Pan porn time! This is my third instalment of products I’ve hit that oh-so-magical pan on.
Tarte – Exposed
Let’s take a moment here and just stare at this one in awe. That blush right there? That’s the first blush I have ever hit pan on and I’m more than a little excited about it. (It’s the little things in life…) Tarte‘s Amazonian Clay blush in Exposed has been my default blush throughout the cooler months.
NYC Sun ‘n’ Bronze in Fire Island Tan
I don’t know what it is with bronzers lately, but I have no luck finishing them up! I used this bronzer for almost 70% of 2014 and I *only* hit pan on it because I finally snapped and stuck a pin in the middle of the product to see how far I had to go. And now I can safely say that I am nowhere NEAR finishing this damn thing up. While I love the shade, I would also love to have some variety in my life! With a price tag around $5, NYC‘s Fire Island Tan is definitely a compelling option since it seems to last FOREVER! Lovely shade too, particularly if you want a bit of a bronzy-shimmer in the summer.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde
Oooo this one’s neat. Halfway through 2014 I switched to using Anastasia‘s Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde (I was using an eyeshadow before). And man oh man – this stuff is magical. It makes my non-existent brows finally look like I’ve got hair where hair is supposed to be! The only downside is that using a pomade is a lot more time consuming because you need to be a lot more precise. So although my new brow game has tacked on an additional five minutes, it’s soooo worth it!
MAC – Hibiscus
Now this isn’t something you see often… I mean, how often do you get to claim that you hit pan on a lipstick? Tragically, I’m a chronic lipstick murderer so I had to depot (de-bullet) this one and throw it into a sample pot from MAC. This was a limited edition shade called Hibiscus from the 2011 summer collection. It’s a *beautiful* shade, but I don’t reach for it often because it now requires that I have a lip brush with me.
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige
Maybelline‘s Color Tattoo in Barely Beige is in my Use Up 2015 bin, but I haven’t been using it much lately since I think it’s starting to dry up. This is the easiest shade to reach for when you haven’t got any time in the morning. Throw this shade all over the lid, blend a brown into the crease, whack on some mascara and you’re good to go!
Tarte’s gel liner in Black
It really surprises me how long it takes to use up a gel liner. I picked up Tarte‘s black gel liner in March of last year and I’ve been using it non-stop ever since. I mean, if you look at my Makeup Looks you know that I do winged liner at least 4 out of 5 times, so it’s surprising to me how long it’s taken me to hit pan. I’ve been super impressed though, it’s just as creamy and smooth to use as the first day I bought it and it’s almost 12 months old now!
Kolme helping out
And, of course, I had Kolme helping me out while I took photos!
This should mostly be labelled a Makeup Geek look week, but there’s one Inglot look in the mix as well!
This is the look I wore on my birthday this past month. I usually opt for orange and red as they’re my favourite eyeshadow shades, but this year I added some orange glitter I got from Lit Cosmetics.
Eyes
InglotAMC Shine 15 all over the lid.
InglotMatte 382 on the outer corner.
Makeup GeekCreme Brule through the top of the crease.
Makeup GeekBada Bing in the outer corner.
Makeup GeekVanilla Bean on the brow bone.
I used Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and applied BenefitThey’re Real mascara to my lashes. On my lower lash line, I applied some Too FacedGlitter Glue and then taped on California Soul glitter from Lit Cosmetics.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: Joe FreshSand
Blush: Bobbi BrownApricot
Once I got my hands on the Makeup Geek foiled shadows I just couldn’t stop playing with them!
Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)
Envy through the crease.
Magic Act all over the lid.
Houdini on the outer half of the lid.
Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and Too FacedBetter Than Sex mascara on my lashes. On my lower lash line I first applied MACPhone Number eye pencil to the outer corner, then layered Houdini on top.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: Joe FreshSand
Blush: IllamasquaHussy
Lips: NYXFortune Cookie
More Makeup Geek foiled shadows!
Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)
Creme Brulee through the top of the crease.
Center Stage all over the lid. Also used to line the lower outer lash line.
Flamethrower heavily through the crease.
Too FacedBetter Than Sex mascara is on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanillamixed together
Bronzer: Joe FreshSand
Blush: TarteCharisma
I’m really loving playing with reds even moreso lately! Someone at work called this a Valentine’s Day look and I suppose it kind of is… Although I kind of see this as more red than pink, but to each their own!
Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)
Purely Naked through the top of the crease.
In The Spotlight on the inner half of the lid.
Razzleberry on the outer half of the lid.
Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
Tarte‘s Black gel liner to create the wing and Too FacedBetter Than Sex mascara on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: Joe FreshSand
Blush: essence Autumn Peach
Highlighter: Too FacedCandlelight
Lips: RevlonPapaya gloss
This is a look from November that I had kicking around on my harddrive.
Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)
Glass Slipper all over the lid.
Shark Bait on the outer half.
Creme Brulee through the top of the crease.
Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
Shimma Shimma on the inner tearduct.
TarteBlack gel liner to create the wing andEstee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length + Volume on my lashes.
Having never used a brow gel, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But uh… it’s really just gel.. for your brows. Revolutionary. I don’t have unruly brows (hell, I barely have brows at all) so this was essentially pointless on me. I used up the Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel and it was perfectly adequate, but I doubt I’m the best test subject for this kind of product.
Purchase? Nah.
Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner in 13 Black
This was super disappointing. Make Up For Ever‘s Aqua Liner in 13 Black was super shiny which caused it to collect eyeshadow from the rest of my lid. It picked up pigment from the eyeshadow on my lid. It was beyond infuriating and drove me absolutely mental. Never again will I buy a shiny liquid liner. Ugh.
Repurchase? GOD NO
MAC Prep + Prime for lips
MAC‘s Prep + Prime for lips – a must have for me. I finish one of these every 3-6 months because I wear it whenever I wear lipstick. It holds my lip product in place and prevents bleeding outside my lip line that not even lip liner can stop. Must have!
Repurchase? Already have two more open! One at work and one at home.
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
Real Techniques‘ Miracle Complexion Sponge is my preferred way to apply foundation. I can barely stand to use brushes now because this thing is so amazing. I’d actually been using this one since March of last year and was worried that perhaps it had gone mouldy in the middle (since I’d heard some people complain that had that happen with their Beauty Blenders) despite regular washings. So I cut it open one day and low and behold, it’s perfectly fine. So if you clean your sponges regularly enough, I wouldn’t worry too much about it going rotten on the inside, even if you’ve been using it for about 9 months.
Repurchase? Already have! I picked one up at IMATS 2014.
MAC Lip Conditioner in Petting Pink
I’ve had MAC‘s Lip Conditioner in Petting Pink for quite a while before I finally used it up. It was a bit goopy and never really stayed on my lips that long. I didn’t find it actually moisturized all that much since it wore off so fast.
essenceGet Big! Lashes (pr sample) – Great product, but I never really fell in love with it for whatever reason. The curve of the brush made it easy to apply to my lashes and it definitely made them quite black. Purchase? Nah.
BenefitThey’re Real – I love this mascara! It makes my lashes look enormous since the volume it builds is incredible. HOWEVER, this stuff dries up way too fast. For a thirty dollar mascara I’m pretty pissed off that it’s near un-useable after a month and a half. BUT for that month and a half, my lashes looked amazing. Repurchase? On the fence.
Estee LauderSumptuous Infinite (sample size) – This one surprised me. I was expecting an old style bristle brush, but it was actually a rubberized wand with really nicely spaced out bristles. It applied mascara evenly and separated my lashes perfectly. Purchase? Maybe. I’m put off by the price of high end mascaras, but I really did love this one.
Urban DecayPerversion (sample size) – Another amazing one! Not as separating as some mascaras, but the volume on this was one was especially nice. This one small sample size actually lasted me a really long time (longer than the Benefit one!) Purchase? Same as the Estee Lauder one. Nice to use, but damn that price is really a put off.
Revlon Top Coat
RevlonColorstay Top Coat was… a top coat. Man, I don’t notice any difference with top coats really. Like what’s the difference between a top coat and a clear nail polish? I sure as hell don’t notice one!
Repurchase? Nope.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Make-Up Remover
A well loved eye makeup remover, but not my favourite as I prefer oil-based removers.
Repurchase? Nah, gone back to my favourite Marcelle one.
Dr. Brandt – Pores No More
This was interesting. I’m not a big fan of primers, so I’m mostly trying to finish up what small samples I have to get them out of my collection. However, Dr. Brandt‘s Pores No More primer was a lot of fun to use. It smells like tea tree oil (and was therefore quite refreshing on my skin) and smoothed on my face like butter. It’s tinted slightly darker than my own skin colour (roughly MAC NW20), so it helped darken up some of my lighter foundations. I have no need for a primer, but this was fun to try out nonetheless.
