Showing posts with label Benefit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Benefit. Show all posts

Monday, December 30, 2024

Project pan 2024 - final results

So here are my result for my project pan of 2024. I managed to reach my goal on some of the products and others not so much. But you live and you learn - and perhaps I will be able to set more realistic goals for my project pan 2025.

Picture from the start of 2024 - red x signaling goal reached

End of 2024 comparison

Powders and concealer duo progress

Bullet progress of 2024


Clinique - Take the day off cleansing balm (125 ml):
Weight at the start of 2024: 140 g
Goal: Finish it 
Weight at the end of 2024: finished - empty packaging 110 g - which tells me I used up 30 g of cleansing balm. 
The body shop - Cool cucumber softening body butter (200 ml): 
Weight at the start of 2024: 207 g
Goal: Finish it
Weight at the end of 2024: I finished this on holiday in Greece, and did end up throwing the tub away - but I have another empty tub from the body shop of the same type - that tub empty weighs 38 g - so I assume I used up 169 g of body butter. 
Mario Badescu - Facial spray with aloe, herbs and rosewater (236 ml):
Amount remaining at the start of 2024: The remaining product in the bottle reaches just above the upper part of the label. Even though I had decanted some of this product into another bottle I take to work, so in reality I have more product remaining of this facial spray than this bottle by itself suggests. 
Goal: Use 1/3 of this bottle by the end of 2024
Amount remaining at the end of 2024: The remaining product in the bottle reaches just below the text "established 1967" - with some product remaining in the small bottle - So maybe I did reach the 1/3rd goal?
Smashbox - Photo finish foundation primer (7.1 ml): 
At the start of 2024: Unused
Goal: Finish it
At the end of 2024: Used 1/3rd of the primer
Caudalie - Vinoperfect radiance serum complexion correcting (10 ml):
Goal: Finish it
At the end of 2024: Finished
Ecooking - Primer (30 ml):
Remaining amount at the start of 2024: Almost full, the product just does not "touch" the top of the bottle.
Goal: Use about half of the bottle.
At the end of 2024: Used half of the bottle as I set out to do, so this was a sparkling success.  
Sensai - Total lip gloss (4.5 ml):
Weight at the start of 2024: 26 grams
Goal: Use it up
Weight at the end of 2024: 24 grams. The grams might only say 2 gr, but there is considerably less left of the product, you actually have to swirl the wand around to get some product on the wand.
Charlotte Tilbury - Lip cheat re-shape and re-size lip liner in pillow talk (1.2 g):
Length at the start of 2024: 11.7 cm
Goal: Use 1 cm of it
Length at the end of 2024: 11.2 cm - 50% success?
Benefit - Hervana blush (8 g):
Weight at the start of 2024 (without the included brush): 41 g 
Goal: The goal with this item is not so much to use it up, but more focus on it and get some use out of it.
Weight at the end of 2024: 41 g - I in fact have hardly used this at all - and I have the most average (not super accurate) baking scale. So if there was any process it would not show it anyway.
The body shop - Bronzing powder shade 03 medium matte (11 g): 
Weight at the start of 2024: 48 g
Goal: Use it up
Weight at the end of 2024: 46 g - I have in fact used 2 g of this bronzer, and increased the pan quite considerably, but did not reach my goal to use it up.
Miild - Natural mineral concealer duo in 01 light ample (2.4 g):
Weight at the start of 2024: 46 g
Goal: Form dents into the two pans - and use it on the day to day on a no makeup-makeup days, when I keep my makeup to a bare minimum with mascara and concealer. 
Weight at the end of 2024: 46 g - so I did use 1 g of these concealers, and there is a little bit of a dent in them.
Bourjois - Smokey eyes 09 vert de gris eyeshadow trio (4.5 g):
Weight at the start of 2024: 22 g
Goal: Finish it
Weight at the end of 2024: 22 g - used this eyeshadow trio hardly at all in 2024.
Clinique - True bronze pressed powder bronzer in Sunblushed (1.3 g):
Weight at the start of 2024: 13 g
Goal: Use it up
Weight at the end of 2024: 13 g - I still have not hit pan on this bronzer, but it became a staple during the summer months and ended up in my travel makeup bag I use for work and I think I will continue to stash it there as it might actually end up being used up getting semi regular usage. 
Nars - Audacious lipstick in Anna (4.2 g):
Length at the start of 2024: 2.2 cm from the plastic base
Goal: Use 1 cm of it
Length at the end of 2024: 1.7 cm form the plastic base - so I used 0.5 cm or 50% of the amount I set out to use. 
Clinique - Chubby stick shadow tint for eyes 04 ample amber (3 g): 
Length at the start of 2024: 2.5 cm fully screwed up
Goal: Use 0.5 cm of product
Length at the end of 2024: 2.3 cm fully screwed up - so I used 0.2 cm which is another goal not reached.
NudeStix - Nudies all over face dewy color in Bohemian rose (1.8 g): 
Length at the start of 2024: 1.6 cm
Goal: Use it up
Length at the end of 2024: 1.2 cm - so I just used 0.4 cm of it - another goal not reached, but did manage to get some good use out of it.

