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!

Project Pan That Palette 2016: Update #4 & Finale

Here's my fourth and final update for Project Pan That Palette 2016, and I'm excited to share my progress with you. But first, let's address the elephant in the room: it's obviously not the end of 2016 but I have decided not to continue working on this Project. The reasons are manifold, but probably the first and foremost is that I'm thoroughly done using my theBalm Nude'Tude every time I wear make-up. I feel that I have now exhausted all creative possibilities out of this palette (meaning those that are relevant to my lifestyle and preferences) and while it has taught me a lot in the process, there's nothing left to gain from panning it until the end of December. The other chief reason is that I'm going to be taking care of a new family addition starting in October, and I'm sure wearing eyeshadow will be the last thing on my mind anyway :)

My palette at the end of June 2016 (6 months of use)

Above photo shows what my palette looked like at the last (third) update at the end of June (click!). My goals for these two months were to hit pan on Snobby (pale yellow), Schitzo (shimmery bronze) and Serious (matte black). I also wanted to deepen the dip in Sexy (matte burgundy) and expand the pan on Sassy (white pearl) and Stand-offish (metallic champagne).

My palette at the end of August 2016 (8 months of use).

I'm very happy to say that I have managed to hit all of these goals, and have additionally expanded the pan on Sultry (matte medium brown). I hit pan on Serious just mere days after my last update, and to be honest, haven't really touched it since - I quite dislike this shadow simply because I get terrible fallout from it, and it continues throughout the day so that I have to be constantly on the lookout for black dots all over my face. Snobby was relatively easy to hit pan on because I'd combine it with Sassy to use as a face highlight, or wore it as a base under other shades. I did struggle a bit with Schitzo - not my favorite bronze shade on my coloring - but finally hit just a little bit of pan two weeks before this update.

I'm honestly very relieved to be ending this Project now. I absolutely do not regret embarking on it in the first place because it taught me a few priceless lessons about my eyeshadow preferences and purchasing eyeshadow palettes in general (expressed here) but I will say that I probably could have ended it at six months instead of eight. I've persisted out of sheer ambition and stubbornness, although these last few months, I really wished I was wearing other shadows from my stash instead - so that's what I'm going to be doing all through September, until my due date.

As far as my plans for what's left of the Nude' Tude, I went ahead and depotted my favorite and most-used shades into a MiniMint palette (it's a magnetic freeform palette I ordered on Etsy here and I'm really enjoying it so far! Great craftsmanship). It also houses some other eyeshadow depots from Inglot, Stila and other brands, and I'll be chiefly reaching for these shades in September. I trashed the rest of theBalm shadows from the palette together with their mangled cardboard packaging, and I like how the depotted shadows look in the magnetic palette so much better than they did in the original palette. Yes, they're 'boring neutrals', but I find this color gradient so much more pleasing to the eye, not to mention more economical in terms of storage.

There you go, guys - my Pan That Palette finale. I did the best I possibly could on this Project and I'm really happy with my progress. However, I don't think eyeshadow panning is for me; if I truly wanted to use up the entire Nude' Tude, which is one of the smaller palettes on the market in terms of volume per shadow, I think it probably would have taken me 2+ years of nearly everyday use. I personally don't see the point of committing myself to a dozen of shadows for such a long time when I have a drawer full of other eyeshadows I like at least just as well if not more than these. So I guess it goes without saying that I won't be starting another Pan That Palette anytime soon :)

If you're currently panning an eyeshadow palette, how's your progress? And those of you who are not but were cheering me on anyway - first of all, THANK YOU, but also, what are your thoughts on the whole process? Would you consider joining this challenge in the future? I'd love to know!

4-Month-Long Project 13 Pan: Finale

At long last, the time has come for the finale of my 2016 Project 13 Pan! I'm wrapping up this challenge a few days early because I have another panning finale coming up, and I wanted to space them apart a little - and truth be told, I'm SO done with the products in this project. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here; if you haven't seen my introduction post and the halfway update, you can do so here and here.

Flat lay of products after 4 months of usage (May - August 2016)

Now, are you ready to see my final progress?

1. MAC Blot Powder in Medium. My initial goal for this Project was to use up what was left of this powder after working on it for 6 months last year in a Project 10 Pan (here). As you can see compared to my last update, I have again made decent progress, but I'm nowhere near finishing the whole compact. Basically, the amount of pan that you see now is the result of 10 months of very regular (probably 5 times a week) usage. I definitely feel a little sick of it after using it for so long, so it's going back in the drawer for now and I may reassess at the end of the year whether I want to keep or get rid of it.
2. The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder in 02 Fair. I haven't set a strict goal for this product because already at the start of the Project, I was aware of the fact that it would be impossible for me to use it all up. I was right - obviously - but I'm quite proud of my progress. However, using a bronzer daily has made me realize I'm not a huge fan of bronzing and it's not an essential part of my make-up routine, so I'm getting rid of what's left of this battered bronzer and won't be rushing out to purchase a replacement (I have two more bronzers left in my collection).

