Almost one month ago I embarked upon Project 10 Pan and today I declare it officially finished. Save one Zoya binge, this adventure was largely successful; I cleared out a handful of products that had overstayed their welcome, made room for future natural product purchases, and had a little needed distance from the seductive beauty industry. This project didn't last too long because I had decided at the beginning to included deluxe sample and travel sized products as well since I have an abundance of those cluttering up my makeup drawers and bathroom cabinet. But to compensate for my Zoya breakdown and these smaller bottles I waited to break my no-buy until I finished up 16 products.
Here is what I bid goodbye to and a brief review of each product:
Here is what I bid goodbye to and a brief review of each product:
- Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder in Universal- This deluxe sample was a Beauty Insider perk from Sephora. This is nice, but I don't think it performs any better than my bargain friendly E.L.F. HD Powder.
- Suave Professionals Almond & Shea Butter Moisturizing Condition- This is actually a pretty good conditioner, but I will not be repurchasing because I have switched to the all-natural Yes to Tomatoes brand.
- Tarte Sooth Operator Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum- Sweet goddess, I love this stuff. So much so that I bought the full-sized bottle (before I started Project 10 Pan) before I even ran out of this deluxe sample. Read my full review here.
- Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Conditioner- I love this hair treatment. While I would love to find a natural replacement eventually, until then this is doing wonders on my dry, damaged locks.
- E.L.F. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen- I have read some raving reviews on this, but I though this eyeliner pen was pretty crummy. It dried up quickly and did not provide precise application. I had to force myself to use this until the felt tip basically disintegrated.
- Hard Candy Sheer Envy Face Primer- I really enjoyed this primer while it lasted, and I would consider repurchasing when I run out of my Monistat Soothing Care Chaffing Powder-Gel that I use as a primer (not as crazy as it sounds, I promise!)
- St. Ives Naturally Clear Green Tea Cleanser- This is my second bottle of this cleanser, and I really do like it. It is gentle, helps with redness, has a nice lather, and controls breakouts. I have been into Yes to Tomatoes lately, but there is a strong possibility that I will pick this up again.
- Clean Scene by Murad Gaga for Glow Gentle Facial Scrub- This was also a deluxe sample from Sephora. It had an incredibly strong fruity scent that turned my stomach. I did like the micro exfoliants in the scrub (like the Proactiv cleanser), but it also had these awful pink, blue, and orange beads that refused to dissolve away.
- Hard Candy Plumping Serum Volumizing Lip Gloss in Girl Next Door- This is the first lip gloss in a long while that I can recall using all of. I'm talking about scraping the tube with the applicator to get at the last speck of product. The color was a nice sheer baby pink with fine silver glitter, and it did have a subtle, tingly plumping effect. Although I wouldn't hunt it down, if I stumbled across this again I would repurchase.
- Olay Clarify & Cleanse Daily Scrub- I bought this because I was looking for a acne fighting exfoliating cleanser that also foamed and was suitable for daily use. This cleanser is awful and I had to force myself to not trash it. The exfoliating beads were like little blue plastic balls that never dissolved and would get trapped in my hairline. In order to finish this I only used this in the shower so I could rinse the beads away afterwards.
- Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Hypoallergenic Facial Towlettes- I went through 3 packs of 10 of these, and I really enjoy them. I have used better makeup removing wipes before, but these certainly hold their own and I like that they are all-natural.
- Yes to Carrots Daily Pampering Shampoo and Conditioner- I did not care for these, so I am glad I only invested in the travel size to try them out. The shampoo did not lather enough for me, and the conditioner did not moisturize my hair very well. The Yes to Tomatoes line works much better on my hair.
- Yes to Carrots Carrott Rich Shower Gel- This shower gel performs fine, but it didn't change my life. The scent is mild and the lather is minimal, but it got me clean. I plan to try a different all-natural shower gel.
- Sephora Sculpting Disk- I have hit pan on the pressed powder section of this product. I really do enjoy this sculpting disk; individually each products is nice, but having one compact for my powder, bronzer, and highlighter is convenient and travel friendly.
- Lorac Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder in Spotlight- I've just barely hit pan on this, but it is a deluxe sample that I received in a Sephora beauty in a box set. It is a pretty champagne powder with a fine shimmer that offers a diffused glow rather than a disco ball glitter party when applied. I like this, but not enough to pick up a full sized for $32 when this is gone.
- Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips in Malibu Strip- I have had this for a while, and it is a good multi-purpose product that can function as an eyeshadow palette, bronzer, or highlight. It is incredibly shimmery, almost metalic, so a little goes a long way which is why I cant seem to finish this stuff up! I have used up all of the white shimmer strip, and now I am left with metallic bronze shades.
- Sephora Perfecting Tinted Mousturizer in Medium Peach- This isn't anything special as far as I am concerned. I am looking for a tinted moisturizer that is better at oil control, and this doesn't fit the bill.
- Maybelline Expert Wear Blush in Precious Pink- Oh my goodness I have had this forever and it just won't go away! Which is amazing since this blush is so sheer I need to pack it on for any color pay off. I like that it has a nice sheen that leaves my cheeks looking slightly dewy, but otherwise I can't wait until this is gone!
- Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner Pencil in Zero- Recently I have been liking cream liners more, but this is the best pencil liner I have every used. Creamy and rich, and once it sets it has a great staying power. Thankfully I have another one of these that I received in an UD palette, because these are not cheap to replace.
