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!

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...

Minimalist Monday: 3 Years Into My Low Buy and Plans for 2016

I've wanted to discuss something that's recently been on my mind a lot, namely my experiences with doing a make-up low-buy for three years now and my plans for 2016. Before we dive in, there's one thing I'd like to clarify: I'm not trying to advocate any minimalist agenda or forcefully attempt to convince you to change your habits in any way. If you're happy with your stash and your purchases, GREAT - I envy you, and you do you. The reason I'm stating the obvious (to me at least) is that I've recently come across this sentiment that some minimalism-leaning bloggers can come across as a bit militant in their opinions. I have no such intention - this is just a personal blog and I'm coming here to share MY feelings and struggles, and if it inspires someone to change something they've been uncomfortable with anyway, then that makes me really happy; but if not, that's okay too.

Alright, enough of boring disclaimers, let's get to it. Above is the main reason for this post - the contents of my back-up skincare drawer. That's right, it's all back-ups, meaning it's not even all of my skincare; the stuff I'm currently using is in my bathroom cabinet, which I'll show you an update on some other time. In my defense, very few products inside this bin are what I've purchased myself; probably 90% is gifts, gifts with purchase and press samples. But you see the problem, yes? YES?! It's freaking 15 pounds worth of skincare I'm not using, it's just sitting around, waiting for its prime. I don't need or want all that... so what to do?

In my first couple years of beauty obsessing and documenting it on the blog, I had set a loose monthly budget for myself in the amount of $50. It was supposed to include all 'fun' expenditures such as clothing and accessories as well as make-up, skincare, nail polish, you name it. It seemed reasonable at the time, and the amount was something I was comfortable with spending for non-essentials. Looking back on it now, I can honestly say that a beauty budget did NOT work for me. I wasn't very dilligent in tracking my expenses, meaning that I very often went over the $50, but the main problem is that it resulted in a proliferation of cheap thrills in my wardrobe and beauty stash. I'm not saying cheap to be offensive - I'm all for affordable things if they're good quality. Unfortunately, most of what I bought wasn't, and on top of that, I was soon overwhelmed with the amount of clothes and products in my possession.

Enter phase two, which was my beauty low-buy, introduced at the beginning of 2013 as a 'No Back-Ups Challenge' (read the original post here). I decided to give myself an allowance of two make-up products per month, without setting any budget goals, and work hard on using up all my extra products across several categories, mostly skincare. I'm not going to lie - it was VERY difficult at first. For someone used to popping into a drugstore 'just to see what's new', and usually leaving with a couple make-up toys in tow, having to thoroughly think through all my purchases, plan ahead and only get two out of the large pool of everything I fancied was hard. So I did stumble here and there, and definitely at the end of 2013 I had accumulated more than just 24 new make-up products, but I did make a large dent in my back-up stash, and it was a start (here are my thoughts at the end of the year). So I just stuck to the same low buy again in 2014, and added in another stash-reducing challenge via Project Make A Dent and various declutters. This time it went even better than the previous year; I was able to stick to my resolution more, and developped some strategies to help fight lemmings and urges to shop while learning to appreciate what I already had (final post for 2014 can be found here).

Now this year, I do think that my low-buy has really taken hold and taught me a valuable lesson. In 2015, I've been able not only to limit my purchases, but actually change my behavior and thought patterns when it comes to beauty shopping. I think I'll discuss my experience and strategies in more detail in a separate post next month, but I wanted to share my back story with you mostly to show you that in my case, it has truly been a slow evolution towards the ultimate goal of an edited capsule collection that makes me happy and grateful instead of causing anxiety and stress. It's definitely a loosely defined goal, and as such, the particulars of it keeping changing, namely towards even smaller and simpler stash.

But let's get back on track - if I've been such a pro at reducing and editing my stash, why that skincare back-up explosion, I hear you ask? Well, first off, it was actually worse than that in the past *gulp*. On top of that drawer, I had another drawer, and then a lot of products under the bathroom sink. In fact, I even had a hanging organizer on the bathroom door at one point because I had so much extra stuff. The organizer is now gone, and my bathroom cabinet currently houses just haircare and travel items, so this drawer plus what I've dubbed my 'soap box', pictured above, is all that I have left - and it would be much less than that if not for generous friends and PRs. But still, for me, the contents of those two containers are way more than I would like to keep on hand at any given time. Which is why for 2016, I decided to do go full throttle and introduce a complete SKINCARE (for the face AND body) NO BUY. It's like the ultimate challenge for a beauty junkie, am I right?