3. Buxom Full-on Lip Cream in Cherry Flip (review with swatches). Full success, it's completely used up! While the Full-on lip gloss formula from Buxom is one of my absolute favorites, I won't be purchasing another bright/ more pigmented shade for a while - I just prefer sheer lipsticks or tinted balms for that more subtle pop of color.
4. OPI Nail Lacquer mini in Red Lights Ahead... Where? Even though it looks like there's still about less than a half left in the bottle, this nail polish has now gone completely thick and stringy, AND (that's the kicker, you guys) the brush doesn't reach all the way down the bottle (!!!). On my last mani, I was only able to coax out one coat from it. I enjoyed the shade, but I don't do well with wearing the same color on my nails repeatedly for a few months.

5. Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheers in 301 (review with swatches). I was working really hard to get this lipstick all used up but I didn't quite make it; the firmer formula makes the progress pretty slow. However, I only have a little stub left now, and I'll do my best to have it finished by the end of the year.
6. Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Sablé. From the three lip products I included in this Project, this was the easiest one to use up. I really enjoyed this Lip Pencil but I'm glad that I resisted the temptation to get a back-up (a friend kindly offered to sent me hers that she decided to purge), because I'm now more into somewhat deeper mauve shades on the lips - more along the lines of Bite Lip Pencil in Rhubarb that was also included in the same Holiday kit.
7. Pixi Beauty Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Noir (review with swatches). I used it all up with about a month to spare and after I've moved on to my other shades of the Pixi liners, I definitely think the Black was getting pretty dried out. I liked it, but unfortunately this always smudged when I tightlined with it, and sometimes even on the upper lashline, which is something I don't experience as much with other eyeliner colors from Pixi. I'm now using an old pot of Clinique Gel Eyeliner in Black and so far, I'm liking it much more for both my lashline and waterline.
8. NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Taupe (review with swatches). All finished at the halfway update (here). It's a good product, but I want to try the Hourglass 'Arch' Brow Sculpting Pencil, hoping it'll be quicker to fill my brows with.

9. Laneige Cushion Concealer SPF30 in Light* (review with swatches). To be honest, in the last two months of this Project I just couldn't wait to finally be done with it. This is a light to medium coverage concealer that NEVER sets - but somehow can still look cakey under the eyes at the end of the day. I'm really glad this is leaving my stash now.
10. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly. In all fairness, I did say in my Intro that I didn't think this concealer would be all used up by the end of the 4 months. I've done some more progress on it but it's still nowhere near finished. I keep going back and forth on what I should do with it now - it's pretty old at this point (over 2 years of pretty much daily use), I don't like it all that much anymore, and I have unused back-ups of concealer in my stash; but on the other hand, the shade matches me really well in the winter and uhm, it was rather expensive. I may just keep it until the end of the year and see if I can use it some more.

11. Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in 31 Ivory (review with swatches).  My goal was to only have 1/4 left in the tube at the end of the Project and I succeeded in doing that - I actually think there's less than that left in it now. I'd like to keep on using the remainder and have this all finished by the end of the year.
12. Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer (review). All used up, including scraping out the last little bits by unscrewing the pump. It was alright as a primer but I wouldn't repurchase it, or another face primer for that matter - at least for a while. Again, not an essential step in my routine and I have one more deluxe sample of another primer left when I occasionally feel like using it.

13. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Just Beige & (bonus) KIKO Eyeshadow Stick no.25 (progress shown on the card above). My goal was to use up half of the Color Tattoo, and I'm estimating that I roughly managed to do that. However, after about a week from my last update, I grew so frustrated with how dry it looked on my lids that I decided to replace it with the KIKO Eyeshadow Stick as my eye base. I'm glad that I did - not only did I like the KIKO so much more, but I also managed to use up more than a half of it. I'll continue reaching for the KIKO stick and I'm hoping to have it all used up within the next couple months.

Overall, I'm evaluating my succes with this Project at 10 out of 13 (counting the two eye bases as one full product used up), or 77%. That's quite alright, I think - I can't see how I could have done any better on it in terms of my committment to using these products, which was probably 99% of the time I wore make-up in the past four months. I actually have a lot more thoughts on panning make-up in general after completing this Project, but I think I'll be writing them all down in a separate post in the very near future, so stay on the lookout for that.

