little white truths

I was meant to wind up my current two rounds of Project Dent over the weekend, but we didn't have good sunlight so I wasn't able to photograph them and give you progress shots, meaning I can't update you just yet.

So what I've decided to do is introduce my next two items for denting now - which I can do because I haven't used them since they were last dented, meaning I can use old progress shots - and the first one I'm bringing in is this Marc Jacobs blush in Flesh & Fantasy.

Do note, however, that I've just introduced a blush to Project Pan 2019 - so what I'll be doing over the next fortnight is alternating between the two (I'll be wearing one blush on my cheeks and one on my eyes). That way I won't sacrifice progress on either of them.

If you're interested, I've reviewed this product here. Long story short, I absolutely love it and there's a reason why I bought three shades in this formula. It applies and blends well, and it airbrushes the skin beautifully. This shade in Flesh & Fantasy is a nice everyday kind of nude that you can wear with just about anything, and I really enjoy it.

So, here's how my blush is looking today, 1 April 2019:

Same shot, enhanced for clarity:

As you can see, I've definitely used this but we're not seeing a huge amount of progress. What I'll aim to do over the denting period is create a dip in the larger highlighter stripe and also the larger blush stripe, and while I don't expect to see huge amounts of progress during that time, we should see some.

After this, I'll pick out my next item for denting (I think it will be a bronzer), and I'll put aside the two products from my last rounds of Project Dent and photograph those as soon as possible so I can give you progress shots.

That's all from me. Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x

Hello and welcome to another Project Pan mini update for 2019!

So far it's been a great panning month and I've finished a bunch of stuff, and I'm expecting to finish at least one more item before my full Project Pan update in two weeks.

As you can see above, I've now finished my OGX Kukui Oil Frizz Defying Curl Cream. There are my markers:

So it took me three months to finish this, which I was able to achieve because I not only used it on my own hair, but also on my kids' hair. It worked really well for all three of us (especially on my son's curls), and it's absolutely a product I would buy again.

As for my replacements, I've picked two because I want to keep things moving:

I chose a hand cream and a face serum, purely because there wasn't a makeup item that jumped out at me and I do need to get through these two items sooner rather than later: I've had them for ages.

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

First up, my Trilogy Ultra Hydrating Hand Cream (reviewed here). I do like this product but I've had it for a long time now and I was recently given some travel-sized hand cream samples to try, so I would like to finish this and move on to something else.

As you can see above, I've used a reasonable amount but there's still quite a bit to go. I'll be using this daily on my feet because I don't have a foot cream at the moment and this works very well for that, but I still expect it to last at least a month and maybe more.

Next up, my Alpha-H Liquid Gold Intensive Night Repair Serum (reviewed here). This is a good product and it resurfaces my skin nicely, although it's quite strong and you're only meant to use it every second night.

So while it looks like there's not much left, I'm still expecting the remains to last me around a month because you only need a little each time and the bottle is 50ml in size so there's more in there than you might first think. I want to finish it because I've had it for ages and also because I have some serums from The Ordinary that contain active ingredients too and I want to start using those.

That's all from me. Just a short post today because we have a lot on. Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x

It feels like ages since I've done a review post because I wasn't able to blog for a week (too much work on) and then I had a bunch of panning posts to do first, but here we are now and I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it again.

I bought this essence a while ago because I wanted to try another essence and I'd heard such great things about this one, and I'm pleased to report that it's very good and I would absolutely buy it again. More on that below.

Origins claims/product details:

• Your ticket to radiant, supple skin
• A weightless, oil-free essence lotion that replenishes moisture, minimises the appearance of pores, brightens and boosts luminosity
• Saturate skin in hydration with your twice-daily shot of this multitasking essence lotion
• By harnessing the power of a dual ferment complex, this powerful formulation amplifies skin's radiance, restores moisture and smooths uneven texture
• RRP $46 AUD for 150ml

Verdict

This is a great little product and I'm really enjoying it, and I reckon it's the nicest essence I've used to date.

It's a thin, clear liquid that's a little thicker than most essences I've tried (it's thicker than water and almost feels a bit gel-like), and it has a refreshing orange scent that's not overpowering.

It applies and absorbs well, and I think the thickness of the texture helps make it feel like it's doing a little more work than other essences I've tried. It just feels like it has more punch.

You can apply this either with your hands or with a cotton round, and I prefer to use my hands because otherwise I'd waste too much product. While I'm ok to soak a cotton round with my toner because the round also helps wipe away dirt, I don't think it's necessary to do that with this product so I suggest opting for hands: no point losing half the bottle to cotton heaven.

