little white truths

It's been a huge Project Pan month for me - easily the biggest month on record - and not only did I finish two products earlier in the month, but I've since finished another five. 

Can you believe it? That means I've finished five products within the space of two weeks! My golly, I'm so excited, I don't quite know what to do with myself!

• Be a Bombshell Eye Base in Nudist
• 'Tini Beauty Pearl Fizz Eyeshadow
• The Cosmetic Kitchen Pressed Mineral Blush in Raw Cacao
• Lust Have It Sunset Strobe Natural Highlighter
• Mememe Cosmetics Goddess Rocks 
• GHD Straight & Tame Cream
• Cheek Room Lip Palette
• Stila HD Illuminating Beauty Balm
• Croquis Duo Concealer
• Teeez Eyeliner in Black
• Dd'ell Eyeliner in Brown
• 'Tini Beauty Eyetini Cordial Eyeshadow + Base
• Bloom Eye Definer in Dark Brown
• Tony Moly Kiss Lover Lip Plumper in 12 Hoot Mint
• Australis AC ON Tour kit
• Shanghai Suzy Lipstick in Miss Simone Baby Coral
• Suki Moisture Rich Cleansing Lotion
• Revlon Age Defying CC Cream in 030 Medium

And here's what I've knocked off in the last two weeks (remembering that I only ever meant to use up the highlight shades from the Australis palette because the contour ones are too horrible to waste time on):

Exciting! So my list has been reduced to eleven products throughout the month, and since I wanted to keep the tally at fifteen or so, this means I've had good scope to go through my collection and really work out what categories of products need to be reduced.

I've had a lot of fun doing this (it's almost like starting Project Pan 2016 again!) and I've decided I need to target some groups even more than I already am, these being: haircare, cleansers, illuminators and lip products. I also want to add a bronzer to the list and unfortunately one of my concealers needs to be added for reasons I'll touch on below, so I've decided to include another six products - too many, but I won't replace the next couple as I finish them.

But before I show you my replacements, here's where my existing products are at:

Both my 'Tini Beauty eyeshadow and Croquis concealer are in for the long haul, and even though I use them both every day, it's getting to the stage where I'm wondering if I'll ever finish them.

Still, slow and steady wins the race and I'll get there eventually. If they're gone by year's end, I'll be happy (don't like my chances though ; ) ).

I'm actually making a dent in my powders a lot faster than I'd anticipated, given how much I've struggled with powders in the past.

The Mememe Goddess Rocks are definitely dwindling as the weeks pass, and I've got a little pan showing in both the Lust Have It highlighter and the blush from The Cosmetic Kitchen. Can I finish them by Christmas? I'll certainly try!

I'm surprised that I haven't made more of a dent in the Cheek Room lip palette, given how quickly I normally get through lip products, but I'm not surprised that the Be a Bombshell Eye Base is lasting the distance.

I hope to be done with both by the beginning of September, but I have a feeling they might last longer than that. We'll see.

My eye pencils are starting to bore me now, I must say. I use the Teeez one on my upper waterline and the Dd'ell one on my lower waterline each day, and while I'm definitely seeing progress, including them has made me realise just how long eyeliners last.

I do have one back-up for each (in black and brown) and I'm looking forward to using those since I'm over these two, but I'm determined to finish them before I start playing with new ones.

As predicted, my GHD Straight & Tame Cream seems never-ending: I'm using it frequently on both mine and my daughter's hair (to help keep the knots out), and it appears to still be going strong. Mind you, I can't tell how much is in there so maybe it's almost done?!

I haven't been using the Stila BB Cream too much over the past couple of weeks because I had my sights set on finishing the Revlon base, and now that's done, I can focus more on this. I do use it almost every day as a mixer product so that remaining 25 per cent shouldn't last more than a couple of months. I think (!).

Now, here's what I'm introducing to my list:

I'll talk about each briefly now, since this is the first time they've appeared on my list. (Sorry this is such a long post!)

Natural World Moroccan Argan Oil

I've reviewed this here. It's a product I love but it's been open for eighteen months now, and since the shelf-life is 24 months (and I have a back-up for it), it's time I used it up. Yes it's only a travel-size but I apply the smallest amount on my hair after washing (just on the ends), so it's lasting an eternity.

But I do have that dry winter hair thing happening and lately I've been using this more liberally, which my hair has been happy with. There's just under half left but I wouldn't be surprised if this lasts another three months at least.

Alpha-H Liquid Laser Cleansing Oil with White Mulberry

I have a ridiculous amount of oil/balm/cream cleansers at the moment, and it's high time I started getting through them. I also have far too many other cleansers, but I only want to include one on my list at a time, and since this has been open for a while, I've picked this first. I've reviewed it here.

It's a decent oil cleanser but I have others I prefer so I want to finish it and return to the ones I like more. There's about half left and it's been opened for ages, so I reckon it will still last another few months, even with daily use. We'll see.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector (Liquid) in Moonstone

I have three of these (oops ; )) in Moonstone, Opal and Topaz. Yes that's excessive, but I do use one each day to mix in with my foundation, and while I bought Opal because it's the best colour-match for me, I bought Moonstone and Topaz to bring the colour of my base down or up a shade respectively, which they do well - so they're useful, double-purpose products.

I haven't reviewed any of them yet but I'll do that soon and I'll start with Moonstone because it's the one I've used the most (which is also why I'm including it here). There's just over half left but I expect it to last out the year.