How are you doing on your Project Pans? Have you already switched to a different seasonal (fall) Project? Please link your update posts in the comments, I love looking at your progress!

Project 13 Pan 2016: Halfway Update

Similarly to my progress on Project Pan That Palette, I'm quite happy with how my current Project Pan is going. I have worn make-up a lot more often the past two months (due to working and socializing more, as well as using my products during our two week holiday), and I think it shows in the results. Here's a flat lay of all 13 products from the beginning of the Project two months ago, in May:

And here's a current shot:

Now let's talk about my progress on each individual item and how I'm doing on my goals stipulated in the Intro post (here):

1. MAC Blot Powder in Medium. I've expanded the pan but not as much as I would have liked. You may be able to see that I've been concentrating my brush in one area mostly and there's a definite dip showing, so my goal is to further expand my pan there in the next two months. I don't think I'll be able to use this entire powder up by the end of the Project.
2. The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder in 02 Fair. This again is moving, but moving slowly. I also picked one side of the compact to focus on and there is progress there, but there's no way I'll be finishing this entire bronzer up in the next two months. My deep down motivation to include this product was to toss it at the end of the challenge and replace with a new product, but now that I've been using a bronzer every single day, I don't think I'm much of a bronzer person. I like to wear one occasionally, but definitely not all the time - and since I have two more bronzers aside from The Body Shop one in my stash, I definitely don't need to purchase another one for my collection.

3. Buxom Full-on Lip Cream in Cherry Flip. I've been working quite hard on this and there's very good progress - I'm definitely on the way to finishing it all up in July and August.
4. OPI Nail Lacquer mini in Red Lights Ahead... Where?. Decent progress here but I could have done better - this is just three applications, one mani and two pedis. I would have liked to wear it more on my finger nails, but I don't like matchy-matchy fingers and toes, and it's all I've been wearing on the toes in May and June. Hmm. It is getting thicker though so it should be done in two months either way.

5. Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheers in 301. I'm anticipating trouble on this lip product - even though I made alright progress so far, the formula of this lipstick is so thin that it doesn't go down as quickly as most other products with thicker textures, like Revlon Lip Butters for example. That's okay though - I still really like it so I don't mind having a small nub left at the end of the Project.
6. Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Sablé. Really good progress and I'm certainly on track to finishing it all up by the end of August. I'm still really liking this shade although I think it's better suited to the cold season when my skin is at its palest. I sometimes like pairing this nude lip pencil with a slightly darker mauve lipstick, or a MLBB gloss to give it more depth.
7. Pixi Beauty Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Noir. Again, great progress and should be very easy to finish the rest off in the near future - especially that I can't sharpen these pencils all the way down. I'm still enjoying this pencil but it's better suited for the upper lashline than the waterline - it smears in the outer corner for me when I tightline with it, so I won't be replacing it once I run out.
8. NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Taupe. Woohoo, all done! I quite liked this eyebrow pencil for its precision, but the past week I've been using eyeshadow in my brows instead and I think I may like that softer effect a bit better than pencil.

9. Laneige Cushion Concealer SPF30 in Light*. I could be doing better on this concealer but there were two weeks when I haven't touched it at all, so all things considered my progress is fine. I'm still not a huge fan of this product: I like that it's lightweight and melds into the skin seamlessly (I can even use it alone on bare skin on days when I can't be bothered with foundation), but it never sets and moves around a lot during the day unfortunately.
10. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly. Despite using this nearly every day, there's not much progress to be seen here. Yeah, so maybe it wasn't the best idea to put this product in my Project - I don't think I'll actually be able to use it all up in the next two months. I don't know how some people can use up a concealer like this in just a few months; I have to use it very sparingly or else it looks heavy and cakey on my face. Anyway - I'm still doing my best.

11. Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in 31 Ivory. My progress is more or less what I expected it to be. Even though I wore foundation on more days than I usually do, I use very little for each application, so I'm not flying through this tube. My plan is to try and use a bit more and see if that helps to use it up faster (my initial goal however was to use up 3/4 of the tube, not the whole thing).
12. Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer. It seems that I'm right on track to finishing it all up by the end of August. I think this product works all right but I wouldn't repurchase by any means - it has also separated a bit in the bottle and I can't mix it back up.
13. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Just Beige. Slow going on this one - I'm using it every time I wear make-up but these Maybelline Color Tattoos are very difficult for me to use up. Either way, it's drying out more and more, so I'll be tossing it at the of the Project.

