Project Pan - Update 5

This year I am making a conscious effort to use up as much of my makeup as I can. I have been saving all my makeup empties and sharing what I manage to finish each month. I started this as a way of downsizing my ridiculous makeup collection and also making use of what I have. 

Last month I managed to get through quite a few things, especially base products. There were some things that I loved and others not so much.

Diorskin Nude Glow Natural Glow Complexion Enhancer £28.50

I used this underneath my foundation, both as a primer and a radiance booster. This doesn't have any shimmer in it but the bright apricot colour really does give your skin a healthy glow. I enjoyed using this but it wasn't special enough for me to purchase again.

Diorskin Nude BB Creme £30.00

Now this I really loved. This has been hanging around my makeup collection a while and I had used it a few times but didn't think much of it. After using up my MAC Studio Fix Fluid I was craving something lighter so reached for this and didn't look back. This doesn't look or feel like you are wearing makeup but evens your skin tone out and takes away any redness. When I was wearing this someone commented that my skin looked really good, not my foundation but my skin. I don't think you can get a better compliment than that. 

This is also a great BB cream if you have oilier skin, as it has a slight powdery finish. I will definitely buy this again at some point.

Origins VitaZing £29.00

I hesitate to call this a tinted moisturiser because it doesn't provide any coverage at all, it really is just a moisturiser with a hint of tint. I used this as my base and it worked ok with a slightly heavier concealer but I did find my makeup moved around, as it is quite moisturising. 

This would be a great gym staple, or for that Sunday no makeup look. 

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer £17.00

This is looking a little battered because I had to take the pliers to it. It stopped pumping out concealer but I could see there was still loads in there, so with a bit of DIY from yours truly, I managed to scrape everything out. 

This is a great heavy duty concealer, which works equally well under the eyes and on the rest of the face.

MAC Lipstick in 'Lustering' £15.50

This lipstick made me realise that I hate MAC's 'lustre' finish lipsticks. They are too glossy and wear off really quickly, they don't leave behind a stain either which means you have to reapply constantly and to top it off, they are quite drying. Lustering is a pretty pink colour but I will be avoiding all lustre finishes from now on.

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner in 'Grenat' £19.00

I got this eyeliner as a Christmas present a couple of years ago and I love the colour. It was a rusty burgundy shade, really unique and great for blue or green eyes. I have to say this eyeliner was really long lasting and didn't smudge at all. In this case I would say the price was worth it for such a unique colour.

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in 'Champagne Diamonds' £19.00

I used up every single bit of this pencil, I could still sharpen it but the bottom bit was actually a wax and there was none of the pencil left. This was a super glittery champagne colour which was really easy to apply. I love cream shadow sticks as you only need one colour, they last all day and require minimal effort. I would definitely buy this again.

Total used up makeup = £158.00

May Favourites

May was a nice chilled month for me, I played drunken scrabble in a caravan, climbed the Malvern hills (just about), went to the Make Up For Ever launch, voted (for all the good it did) and spent a lot of time swimming. 

I don't feel ready for summer yet, I'll always be a winter baby but ho hum 7 months till Christmas ;)

For some reason all my favourites this month are on the pricier side but in my humble opinion, they are all well worth splashing the cash on. They wouldn't be my favourites if they weren't ;)

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Frozen Quartz

If I could start my makeup collection again I would just buy every single shade of these. I wear eye shadow every day but I don't have the time to be faffing around with it, which is why I love these. I literally colour my whole eyelid in, and then just blend out the edges with either a brush or my finger tip. I love how these almost have a wet look to them and guaranteed whenever I wear one of these someone will ask what my eyeshadow is. Frozen Quartz is a mauve/pink shade, which has a really pretty sparkle. Pricey but definitely worth it.

£29.00 Space NK

Oskia Micro Exfoliating Balm

I imagine this is what baby cherubs would use on their face, if baby cherubs actually existed. This is the softest, smoothest exfoliator I have ever used. Its not gritty or scrubby, and because its a balm it melts into the skin. When I rinse this off I genuinely expect to look in the mirror and see a baby staring back, my skin feels that soft. 

Again another pricey product, but I am getting to that age where I am happy to invest in skin care!

Space NK £46.00

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow in Sun Tan and Sun Light

I have been obsessed with this for the past two weeks, I have to restrain myself from covering my entire face. In the pan this looks scary, the bronzer looks really dark and slightly orange but its completely different once you apply it. The coverage is sheer, so you can build up colour gradually and you can blend the edges away to nothing, so there are no harsh lines. Paired with the highlighter, this just makes your skin glow. For me this is a summer must have.

Charlotte Tilbury £55.00 (Available July)

Dior Nude Air Serum

I love this foundation on my skin. It completely evens out my skin tone and because it dries down to an almost powder finish, it makes my skin look so smooth. Its also really easy to apply and works best when applied in sections and blended with your fingers. 