Evelyn Iona Natural and Organic Concealer in Flawless

Yes, it's true. I'm including this one again - another (smaller) sample I received in a sub box. I've reviewed it here. 

I hadn't planned to include it because I've only just finished the last sample, but I recently discovered that it had been sitting in my makeup bag with the lid loose, and the surface feels a little drier than it once did so I'd rather use it before it dries up or goes bad. It's only a small sample but it should still last a good few months. Ach, here we go again ; )

Gorgeous Cosmetics Endless Summer Bronzer in 01-ES

I've reviewed this here. While this is one of my newest bronzers, it's also not one I plan to keep in my collection because I don't love the formula (application can be patchy and the texture isn't as soft and smooth as I would like), but I do love the colour-match for my winter skin so I figure I might as well just use the hell out of it while I'm reaching for it anyway.

Also, since the bronzer isn't super pigmented and it's paler than others I own, I need to use at least twice as much of this as I do my other bronzers, so it's fully possible that I could finish this off by Christmas. Yes that sounds crazy for a full-sized bronzer that I've just started using, but I'm telling you, this thing seems to be getting smaller by the day. Fingers crossed!

Clarins Instant Light Perfector in 01, Rose Shimmer

I've reviewed this here. Since lip products are the easiest things for me to get through, I always like to include at least a couple because they help keep my PP list moving as the months pass.

I picked this one because it's been open for ages and I'd all but forgotten about it (it was in the bottom of my handbag), and since I need a gloss to replace the one I've just finished, I thought I may as well pick this one. There's probably about two thirds left, but I'd still expect to be through it within a couple of months because I use lip products all the time on my dry lips.

In sum

My golly, what a long post! Sorry if I've bored the hell out of you ; )

I won't rabbit on any more, but hooray to finishing seven products during the month and wish me luck with finishing at least one in July.

Speak soon x

Recently I picked up a sample of Too Faced's Born This Way Foundation in Warm Nude: I had a feeling the coverage might be a little thick for me but I wanted to try the product because most people seem to love it so much.

After getting three applications from the sample, I can confirm that this is indeed a good product but it's just not for me and I'd rather stick with my lighter, dewier bases. Though I do understand why people like this, so it's definitely worth testing if you're in the market for a new base.

• An oil-free foundation that masterfully diffuses the line between makeup and skin
• For coverage so undetectable, you can’t see the makeup and you can’t see imperfections—all that’s left is naturally radiant skin that looks like you were Born This Way
• Medium to full coverage
• 'Warm Nude' is described as 'light with neutral to golden undertones'
• Oil-free
• Coconut water helps delicately replenish skin’s moisture levels without over-hydrating - for the look of radiant skin
• Infused with the resilient alpine rose to brighten the skin’s appearance and promote elasticity
• Hyaluronic acid helps balance skin for a smoother, more youthful appearance
• Tip: for medium coverage, apply a small amount from the centre of the face outward and blend with fingertips, sponge or brush; build to full coverage by layering as needed
• RRP $58 AUD for 30ml

And in natural light (here it looks less yellow and more peach, which is a problem for me because I'm quite yellow - especially on my body):

Verdict

This is a good product, and while it's not for me, I can definitely see why people love it. As compared to Nars' Sheer Glow Foundation - another super popular base - I reckon this product is far superior and it performs much better on my skin than the Nars one does (see my review of that here).

The first time I used it, I applied a thin layer and set it with a powder. It looked a little heavy for my tastes but I was really happy with how well it lasted throughout the day - something I often have issues with, given that I prefer tinted moisturisers and BB creams (which often don't last as well on the skin). 

The second time I used it, my skin mustn't have been prepped well because the layer I put on wasn't thin enough and I had trouble spreading the product around, so it wound up looking too full-coverage for me and I didn't like it so I removed it. So if you're dry-skinned like me, do hydrate your skin first.

The third time I used it, I applied my trusty Hourglass serum primer to make sure my dry skin was as juiced up as possible. This wound up being a good idea because the product spread much better and I was able to get a super fine layer, which is what I prefer. This time I didn't set it with a powder, and it didn't last as well as the first time, although I preferred how it looked because my makeup appeared more natural.

While this foundation can give a natural coverage if you apply it sparingly, I'm still aware of the product sitting on my skin - I think because I'm used to tinted moisturisers and BB creams (which tend to just feel hydrating, rather than like makeup), but with this I could feel the makeup on my face. It wasn't terrible, but I'd prefer not to feel anything at all.

Also, the finish isn't perfect for my preferences: having dry skin, I prefer a dewy finish. This isn't matte but satin, so it does look nice but it's not as dewy as I would like. 

On the shade, it's a good match for my winter skintone but for one thing: it's not yellow enough for my undertones and I could really see the difference between the colour of my face and my neck/body. I was shade-matched to this one though, which makes me suspect that there mightn't be another shade that works well for my current colouring.

Other things to note are that it didn't crease or sit in lines throughout the day, nor did it pool into my pores - so I didn't have little foundation dots all over my face (this is an issue I had with the Nars Sheer Glow). It also didn't oxidise on me, but my skin did feel drier than usual so I had to use more of my facial spray throughout the day to keep my skin looking plumped and feeling comfortable.

In sum, I think this is a decent foundation but it's not the right product for me. I have a feeling it would work best for skin that's less dry than mine, but it's worth testing whatever your skin type because it looked natural enough and performed well.

Have you used this? Let me know what you think if so.