I'm content with my results so far and I haven't been feeling too terribly bored or constrained by my choice of products - and I think that once I use a few more items completely up, it'll be fun to play around with adding other products from my stash into the mix and coming up with new color combinations. I find it interesting how by panning a contour powder in my first Project Pan this year, and now a bronzer in my second Project, I have completely lost the interest in purchasing more products in those categories. I found that while I consider blush to be a must-have for me, bronzing and contouring is just not essential and doesn't even look all that great on my fair skin most of the time. I think realizations like this are the biggest reason why I do these panning projects - it's just fun to know your individual preferences and taste a bit better and adjust your make-up routine accordingly.

How are you doing with panning your make-up? Have you discovered anything new about your likes and dislikes in the process? I'd love to hear about that!

Project Pan That Palette 2016: Update #3

It's hard to believe, but I have now been using ONE eyeshadow palette for six months straight! That's half of the year gone wearing the same palette day in day out. I mean... Wow. But yes, another two months have passed, and I wanted to show you my progress. Just to recap, here's how my theBalm Nude'Tude Eyeshadow Palette looked like at the end of April:

My palette after 4 months of use, April 2016.

At that point, after four months of use, I had hit pan on three shades: Sassy, a pearly white, Stubborn, a light pink, and Selfish, a greyed taupe. I also had some dips going on in Snobby, a pale yellow, and Sultry, a warm medium brown - as you can tell, I'd definitely been staying within the lighter half of the palette, which isn't surprising considering my fair skintone as well as my opinion on some of the darker shades in this palette, expressed here. Now here's how my palette is looking today:

My palette after 6 months of use, June 2016.

MOAR progress! I have now also hit pan on Stand-offish, a metallic champagne, and Sultry, my matte crease shade. I have also further expanded the pan on Sassy, and have good dips going on Snobby, Schitzo and Serious. To be honest, I think I'm just milimeters away of hitting pan on the matte black, which I use to either darken my lashline or set my black pencil liner. I have also sporadically used Stubborn, the light pink shade, but the pan hasn't moved really, and I have not touched Selfish since hitting pan - it's not my favorite taupe in general, but I also haven't been feeling very cool-toned eyeshadow looks.

My plan for the next two months is to hit pan on Snobby, Serious and Schitzo - although I feel that this last one will be a bit of a struggle because this shade is firmly pressed in the pan and also has great pigmentation. I would also like to expand the pan on Sassy, Stand-offish and Sultry, and deepen the dip in Sexy, a matte burgundy. Even though I use Sexy multiple times a week to darken the outer corner of my eyes, this shade is pigmented and hard pressed in the pan, so my progress is very slow.

And there you go! My current feelings about panning this palette oscillate between 'OMG, I've never hit pan on so many eyeshadows in my life!' to 'Why the f*ck am I even doing this'. I have realized that there's no way I'm going to finish this palette within the span of a year - I don't even think I would empty it completely within two years. I'm not sure how other 'palette panners' do it, but I just don't use that much eyeshadow in one application. And I'm certainly not going to rock smokey eyes for four months just to use up the dark shades in my palette.

While I'm okay with not finishing the palette and simply putting in my best effort instead to see how far I can get, I often question my motives to continue this Project. I have a lot of eyeshadows I like better than this palette that I have not touched in 6 months, because I'm stubborn like that - once I decide to do a panning project, I want to do it the best I can, even if I would rather wear different products, or a different style of make-up altogether. On the other hand, I'm glad I've embarked on Pan That Palette this year, because the project has very effectively quenched my interest in new eyeshadow palettes, as well as taught me valuable lessons about my own preferences when it comes to eyeshadow. So there's that - I do think it was worth it - but am I still learning new things now, after 6 months of panning? I'm not so sure.

So these are the thoughts running through my mind most days when I open up the Nude'Tude to do my eye make-up. I haven't really come to any conclusions and for now I just keep going, but I do sometimes incorporate other eyeshadows, housed in my small Z-Palette (shown here), to break the routine a little bit. I will tell you now I'm definitely not doing this Project next year - and possibly, never again. I actually seriously question if I should wrap it up at the end of September, before my baby is due - realistically, I don't think I'll be wearing much eyeshadow for the last three months out of the year.

Anyway, how are my fellow panners doing? Do you ace your powder products, or are they always a bit of a challenge? I find all powders pretty hard - even face setting/ finishing powders move very slowly around here, despite daily usage. Do you have any tips?

Face of The Day feat. Products from My Project Pan

I always attempt to pick the products for my Project Pans (newest Intro here) not only according to season, but also so that they'll compliment each other and create a whole make-up look for me without effort. I keep them all in a little tray (really, a box lid) in my vanity drawer, so in a way, they consitute my seasonal 'make-up basket'. I thought I'd show you what most of these items look like paired together in a daytime, spring/ summer Face of The Day.