So of the items I set a goal for myself in 2025 I reached my goal on 6 out of the 16 items - or 37.5% of the items.

Other goals for 2024:
I succeeded in the following goals: not to buy a face mist, no primer purchase, use a face mist at work
I failed on the following goals: not to buy any mascara (as I bought 2), not to buy a cream or a serum (I bought two full size creams, and a sampler set), just to buy one makeup brush (I bought 2), only purchasing two colored lip products (I brought in 4 of them - some of them gifted by Sephora other bought) and did not manage to use a face mas once a week. So on the "other goals" section for 2024 I succeeded on 3 of the 8 goals - or again 37.5% - the exact same percentage as on the items I set a goal for in 2024.

So going forward into 2025, maybe I might reconsider my goals. For example for lipsticks, based on the usage of the Nars lipstick, I might set a goal of half a cm for the usage for the year to come, as that would actually be a goal I might reach! For body products, I have a tendency to reach my goal for the usage on them, so they should not be a problem. Small or sample items I did also manage to finish in 2024. It does not matter what items I will focus on in 2024 - I will at least aim to reach more than a 37.5% success rate in the year to come. 

Sunday, January 7, 2024

Project pan 2024

I just finished giving you an update on my project pan for 2023, now it's onwards and upwards to choose the items I plan to focus on for 2024!! Usually I pick 10 products, but this year, I chose 16 items in total. So why 16 you might ask? Well four items are sample size, and some of the products I do not plan to finish per se, but more get some use out of, so I decided to add a few more items onto the project this year.
A few of the products I plan to focus on in 2024


