I don't know about you, but I am in awe that the first month of the year is already just about over.While it may have been pretty quiet overall here on the blog, I've been at work testing out products and working on another beauty product purge. I had actually got rid of several things as I was packing up the house in California, but once I started unpacking at the new house, I kept having moments of "why did I keep this?" This thought process prompted me to join in with a few other beauty aficionados in the Pan Project for 2019. While the "official" thought behind a pan project is to finish up products, hence "hitting pan" on eyeshadow as an example, I wanted to use this project for go one step further. I have a lot of products, from makeup to skincare to nail polish galore, and the truth is, there are several that I kind of like, but I just don't love them. In spite of that, I have a slight hoarder tendency to hold onto these items thinking that the perfect opportunity to use them just had not come yet. It's a great idea; after all, who really wants to go out and buy something they just had but thoughtlessly threw away? It's all fine and dandy until you find yourself walking around piles of products on the floor in your beauty room or have boxes of test products on your guest bed because your drawers are filled with "not quite right products to be used later"....all for a later that never comes. Not this year, my dear readers!
For 2019, I have set out to rid myself of 150 products, either by using them up or letting them go, be it into the trash because the quality just isn't up to snuff or on to a friend that I think would actually enjoy them. I have a range of small sized samples and many already opened jars, tubes, and containers, so while the number may seem huge, I think it is actually feasible as long as I stay honest with myself. I am allowing myself to repurchase product favorites throughout the year provided they are going immediately into my use rotation, so you're likely to see a couple things reappear on the blog throughout the year as I give updates. I haven't really decided if I want to do an update every month or every other month, so if you have thoughts on it, feel free to chime in below. Now on to some products!
Use It: The Empties
This portion of the post should be obvious- I have used all these products to completion.
Unicorn Glow Hologram Mask | Soo'AE I picked up this mask completely on a whim one day months ago and promptly forgot I had it. It's not like I needed another mask as I have a rather substantial collection to work my way through; apparently all it took was the word "hologram" and it screamed at me. Even with the name, I was surprised to see the silver holographic covering on the outer side of the mask when I pulled it out of the foil pouch. The covering is firm and thin plastic, so it did make placing it on my face a little awkward. In an effort to reduce more plastic from my life, I had decided this year to not purchase any more masks, although I do have a lot already on and to go through.
Intense Care Snail Hyrdo-gel Mask | Tony Moly If I were forced to stick with using packaged masks, I would most likely stick with the hydrogel route. Yes, there is still some plastic to keep the mask from closing in on itself, but hydrogels conform for nicely to the skin and just make my face feel incredible. I also like the two piece nature of this one to get a mask that fits better than one cutout.
Bombee Rose Gold Honey Mask Pack | Papa Recipe Fewer things feel more luxe than using a product that also contains 24K gold. In the case of this mask, gold formed a honeycomb pattern on the mask and certainly looked beautiful! It left my skin feeling so soft, but again, since I am trying to not buy any more products like this any longer, I will not by buying a replacement for this product.
Sugar Cube Bath Fizzers | Raw Hoo boy, I'm not entirely sure how I managed to get this onto an empties portion and not in my toss it section. This container held 8 bath fizzies and they were mediocre at best. If I want a bath fizz, I expect a full on bath bomb fizzing experience. These, on the other hand, just kind of went sizzle sizzle done. Add to that, the fragrance just wasn't really there. I could smell them in the cubes when I put my nose close, but got very little overall while soaking in the tub. Thankfully these weren't very expensive given that all I got with these was coloured bath water with no extra moisturizing properties as expected based on the ingredients list. Needless to say, these will not be purchased again and should future containers somehow make it to my house, they will be given to the kids since they would enjoy the colour if nothing else.
Shampoo and Conditioner | Rahua (2 sets) I don't know where I got these samples, but I figured why not bust them open and try them out. While I wouldn't say there is anything really wrong with them, I wasn't a fan overall. Sure, my hair felt clean and soft, but there was a subtle smell that I found to be a little off putting. I will not be picking up full sized versions for my shower.
