The Makeup To Do List.

It’s the time of the year again to drag out my makeup "To Do" list and start another round of “Project Pan”. After years of doing this annual exercise, I have sort of started purchasing makeup prudently. Well, maybe I'm still hoarding a lil more than the average person, but for a “makeup-holic” like me, I’d say that I fared rather well.

Round xx: Project 10 Pan

After a few months of accumulating products that I don't really need, the time has finally arrive for me to do a new round of 'Project 10 Pan'. This time round, to give myself an aim that is more achievable, I've decided not to limit what's included down to specific products. Rather, I would need to use up different things from different categories.

1. Any 2 skincare products

2. A bodycare product

3. A haircare product

4. A base makeup (foundation/primer)

5. A cheek product (blush/bronzer/highlighter)

6. Any 2 eye makeup products (eyeshadow/primer/mascara)

7. Any 2 lip products (lipstick/lip balm/lip gloss)

Wish me luck!

p/s: Are you on project 10 pan as well?

p/p/s: Sorry for the lack of reply in the comments section, will be doing them real soon... 

xx

Disclaimer: Picture adapted from weheartit.com

I love Empties #3: Part 2 - Makeup

So finally, here is the second installment on the products that I've used up between 2011 till start of the year. I've noticed that I used fairly a small bit of makeup which is pretty disappointing for myself as it means that I will not be able to purchase more anytime soon.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - LightI really really enjoyed this product. The texture is smooth and refined, blending into my skin effortlessly. If I were to repurchase a new face powder from MAC, this is definitely my goto product to purchase. It provides coverage yet it doesn't look cakey at all. See my full review here.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid - NC 20

A product which I really enjoyed. I like the yellow undertone and how it matches my Asian skintone perfectly. However, after I ventured deeper into the foundation realm, I have discovered other brands which work even better (In my dictionary, it translates to, longer lasting). That said, I still think this is a very good product to try out if 12-hour makeup is not a criteria for your foundation of choice.

ELF Studio Concealer Pencil & Brush

I'm not entirely sure whether this is still available on ELF's website, however, if you are searching for an on-the-go spot concealer, definitely give this a try! Full review can be read here.

ELF Essential Tone Correcting Concealer

Another affordable ELF product that costs only $1. Apart from the attractive price, I really do not recommend this product as it is too sheer and doesn't provide the coverage a concealer should.

ELF Essential Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Gel

Awesome product for $1. Totally recommend and does a good job keeping my brows in place! I think for the price, you definitely can't beat that, enuf said..

Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeliner

I used to really like this product due to the easy application, affordable price, staying power and pigmentation. However, the one thing I absolutely hate about it is that it stings my eyes!!! For my take on drugstores liquid eyeliners, read here.  

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

I think everyone should have this powder in your collection. Hands down love this, best drugstore powder I've tried so far! Read here and here for my thoughts on the product. To give you an idea on how much I enjoyed it, I'm on my second product now. =) A rare occasion for a makeup hoarder..

Another upcoming post on hair products that I've used up will be up soon. In the meantime, have a good week!

xx

I love Empties #2: Part 1 - Skin Care

After much procrastination, I'm finally putting up this post. These are basically all the products that I've finished using up since 2011 till now. As I have alot of products to show, I will be splitting this into 2 or 3 parts, depending on my blogging mojo. :)

Part 1. Skincare

Soap & Glory Hand Food

This is my all-time favorite hand cream. I love the smell and how soft my hands feel right after each application. Furthermore, the price is really affordable and a small really does go a long way. If you are in search of a new hand cream, I definitely would recommend you to give this a try.

Biotherm White D-Tox Corrective Make Up Base

I think this must be my third tube of make up base/primer from Biotherm. This range of product comes in 5 different shades. I have personally tried the instant brightening (my favorite) and the rosy glow ones and find both to not only corrects my skintone but also keep my foundation on all day. Sometimes I even wear this just with a thin layer of powder! Though I'm trying out other primers at the moment, I can safely say that this is my Holy Grail primer for now.

Merlot Grape Seed Eye Cream

I do not have a review of this on my blog as I was too lazy to post it up.. Opps. I think this is really a very basic type of eye cream. It keeps my eye area moisturize and prevents fine lines. The consistency is rather thick and it does take some time for the product to completely sink into my skin. I have absolutely no complains for it but being a skin care fanatic as I am, I just can't help looking for the next great product out there. That said, if you are looking for an affordable product, definitely give this a try. This can be found here or here.

Biore UV Aqua Rich SPF 50++

I think this is a very average sunscreen. I wasn't a big fan of it but while I was using it, it did a good job preventing my skin from getting tan. It is also non-sticky and sinks into the skin in no time. Aside from that, I didn't find anything really interesting about the product.

Mandom Cleansing Express Agecare Cleansing Lotion

I love this product. It is my holy grail water-based cleansing lotion. I have reviewed this once here on this blog.

Laneige Perfect Renew Essence

I really enjoyed Laneige's skin care, especially the water bank series and the perfect renew series. The Perfect Renew series prevents premature series and while I was using it, I think it did a really good job keeping fine lines out my skin.

Laneige Perfect Renew Skin Refiner

Similar to the same range's essence, the texture of this skin refiner/toner is light and refreshing. I also think that this product did a good job with the whole anti-aging claims that it came with. Like what I mentioned about the other products, while I really enjoyed most of the empties in this post and will recommend it to people around, I wouldn't necessary repurchase them as I love trying new products.

Laneige Water Bank Hydro Gel & Gel Cream

Looking at how I have finished up 2 tubs of the same product, I believe you would already know how much I love this range of moisturizer. The hydro gel cream is said to be even more moisturizing than the hydro gel. It is also slightly more expensive. However, in my honest opinion, I think both are the same and give out the same results. In fact, I prefer the hydro gel better as the packaging is much more user friendly compared to the hydro gel cream.