I apply this both morning and night, after my toner and before my serum. I'm not sure if you're meant to wait a couple of minutes before applying your serum because the instructions are silent on that, but I normally try to do this - just to give the essence a chance to work its magic before adding anything else on top.

My skin really likes this stuff, I must say. After use it looks brighter and more awake, plus it feels softer and more hydrated too. Most essences I've tried don't do a huge amount for hydration, but this one does and you could almost use it in place of a serum if you wanted to. I also like how fresh and healthy my skin looks after use.

As for claims: yes it gives me more radiant and supple skin; yes it's weightless and oil-free; yes it replenishes moisture, brightens and boosts luminosity; yes I think it softens my skin and and makes my texture feel more even; but no I don't think it minimises the appearance of pores.

As for whether it helps prep skin to better absorb any products you add over it, it's really hard to judge that but I'm prepared to believe it because my skin has been looking happier lately, so perhaps this product has something to do with that.

Overall I think this is an excellent essence and it's my favourite essence to date. I did consider giving it an HG tag but I'm not quite prepared to do that because I don't think it's an essential step in my routine, although I'm enjoying using it and I love what it does for my skin.

Worth trying.

Hello and welcome to another Project Pan mini update!

While I did post another mini update this morning, that's because I haven't been able to blog for the past week (too much work on), so I had some backlog and I finished this particular empty a couple of days after the other two I just posted on.

There it is:

It's my Dermaveen Daily Nourish Foaming Facial Cleanser. I enjoyed this product but I'd had it for a while so I'm glad I've managed to pan it - especially because I've got a bunch of back-up cleansers waiting in the wings that I'm keen to start using.

Speaking of cleansers, here's my replacement:

It's my Alpha-H Liquid Gold Resurfacing Cleansing Cream. I haven't reviewed this yet, but it's my least-favourite cleanser of the ones I currently have open and I would like to get through it so I can try something else.

There's how much I've used:

So I've got a long way to go with this, and although I've used it quite a bit, I can see it lasting me another three to four months. Reason being, it does have active ingredients in it so I can't use it twice a day (I have too many other active ingredients in my skincare and my face won't like it), but I wanted to bring it into Project Pan to encourage me to use it more often.

That's all from me. Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x

Hello and welcome to my first makeup inventory post for 2019!

I haven't done an inventory since before Christmas, and while I have been on a makeup no buy since the beginning of December, I received some stuff as gifts over the festive period so it'll just be a matter of whether I've finished more than I've received.

We shall see!

Primers

Last update I had four and I now have three. Woot woot, I've finally gotten my primer collection down to reasonable levels!

My goal was four or five so I've managed to beat that, and there's room to buy another one when my spending ban lifts for my birthday month in June.

Setting sprays

Last update I had one and I still have one. While that's a good amount for me, I wouldn't mind owning another one and I do plan to buy the Urban Decay All Nighter once my spending ban has lifted - the one I have is good for hydration but not so much for longevity.

No more than two is my goal here.

Liquid/cream illuminators

I had one and I still have one. While I had two for a while there, I panned another one recently and I also received one for Christmas, which is why I still have one.

One's my goal so we're good here.

Liquid foundations

I had one and I now have two because I received one for Christmas. Two is a good amount for me, and one of them doesn't have a huge amount left so I expect to be buying another one in June.

My goal is no more than three.

Shade adjusting drops/foundation mixers

I had two and I still have two. Two is a good number for me (one for darkening and one for lightening), although I wouldn't mind finding myself a yellow mixer at some point because I need that for any bases that aren't yellow enough for my skintone.

Two's my goal so we're there.

BB/CC creams and tinted moisturisers

I had three and I now have one because I finished two, so there's room to buy another one because I use tinted moisturisers the most and one isn't enough for me. Still, I'll try to last until June so I don't break my no buy.

My goal is no more than two open.

Correctors

I had one and I now have zero because I finished the one I had. This is annoying and while I can buy another one under my no buy rules, the one I want to buy is from Mecca but I've already hit L3 status there so I want to hold off on any Mecca purchases until July.

One is enough for me so I've passed my goal in this category.

Concealers

I had one and I still have one, which is a good amount for me because I don't need much concealer - although the one I have is better for my winter skintone, so I may need to buy myself another one down the track. We'll see.

Two's my goal here.

Setting powders

I had three (two being unopened) and I now have two because I panned one.

While initially my goal was one, I'm changing that to three or four because I would like to explore the setting powder category (something I haven't done before) and work out what the best ones are, whether budget or high-end. So I'm ok with this category for now and I plan to buy another one soon.