 For the base, I used the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer SPF 15 (click here for my review) on my T-zone (middle of forehead, nose and sides of the nose, a tiny bit on the chin) and followed with a light layer of Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in Ivory (click!) all over, blended in with a damp Beautyblender. I think I like the Beautyblender the best for applying this foundation, followed by fingers - it has a bit more coverage than the Koh Gen Do Aqua, a foundation I was using previously, and the damp sponge helps to sheer it out for a more natural look and better shade match. I concealed under the eyes and on blemishes with a mix of Laneige Cushion Concealer in Light (click!) and NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly.

I set my T-zone sparingly with the MAC Blot Powder in Medium, and you can see that the overall effect on the skin is quite matte, and remains so for about 7 hours. I've noticed that depending on the face moisturizer I'm using for the day, I can change the finish a little bit; Nuxe Creme Fraiche de Beaute gives me more glow, but the Paula's Choice Hydralight sunscreen (both discussed in my recent Morning Skincare Routine post here) mattifies my face almost completely. I'm not such a fan of that flat matte look on my face anymore, but it's nice not to worry about make-up sliding off my nose in the middle of the day. I warm up my face using The Body Shop Honey Bronzer in Fair on the backs of the cheeks, temples and around hair line, and on my neck - again, to help with the foundation shade match. My neck is so pale, you guys. The blush I was using that day was Canmake Cream Cheeks in CL03 Clear Orange (click!).

I then lightly fill in my brows with the NYX Micro Brow pencil in Taupe (reviewed here), and prime my eyes with Maybelline Color Tattoo in Just Beige (LE). I actually quite like this Color Tattoo for an eyeshadow primer; the yellow tint conceals my pinky purple veins, and lid shades pop a little more on top. It also has the effect of toning down the shimmer in some eyeshadows, which I happen to like right now; for example, I was using Stand-offish from my theBalm Nude'Tude palette (which is in my Pan That Palette 2016 project), and it's usually a very metallic finish - as you can see, I managed to tone it down a bit. I also used Sexy, a matte plum, in my outer corner, and blended the crease out with a warm medium matte brown, Sultry. I used a combination of two lightest shades in the palette, Sassy and Snobby, to highlight my inner corners and tops of my cheeks.

To finish off my look, I tightlined with the Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Noir (click!) and applied a generous coat of Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes in Deep Black to my lashes (recently reviewed here). On my lips, I'm wearing Buxom Full-on Lip Cream in Cherry Flip (click!); it's a perfect warm coral red to perk up the whole face. It also pairs nicely with OPI Red Lights Ahead... Where? on my nails.

There you go - I really enjoy this combination of shades. I used to be a 'cool-toned eyeshadows only' type of girl, but I've grown to love the warm mattes from the Nude'Tude palette, and I think they go very well with lightly bronzed skin and a juicy lip. What's your go-to look at the moment? Do you keep a weekly/ monthly make-up basket, or reach for something different every day?

Project 13 Pan 2016 Introduction

Even before the end of my last Project 10 Pan, I was busy plotting the products for my next 4-month installment. I had had quite a few products in my mind for a while: all-time favorites that weren't getting enough love, older products that I wanted to use up before they expired, items from categories I want to downsize in my collection. And as I was pulling those things and setting them aside, it just worked out that I had 13 of them altogether. 13 is such a weird number - I very seriously contemplated adding 2 more just to make it more 'even' - but then I thought, what the heck, it's going to be 13 and that's that. Wanna see?

Let's go through each product and my goals for it in more detail:
1. MAC Blot Powder in Medium. This is a roll-over product from my 2015 Project 10 Pan (here) and the oldest powder in my collection. As you can see, I have a decent amount of pan showing, and my goal is to use the remainder up and back to MAC the compact. It's a very decent mattifying powder, but the truth is, I'm maybe not such a fan of a completely flat matte finish on the face anymore. I would like to replace it with a natural finish loose setting powder in the future.
2. The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder in 02 Fair. Again, a decent amount of pan already, and the oldest bronzer in my stash. The ideal would be to use it up completely, but I'm not sure if I use enough bronzer in one application to go through it completely in 4 months - so I guess my goal is to use as much as I can, and at the end of the Project (August 31st), I'll be saying goodbye.

3. Buxom Full-on Lip Cream in Cherry Flip (review with swatches). Buxom Lip Creams are possibly my all-time favorite lip gloss formula, and Cherry Flip is a beautiful shade for this time of the year. As you can see, I have 2/3 of the tube left to go, and I want to finish the remainder.
4. OPI Nail Lacquer mini in Red Lights Ahead... Where?. Following the fiasco with a full-sized nail polish in my last Project, I'm now going to try to use up this mini - there's actually already quite a bit of usage on this, and the shape of the bottle tapers down, so I don't think there's more than 10 applications left here. I love this shade of warm coral red for the spring and summer.

5. Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Sheers in 301 (review with swatches). Your eyes are not deceiving you, it really is a neon orange shade - albeit very sheer, so it looks more like a fresh peach on my cool-toned mauvey lips. It's a very comfortable glossy formula that can be applied without a mirror, and I'm looking forward to sporting this fun shade in the upcoming warmer months; my goal is to use it up completely.
6. Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Sablé. This was part of a kit of four minis Bite released two Holidays ago, and arguably, Sablé is my favorite shade of nude EVAR. It's a perfect brightening pinky peach that just goes with everything, and even though this was a limited edition shade, it's my new policy to wear and use up favorite products even if they can't be replaced easily. I don't think I should have any trouble finishing it all up in four months.
7. Pixi Beauty Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Noir (review with swatches). I wear a pencil eyeliner almost every day, either on the top lashline or in my waterline, so I'm confident I'll be able to use up completely what's remaining of this basic shade. I have noticed this pencil is getting a bit dried out (the 'lead' is pulling away from the edges), but it's still creamy and a pleasure to use.
8. NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Taupe (review with swatches). This pencil is one of the two brow products in my stash and technically I'm in no hurry to reduce there, but I would like to try one of those fatter, angled brow pencils in the future, so it'd be nice to get this one used up beforehand. This pencil is so skinny that I don't think I'm going to have any problems finishing it off.

 9. Laneige Cushion Concealer SPF30 in Light* (review with swatches). The shade Light is a bit dark on me, but I've come to appreciate this lightweight concealer for its comfortable, non-cakey formula and redness-cancelling properties. There's actually very little product in the packaging and it's nearly half used-up already, so I just want to work through the remainder and replace it with a more brightening concealer for under the eyes in the future.
10. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly. I know what you're going to say - Monika, are you crazy, two concealers in one Project?! However, I believe it's doable to finish them both, because I can either mix the two together or use them on different areas of the face. I've been using the NARS Chantilly for over two years now, primarily for spot concealing, and I'm just now beginning to see some clear areas in the tube. I'm pretty sure there is still a LOT of concealer left in there anyway, but it's been open and well loved for a long time now, so I think either way it's nearing the end of its life; I just want to get as much of my money's worth out if it as possible before throwing it away.

11. Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in 31 Ivory (review with swatches). The shade 31 is about half a shade too dark for me, which makes it easier to try and use up in a spring/ summer Project. As you may be able to see, I have about 3/4 of the tube left, and my goal is to use up a further half (so that I would only have 1/4 left by the end). I still really enjoy this CC cream, but foundation is one of the categories I would like to downsize, and this is one of the older bases in my stash.
12. Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer (review). Again, I currently only own face primer minis so it's not really an area I need to downsize, but this SPF 15 primer expires in two months and it would be great to use it all up before that.
13. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Just Beige. After failing to use up a Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze during a whole 12 months of Project Make A Dent last year, I'm under no illusion that I can work through Just Beige in a third of that time span. However, this shade has been getting more and more dried out (which is why I had to heat it up in a microwave and mix with a toothpick), and I would just like to get some more use out of it (let's say, use up a half of the jar?) before I have to toss it out.

I have a pretty good feeling about this challenge; I think I've set more realistic goals compared to my last Project Pan, and these products are easier to track progress on, which is always more motivating than just trudging through with no end in sight. Just as a reminder, I'm also continuing to pan theBalm Nude'Tude eyeshadow palette for my Pan That Palette 2016, but I'll be posting updates on that separately from this Project. On Monday, which was the first day I was using the products I selected for this challenge, I was actually stupidly excited to do my make-up, and I thought it turned out amazing - quite silly what project-panning can do to a woman's enjoyment of her own make-up stash. Have you started any new Projects recently? If so, please let me know in the comments, I love following everyone's progress!

1st Project 10 Pan of 2016 Finale!

Drumroll please - my first Project 10 Pan of the year (intro post here) has now officially drawn to a close! Can you tell how excited I am? Funnily enough, in April (my fourth month of doing this Project), I started feeling less bored by using the same products day in and day out and was again just enjoying them for their quality and dependability. Anyway... onto my progress!

