a lip brush, or just patted on with a finger - like the Inglot no. 58 in the photo below).

2. Try layering your products. I think this one is the most obvious, but I've noticed that I often forget about this simple idea when I get stuck in a rut of wearing a given product one way; for example, I only used to wear Revlon Superlustrous Lipgloss in Coral Reef on its own, but it's actually very pretty on top of pink lipsticks (in the photo, layered over a thin layer of Inglot no. 58).

You can layer your lipsticks not only with glosses but also lip pencils (in the photo below, Inglot no. 58 worn over NYX Lip liner in Deep Purple), sandwich foundations between primers, powders and even setting mists, blend powder eyeshadows over creams, and then top with glitter for more dimension. I find that layering can also be a saving grace for items that start out as fails, like maybe a liquid foundation that just won't last except for when paired with a primer, or a mascara that looks like nothing on but can be used as the first separating coat before a more dramatic formula.

3. In a similar vein, give mixing products a go. Again, mixing foundations is a prime example here: you could combine two different liquids when you're not entirely satisfied with the shade match/ finish/ lasting power, or even try mixing foundation with moisturizer or primer. You could also try to mix eyeshadow pigments, or different lip glosses - sky is the limit.

4. Have fun with different techniques and placements. By placement, I mean different shapes and areas of applying product to your face - I find that tutorials from Japanese beauty mags, like the ones Driveller Kate and Claire used to blog about, are the best source of placement inspiration for me. Like, who knew you could apply blush to your cheeks according to the letters of the alphabet! But if you're not that adventurous, I think eyes are the easiest feature to play up while experimenting with placements: a horizontal smokey eye from the lashline up, a traditional Western smokey eye with the darker outer corner, cut crease, defined inner crease, winged eyeliner in a multiple of shapes, tightlining and lining the waterline, smudging out and or extending the lower lashline, highlighting the inner corners in various ways. Recently, I've also been really into subtle gradient/ ombre lips, like in the photo below, where I used the tiniest dab of Inglot no. 58 in the centre of the lips and blended it out with the Michael Todd Creme Glace Lipgloss in Natural:

5. Learn to multipurpose your products. We've all heard of using lipstick as cream blush, but maybe there are other ways you haven't thought about? I frequently use a cool brown eyeshadow as a brow powder, dab cheek highlighters to brighten up the inner corners of my eyes, define my crease with a bronzer, or use my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer as an eye primer. I've even tried using my Project MAD pencil eyeliners as cream eyeshadow bases but alas, they're not really suited to that task. At any rate, it's fun to see what you can think of just to shake things up!

Do you guys like experimenting with different ways of using the products in your stash, or is it something not really worth the effort in your opinion? I generally enjoy playing around with what I have, but when I'm pressed for time, I usually just take the road most traveled. What are your top tips for maximizing your collection, or best ideas on using things up? I'd love to know!