Finishing powders

I had one and I still have one. Happy with that.

Face palettes

I had three and I still have three.

I don't really have a goal here but three is probably too many for me, so I'll aim to pan myself down to two eventually.

Bronzers/contour powders

I had five and I still have five. Even though I bought myself three last year, I've panned some and I've also moved a couple into my custom palettes because I managed to make some extra room in those via Pan that Palette 2018.

My goal is four, so I'm not far away from that - and considering that I use one of my bronzers as a contour because it's neutral/cool, I can live with that for now.

Blushes

I had seven and I still have seven. 

My 2018 goal was seven stand-alone blushes, so I've hit that goal and I want to stay at that number for 2019 because I love blush so I'm happy to have a few of them, although I want to pan some of my older items so I can try more.

Highlighters

I had five and I now have six because my husband bought one for me. 

My goal was no more than seven so we're good here, although I might make five my new goal because I don't need that many highlighters and I have more in my custom palettes anyway.

Eyeshadow palettes (small and large)

I had fourteen and I still have fourteen: three quints, five septets and six larger palettes. Too many.

Unfortunately this category has blown up over the last two years (I used to have nine), and I want to get it back down again because I don't need this many eyeshadow palettes. Let's see if I can't pan some of the smaller palettes over the next year or two. Fingers crossed!

My goal for 2019 is ten, so that's what I'll work towards.

Eyeliners 

I had one and I still have one.

That's my goal: I don't use much eyeliner.

Mascaras

I had seven and I now have eight (one full-size and seven travel-sizes). Although I finished a couple, I also keep receiving them as GWPs.

My goal here is no more than four: one or two open, and one or two in back-up. I have some work to do here!

Brow products

I had two and I still have two: one pencil and one coloured gel. 

Two's my goal, so we're there.

Lipsticks

I had three and I now have four (one being a mini that I received in a Mecca Beauty Loop box).

My goal here is no more than four, for the simple reason that I prefer glosses and I'm happy to have less lipsticks and more glosses, so this category is fine for now.

Lip balms

I had one and I still have one.

That's fine. I use lip balms something chronic so I'm happy to buy more later on, but one's enough for the moment.

Lip glosses

I had eight and I now have six because I panned a couple.

My goal is no more than six so I'm happy with this category. 

Custom palettes

I have six custom palettes: three larger ones and three smaller ones.

In my last inventory I had:

• five bronzers 
• six blushes (one being a mini and one being a half-size)
• one setting powder 
• seven highlighters (one being a mini and one being a half-size)
• forty-one eyeshadows 

I now have:

• four bronzers (I panned one)
• five blushes (I panned one); one being a half-size
• one setting powder 
• seven highlighters (one being a mini and one being a half-size)
• thirty-nine eyeshadows 

As mentioned previously, my goal with this section is not so much to get the numbers down (I want my custom palettes to be full), but instead to keep finishing pans so I can continue to de-pot my individual powders and bring those into my palettes. I reach for these daily and everything in them gets plenty of use. 

So I've done ok with this section because we can see there's been some movement: that's all I'm aiming for here.

The final tally

Here we go... *nervous face*

If I count my custom palettes as only six items and don't count the individual pans, I now have 80 products - which is a little less than the 83 items I had in my last inventory. Happy with that!

If I include the individual pans in my custom palettes (but count pre-made palettes as one item), I now have 130 makeup products, which is a reasonable reduction from the 137 I had previously.

I'm going to set a new goal for 2019, this being no more than 75 makeup products. Let's see if I can get there by next update.

I'm also hoping to get my individual pan count down a little, so let's aim for 120 pans by the end of 2019.

That's all from me. Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x

My last skincare inventory was in December (see here), so it's high time I checked in to do an updated one.

I'm looking forward to writing this inventory because I know I've gotten through a lot of stuff lately, and I'm expecting both my makeup and skincare numbers to have gone down. We shall see!

Makeup remover

Previously I had two and I still have two (one open full-size and one unopened back-up).

One is my ultimate goal, but I don't mind having a back-up so I'm not worried about this category. 

Cleansing oils/balms

I had two and I now have one, this being a cleansing oil. That's pretty restrained for me - I love these kinds of cleansers - so I'm happy with that!

Two's my goal so we're there.

Cleansers

This is all other cleansers aside from oils and balms, and it's one of my bad categories. Previously I had seven and I now have five (two being unopened), so my numbers have dropped and I'm pleased about that.

My goal here is no more than four open cleansers plus a couple of back-ups because I do get through cleansers reasonably quickly and I like to have some unopened ones on hand, so I guess we're not too far away here.

