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!
Wow, you're doing well. I can see a new pan, shorter pencils and an emptied lipstick. How long have you been using that cream eyeshadow before that project? I always thought cream eyeshadows are hard to empty. Any idea how to wear more bright lipstick shades? I got some of them but I don't know where and when to use.
ReplyDeleteHi Lila! I've used Bad to the Bronze here and there before starting the project so it had a slight dip, but yeah, you're definitely right - I've been using it almost every time I wear make-up now, and I haven't made a lot of progress there. With the brighter lipstick, I've been wearing it a lot just patted lightly on the lips and layered with a lighter lipgloss, but it's pretty as a stain too :) I know what you mean though; I find that I'm not always in the mood for such a bright shade.
DeleteThank you :)
DeleteI don't feel well using less lipstick on my lips. It's feeling dry... but I'm trying your second option. I won't buy any bright lipstick shades again but I want to appreciate the ones which are already in my stash.
I wondered where that elephant had gotten to. :P
ReplyDeleteCan I address something else though? The awful eyeliner. It is painful just reading about it, believe me. Now I seem to remember that you have uneasy feelings about throwing away usable products (and I feel that way myself a lot of the time) but I think there's a line between a product that is usable but "meh" and something that is usable only on the lower lash line because it's far too scratchy AND has poor pigmentation AND not much lasting power. You also mentioned at the starting point that this was about using products you enjoy before they expire (use it or lose it) and since it's quite apparent that this one is not enjoyable in the slightest I think you have every reason to throw that thing away and consider its loss a veritable triumph. Life is too short for truly awful makeup, and if your stash is anything like mine you've surely got another much more enjoyable product to use instead. Or don't sub out and keep on with just Rockstar- another dent is on the horizon! :D
Hahah, yes - that's real life for you. At least that shows I was using it when traveling!
DeleteI don't know, maybe I have masochistic tendencies, because in the past couple of weeks, I've actually been liking more and more how it looks on the lower lashline, especially on top of that Maybelline Color Tattoo, which gives it a bit more slip. I'll think about that one... I'm hoping UD Rockstar will be gone very shortly anyway - I've actually been trying to use up a rollover UD liner in Whiskey from last year's Project MAD, and once that one is gone (tomorrow maybe? Hurray!), Rockstar will get finished up in no time. I'm debating which liner I should use up next :D
Okay, I think that Nano liner is finished! The fact that it's even down to the nub that it is now in the broken state is BEYOND admirable.
ReplyDeleteSure hope your Coco Shine makes it back! lol
Hahah, I know! Our friend is really good at remembering stuff like that, so I'm sure I'll have it back - tomorrow actually :D
DeleteGreat idea of keeping the picture similar. I know why I can't track my progress now with make a dent -- one of them is a squeeze tube type (Becca Beach Tint). Hmm..
ReplyDeleteDid your friend bring back your lipstick? If not, can't you just consider it used up? LOL! I haven't really officially picked out a few items to use up, but I've been consciously focusing on face powders lately. I've used up 2 powders and I'm onto a 3rd one. I actually saw some pan action, so before long, I'd have killed it too. Pressed powders are easier to use than loose powders, I find. I still have a huge tub of Chanel Poudre Universelle which I haven't touched much. I'll just deal with the pressed ones first :-)
ReplyDeleteOoo, get rid of the icky eyeliner. I thought I saw pan on that Bad to the Bronze, I have a similar one, but it took me close to a year to hit pan on that! I watch panporn on youtube too, keeps me motivated!
ReplyDeletehey nice job!! i'm not even trying to do this lol. and hey, if the lipstick never returns, at least it is done with? (though lost makeup is sad, especially when it is chanel! I've been there, in my college days, and it was SO sad!)
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo! Great job! I love seeing these posts! I think you're doing great! I just recently finished up a pen liquid liner and am finishing my second jar of maybelline bad to the bronze! I have several products that I'm trying to use every time I wear make up to use them up as much as possible! I haven't got a project pan going on but I'm consciously trying to do it!
ReplyDeleteIf it makes you feel any better, I think Color Tattoos are really hard to use up! I've been using Inked in Pink and Barely Branded at least once or twice a week for a year and a half and I've only just hit pan on both of them a few weeks ago. And I use Tough as Taupe every day on my brows and though there's a lot of pan I think it'll stretch to about two years of everyday use! You seem to be doing really well, though - I always envy people who can do projects like this. I think I'd get bored too quickly, I'm in a different makeup mood every day.
ReplyDeleteI actually just hit pan on my Bad to the Bronze (and another shadow too - post to come next week!) so I send you good luck in hitting pan on your jar, too. That eyeliner sounds horrible - do remember that life is too short to use up crappy products! It's something I have to tell myself more and more often lately, haha. I wish I had made as much progress as you have with this but I didn't mark my products, bugger. I think I've done pretty poorly with the lip products I'm trying to use up (so many fun things in my stash argh!) but I know I've used the foundation lots so I'm focusing on that to make myself feel better, ha!
ReplyDeleteWow you're doing so well! When I did Make a Dent in the last quarter of 2014 I found it SO HARD to use the products consistently.
ReplyDeletehey dude, there's DEF more of a dent in these! good job!! i'm slowly trying to make my way though revlon's berry smooth and finished a maybelline dream matte powder. i want to finally finish a lipstick!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like definite progress to me...and a bigger dent is still better than before!! I think cream shadows in general area really hard to use up...not that I've ever come remotely close ha ha!! I'm hoping I'll finish up a lipstick, couple of lip balms, a powder and a foundation this year???
ReplyDeleteKeep it going Monika! Considering you don't wear makeup every day I'd say this is a MONUMENTAL effort! I'd like to do a 'project make a dent' myself - I'm forever setting little challenges for myself to get more wear out of things and this sounds like a great idea. At the moment my latest makeup 'game' is wearing a different eye shadow palette each week (for the entire week) to get more wear out of them and figure out exactly which are my favourites :-)
ReplyDelete