I think that this time, the challenge won't be so much in fighting lemmings because I feel that I've gotten pretty good at keeping myself in check. However, I may struggle a bit with not purchasing products that are more convenient to use than what I already have on hand for that purpose. For example, I'm not really loving bar soaps as much anymore - I got used to fancy shower gels now, and it's nicer to indulge in a scented body lotion than slather your limbs in a natural plant oil. I realize that in this scenario, many of you would just get rid of the surplus bar soaps & oils and happily purchase your favorites in their stead, but to me it feels wasteful and unnecessary. My other reason for attempting to use and use up these particular products is that they're more eco-friendly and sustainable, as well as less irritating for my sensitive skin. The second issue I'm foreseeing here is that like a true hoarder, I'm slightly worried about not having enough face cleansers or toners to last me an entire year. But you know what, I'm determined to make it work - I could just as well DIY a cleansing oil like Gummy, or try the Oil Cleansing Method again. I'll make do; as long as my skin is happy. If for any reason any of my back-up products turn out to harm my skin, I will pass them along and ultimately purchase a replacement if no more back-ups remain in my queue. Simple as that.

I will definitely document my progress with photos in a year's time, or sooner, if that turns out to be the case (ha! I wish). I would also like to point out that my no buy does not mean I won't be accepting press samples or gifts. While the influx of products for review consideration may seem to hinder my progress, this is a beauty blog after all, and I enjoy trying and reviewing products for you. I also very frequently pass things along to family and friends, and it makes me happy that I can give back and share great products in this way. But enough about me - do you guys have any stash-reducing plans for 2016? Have you ever attempted a beauty no buy? If so, what was your experience like?

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 Use Up Those Freakin' Samples: Favorites & Finale

It's the end of my Project Use Up Those Freakin' Samples! Frankly speaking, I'm not only excited to share my progress and final empties' counts with you, but I'm also stoked to at least temporarily get rid of the little foil packets that have been littering my bedside table, vanity, bathroom sink, shower and medicine cabinet for the past two months.

Anyway, here's my progress update for June!

Deluxe samples: 10
I did just a bit better on my minis this month compared to May, and overall I'm seeing a good progress in minimizing my collection of deluxe samples. Previously, I had them stashed away in at least two different spots, but thanks to my Project, I was able to combine them together in one box for easy access (I shared a photo of it on Instagram, so follow me if you haven't already!).

Foil packets: 39
Yay, that's 10 more than last month! I actually thought I was going to have less this month because I slacked a little at the beginning of June, but I really pulled through at the end. These samples come from a lot of different categories: bodycare, haircare, skincare, even make-up (a couple primers and liquid highlighters). I still have a few stragglers that aren't completely empty yet, so expect to see them in my regular empties round-up.

Purged (expired & not interested in trying): 7
By challenging myself to use my samples, I've also realized that I have been hanging on to samples that are either already expired (farewell, REN Glycolactic Radiance Peel - it's in the deluxe sample group shot by error), I'm not interested in trying, or have tried in the past and disliked (the Eve Lom Rescue Mask is too harsh for my skin as it contains both alcohol and camphor, while the immensely popular GlamGlow Youthmud contains polluting polyethylene microbeads - who knew, right? I only realized after having already used one packet, and I thought the performance was nothing to write home about either).

As for my sample favorites, I haven't really discovered anything absolutely mindblowing that I need to run out and purchase right away (thank God! Like I need any more products...), but I would consider buying the Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque and the Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser in the future; they're both quite pricey, but still in my budget. While I did really enjoy my sample of the glycolic-heavy Murad Active Radiance Serum, at $90, I consider it to be too expensive for an exfoliating treatment. The belief Peat Miracle Revival Eye Cream was fantastic to wear under concealer during the day, the Maison Martin Margiela REPLICA EDT in Beach Walk smelled lovely but was rather short-lived, and speaking of fragrance, I always enjoy the bergamot-scented Living Proof line; while I wouldn't repurchase Prime Style Extender necessarily, I have my beady eye on the Full Thickening Cream.