Debenhams £33.00

The Bear by Claire Cameron

I have been reading the Game of Thrones books since September, so a break was much needed. The Bear is about a family and their two young children, who are attacked by a bear on a camping trip. The story is told from the 5 year old daughters perspective and that is what makes the book. Its a really easy read, I finished it in a week and had to stop myself from blubbing on the train on a couple of occasions. Reading it from Anna's perspective makes it all the more terrifying, she refers to the bear as a black dog chewing on a bone, not realising whose bone that is. 

I will say that it did frustrate me on a couple of occasions, as the story does skip around, children do have a short attention span after all and I did have to re-read a couple of paragraphs to work out what was actually going on, compared to what Anna thought was happening but overall a really good read. 

Amazon £7.29

Face of the Day with Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow in Sun Tan and Sun Light

This is a Face of the Day from last week when I went to BeautyCon London for work (I didn't stay long). I wanted to try some new products, as I have been getting a bit bored of using the same things all the time.

There are some new discoveries which I love, a few I don't love so much and some old favourites.

Face

Primer

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water and Cover FX Illuminating Primer

I have only just started using the primer water so can't report back yet, except to say I love the idea of a primer spray and it smells nice. I will let you know my findings once I've used it a bit more. 

As far as the Cover FX primer goes, I like it but I don't love it. I wish it was a bit more illuminating because its quite subtle and once I've applied foundation and concealer, you can't really see much in the way of a glow. I do really like the texture, as its light and doesn't have that awful silicone feel, but I can't really say I have noticed a difference in the wear time of my makeup. 

Foundation

Dior Nude Air Serum

I hadn't tried any Dior foundations until this year but since trying Dior Star and now this, I can say I'm fully converted. This makes my skin look really smooth, almost airbrushed, without being heavy and still letting your skin show through. I like to apply this with my fingers working in sections over the face. My only complaint is that it doesn't have the best wear time and I find it starts to fade on oilier areas like my chin and nose towards the end of the day.

Corrector and Concealer

Giorgio Armani Master Corrector and MAC Pro Longwear Concealer

I've only got a tiny bit of the MAC concealer left, I had to break open the tube with some pliers to get the very last of it out. I love that this concealer works well under the eyes and on blemishes and redness. It's high coverage and long lasting, I can see why this is so popular amongst MAC fans. 

Bronzer and Highlight

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow in Sun Tan and Sun Light

My latest obsession, I just love this. It makes me look like I've just come back from a two week holiday, bronzed and glowy my friends. 

Powder

Too Faced Primed and Poreless Pressed Powder

Still not loving this powder, but I'm almost at the end of it now. I definitely wouldn't buy this again or recommend it, it's just too ashy on the skin.

Eyes

Eyebrows

Illamasqua Precision Brow Gel in Strike and Illamasqua Brow and Lash Gel

Its not often I change my eyebrow combination, but I was clearly feeling experimental. The Brow and Lash Gel is not a new product, in fact it was my favourite until the L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper came along but the Precision Brow Gel is a new product for me. 

Compared to the Anastasia DipBrow, this is less harsh and more natural looking, but I just find these brow pomades a bit fiddly to use in general. I think I'll be sticking to my usual Hourglass pencil.

Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

I dug this out because I wanted a matte eyeshadow and I knew this had everything I needed. 

I used W.O.S all over the lid with a mixture of Naked 2 and Faint in the crease.

Eye Liner

Delilah Slim Line Liquid Liner

I wanted a subtle flick, so used this on the outer third of my eye. I love the slim nib, it really lets you get a precise line but this smudged on me. Admittedly most mascaras and eyeliners smudge on me, but I would stick with my Stila Stay All Day over this.

Mascara

Benefit Roller Lash and Clinique Bottom Lash

When it comes to Roller Lash you either love it, or hate it and personally I love it. It takes a few coats to build it up but it really lengthens and curls my lashes, plus it doesn't smudge on me. Clinique Bottom Lash is a staple for me now because its pretty much the only mascara that doesn't smudge on my bottom lashes. I told you everything smudges on me!

Lips

Lip Liner

Jordana Easyliner for Lips in Tawny

If I had to pick between this and my MAC lip liners, this $1.99 bad boy would win every time. This is creamy, not drying and I really, really love the colour.

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Bangkok

These NARS Pure Matte Lipsticks don't get spoken about much, but if you love a matte lip and you haven't tried these, you are missing out. My favourite colour in the line is Montego Bay and I have completely used that lipstick up. Bangkok is lighter in colour and pretty similar to my natural lip colour. It reminds me of that kind of Angelina Jolie, barely there shade.