The blusher, bronzers, concealers and eyeshadow for 2024


Lipstick, cream eyeshadow and cream blusher for 2024


So here come the products I chose for 2024:
Clinique - Take the day off cleansing balm (125 ml):
Weight at the start of 2024: 140 g
Goal: Finish it 
Why: About 1/4th of the product remains, and as I bought it in 2018, and the fact it takes up a lot of space in my small bathroom cabinet it is time to push to finish it. I would purchase again though, but I just have too many makeup removers at the moment, and need to finish a few of them before purchasing any more
The body shop - Cool cucumber softening body butter (200 ml): 
Weight at the start of 2024: 207 g
Goal: Finish it
Why: It is one of the oldest body creams in my arsenal, and it has started to separate, the cream from the oils. So it's now or never, and I hope to finish it early on in the year.
Mario Badescu - Facial spray with aloe, herbs and rosewater (236 ml):
Amount remaining at the start of 2024: The remaining product in the bottle reaches just above the upper part of the label. Even though I had decanted some of this product into another bottle I take to work, so in reality I have more product remaining of this facial spray than this bottle by itself suggests. 
Goal: Use 1/3 of this bottle by the end of 2024
Why: This is the "oldest" facial spray in my stash so it makes sense to hone in on it as my main facial spray for 2024
Smashbox - Photo finish foundation primer (7.1 ml): 
At the start of 2024: Unused
Goal: Finish it
Why: I have too many samples laying around and it would be perfect to finish some of them in 2024
Caudalie - Vinoperfect radiance serum complexion correcting (10 ml):
Goal: Finish it
Why: I had intended to take this to work with me, but as the product leaked during one of my flights, I decided it would be better off staying at home to be used up in 2024.
Ecooking - Primer (30 ml):
Remaining amount at the start of 2024: Almost full, the product just does not "touch" the top of the bottle.
Goal: Use about half of the bottle.
Why: This is not my oldest primer in my stash, but as it is an organic primer, I assume it will not have as long of a shelf life as the other ones I have - so I thought it would be a good idea to get some use out of it before it goes off. 
Sensai - Total lip gloss (4.5 ml):
Weight at the start of 2024: 26 grams
Goal: Use it up
Why: It is getting up there in age and as it is a clear gloss it is perfect for everyday use.
Charlotte Tilbury - Lip cheat re-shape and re-size lip liner in pillow talk (1.2 g):
Length at the start of 2024: 11.7 cm
Goal: Use 1 cm of it
Why: I did not focus on a lip liner last year and I think it would pair perfectly with the clear lip gloss.
Benefit - Hervana blush (8 g):
Weight at the start of 2024 (without the included brush): 41 g 
Goal: The goal with this item is not so much to use it up, but more focus on it and get some use out of it.
Why: At the moment these light pink blushes are very trendy, so it is a perfect time to incorporate this blush into my project pan 2024
The body shop - Bronzing powder shade 03 medium matte (11 g): 
Weight at the start of 2024: 48 g
Goal: Use it up
Why: It is my only bronzer that has any pan at the moment, and is a perfect shade to focus on over the winter. I will miss it from my collection though (as it is a discontinued product). It never looks muddy on the face and compliments my skin tone very well. 
Miild - Natural mineral concealer duo in 01 light ample (2.4 g):
Weight at the start of 2024: 46 g
Goal: Form dents into the two pans - and use it on the day to day on a no makeup-makeup days, when I keep my makeup to a bare minimum with mascara and concealer. 
Why: Again I focus on this product as it is a more organic/clean product and I assume it has a shorter lifespan than the average non-clean product. 
Bourjois - Smokey eyes 09 vert de gris eyeshadow trio (4.5 g):
Weight at the start of 2024: 22 g
Goal: Finish it
Why: Because I would love to finish a smaller eyeshadow palette in my collection and get a feeling that I am gaining some process on my collection, and this trio already has two pans in it. On the plus side cool shades seem to be in fashion for 2024 so even better to be focusing on this in particular.
Clinique - True bronze pressed powder bronzer in Sunblushed (1.3 g):
Weight at the start of 2024: 13 g
Goal: Use it up
Why: It is amongst the oldest products in my collection, as I do not even remember how I got it in the first place. It must have been some kind of a gift with purchase years ago. And it would make the perfect summer bronzer with a tad bit shimmer. Plus it would be great to be able to use two bronzers up in 2024 and make room for new bronzers in my collection.
Nars - Audacious lipstick in Anna (4.2 g):
Length at the start of 2024: 2.2 cm from the plastic base
Goal: Use 1 cm of it
Why: I tend to focus on one lipstick for the year. As I tend to wear one at work, and this is a perfect color that works for most of the year! I have tried to finish a few lipsticks in the last few years, but I never seem to manage to completely finish one up, so I decided to put a moderate 1 cm goal for the year 2024.
Clinique - Chubby stick shadow tint for eyes 04 ample amber (3 g): 
Length at the start of 2024: 2.5 cm fully screwed up
Goal: Use 0.5 cm of product
Why: I tend to focus on one cream eyeshadow for each year, and now this one is getting older in my collection and has gone unused in my collection so it was ideal to get some use out of it.
NudeStix - Nudies all over face dewy color in Bohemian rose (1.8 g): 
Length at the start of 2024: 1.6 cm
Goal: Use it up
Why: It is a mini, and has gone unused until the end of 2023, when I gave it a try to see if it would be possible to use in my project pan for 2024. And OMG this product is SO pigmented, so pigmented in fact it is borderline difficult to work with. Perhaps it is because it is getting older and dried out, but omg how can people then use the full size of similar products from this brand?

Other goals for 2024:
1. No face mist purchase in 2024
2. No mascara purchase in 2024
3. No primer purchase in 2024
4. No cream or serum purchase in 2024 (unless I am out of that particular type of product)
5. Maximum purchase one makeup brush in 2024
6. Maximum purchase of two colored lip products in 2024
7. Use a face mask once a week
8. Use a face mist at work

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

On a sample roll

I guess you could say I am on a sample roll at the moment, as I have been taking advantage of the fact that you can get a free sample of almost any item they offer at Sephora. Which is perfect for my sensitive skin which does not seem to tolerate any given product. So it is perfect to be able to test it before purchasing.