Purchase? Nah.
Olay Fresh Effects – Bead Me Up and Shine, Shine, Go Away
OlayBead Me Up! Exfoliating Cleanser – Totally sucked in by the awesome packaging on these. The scrub is nice, but not especially abrasive. Smelled nice, worked just fine.
OlayShine, Shine, Go Away! Shine Minimizing Cleanser – Yeah, I’m not convinced this reduced any shine on my face at all. I did love the product though – it was a cool grey colour and smelled really fresh.
Repurchase? Maybe (to both). I don’t have sensitive skin so I like trying out new products all the time, but I’m sure I’ll eventually repurchase these.
Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash
AveenoSkin Relief Body Wash – I *love* the smell of this. To me it smells intoxicatingly like almonds and cherries (not the cough medicine kind of cherry smell). It’s also gentle on the skin, especially during the winter months when my skin can feel dry and itchy.
Repurchase? This is probably my tenth bottle of this stuff, and I already have another one in the linen closet ready for use!
Fortune Cookie Soap – various
All of the Fortune Cookie Soap items are not going to be repurchased by me as they are primarily seasonal scents. Mini reviews below.
Personal Space Air Freshener in Flying Monkeys – This was no good at all. It would scent a room for about 10 seconds, then totally dissipated and it definitely didn’t take any bad smells with it.
Lip Scrub in Blow Me! – Delicious! Tasted like bazooka gum with a bit of Fun Dip. Did its job and was fun to use.
Deep Conditioner in Christmas Bonus – This was WONDERFUL. The pepperminty, white chocolate scent was amazing and it made my hair feel fantastic.
Whipped Cream in Wicked, Good – Lovely, but a bit too much of the rich pumpkin scent. The scent would’ve worked better as a candle.
Whipped Soap in Fried Pussycat – Smelled nice and was fun to use. Not sure it’s a cost effective way to make or use soap though.
Hair Oil in Hair Flip – I used this on the ends of my hair and while I didn’t notice a change in the quality of my ends, it sure did make my hair smell nice.
Vaseline Total Moisture Cocoa Radiant
This was my “leave at work” moisturizer. I’ve bought Vaseline‘s Cocoa Radiant moisturizer many times over the years. It can be a bit greasy, but it’s because it’s so thick. Heavily moisturizing and smells great.
Repurchase? Definitely.
The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry Shower Gel
You really can’t go wrong with The Body Shop‘s shower gels. This one in Frosted Cranberry smells like a fruity alcoholic drink. It was a small size (it was in my Christmas stocking), but it gave me about 5-10 uses out of it.
I feel like I spent most of January waiting for the days where we’d have more daylight. I’m traditionally someone who really enjoys days with very little light: I like leaving for work in the morning when it’s dark and I like coming home when the sun has already set (roughly 5ish in the winter here). However, since I have no artificial lighting source at home to take pictures for this blog, I’ve found myself longing for more sunlight in my days! It was only towards the end of the month that it became light enough outside shortly before I left for work and for a little time after I got home, so I’ve been able to start taking photos throughout the week again of my makeup.
All that to say… the lack of sunlight killed a lot of my drive to do much with my makeup throughout the bulk of the month. (Cuz if I can’t photograph it, what’s the point, right? ;)) So here’s the few favourites I had this month:
MAC – Phone Number
I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk about this pencil before. MAC‘s Phone Number eyeliner is a dark grey with some sense of shimmer to it. It’s not shimmery really, but I sure wouldn’t ever call it matte either. I’m not much of a pencil eyeliner person, but I’ve taken to using this on the outer half of my lower lash line and then patting some eyeshadow on top. It helps to lock in the eyeshadow and makes the colour appear a teensy bit deeper.
MAC – Club
MAC‘s Club is in my Use Up 2015 pile, and it’s the one I’ve most enjoyed using. Club is a red-brown with green reflect to it. I sometimes struggle to get the green to show up, but it really depends on how the light hits the product (or what colours you pair it with). I’ve been using this shade in conjunction with…
Too Faced – Glampire
Too Faced‘s Glamour Dust Glitter Pigment in Glampire. Together, these two shades have become my “get out the door NOW” look. I used to resort to really basic, boring neutrals when I had to get out the door fast, but this is the exact same number of products and a much more impactful look. Since Glampire has the same sort of tones as Club, just with MORE GLITTER, it makes this a foolproof look.
