The Fate of My Project 15 Pan

I started on January 1st, and it's been 5 months - with one month break last month. It's been very long, and while I hate to quit things I committed myself to, I feel like I'm letting it slip a bit - but at the same time, I think I've got what I wanted from Project Pan.

I've finished 5 make up products and 5 beauty products, and it's gotten me into the habit of wanting to finish things. Also, my collection has grown in a way that only things that I want and use are in there, and I find myself not wanting every single thing I see. I also managed to finish, swap or sell things that I didn't want or need. I find myself in situations where I'm thinking, "I need something like this" and then going out to find it, rather than seeing a review or promotion pictures and thinking "I need that", just because it's pretty or just because it's the hype.

The mission seems to be accomplished, but I still want to say I finished 15 products, so I'll keep on counting, but I don't think I'll be on a strict ban as I'm not the same splurger I was in December anyway - my views on make up and blogging has changed so much!

The reality is that when you love something - like make up - to deprive yourself completely is a punishment that wont do you any good. But I think it's important to be sensible, and that's what I wanted and got from my project pan. These days I read more reviews, explore more in stores because I know I can buy stuff if I want to - and it's so much better this way :)

With that in mind.. here are a few things I picked up before my Berlin holiday - as you can see, no massive splurges, and reasons for every purchase!

Garnier Roll On

Tired eyes after exams, need I say more? I also bargain hunted and got this for £5 at Wilkinson's :)

Natural Collection Lipstick in Rose Petal 

I wanted a baby peach, and went for the brand that everyone seemed to be raving about - but I got a baby pink bordering on concealer lip! I think it'll have to wait til the winter when I'm paler..

Bourjois Healthy Mix in 56

I hated having to use my Dior foundation on days where I was just popping out for a coffee, or when I just wanted to do a video. I also needed a non-SPF foundation after the massive horror that is the flashback of an SPF25 foundation, and I wanted something light to take on my holidays! Everyone had been raving about this, and I committed after Steph's suggestion - it must be good if it's coming from a Chanel foundation addict!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Anti Chip Top Coat

I am an impatient person when it comes to nailpolish, and I hate it when I have a gorgeous colour but I don't reach for it because I know I'll mess it up before it dries. So I bought this so I can wear any colour I want, and also so I hopefully wont have to be annoyed by chipping nail polish over my holidays :) Hope it works, I have faith in Sally.

See? Nothing too mad :)

I'd recommend Project Pan to anybody - it's a great experience :) Even if I'm not banning myself from buying, I think finishing 10 make-up products is an accomplishment that I'm looking forward to! :D

<3yu

Update Project 15 Pan

I know, I know, I haven't been updating with all the reviews for my finished products like I said - I think I got bored of reviewing moisturizers! Maybe I'll insert a blurb when I'm all done with them. Anyway, I haven't finished anything since February 10th, so I thought I'd do a little update on how I'm doing.

Here we've got..

1) Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel

2) Rimmel Soft Kohl Eyeliner in Black

3) ELF Complexion Perfection Powder

4) Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Sand Beige

5) MUJI Concealer in Ochre

6) Bourjois Effet 3D Lipgloss in 29

7) Maybelline Falsies Mascara

8) NIVEA Visage Refreshing Toner for Normal/Combo Skin

9) Benefit Stay Don't Stray Primer

10) Rimmel Sunshimmer Bronzer in Medium Matte

I reckon the first three I finish will be the MUJI Concealer, Rimmel Eyeliner and the toner..

 I thought it'd be done when I reached the rim.. wishful thinking, it's bottomless!

 So close! Shame though cuz I do like this toner..

I can hardly take it out when the lid is on, and it's getting quite hard to even hold it..

So yes, I haven't finished anything in over a month, but it looks like it'll be a BAM BAM BAM 3 or 4 done in a space of a week.. or is that wishful thinking?

I've also semi-broken my Project Pan this month by buying from my own fundraising blogsale (please check it out before I buy everything!).. but I don't know, is that something to be ashamed about? Buying for charity? Although, I now understand why my mom doesn't immediately buy stuff she likes when nice things come into her charity shop - it's REALLY guilt-tripping. I thought 24hours was a long enough wait? :P

What I've realised by doing this Project Pan is that I actually am no where near being a make-up junkie, or even having 'too much'. I've discovered that I hardly have any dupes, and that there really isn't much in my collection that I never use. This might explain my lax-ness and my allowance of 3 purchases a month. 3 products a month has only been on the brink of uncomfortable, and I don't have much of a problem if this project goes on for another couple of months. I'd like to think of this project as not to minimize my collection, but to make some space for better quality and better chosen products.

Now that I know what it's like to try to finish a product, I think I'll keep at it as a practice even when I'm done because it is a nice feeling to feel you got the most out of a product, even if you do rebuy it.

Anyway, I've already bought my 3 allowances for March so it's been a quick one, but I'll do a post on the 3 items later this month. I already know what I want for April :)

I know a lot of you have been on a spending ban, a Project Pan or given up make-up for lent - how's it going? :)

<3yu

February 2011 Favourites :)

So February wasn't as long as January, but boy was it busy for me! However, amongst all this I still managed to keep track of what I've been loving, so here are my February Favourites..

Products Mentioned:

- Ralph Lauren Romance
- Sigma F80
- Burt's Bees Lipbalm
- OPI Teenage Dream
- MAC Vintage Selection Paint Pot
- MAC Viva Glam Cyndi Lipglass
- NYX Paris Lipstick
- Bourjois Lipstick in Fashion Rouge 23

Please let me know if you prefer me to do pics/text or if just the video is fine :) Or if you want little blurbs on the Products Mentioned list.. just lemme know what you thought lol!