Sephora samples

 Samples and a blush
Beauty on the fly bag  - picture borrowed from Sephora.com

Sephora mask and Skyn Iceland eye mask

I would highly recommend to anyone to get a sample of the product you want to try out in Sephora, as one of these little pots lasts for several applications, so you can get a real feel for the product. And these were the three products I was keen to try:
It cosmetics - Your skin but better CC+ cream with SPF 50+ (fair);  This one at first try I really thought would not suit my perioral dermatitis-prone skin. As I got a few bums around my mouth after the fist application, but the trick with this one is to apply a thin layer. The first try I applied way to thick of a layer as I did't know the pigmentation would be so great. This I love to apply with a beauty blender, and it is quite likely that I would like to buy this in the future, as it has a high SPF factor, given that I probably do not apply it thickly enough to get the full effect of the 50+ SPF, but it might get to a 25 or 30 with how I apply the product. Full info here.
BareMinerals - Complexion rescue tinted moisturizer (opal); I used to LOVE the Garnier miracle cream, which was a light tinted face cream with SPF 20. I think that this might be something light and similar to that one, or I could use it as a base for other foundations which do not contain SPF. Full info here
Drunk Elephant - Umbra tinte physical daily defense broad spectrum sunscreen SPF 30; this I thought could be a perfect first step, including SPF, before applying a foundation which does not include an SPF, which I have in my arsenal. I also have a foundation which has only an SPF 15 so this could be the perfect base. Full info here. Have yet not tried it.
Benefit - Hervana blush (7 gr); I was missing a light pink blush in "my collection" and had really wanted to try one of the Benefit box powders, so I stumbled upon this particular blush in the Benefit store in Boston, where I had my brows done as well. I would have preferred to buy it in Sephora, and get points for my purchase, but as Sephora does not carry this color anymore, I opted to buy it in a Benefit store. And I love the color, a perfect everyday color, which is the type of a color I tend to get the most use out of. 
Madara - Anti polution CC cream SPF 15 (light beige and medium beige) (2 x 2ml); I can't even remember where I heard about this product for the first time. But I was lucky enough to grab a sample in a store in Reykjavik, and got both shades as me and the sales associate could not figure out which color would suit me better. But I figured that this might suit the same purpose as the Drunk Elephant umbra tinte spf sunscreen, to be used underneath a foundation which does not contain any spf. Full info here.
Sephora - Beauty on the fly bag; I grabbed this one in Sephora as I needed a small bag under my liquid products I keep in my cabin bag on the regular (a micellar water and toner). So I opted for this bag.
Sephora - Ultra moisturizing and brightening Rose face mask: I got this as a sample with my purchase when I got the Sephora Beauty on the fly bag. A pretty good deal here to get a mask worth 6 USD with a beauty bag for 4.95 USD. Full info here
Skyn Iceland - Hydro cool firming eye gels with hexapeptide technology (3,2 gr - one pair); One of my co-workers swears by this, so much he gave all of the members of our crew a pair of these. It is supposed to firm and de-puff in 10 minutes, and it is recommended to use this treatment once a week. Full info here

Have you tried out any of these?

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Last years purchases

Maybe I should start the year with a summarization about the beauty buys of 2012, well all the things I bought or were given to me last year!

So this is what the pile looks like:

The Pile


And this is what the pile includes (not in an alphabetical, preference or time of purchase order):

-Lumene vitamin c anti-puffiness roll-on eye serum
-Lumene vitamin c illuminating anti-age bb cream - 01 light
-Youngblood mineral rice setting powder
-Maybelline dream fresh bb cream - universal glow
-Maybelline eyestudio gel eyeliner - brown
-Maybelline eyestudio natural impact eyeshadow - 05 glamour browns
-Body shop vitamine e face mist
-Clinique chubby stick - 02 whole lotta honey
-Clinique lipstick - 13 flamenco
-Benefit watt's up
-Kiko eye shadow - shade 122
-Kiko angled blus brush - face 103
-Kanebo lip brush
-Collistar eye pencil - shade 4 - dark blue
-Garnier roll on anti-dark circles - 02 light
-Loréal eye designer (eyepencil) - 413 ebony
-Loréal color riche le smokey (eyepencil) -211 purple dream
-Makeup store microshadow - ghetto
-Estée Lauder blush - 20 sweet nectar
-Mac eyeshadow - contrast
-elf complexion brush
-elf blush brush
-elf stipple brush
-elf professional eye shadow brush
-elf professional eye crease brush
-elf mineral eye shadow primer - sheer
-Nip + fab eye fix - light
-Viva la juicy by juicy couture (missing in the picture)

I have actually not started using the last two of the purchases of the year - as I'm trying to finish a couple of my perfumes before I open this one, and the Nip + fab eye fix is a backup for my sensai/kanebo eye concealer.

So what is the most loved purchase of the year? My elf eye shadow brushes as I use them a lot, the maybelline and Makeup store eyeshadows I also get a lot of use out of. I also LOVE my Kiko angled blush brush, the Estée Lauder blush - it's such a beautiful colour and the Benefit what's up - it'g gorgeous on the face!
Disappointment of the all of the products? My Clinique chubby stick, as the colour pay-off is almost none.
Products that contain parabens; Maybelline eye shadow, Makeup store eye shadow, Kiko eye shadow and the Body shop vitamin e face mist. I'm not sure if the eye pencils contain parabens, but all the other products are paraben free (to the best of my knowledge) - and thus very to my liking!

Untill next time,
Ella