Naruko Narcissus Total Defense Fundamental Serum

I adore this product! I can safely say that this is in fact my favorite out of all the product I have tried. It enhances the absorption of the next skin care product that I apply on to my skin. I am currently using the second bottle in my skin care routine. The only downside about this product is that each bottle only lasts about 3 - 4 months. The pump is also annoying as it uses a dropper to take out products. However, if you are looking to purchase anything from Naruko, definitely try this out!

Baviphat Grape Anti-Wrinkle Gel Cream

Yes, yes! I am obsessed with anti aging skin care at the moment. I know I probably should accept aging as a natural human growth process but I just can't get passed seeing even a slight sign of age on my skin. Anyway, back to this product. I have reviewed it here. This is not something I recommend for sure as it did nothing as far as anti aging goes.

Stay tune for the next installment on Make Up and Hair Products.

xx

I love Empties #1: It took me ages, but I'm Done with Them!

It took me ages, some probably a whole year, BUT, I'm finally done using these products!

Then again, project 10 pan (if I were to stick strictly to the original definitions) was still a major failure since most of the products I've used up are either hair care or skincare. Makeup wise, sad to say, besides the two mascaras, I have yet to finish any other products.

Hair Care

1. Tsubaki Damage Care Shampoo

Though I think this is a fairly decent shampoo, it just did not work out as well for me. Maybe because I had really high expectation for it after reading many good reviews on it, or maybe because my hair is just weird; this product just acted as an average shampoo for me. I will not be purchasing this product again. 

2. Asience Shine Therapy Shampoo & Conditioner

I absolutely love this shampoo! Will it be on my holy grail list? Not too sure yet, since I'm currently trying out a few other brands as well. But I definitely recommend this brand and will be repurchasing it again. I love the smell, love how it makes my hair soft and smooth, love how my hair is less frizzy and more manageable after using it! And best of all, it is very affordable! 

3. Clairol Herbal Essences Hair Serum

This is a product which I really enjoyed using. I really like the fruity scent and how soft my hair feel right after application. But one thing that I absolutely hate is the packaging. I have the habit of bringing hair serums in my bag but because the cap of this product is really loosely fitted, sometimes when I'm not careful, the cap would detach and serum would spill all over. However, I think I will repurchase this if I can't find an equivalently cheap and better serum.

Skin Care

1. Avene Thermal Spring Water

This is definitely my Holy Grail for on the go face spritzer. I always bring of this in my bag to replenish my skin's moisture throughout the day. Sometimes when I'm too lazy to bring toner out on travel trips, I even use this as a toner. I can't remember exactly but this is definitely my Nth bottle. As compared to MAC Fix +, this is definitely more affordable and easier to bring out. The function of both is about the same but I do felt that Fix + is better when it comes to makeup setting while this is more of a skin softening product. I have already repurchased a new bottle! =)

2. Ole Henriksen Truth Revealed Super Creme SPF 15

I bought the Truth Revealed Kit on one of my shopping trips in the beginning of the year. Sadly, I have already tossed out the Truth Serum bottle while I was in Paris and can't show it here. I think both Truth Revealed products are very decent in terms of keeping my skin moisturized and smooth. However, between both, I prefer the truth serum a lot more than the moisturizing cream mainly because the latter is not moisturizing enough for me. I would not purchase the creme but as for the serum, I think I might when I've finish trying out other brands.

3. Biotherm Aquasource Gel

My favorite product among the all the Aquasource range. I love how this moisturizer hydrates my skin and keep my pores really small. I'm currently in a hydration kinda phase because this is actually the fundamental to preventing fine lines, enlarged pores and many other skin problems. I will be repurchasing this after I'm done with my Laneige Water Bank moisturizer. 

4. Biotherm White D-Tox Spot Corrector

This was my Holy Grail spot corrector. I went through like 3 or 4 of these before switching to the Estee Lauder spot corrector. I find that this is one of the most effective in reducing/removing any pimple scar and it also helped lighten my pigmentation spots. Sadly, Biotherm has since launched a new concentrate and phased this out. I'm planning to try out Lancome's Blanc Expert after finishing my current spot corrector. If you have tried that out, do let me know what u think bout it. 

5. Hada Labo Skin Care Range

This is definitely a brand that you should check out if you are on the lookout for affordable yet good quality products. I really enjoyed all of the products and you can find the reviews here and here. I will not be repurchasing them solely because I always like to try out different brands of products when it comes to skincare. However, one thing I do need to warn you is that, if you are looking for products which gives fast results, this might not be for you as it really only offers the most basic moisturization and skin brightening effects.

Makeup

1. Revlon Lash Fantasy & Maybelline Volume Express

Finally I'm done with them! OMG...it was so hard to even use them up cos I haven't been wearing much eye makeup since the beginning of the year. The review for them can be found here. I will not be repurchasing them because I really wanna try out other brands of mascaras.

Perfume

1. Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Exotic Perfume

The Elizabeth Arden green tea range perfumes is my all time favorite everyday perfume. I love the fresh scent it gives and it is also very wearable for work. The scent is really long lasting as well. I can't say enough good things about it. Definitely gonna repurchase it!

2. Zara White Eau De Toilette

I bought this while I was in London. This is another scent which I absolutely adore. It is a musky scent and I always wear it if I'm going out at night or even the day. The best thing about this product is that it only cost 6.50 pounds. Freaking affordable! This is another perfume which I will be repurchasing. 

That's all for products I've finished using over the past few months. Am crossing my fingers that I can use up more in time to come. 

Happy Weekend!

xx