Overall, over the course of this 2-month Project, I used up 68 foil sachets, 19 minis, and tossed 6 sachets and 1 deluxe sample: that's 94 altogether. I think that's a lot, and I'm very happy to have these samples out of my posession. You may think that with so many samples gone, I don't have any left in my stash, but that's not the case at all; even though I was able to consolidate my sample organization and free up some space, I still have a lot of samples left to get through. Which is why I've decided to now aim at finishing at least 5 samples a month - that sounds doable, right? In July, this should be especially easy for me, as we're headed out of town for the extended 4th of July weekend and I'm intending to take quite a few sachets with me.

This challenge also made me realize how long it takes to use up certain samples: as an example, most of my deluxe minis of eye cream contain 4-5 ml of product, but then a foil sample of the belief Peat Miracle eye cream contained 4ml as well, and lasted me over 3 weeks. Most haircare samples contain between 7 to 10 ml of product; for a hair oil for example, that can constitute up to 1/3 of the full-size bottle. So if you take into consideration those little samples in your stash, it may turn out that yes, you do have a back-up of a serum/ face mask/ hair styling product waiting to be used before needing to purchase a replacement. I'm intending to try and treat all of my samples as an integral part of my stash from now on, and going back to that eye cream example, while I currently don't own any full-sized eye creams, I will not buy another one before most of my deluxe and foil samples of eye cream are done.

I hope this was interesting and maybe inspired you to reach for your samples on a more regular basis; thanks to Emma and Vita for joining in on the fun on Instagram, you guys are the best! If you're still working on your samples, please tag me with #useupthosefreakinsamples, I'd love to see your progress. Thank you for cheering me on, and stay tuned for my new Project Pan Introduction in a couple days!

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!

Project Make A Dent 2015 Intro: Use It or Lose It

New year, new Project Make A Dent! I will admit that reading about other bloggers' make-up collection resolutions and watching Project Pan videos has got me pretty excited to start the second volume of my Project Make A Dent as soon as possible. After looking through my collection, this year I've decided to really focus on some of the oldest products in my stash that I want to enjoy before they expire; hence I'm calling it the 'Use It or Lose It' edition.

For convenience sake, I've chosen 10 products ranging from face make-up to eyes and lips. For my base, I will continue working on the Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Porcelain - the heavier formula means I can only use this in the colder months, but with only 1/2 of the bottle left to go, I'm confident I can use it up completely. To set my foundation, I want to finish up this deluxe sample of Make Up For Ever HD Loose Powder; there's only 1/4 remaining in the jar. My one cheek product in this Project is the old mini of Stila Convertible Color in Lillium; hopefully you can see that little bit of pan in the middle, so that should make it easier to track my progress.

This year, I'd like to downsize my collection of cream eyeshadow pots, so I've pulled one of the oldest and most loved jars in my stash, the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. It is definitely a lot drier and harder than when I first got it, but if it dries out too much to use, I'm hoping to revive it with some Inglot Duraline and see how that goes. Seeing as I made good progress on using up some of my pencil eyeliners last year, I chose two more pencils: the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On in Rockstar and the Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Nuage.

I've made marks with a sharpie on the glosses and foundation bottle to be able to judge my progress more easily.

Lastly, I thought long and hard about my lip product picks for this challenge. I chose four lip products in total in a variety of shades and finishes: from bold to neutral, opaque to sheer, cream to shimmer. This way, I'll have all my bases covered with items from the challenge, so I'll hopefully reach for these products quite often. The Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef has about 3/5 left in the tube, while the Michael Todd Creme Glace in Natural is a bit more than half used up. The Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo and the Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58 both seem to have roughly the same amount left, as the Inglot lipstick is longer but a much skinnier bullet than the Chanel.

Now that I've listed all the denting victims, here are some changes from last year's project. I chose more products this time around, and pretty much all of them had already seen some substantial usage in the past. The aim of this is to have more variety, and also to feel less pressured to completely use up products; I know some of these items like the pencil liners and glosses should get finished easily, but if I don't completely scrape out that blush or bold lipstick, I'm cool with that too. I also mostly picked out products I like and enjoy using, so again, reaching for them shouldn't feel as forced as it sometimes did in the past year's Project MAD.