Skinny Brow | Full Brow I have been a fan of other Full Brow products I have used before, so it wasn't a surprise that I enjoyed this eye brow pencil. The fine point lets you fill in thin spots with lines that look like brow hairs and gives a great natural look. I have a couple other eyebrow products I want to use up right now, but I'll be picking up another one of these soon!
Almost Lipstick | Clinique (Black Honey) I think all Clinique users are familiar with this particular lip sheer! The colour is beautiful and looks great on just about everyone. As much as I love this colour and how it feels on my lips, I'm not sure that I can bring myself to buy a replacement. Clinique isn't a cruelty-free brand, and while that isn't a major focus on my blog, it is something I've had on my mind a lot lately. While I may not make the official switch to cruelty free on my blog, I'm trying to stick with cruelty free products when it comes to my wallet.
Nourishing Hand Cream | Embryolisse I have a lot of single use packets from Embryolisse, so this is just the start of things to show up here on my blog. Hand creams are one of those products that can go either way- they can be too greasy, too light, or just right. I really enjoyed this sample from Embryolisse although I did find it to be on the lighter side and not as moisturizing as I prefer for this drier time of year. It will be a good option for the summer months though!
Make-Off | LimeLight by Alcone (3) I haven't been using makeup remover cloths since I switched to the Makeup Melts from Vintage Cosmetics Company, but I had three of these sitting around waiting to be used. While the back claims they are loved by makeup artists, I wasn't particularly fond of them. While they removed a fair bit of my makeup, I would wipe my Makeup Melt over my face and pull off more product. I suppose they work ok in a pinch, but you may need to wash more product from your face.
Double Extend | L'Oreal I have a love/hate relationship with mascara, at least over the past year 18 months. I love the way mascara adds oomph to my eyelashes so I can skip the falsies (even if they aren't as dramatic as falsies), but I hate the smudging I've been getting with all mascaras I have used. The tubing nature of L'Oreal's Double Extend has been a blessing for my lashes and I haven't had any smudging since making the switch. The downside is L'Oreal isn't cruelty free in spite of their claims. While they may not themselves be testing on animals, they are paying others to do so in order to see in mainland China, and I'm not sure that I'm ok with that. I already have a backup tube in place for this one, but I think I'm going to be making a mascara switch this year.
Lose It: Purged Products
Getting rid of products that are empty is easy; getting rid of mostly full or barely used products takes some serious willpower. As I mentioned previously, I did actually get rid of a bit before my move, but I am trying to whittle my stash down even further to items that I really love. For most of my purging, I want to try out the products an extra time or two to affirm my decision, so it's not quite as quick a process as just pulling from drawers and tossing. I've already got a selection pulled aside to test for next month. Here is the first round to get the cut this year.
Bonjour Summer eyeshadow palette | Too Faced This was a limited edition palette released back in 2014, it is just time to let it go. While most of the shades apply nicely, a couple are chalky and not something I am fond of. While I do wear many of these shades in general, I wish there were other colour options to add to the mix. As a result, I'm now saying au revoir.
Stunning in Seattle | Stila I had a lot of fun with this palette, but with a large cream blush next to powder eyeshadows, it had become gross. I had still held on to this palette because I still like the shadows, but with other options on hand, it's just time to let it go.
Malibu | BH Cosmetics I had originally pick up and held on to this palette because it was affordable and had several bright shades that were seriously lacking from my eyeshadow collection. Since then, I've added in more brights with better pigmentation, so there really is no need or me to keep this one in my stash.
Chestnut Eyes | Profusion Cosmetics I've become a fan of Profusion Cosmetics, from the colours available and the overall quality to a great price point. I had picked this up and expected to love it, but sadly it was just not the case for me. Don't get me wrong, the quality overall is pretty nice (although the white sparkled shade is patchy and far too sheer), I just don't feel good when I wear this palette. No matter how I would combine the colours, I just wasn't loving the final result. As much as a part of me wants to hold on to this and keep trying, I'm really pushing myself to follow my instinct and let go. I do have a friend that I think would enjoy this a lot so hopefully it can get the love it deserves elsewhere.
Pore-Minimizing Bronzer | Julep Julep may have started out with nail polish, but they certainly have branched out! I have used a few of them and liked them, but this bronzer is just not right for me. While I expect warmth from a bronzer, the medium tan pulls into a very unflattering pink bronze on me.