A quick update on my Project Pan, this month I bought 3 make-up items! I used to have specifications of under what condition I can get my P15P exceptions, but I've just kinda made it now to 3 items per month. I'm quite proud of how well I'm doing! Since 2011, I've only bought 4 make-up items :) If you want to see what I've finished, there is a list on the left-hand side :)

What were your Feb favourites?

Hope you had a great February, and see you in March! :)

<3yu

The Project 15 Pan: Product 2!

I've finished my second product today, and it is the BodyShop Seaweed Series Mattifying Day Cream:

I know it's the tester tub, but I'm not going to bother with sizes as I just want to be able to decrease the number of stuff I have :) That being said, I'm starting to realise how hard this project is going to be, as I still haven't finished a single make-up product. Urgh! Anyway, on to the mini-review.

A lot of sources seem to imply that this product is the most popular out of the Seaweed Series, but I couldn't tell you why. It's not that I don't like it, but it is incredibly average in my eyes and overpriced for what you get.

The consistency is unique, first for the purpose and generally lovely, as it's somewhere between a gel and a cream, which is perfect for people with oily/combination skin. However, I didn't see this to be suitable for me for several reasons, despite having combination skin.

First, it's not moisturizing enough for these winter months. But more importantly, I feel like it kinda sits on my face and I'm waiting for it to 'dry' rather than waiting for it to 'absorb'. I felt like I was smearing a layer of defensive barrier or something lol! Because of this, I also didn't feel comfortable using this as a base for my foundation because I felt like I was using my face as a mixing surface.. lol. Not cool.

Obviously by the name, it's supposed to be a mattifying cream. It's not. It does a good job of controlling the oil but I wouldn't go as far to say it's a mattifying cream.

For £9, Idk if this is the result I would want. In fact, it's not. I'd much rather invest in Nivea, or something more cream-based. As you can tell it's possibly party my personal choice, as I've never really liked putting gel on my face, but I think my argument still stands that it's not the best of moisturizers, unless you just want something that controls the oil to a moderate level.

I love this range, and I use their face wash and toner everyday, they smell so fresh and lovely but this product - it just wasn't rebuy material for me! :)

<3yu

The Project 15 Pan: Product 1!

So I finally finished one product out of my Project 15 Pan (P15P) and it turned out to be my Nivea Soft which is now in 3 pieces..

I know it's not 'make-up' but since I want to start using up all my beauty products as well, I've allowed myself 5 beauty products out of my 15. As promised, I intend to do a mini-review for each product I finish, so here goes :)

Packaging: I'll stick with the tubs from now on. It was nice to carry around when I was travelling and whatnot, but I would only ever get a tiny tube for travelling after this because this was a b*tch to get the last drops out of (hence the multi-decapitation).

Formula: Amazing. It's a middle-ground product, which I am always a fan of. The smell is never offensive, it's quite neutral and is a good change from the other fruity or floral smells that I have. It's also good because you can use it on your face and you don't have a strong smell. I love how it's not too thick or not too thin, so you feel at ease when you use it on your body or on your face. It's multi-functional in terms of you can apply it on your face, body and hands and appropriate for any situation in terms of the smell.

Rebuy: I already have a back-up! :)

14 more to go!

<3yu

The Project 15 Pan: The Intro

I turned 20 almost exactly 7 months ago, and while most years I don't feel much change, this year has been very different for me.

I've become a bit more like my mom (gah..), in that I prefer to 'invest' rather than just 'purchase', and that basically means that I'd rather buy less of more expensive things that are supposed to last me longer and be better quality, than buying loads of cheap things. Does this explain my MAC & NARS purchases recently? :)

With this new theory in mind, I've decided I want to clear out some stuff in my make-up and beauty collection, to 1) make space for new investments 2) not become an OTT make-up junkie 3) save money in the long run 4) to prove to myself (and my lovely bf :P ) that I still have some self-control :P. My first attempt at this is through a Project 15 Pan.

Project Pans are projects where people choose a certain number (as I have chose 15), and do not allow themselves to buy anymore make-up until they have either 'hit pan' or have finished that many number of products. Many people make their own rules for this, and here are mine:

1) I must FINISH all products (not just 'hit pan').

2) A product will NOT count if I have to replace by purchasing

(e.g. Shampoos, foundations; i.e. I don't have a back-up that I can use. This is because my purpose is to reduce my make up, and repurchasing would just.. cancel it out.)

3) I can only include up to 5 beauty products (e.g. lotions, body wash etc.,) out of the 15.

(This is so I don't use up 10 lotions and 5 make-up products.. cuz then that's kind of Project 5 Pan.. in a way..)

4) I have several exceptions:

- I can purchase one product a month.

- I can purchase 1 limited edition item per collection (preferably stay within above exception).

- I can purchase 1 item from a brand that I can't access where I live, if I physically go to a place that sells it

(This is to make sure I have fun when I have a day out in Birmingham, London, Manchester, etc., and include brands like MAC & Sleek :))

- Nail polishes are excluded.

(Added 1/2/2010.. I never intended to count nailpolish, it never actually crossed my mind! Just wanted to add this so people know if I ever do a post on nailpolish!)

I start on January 1st, as a part of my New Year's Resolution (and also so it's easy to count how many days I've been at it :P), and hopefully be finished by my birthday on May 26th.. because it will be sad if I can't treat myself for my 21st lol.

I'll be updating you guys on each product that I finish. And because I have been very bad at keeping up with reviews, I'll accompany each used product with a review :)

I'm quite nervous actually, I'd be so disappointed in myself if I fail! Has anyone else done a Project Pan before? And how did it go? Any tips? :) Wish me luck!

<3yu