Two New Discoveries

There are two new makeup launches that I instantly fell in love with from the first use and have been wearing every day ever since.

Charlotte Tilbury's hotly anticipated Norman Parkinson collection has caused quite the stir and its easy to see why when you look at the packaging. 

Sun Tan and Sun Light is the new cream contour palette from the collection. When I first saw it in the pan, I really wasn't sure if this would work for me. The contour colour looked quite dark and the highlight seemed like it would be too gold and warm for my skin tone, but after I tried it I fell in love.

I apply this with a synthetic brush and it blends beautifully, it gives a lovely sheer wash of colour, which you can build up if needed. I personally don't use it as contour but more as an all over bronzer and highlight. I don't have the original powder version of the  Filmstar Bronze and Glow to compare it too but I really love this version and think it will look stunning on tanned skin in the summer.

Next, the new Dior Nude Air foundation. This year I've used two Dior bases which are personal favourites for me, Dior Star and the Dior BB Cream. I was never a big Dior fan before, but after discovering how much I love their foundations, I'm definitely converted. 

Nude Air has a similar formula to Giorgio Armani's Maestro and L'oreal's Magique Nude. Super runny consistency, light coverage which melts into the skin and leaves a velvety/powder like finish. I personally love these foundations as they look natural, feel lightweight but provide a good level of coverage. 

This has a dropper applicator and I find this works best by dispensing the foundation directly onto my face from the pipette. I don't use a brush, I simply blend in with my finger tips and work section by section around my face. This melts into the skin and leaves my skin looking radiant. 

I really am enjoying this foundation, the only thing I would say is that it's not the most long lasting foundation and if I was going out after work I would definitely need to touch up. 

Two new launches definitely worth splashing the cash for. 

Face of the Day with NARS Outer Limits Eyeshadow

At the beginning of the month I mentioned that I was having a slight love affair with peachy toned makeup, so I thought I would slap it all on and do a Face of the Day!

Face

Illuminator

Dior Nude Glow Natural Glow Complexion Enhancer

I like to use this underneath my foundation to give my skin a radiance boost. I'm pretty sure this has  been discontinued by Dior, but either way there are a lot of similar glow boosting primers out there. 

Foundation

Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme

This and the Smashbox BB Cream are the only BB creams I can say I really like. The Dior one is a winner for me because it has an almost powdery finish. I find other BB creams are just too wet or greasy, but this actually dries down on the skin and has a satin finish. I would highly recommend trying this if you like your base on the lighter side.

Corrector

Giorgio Armani Skin Master Corrector (Shade 1)

Don't buy this, buy the Bobbi Brown corrector instead, so much better.

Concealer

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer

A good, heavy duty concealer, works well when teamed with a lighter coverage base.

Bronzer

Chanel Soleil tan de Chanel

A rediscovery that I have really been enjoying. This cream bronzer does require a good bit of blending to avoid orange stripes, but if you have the patience it really is worth it. You can really fake a natural, tanned glow with this. 

Blusher

MAC Mineralize Blush in New Romance

This is a blusher and a highlight in one, yaaaas! I am having a bit of a love affair with MAC Mineralize blushers at the moment, although I really hate the new packaging (wah)

Powder

Too Faced Primed and Poreless Pressed Powder

I moan about this powder every time but I'm just not a fan. Its kinda ashy and can completely take the glow out of your makeup, even when applied sparingly.

Eyes

Eyebrows

Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Long-Wear Brow Pencil in Grey and L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper in Dark Brunette

The L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper is a staple for me but I can't say the same for the Bobbi Brown brow pencil. I mentioned before that I like it, but it only lasted me a month. You just can't part me from my Hourglass Brow Sculpting Pencil.

Eyeshadow 

Bourjois Colorband 2-in-1 Eyeshadow and Liner in Rose Fauviste and NARS Outer Limits Shimmer Eyeshadow

Now you know how much I love a good cream eyeshadow stick but sadly I don't think these Bourjois ones are anything to write home about. The colours don't wow me, the texture is OK but they are a bit sheer, in general I'm pretty 'meh' when it comes to these, but they do work as a base underneath a powder eyeshadow. 

This new NARS shadow from the Christopher Kane collection remains the most beautiful eyeshadow I have ever laid my eyes on. Its a glittery, peachy/rose gold colour and it gives serious sparkle.

Mascara

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara and Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

This week I came this close to just throwing this Too Faced mascara in the bin, I just can't deal with the flaking. Honestly by mid afternoon I start to get little black specks of mascara underneath my eyes and by the end of the day its full on Uncle Fester mode. Now its dried out a bit I can say that I really like the volume and length it gives my lashes, but if it won't stay on my eyes, its useless! 

Its now been relegated to the Sunday mascara, because I hate Sundays.