Highlight Makeup Case | Profusion Cosmetics This is another Profusion product I had hoped I would love, but it's just not right for me. The five highlighter shades are pretty, but none of them are quite right for me. I opted to try using these on my eyes to add some shine against some of my matte shadows, but I just wasn't feeling any of my looks that way either. I have someone in mind to pass this onto that I think will get far more enjoyment of this highlighter palette.
Lip Hints Conditioning Lip Balm | MyChelle (Berry) I have used a few MyChelle products and liked them, so I'm a little sad to have this lip balm on my purge list. The colouring is very subtle for a my lips but better look, and I didn't even mind that it is in a pot requiring either a lip brush or having to dip my finger in it. Instead, it was the lumpiness that really bothered me. I suspect that my jar had undergone temperature variations resulting in melting and reforming, and my balm has harder chunks of product that had to be pressed and melted back in with the rest. I tried to get past it, but when I want to get something on my lips in a second or two, this added step started to irritate me.
Behind The Scenes Eye Primer | LORAC As a hooded, oily lidded person, eye primers have the potential to either be my best friend or just a waste of effort. There are very few primers that can stand up to my fabulous lids (please note sarcasm), and sadly this one by LORAC couldn't get the job done for me. I had used it with a variety of different shadows and my eyes where a mess after just a couple of hours.
The Queen Creamy Lipstick | KISS New York Professional (Sunday Funday) KISS is a brand that fell on my radar a couple years ago with their colour selection and affordable products. I found this particular line to be overall pretty comfortable, perhaps a touch on the drier side, but it is the colour that made me decide this needed to go. Sunday Funday may be a fun name, but the colour is not very flattering on me. I had purchased this online and was expecting it to be a little warmer, and this does make me weary of buying more products from the brand in the future unless I can see it in a future show.
Liquid Lipstick | Real Her (I Am Perfect) The shade name may be I Am Perfect, but I just did not care for the colour on me. Nudes unfortunately are often not friends of mine, so it does make me appreciate the few that I do enjoy! I'm also not super gung-ho when it comes to liquid lipsticks and would rather a creamy stick lately, but I doubt this will keep me from future colours if something grabs my attention.
Lip Balm | Soak It! (Cinnamon Hearts) I found this balm in an old handbag while I was unpacking, and I remember it had a slight tingling sensation. I'm letting it go since I've had it for who knows how long and it had an off smell. It's been awhile since I've seen anything from the indie brand and not even sure they still are in business.
Reflecting Gloss | Juice Beauty (Fig) This is another lip product that I found in my bag, and I have no idea how long it had been sitting there. It also smelled a little off to me to I have to let it go. Even though I recall liking this gloss, I have so many others on hand right now and don't plan to pick up a replacement.
Lip Plumping Lip Gloss | Real Her (I Am Awesome) This lip gloss by Real Her is another product that the colour isn't quite right for me. It's pretty and comfortable on the lips, but it pulls a little too purple for my liking on me. I may end up picking up more lip gloss shades by Real Her in the future, but shopping for more gloss is not currently on my to-do list.
Mess No More! | Mini Mani Moo I have had this tube for quite some time, and it is now dried solid and unusable.
Empties: 13
Purged: 14
Total: 27
Be sure to check out the rest of the beauty blogger and vlogger group participating in this collaboration! Here is the complete list:
Beauty Info Zone
Confessions of a Makeup Addict
CosmetopiaDigest
Glamorable
Honeygirl's World
Never Say Die Beauty
Polarbelle
Portrait of Mai
Southeast by Midwest
Have you tried any of these products? What are your current favorites? Have you set any product empty goals this year? I'd love to hear from you!
Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!
Be sure to check out the rest of the beauty blogger and vlogger group participating in this collaboration! Here is the complete list:
Beauty Info Zone
Confessions of a Makeup Addict
CosmetopiaDigest
Glamorable
Honeygirl's World
Never Say Die Beauty
Polarbelle
Portrait of Mai
Southeast by Midwest
Have you tried any of these products? What are your current favorites? Have you set any product empty goals this year? I'd love to hear from you!
Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!
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