Above is a flat lay photo from my last update two months ago, at the halfway mark (read my update post here). I had some good progress at that point but was feeling a bit anxious about a couple of products, especially the Stila eyeliner and the Koh Gen Do foundation, which I barely made a dent in despite using it every time I wore make-up. And here are my products at the end of the Project:

Woohoo - 3 products completely used up out of 10 and goals hit on another 4! Let's discuss all the items in detail:

1. Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation in PK-1: My goal was to use half of the bottle, and I got so incredibly close that I'm counting this as an achievement; especially considering the amount of usage I had these past two months compared to January-February. I still really love this base; I can just count on it to match my skintone exactly and look fresh and natural on the skin. My favorite method of application to get the most coverage was to stipple it on with a buffer brush (I use the Real Techniques one).

 2. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light: So my progress on this product has remained rather slow, despite very frequent usage, but I think you can definitely see a larger dip now where I was concentrating my brush. I really enjoy this finishing powder, but I'm now ready to retire it to a drawer and start using something else on the daily.
3. Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Bluefin: Completely used up! If you follow my yearly make-up empties count on Instagram, you may have seen that I finished this eyeliner about two weeks ago, which made me super happy. I definitely noticed that the last week or two of usage, Bluefin got very dry and even flaky, but I managed to use it up by applying it with an angled brush mostly to tightline. In my experience, eyeliner pencils with microglitter dry out much faster than regular cream/ matte finish.
4. NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base: Done and dusted! It's my favorite eye primer I've tried so far, but this thing is definitely dead now; I used as much as I was able to get out. There's still product at the very bottom of the tube where the wand doesn't reach it, but even if I had one of those handy dandy spatulas to dig it out, it's too dried out now anyway. It's okay - I definitely got my money's worth out of it.

5. NYX Powder Blush in Taupe: That's quite some pan, am I right? What happened (as you can kind of see in the close-up as well) is that I actually hit pan on this contouring powder four times in different areas. For whatever reason, the grid pattern on the powder is much harder pressed and thus more difficult to wear down than the areas in between. The grid lines were actually so hard that they crumbled and flaked off between the areas of clear pan. Anyway; at this point, I'm considering this item well used and ready to leave my collection. I've actually had this product since 2009, and even though I loved it at first, it's no longer a favorite and I'm just not comfortable keeping it around any longer.
6. Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer: My initial goal was to use this gloss up completely, but I think that was completely unrealistic given the volume of the tube. However, I did make good progress (and finally figured out a way of tracking it: the upper line is from middle of March, the bottom is from two days ago. The tube is also slimmer now from squeezing). My favorite way of using this Lip Perfector is actually more of a balm than a gloss as I have trouble layering it on top of lipsticks due to the super creamy and slippy formula. If anything, it works better applied in a thin layer under another product - exactly like prepping your lips with a balm. I'll try to make more progress on it before the end of the year but we shall see, I have a lot of lip products to go through.

7. Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie: Finished! I wore this lip color probably about 90% of the time, and especially at work. I used up another shade (Peach Parfait) last year, and I think these (now discontinued) Lip Butters are relatively quick to get through. I'm glad to have another lipstick out of my stash, especially that I have other similar shades of pink I can replace Berry Smoothie with.
8. Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick in Cherries in the Snow: There's been steady progress on this bright fuschia red but in all honesty, there was no way I was going to finish even my remaining half of the tube in the span of four months, unless I was wearing it every day. I think from now on, I will no longer be including very bright or vampy lip colors in my panning projects. Yes, having those vivid shades in my projects this time around as well as last year (in my Project Make A Dent 2015) did push me out of my comfort zone a little bit and empowered me to wear a bright lip without a special occasion, but the thing is, I want to enjoy all the different shades of brights and vamps in my stash and swap them out according to my mood, not be forced to wear the same one for months on end. If that means I'll never be getting completely through those bright colors and some will just expire, I'm okay with that - as long as I'm liking and somewhat regularly using all the ones remaining in my collection.
9. Zoya Nail Polish in Jem: I'm calling this nail polish the one fail of my Project Pan. I used it one more time for a pedi since the last update, so I don't think you can even see any more progress. I don't think I'm capable of using the same shade of varnish often enough to see significant progress, unless it's a mini bottle (like in my last year's Project Pan). Lesson learnt for future panning challenges.

Progress after two months of usage, at the beginning of March.

10. theBalm Nude'Tude Eyeshadow Palette: I'm very happy with my progress - I hit pan on three eyeshadows! I also have more significant dips in nearly all the other shades, with some exceptions. I've come to the conclusion that I actually dislike quite a few of the darker shades in this palette, as they all come out the same shade of muddy grey charcoal once blended out on the eyes; I'm talking Sophisticated, Silly and Sleek in particular. I won't be focusing on these three from now on.

Progress after four months of usage.

I'm planning to separate my Pan That Palette challenge from my Project Pans going forward, so you'll see my bimonthly updates in separate posts. My goal for the next two months is to concentrate on the lighter shades from the bottom row, especially Snobby, Stand-offish and Schitzo.