In terms of blog-friendly practices, I'm also going to keep all of the empty containers as the products are being finished and only toss them at the end of the year for the sake of photo continuity. For the same reason, I'm also NOT going to introduce new items when these products get used up - I thought that last year, the changing products were probably quite confusing to you. If I make fabulous progress quicker than anticipated (say, most products finished by June rather than December), I'll just start a separate Project Pan with new items to keep challenging myself to use my stash.

And that's about it! I'm feeling quite motivated to start this new challenge and I believe I should see a lot make-up empties by the time December 2015 rolls around (well, even if I don't, they're going in the trash anyway ;). Are you guys participating in any stash-reducing projects this year? Please let me know if you're participating in a Project Make A Dent this year too, I love seeing everyone's picks and progress!

My 2015 Capsule Collection Goals and Blogging Resolutions

Happy New Year, my lovely readers! I hope your New Year's Eve was filled with laughter, bubbles, good company and only a fleeting moment of deepest reflection ;) Here's to a wonderful 2015 for all of us!

The beginning of a New Year is always a bittersweet time for me; among all the party fun and social obligations, my thoughts often turn inwards to analyze the achievements (and fails) of the past year and to set goals and resolutions for the months to come. I tend to be quite hard on myself and sometimes blow negative things out of proportion, but actually, this year, I'm feeling pretty good!

In 2014, I made good on my resolution to post at least two times a week, and if you look at the number of posts per year since my blog's inception, it's been the second most prolific year of my blogging career - no doubt mostly due to the fact that I've had a lot of free time to allocate for developing my online space, but also because I've tried to be very consistent and plan and schedule posts in advance for the times I'm not around to write at leisure (like the past two weeks when we've been in Poland for the Holidays). I think this posting discipline has also helped me to be more creative overall, and using my blogging notebook to jot down ideas served as a back-up when I felt the flow of ideas slowing down for a bit. Last year, I also said I wanted to include you more in my personal life, and while there's still a lot I'd like to do in that regard, there's been a couple travel posts, tags as well as a whole lot of photos on my Instagram to give you a better idea who I am as a living breathing human, not just a made up face.

As for the stash-reducing, capsule collection goals, I'd like to stay on the same track of purchasing no more than 2 new products a month, but with certain exceptions. I did so well last year in terms of using up my skincare back-up stash that I now actually regularly run out of products, and I feel that these necessary repurchases should be exempt from my limit. I would also like to exclude make-up brushes from my self-imposed allowance, because I gave away so many that weren't working for me in the past couple years that I now have some gaps in my collection, and I'd like to fill those in with some luxuriously soft specimens.

Looking at my make-up collection at the beginning of 2015, I'm very happy with what I own and I want to take the time to appreciate and enjoy all I have without the constraints of too many 'Project X Pan' / 'Use it all up' challenges, although I will be participating in another Project Make A Dent, hopefully armed with experiences from the past year and better prepared this time round. I also don't foresee the need to further declutter my stash in any significant way, but when the need arises, I'd like to be more decisive in giving away or tossing products that don't work for me.

And that's about it! No major changes or drastic challenges, but a path of sustained, controlled consumerism. I no longer want to punish myself for making bad purchasing decisions in the past by desperately trying to use things up, I just want to enjoy what I own and treat myself here and there without feeling guilt or anxiety over the rest of my collection. What are your plans and resolutions for 2015? Are you going to take part in any stash-reducing projects this year? I'd love to know!

Project Make A Dent 2014 Finale

Oh the circle of life of these stash-reducing challenges (if you haven't been following my updates, see the inaugural post here): first you get super pumped about your new project, then you get increasingly bored using the same products over and over again and slowly fall off the wagon, and then suddenly, you realize it's almost the end of the year, and you need to get cracking! That's basically the gist of my experience with Project Make A Dent #1. Anyway, are you ready to see my progress from the entire year?

