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!