Exfoliants

I had five and I now have two (one being unopened), so I've done well with this category and I'm pleased with where things are at.

My goal here is no more than two open products plus a couple of back-ups, so we're not too far away here either.

Toners

For toners, I'm not only including standard toners but also 'treatment' ones (eg my glycolic toner from Alpha-H). In my last inventory I had seven (oops!) and I now have five (three being unopened), so I've dropped a little here and I'm looking forward to dropping some more. 

My goal here is no more than four: two open and two unopened back-ups. I have some work to do here.

Acids/treatments

The products in this category include eg items from The Ordinary because they don't really fit into any other category and I can still use them in conjunction with my serums or even mixed in with my serums or moisturisers.

Before I had four and I now have two (one being unopened).

Three is my goal in this category so I'm not too far off here.

Essences

This is a new category because I've only started exploring essences more this year. At the moment I have two (one being unopened) and I'm happy with that.

My goal is no more than two.

Serums

Before I had four and I now have three: two open and one unopened back-up.

That's my goal so we're there.

Eye creams

I had seven and I now have four (three being unopened). I'm happy with that number for now but I am looking forward to getting through the one I have open so I can try something else.

Three's a good goal for me (one for morning, one for night and one for overnight), so we're almost there.

Day cream

Previously I had four and I now have one so I've done some good work here. 

My aim was two so I've beaten that, and I will need to buy another one soon enough because I've almost finished the one I have.

Night cream/overnight cream

Previously I had two and I now have four (three open full-sizes and one unopened back-up). The extra items were actually sent to me for review so I haven't bought anything, it's just that they came into my collection via other means.

Two is my goal with this category so we're not too far away.

Oils

I had four and I now have two (one being unopened), so I've managed to get this category down too.

Two's my goal here so we're there.

Masks

In my last inventory I had seven and I now have five (two being unopened).

I've managed to get things down because I've been focusing on panning masks this year via Project Pan, which has obviously worked and I'm starting to make a dent in things.

My goal here is no more than four open, so we're there in theory but in practice I would like to get another couple out of my collection sooner rather than later.

Hello and welcome to my next Project Pan mini update for the year.

Do note that I haven't blogged for a few days because I had a huge work project on, which was good for the wallet but wasn't good for the sanity or for the blog. What this means is that I'm very behind, so I'm going to try to catch up as best as I can over the next few days.

As you can see above, I've now finished my Becca highlighter in Champagne Pop. I really loved this product but I'm also glad to have finished it so I can finally try the Marc Jacobs highlighter I have in the back-ups cupboard.

These Becca highlighters are my HGs and I do expect to buy another one down the track, perhaps when I've made a dent in the Marc Jacobs.

Happily I've also finished my high-spreadability primer from The Ordinary. This was a great product too, but I'm glad I've finished it because I've had it for ages.

Thankfully I've run through so many primers over the past two years that I don't need to pan them anymore, and there's even room to buy another one soon. Hip hip hooray, we're getting somewhere.

As for my replacement, I've picked one:

It's my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Dim Light. I absolutely love this blush but it's the oldest one in my collection so I need to get through it before it gets too old and loses some of its brilliance.

I don't know if I can pan the whole lot this year, but I'll certainly try. If needed, I'll finish it off next year.

There's how much I've used:

So I've flattened the surface a bit but there's still a lot to go. Blushes are the hardest makeup items to pan, so I can't say for sure whether I'll be able to finish this in 2019. We'll see.

That's all from me. Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x

Yesterday I wrote my four-month update for my makeup no buy, and I wanted to jump in with an update for my skincare no buy this morning before the day starts (we have a lot on today).

While I didn't buy anything in the makeup category during March, I did have to buy some skincare because I'm running low on a couple of things and it was needed.

Let's have a look.

* Image courtesy of andalou.com

Andalou Naturals Age Defying Fruit Stem Cell Revitalise Serum

I'm running low on serum at the moment so when I saw that Andalou was 40 per cent off at Priceline, I knew it was a good time to replace the one I've almost finished. (I bought this serum for $17.99 AUD so it was a good deal.)

It's designed for dry skin (that's me) and you can use it day and night. According to the description, fruit stem cell complex, resveratrol CoQ10 and goji glycopeptides help support dermal vitality and the essential building blocks, collagen and elastin, for a more lifted, firmer, youthful-looking appearance, and a rejuvenated complexion.

I'm glad I bought this when I did because I'll need to start using it soon, and I'm looking forward to trying it.