Wearing MAC Club and Too Faced Glampire
I essentially lifted this combination/idea from one of MakeupbyTiffanyD’s videos a long time ago. Of course, hers is more subtle and mine’s more like “let me just apply this glitter everywhere”.
Wearing MAC Club and Too Faced Glampire
So yeah, two shades, seems to match everything I wear AND it’s glittery. Really hard to go wrong there!
Has your January been exciting or boring? Have you tried out new things or resorted to old favourites? Tell me!
I had moderate success with my Use Up 2014 collection of items, so I wanted to continue the trend this year. I have no desire to restrict myself to a proper Project Pan (and buynothing while on it!), although I really, REALLY do enjoy finishing products. Last year I tried to clear 14 items out of my collection, and I bombed out of a few of them. It was too large of a number and some of the products just frigging sucked to finish. This year, I’m keeping it to a reasonable 10 products, and I’m wayyy more enthused about using these than I was last year’s items. As with last year, these are items I want to finish up and move out of my collection, but they’re not necessarily ones I’m going to be repurchasing any time soon.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light
I bought into the hype of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders and picked up the one I most wanted to look like. Ethereal? Hell yes I’d like to look like an otherworldly being! But this does… nothing? I don’t know what everyone else is seeing but this might as well be a mattifying translucent powder. I notice no difference on my face when I wear this, but I bought it, paid an astronomical price, so I may as well use the darn thing. Since I don’t actually use face powder anywhere in my routine, this is actually a super easy step to throw in. And it’s not like I can fuck it up really… since it looks like nothing on my skin.
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige
Barely Beige was one of those limited edition Maybelline Color Tattoos from many, many seasons ago. Despite the mad love that everyone gives them, I’m just not much of a Color Tattoo person. They tend to go on my lids and make them look crinkly – as if I suddenly aged 20 years. Not flattering. They are, however, very easy to use, when I need something to wear without thinking about it (like when I hit the snooze button for an entire hour and suddenly have to run to work). I own about 10 shades, but this is the colour I’m most likely to use up within the next year. It’s starting to go hard on me too, so I’m not even sure it’ll make it the whole year without becoming cement.
MAC eyeshadows in (clockwise starting from top left) Club, Fade, Print and Cork
I somehow managed to finish up four eyeshadows from MAC last year, so I’m doing the same this year.
Club has been a longstanding awesome shade, but I now have dupes in my collection and this is the oldest formula I own of this shade, so it’s time to go.
Fade is sheer baby blue from my teen years that I need to just completely move away from (incorporating this one is going to be painful – this one is the most at risk for not getting used up this year).
Print is a lovely dark grey shade, but it’s almost done and it’s old, so it’s time to say goodbye.
And lastly, Cork. It’s old, I have plenty of browns like it, so it’s time to move on.
Revlon – Papaya
Throughout 2014 I realized that I’m just done with lipgloss. It’s too finicky for my liking, so it’s time to clear out what I have. Revlon‘s Papaya is a lovely shade, but it just needs to go. It’s hard to tell from the tube, but I think there’s a little less than 50% remaining.
Boots No7 Instant Radiance foundation in Cool Vanilla, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 and 52
I managed to finish up one foundation last year. Only one! So I don’t know how the hell I’m going to finish up three… While they’re all quite lovely on the skin, I just need to move these along since they’re liquid products and they’re a few years old. These are ones I’d consider repurchasing at some point, but for now, I need to use up what I have and I have a lot more foundations that are waiting in the wings after these.
Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla – I was colour matched to this at Boots in Galway, Ireland, and it’s the perfect shade as I move from spring into summer. I seem to only have a small window when I can wear this for it to match my skin, but it’s one of the best-looking foundations I own. Highly recommended. (In general, I highly recommend the No7 colour matching system. It works far better thanSephora‘s Color IQ and it has never failed to pick my right shade no matter what the season.)
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 and 52 – 51 is far too pale for me, but mixed with 52 it’s fine… but only in the dead of the winter. I’ll trying to get these finished before spring hits otherwise I’ll have to wait until December to wear them again.
Do you have any plans for a Use Up 2015? Or a Project Pan for the year? I have a ridiculous fascination with used up products, so let me know what your plans are!
