little white truths

Welcome to my first full Project Pan update of the new year! As always I struggled to find time to take shots of twenty-odd products but I've done it and it's only a couple of days into February so that's a plus.

As you can see above, I've finished three more products from my list in January: my Mellow lipstick, Too Faced eye primer and Josie Maran illuminator. 

The Mellow lipstick had a good formula but I didn't love the colour on me; the Josie Maran product just didn't float my boat so I wouldn't even accept another sample of it; and the Too Faced Shadow Insurance was good but my tube was too old. 

On that, the Too Faced primer had thickened up (because it separated and the oil came out a while ago) so I got through it by mixing it with oil and using it as a face primer since it no longer worked on the eyes but it did on the face. Something to keep in mind if your shadow insurance has got to the point where it's not off/irritating but it doesn't perform well either.

As for the rest of my list:

That's fourteen products I now have left in total, so I've added in a few more below.

If you would like to see my intro post to check the progress of the products I'm unable to mark, see here.

Let's have a quick look at each item in turn.

My Bodyography powders are taking so long: there's 27g total in each tub and I don't use a lot of powder because I have dry skin, so these will likely last out the year. 

Once I get through the next few months, however, the markers (see below) will start to move faster because I'll have moved past the thick section at the middle of the tubs and it will be easier to see progress each month.

The big news in this lot is that I've hit pan on the Vivito blush. Thank golly! Blushes take ages to pan but I'm using this mixed in with my setting powder because it's beautifully finely milled and I want to use it, but it's too pale as a blush on me and it doesn't make my skin pink when mixed with a translucent powder.

The Mirenesse highlighter is vanishing much faster than I'd anticipated because it's so old that it crumbles whenever I stick my brush in, no matter how gentle I am. It's getting used on the body (collarbones, shoulders, shins) and I don't mind it for that, and I won't be surprised if it's gone by June so I'll be able to bring in another highlighter this year and start working on something else.

As for my hair products, I've haven't been using the Davroe product too much because I'm focusing on the smaller bottles so you'll see below that I haven't made much progress on that in January.

The Kerastase oil I'm using as a pre-wash treatment but only on the ends of my hair because I struggle to wash it out of my hair if I use it near the scalp. I've made some good progress on it and I'm hoping to finish it by the end of March.

As for the Reverie anti-frizz treatment, that doesn't work well at all on my hair so I've also been using it as a pre-wash treatment, but I've been using it near the scalp because it's easier to wash out.

I'll be really glad to get through these hair products and knock a few more out of my collection in 2017 because haircare is a category that blew up last year and I need to reduce what I have.

Now for my pots. The Essential Apothecary toothpaste is lasting so much longer than I'd hoped and I can't see myself getting through that until the end of March at the earliest. It's not a bad product but I prefer standard toothpaste so I'll be pleased when it's gone.

My Josie Maran blush is finally starting to look more worn: this is because I've opted not to include any lip products for the moment and I won't until I've finished this - it makes a good lip tint (I do need to put a clear gloss over it though) so I'll happily use it as my only coloured lip product until it's gone. I expect it to be done by the end of February. Wish me luck!

The Peter Thomas Roth mask doesn't do much for me but I've been mixing it with a powder exfoliant that I often use to turn bad masks into good ones so I'm enjoying it now. It's only a 50g tub but masks tend to last a while so it will still be going well into March I reckon.

As for my Becca corrector, it's in for the long haul but I do use it every day so I know I'll get through it eventually. It's certainly looking a lot more loved than it was when I brought it into Project Pan last year and I'm hoping to hit pan within the next month or so.

Now for the rest of my makeup items. Becca Topaz is getting mixed in with either my primer or my sunscreen to give me a bronze glow that sits beautifully under makeup and just adds that something extra without being too much. You'll see on the marker below that I've made some progress but the product is definitely in for the long haul.

My two concealers from Maybelline and Bodyography are suddenly looking much smaller: this is because I've mixed equal parts of them in a tub with the foundation I've just brought into my list (more on that below) to get my colour match, then I've thinned the mixture out a bit with a dollop of sunscreen. The amount in the tub should last a few weeks and then I'll keep replenishing it until the products are gone.

My Inika eyeliner will also be on my list for ages because I only use black on my upper waterline and to be honest I prefer brown for lining but I'll use this while I have it.

You'll see on the paper below that I've barely made any progress so I expect it to hang around until the very end of the year.

Next up, my replacements (see below). The Gorgeous Cosmetics Base Perfect Liquid Foundation is one of the best foundations I've ever used. Two Christmases ago I bought two shades because the existing colour line had been discontinued so I got them for a measly $19.95 each. I bought 2N-BP because I hoped it would be my summer colour (and the yellow shade was gone so I went for the neutral) and 1Y-BP to mix with this and get my winter shade.

Problem is, they're both too dark! I was annoyed about this because I did heaps of research and knew the shades ran dark so I opted for colours that I would normally expect to be too light. The 1Y colour is probably right for me in theory but it's so yellow that it will become my yellow mixer once the Bodyography concealer is done. This 2N product is so dark that I need a lot of pale product to tone it down, and it doesn't have enough warmth so I need a yellow mixer as well to stop it looking ashy.

Happily when mixed with my two concealers I can make it work, so I'll do that until the mixers are gone and then I may need additional mixers for the product. I hope to finish it by June.

You may remember that I used up one of these 'Tini Beauty Eye Cordials last year. They're sensational liquid/cream eyeshadows that double as eye bases and I've reviewed this shade in Spiced Rum here. I received both this and my last one in sub boxes and I've had this open for around six months now so it's time to get through it. Like my last one, it will no doubt start to go goopy before I finish it but I would like to get some good use from it before that happens.

As for my St Tropez Tanning Mousse, I haven't reviewed this yet but I will once I start using it. I do self-tan but tanning mousses are too much hassle for me so I need to include them in Project Pans to make myself use them. This one is a travel-size so I should get through it quickly, but I'll actually need to use it to do so! Fingers crossed I can move it out during February. Easier said than done when you have a baby and a toddler.

In sum

Hooray for the first month of Project Pan 2017! It's been a reasonably slow start for me but I was predicting that because quite a few of my products will take a long time to get through.

Fingers crossed for me that I can knock off a few products during February so I can keep my list moving and keep bringing in new products.

Speak soon x