* Image courtesy of andalou.com

Andalou Age Defying Blossom + Leaf Refreshing Toner

I've almost run out of toner too so I went ahead and bought another one while Andalou was on sale (I was able to buy it for $11.99 AUD).

This is also for dry skin and you can use it day and night. According to the description, fruit stem cell complex, resveratrol CoQ10 and aloe vera polysaccharides instantly hydrate and replenish with essential nutrients, gently soothing irritation and balancing skin's delicate pH, while geranium and orange leaf uplift and tone for a natural glow and a rejuvenated complexion.

I've been really enjoying the Andalou toner I'm currently using so I'll be interested to see how this one goes when I finish that. Looking forward.

That's all from me. While my skincare no buy is still on foot, I was expecting to have to replace a couple of essentials this month and it's not surprising that I've started to run low on some things. Indeed, I may find myself having to buy another item or two next month (eg I'm low on day cream), but I'll wait to see how I go.

Otherwise I've kept the purse strings closed and stuck to my no buy rules, and I'm pleased about that. As mentioned in earlier posts, I do expect to lift my no buy in June (my birthday month) so I can replace more stuff then, before either reinstating the no buy or switching to a low buy for the rest of the year.

Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x

* All images courtesy of unsplash.com unless otherwise indicated

While it's not quite the end of the month, it's close enough and I know I won't be buying anything over the next week, so I thought I may as well bring you my four-month makeup no buy update now.

It'll be a short one because I haven't bought anything this month, so there's nothing to report - however what I can say is that I've barely noticed my spending bans this year and instead my energies have gone into reducing our use of plastic (the less that comes into the house, the better), so if anything's filled a gap where makeup once occupied my brain, that's it. 

Not a bad replacement I'd say!

I guess the spending bans are also helping with the environmental impact issue, and while I've been concerned about the environment ever since I was a kid, climate change has become such a serious issue now that I'm approaching things with fresh eyes. And while I don't have ridiculous amounts of makeup, I do have more than enough for one person so I've got my core collection now and what I have will keep me going for a good few years (at least when it comes to powder products).

Anyhoo. That's all from me. Just a short post today and I'm looking forward to continuing with the ban until June, when I'll lift things briefly for my birthday month and replace anything that needs replacing (eg I reckon I'll be out of tinted moisturiser by then).

Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x

* All images courtesy of unsplash.com

Hello and welcome to another monthly favourites post!

I've been writing these posts at around the 20th of each month this year; it's a good time for it because I already have a bunch of posts that clog up the end of the month (eg empties posts and no buy updates), so best I write my favourites a little earlier to make things less stressful.

Let's have a look : )

Kevyn Aucoin The Matte Bronzing Veil in Desert Nights

I haven't reviewed this bronzer yet because it's been such a busy month and I haven't had time for as many posts as usual, but I did use this as part of Project Dent during March and that reminded me of how much I love it.

It's a beautiful warm brown that suits my medium skintone, and it feels smooth and silky smooth to the touch. Plus it blends and applies well, and although it's pigmented, I've always been able to blend it out if I've accidentally applied too much.

It's just a great bronzer and I may well pan it this year because I love it, so I'll enjoy using it daily (plus it's getting quite old so I need to pan it). Absolutely worth trying.

Batiste Dry Shampoo, Original

Full review here. I discovered this range of dry shampoos over a year ago and I haven't looked back since then: they're my absolute favourites. Hence I've been busy trying all the different scents, and this Original version is my favourite because it doesn't smell like cheap deodorant.

What's great about this product is that it does exactly what it says it will do: it makes my hair look and feel cleaner and fresher, plus it adds body and texture to boot. It also works if eg I've used a product that's left my hair feeling heavy and coated, so it deals with more than human grease.

Plus it makes my hair easier to brush so I think it has a detangling effect too, and it adds some shine and makes my hair feel softer. So basically it does everything that I want and need a dry shampoo to do. Hip hip hooray. Love.

NYX Butter Gloss in Praline

Full review here. I absolutely love this formula and I've given it an HG tag. It feels very comfortable to wear and it's hydrating enough for my dry lips that I can rely on it for hydration during the day. The formula isn't sticky but it does have a tackiness to it that helps it stay put. 

Praline is a nude brown shade that looks more red-based in some lights and more mauve-based in others. It's a really lovely colour, and on me it deepens my natural lip colour in a flattering way. I also love it because it doesn't sit in lip lines (a few of the shades from the range can do that). 

Plus it plumps the lips up a little and reduces the look of lines. This makes it perfect for those of us who are over 30 and need something with a smoothing effect. Definitely worth trying.