Lips

Lip Liner

Jordana Easyliner for Lips in Tawny

I bought this lip liner in a Walgreens in Chicago for $1.99 (actually I bought two) and it is by far my favourite out of all the ones I own. Its really creamy, doesn't dry your lips out and the colour is the perfect nude. I'm going to Seattle in October and will be bulk buying more! 

Lipstick

MAC Kinda Sexy Lipstick

I had this lipstick many moons ago but somehow managed to lose it. I was in MAC recently and on a whim decided to buy it again. I'm so glad I did because I just love this matte peach shade. Its quite a muted shade but gives just the right amount of colour.

Project Pan Update 4 - Halfway Point

So I'm halfway through my year of use up as much makeup as I can, and this is my pile of makeup empties from the past six months. 

I explained my reasoning's for this little challenge in this blog post and I'm pretty proud of my progress so far. On average I have been managing to finish about 5 items a month which isn't bad, but that is with consistent daily use. I have found this is making me get a bit boring with my makeup and I have definitely been doing less experimenting, so we will see how the next six months go.

Overall I am still really enjoying this little project pan challenge and project pan videos are my new YouTube addiction! I just find it so satisfying to actually finish something and get my moneys worth from it. I'm not going to go through everything now, as I will save that until the end, but I did add up how much all this used up makeup is worth and so far my total is £641.66! 

Here's what I managed to finish in April.

Tarte Lights Camera Flashes Mascara £15.00

This mascara is the bomb.com I bloody love it, I just wish you could buy it in England! This gives me really dramatic lashes and I love that it volumes and lengthens. I intend to buy as many tubes as I can the next time I'm in a Sephora.

MAC Cosmo Lipstick £15.50

I actually bought this lipstick before I started working at Cosmo but the name does mean it will always have a special place in my heart. Cosmo is my kind of rosy brown nude, a great MLBB (my lips but better) shade.

MAC Alluring Aquatic Bronzer in Aphrodite's Shell £24.00

OMG this took forever to finish, pretty much a whole year! This was limited edition from MAC's summer collection last year and they have just released their new Summer collection for this year. Lovely bronzer and the packaging is amazing but happy to have finally finished it.

Clinique High Impact Mascara £8.00

I got this in a Clinique Black Honey set for Christmas but I completely forgot there was a mascara in the set until I found it in my drawer. This is a decent mascara, nothing amazing though and it did smudge on me, which meant it got regulated to the Sunday mascara. FYI Sundays were made for not caring!

Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Long-Wear Brow Pencil in Grey £29.50

I am very torn with these new eyebrow pencils from Bobbi Brown. They have the same design as my holy grail Hourglass pencil, so of course I love them for that and the colour range is really good but I finished this in one month! At £29.50 these don't come cheap, so once I've used up my other one I will be going back to Hourglass.

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara £13.00

I know to the average non crazy makeup person, a mascara dedicated solely to your bottom lashes seems ridiculous, but if like me every bloody mascara smudges on you, this is a revelation.

Total used up makeup = £105.00 

April Favourites

Since I've been making a conscious effort to use up more makeup, I feel like my monthly favourites are becoming more and more boring, but I never want to include things that I haven't consistently used all month. 

This month its a bit of a mixture of old favourites and new discoveries. 

Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel 

Ahh the infamous Bronze Universel, one of those cult beauty blogger items. This is a cream bronzer which is notoriously tricky to work with. Half the battle is finding the right brush to use with it. Personally I really like the Real Techniques Blush Brush, its synthetic so perfect for cream products and   not too dense. Applied right, this gives such a beautiful, healthy bronzed glow. 

MAC Mineralize Blush in New Romance

From a rediscovery to a new discovery. I really do love the MAC Mineralize blushes, as they act as a blusher and a highlight in one. New Romance is a pretty peach colour, perfect for Summer. 

Word of caution with these blushers though, a little goes a long way. 

Essie Nail Polish in Stones 'n Roses

I mentioned this polish in my last post, so I won't bore you all again but safe to say I have been loving this 60's style peach colour.

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre

A trip to Boots these days is becoming more and more dangerous. They have started stocking more new and cult brands, that its now almost impossible to just go in for one thing. I have heard a lot about this moisturiser, so when I spotted it in Boots I decided to try it. 

When it comes to moisturisers I tend to be very picky, as I hate anything that feels too heavy. This feels light but hydrating on the skin and isn't at all greasy. I can't say I have noticed any skincare benefits yet, but at the moment I am just enjoying using this.

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in Champagne Diamonds

I have a bit of an obsession with cream eyeshadow sticks and out of all the ones I've tries, these Charlotte Tilbury ones are easily the most glittery. Champagne Diamonds is a gold colour with actual visible chunks of glitter. I prefer the By Terry Ombre Blackstar's to these but I do love how sparkly these look on the eyes.