Products at the beginning of Project MAD #1, January 2014

Updated selection of products at a half year mark in June 2014 (Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum and the Annabelle eyeliner having been completely used up)

Let's start with the unrefutable success stories: I've completely used up one bottle of foundation (Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in the shade 51), two eyeliner pencils (Annabelle Smudgeliner in Rich Chocolate and GOSH Waterproof liner in Black Ink) and one lipstick (Rimmel Moisture Renew in Soft Coral). That's four make-up empties! Verrry nice. Now, for the partial success: I've managed to put a noticeable dent in an eyeshadow (Annabelle Vanilla Chilla), another eyeliner (Urban Decay 24/7 in Whiskey), another lipstick (NYX Round Lipstick in Tea Rose), and another foundation (added later, Estee Lauder Double Wear Light in Intensity 1). Lastly, the womp womp of my project - the two neverending blushes, NYX Powder Blush in Angel and NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink. I promise, even though I've used them a lot, there's barely any product missing! I swear it's some kind of self-refilling make-up magic :/

Products in December 2014: GOSH Waterproof eyeliner in Black Ink (not pictured, already thrown away) and Rimmel Soft Coral lipstick completely used up

Overall, I'm very happy with the results of my first Project Make A Dent. I was kind of hoping to maybe use up one more eyeliner completely and hit pan on the NYX blush, but it is what it is and I'm feeling satisified. I definitely used my products as much as I possibly could, and given that I don't wear make-up everyday, I gave them a lot of attention without ignoring the rest of my collection. I will admit that at some point, the Project MAD got a little confusing - subconsciously, you strive to use up your selected items completely, but it's not in fact the goal of this challenge. I think that's usually the breaking point when you want to abandon the Project, but it's important to take a step back, maybe take a little break from your basket of products, and then return to it when you're feeling refreshed. That's the benefit of doing the project over the course of an entire year!

The lessons I learnt from this year's Project Make A Dent have definitely helped me to introduce some improvements for 2015 - yes, there's going to be a second edition next year! I'm already planning my challenge and selecting new products I want to focus on, but I'll talk more about the changes I've decided to make in the post dedicated to the new Project. How have you guys been doing with your stash-reducing projects? Are you happy with this year's achievements, are you already setting goals for next year?

Project Make A Dent #1: Third Progress Check

Time for the third progress update in my Project Make A Dent #1 series! In case you haven't been following this stash-reducing challenge, Project Make A Dent is an idea originated by Lola from Lola's Secret Beauty Blog (here's her latest update) where you try to focus on using certain make-up products from your stash, albeit not at the exclusion of other things from your collection. The project is more about giving your forgotten products some love rather than trying to use them up completely, but I'm not gonna lie - I'd love to see most of these in my empties bag.

Here's a shot of what I've been working with right now; I did use up two products completely at my last progress check (here - click!), so this is the updated version with more products added, and the usage on the rest of the items as of my last check-in. If you're curious, this (click!) is what I started with at the very beginning of the Project in January.

And here's my progress! I have used up one more item - the Gosh Waterproof Eyeliner in Black Ink, also shown in my latest empties post, and the Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Soft Coral is VERY nearly used up as well. The Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Whiskey is shorter by maybe two or three sharpenings, but I'll try to focus more on using it from now on. Again, not much progress with the blushes or the NYX Tea Rose lipstick, though I'm starting to reach for the latter a bit more now that the weather is cooling down. I'm estimating that my tube of  Estee Lauder Double Wear Light foundation has about 1/3 left in it now (last time it was half full), and if you look closely (uhm, very closely), the naked pan winking from the Annabelle Vanilla Chilla eyeshadow is slightly bigger now. All in all, not too bad.

To be perfectly honest, I AM rather tired of using the same products over and over again; I'm quite an ambitious individual so I don't let myself stray too far from my Project Make A Dent selection. Perhaps Lily has the right of it - if you decide to switch up your products a bit more often, then it's not as painful to commit to using these select few. However, I now have less than three more months left to go, so I'm stubbornly sticking to my yearly version - and then in January next year, I'll decide what I want to do.

How are you guys faring with your stash-reducing challenges? I've heard of so many different versions making the rounds on blogs and YouTube right now, like 'Commit To Five Before The Snow Flies', lol. But overall, it makes me happy that so many people want to take control of their collections and use what they already have - what do you think?