Angled view of my most used shadows from the palette to show the depth of the pans.

I'm satisfied with the results of this project; I consider 7 out of 10 challenging products a good achievement. I have already selected and started using products for my next four-month Project Pan, so be on the look out for the introduction post in a couple days. How are your projects going? Do you have any significant make-up empties to report?

1st Project 10 Pan of 2016: Halfway Update

It's March and two months out of my four-month long Project 10 Pan have passed already! What better time to update you on my progress, am I right? The photo below shows all my products neatly lined up at the start of the Project in January... (click here to read the Introduction post):

And here's what they look like after two months of regular use:

Now, I realize I chose some pretty anti-climactic items that don't really show any progress, so I'm going to explain how I'm doing in more detail.

1. Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation in PK-1: My Project goal is to use up half of the bottle (it was completely full at the beginning). As you can see by my sharpie mark, I only got down to the top of the lettering, which is not quite 1/4 of the entire foundation. However, I can't really fault myself - I've used the Aqua Foundation every single time I wore make-up in the past two months. I could probably speed things up by using more foundation each time, but I really like this one and I'm not in a terrible hurry to get it out of my stash.

2. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light: I wanted to see a bigger dip in the middle, and it may not be quite visible in my photos, but on the right side of the pan where I usually tap my brush, there is a bit of an indentation. I'm hoping to make it a bit deeper by the end of this Project.
3. Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Bluefin: I can't show you my progress since this retractable pencil doesn't wind down, but I've been pretty happy with my usage - I don't use it every single time I do my make-up, but I use it about 90% of the time, either on my upper lashline or to tightline.
4. NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base: It's difficult to judge my progress on this one: there's still plenty of product stuck to the sides of the tube, but I've been steadily scraping that off. Unfortunately, I think that after taking the stopper out, this product does begin to dry out more quickly, so it will be done by the end of April either way - I just want to get as much use out of it as possible.

5. NYX Powder Blush in Taupe: Yes, I've hit pan!!! That's probably my biggest success so far in this Project. I've been using this to contour my face every time I do my make-up, but also as a transition shade in the crease of my eyes - which is how I was able to hit that pan in the very middle. I have to admit though that it's not my favorite sculpting shade for my complexion - it actually pulls both a bit too warm and muddy. I will probably be saying goodbye to it after the Project ends.
6. Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer: Now, I could be doing better on this one. When I hold it up to the light, I can see a lot of product missing in the middle of the tube, but there's still a LOT left. My problem with this gloss is that I can't really layer it over other lip products (it's too creamy and slippery) - at least not the ones in this Project, which is what I've been wearing all the time - and as a stand alone product, it currently makes me look a bit washed out. I've been using it in lieu of a lip balm at home, but not very consistently. Oh well - I'm trying.

7. Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie: Compared to my January photo, I think I've used slightly over half of the bullet, which means I should be right on track to using it up completely by the end of April. I'm still really enjoying this lip color - quick and easy to apply, and perfect to perk up pale, winter skin.
8. Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick in Cherries in the Snow: I wear this lipstick about once a week, and reapply once throughout the day. That, coupled with the fact that this is an incredibly pigmented lipstick, makes my progress rather slow. But that's okay - I am still using it, I just haven't been feeling a bright lip all the time.
9. Zoya Nail Polish in Jem: This one is a bit of a fail - I think I only used it three times since the start of my Project. Not because I'm bored of this color; I just haven't been really painting my nails at all. I'm not sure why; I'm either too busy or find something else to do when I do have time. I'll try to do better in the next two months, although the weather is turning more spring-like every day, and I may shortly be in the mood for a different shade. We shall see.

The Balm Nude'Tude at the beginning of the Project in January.

 10. theBalm Nude'Tude Eyeshadow Palette: I'm very happy with my usage on this palette - there's not pan showing yet, but you can see quite significant dips in the lighter and mid-tone shades. I'm quite decided that I want to pan this palette for all of 2016, although knowing myself and my eyeshadow-wearing ways, I'll have to exclude the darkest shade out of this palette, or only aim to hit pan. I'm just not going to wear a black smokey eye every day just to use up Serious - ain't gonna happen. But I am still enjoying using the palette and coming up with different color combos or layering options.

My palette after two months of consistent usage.

And there you have it! Overall, I think I'm doing as well as can be expected. I know that I'm not a panning rockstar, which most likely stems from the fact that a) I don't wear make-up every day, b) I use a small amount of product each time, but that's okay with me, as long as I feel that I'm giving these awesome products plenty of love. How have you been doing with your Projects?