Oh yeah baby.  My very own empties post.  *insert wild applause here*

My friend Liz at Beauty Reductionista has been rocking these out on a regular basis lately and really giving her readers something to aspire to and admire.  It’s not easy to reduce the load of products we often accumulate over time – typically, the load increases more and more, and if you’re like me, it only serves to weigh us down with guilt and anxiety; how are we ever going to use it all up?!  So, when we do begin to pare down our stash and begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel – or, more realistically, see an opportunity for us to buy more stuff without feeling so guilty – we gotta celebrate that, right??

Not only have I been trying to lessen the load to make way for new product, but I’ve also been trying to streamline my regime to some degree.  This month, my kickoff month, I decided that I was only allow to purchase a new product after getting rid of 10 others.  The official term for this is called ‘Project Ten Pan,’ an idea originated by lollipop26, a makeup guru on Youtube.  I first heard about this through Liz as well, and instantly had to read up on it.  The gist is that you have to use up 10 beauty products before you buy anything else.  While it’s not reasonable for me to try to do this every time for the rest of my life – c’mon, be serious here! – I figured I could do it for a month at least, and so far have been exceptionally successful.  I’ve only purchased one, yes ONE!, beauty product this month (NARS Grand Palais duo – to be reviewed soon!), and below is the reason for this celebration – 10 products finished!  Hoorah, hooray!

Without further ado, let’s get to it:First up, Aveeno’s Active Naturals Eczema Care Cream.  This is actually my second tube and I’m just about to buy a third.  It doesn’t last long – maybe a month, unfortunately – but it kicks some MAJOR butt on my eczema and makes my skin super-ridiculously soft.  It’s totally worth the $8.49 every month for that alone!  No scent, absorbs quickly, too easy!Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief.  I received this in a gratis from Clinique a while back.  I generally always have some of this on hand, it’s great for my sensitive skin as it’s oil-free and aloe based.  Doesn’t do much but make the skin feel hydrated and soothed.  It doesn’t repair the moisture barrier so it’s really more of a treat than a treatment.  Nonetheless, if my skin is feeling parched, its one of the first things I reach for.  This size jar (75mL) is $57CDN.  No scent.TRESemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner.  I’ve reviewed this before here.  Still my fave conditioner, but it lasted forever because it’s a monster tube and I just got bored.  I think I’ll go back to it though, the new stuff I’m using by Dove is flaring my eczema up I think.  I never had an issue with this.  Around $6CDN for this HUGE container of it, and it just plain works awesome.  And no ‘cones!First, Clinique Turnaround Concentrate ($47CDN).  I reviewed the Turnaround Body Smoothing Cream here.  Same premise, it exfoliates to uncover newer, brighter, smoother skin.  Really terrific.  Its very gentle (easy on my sensitive skin) but works wonders.  It keeps breakouts at bay, my skin soft and smooth, and my skintone even.  Perfect!

Second, Clinique Super Rescue Antioxidant Night Moisturizer in Combination Oily ($46CDN).  Oil-free, no-fuss hydrating moisturizer that repairs skin cell damage through the antioxidants (which are time-released) to prevent and slow aging.  It also repairs the moisture barrier of skin so it’s stays hydrated and is better protected against external aggressors on the skin (pollution, sunlight, extreme weather).  Of course, I can’t say if it’s preventing aging really – I don’t have a whole lot of signs of aging yet – but it’s good to my skin and keeps it hydrated and supple.  I’m on the hunt for a new moisturizer though, I get bored!  And, excuse the cut packaging, I forgot to take a photo before I used the tube entirely – gotta get out every last drop! Urban Decay Primer Potion, on the left ($23CDN).  This was THE eyelid primer to get back a few years ago, until every other line started making them too and there was much more competition.  I still think this is one of the front runners – it is extremely effective at keeping your makeup in place – but I find it intensifies my shadows so much, and not necessarily in a good way (shimmer becomes SUPER gaudy shimmer).  And it has a slight color, which isn’t a huge deal, but my current primer – NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base - has no color and keeps my shadows true to pan.  There’s a place for both primers I suppose, but for now I’ll stick with the NARS version which is equally effective.

Next, the ubiquitous Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer ($44CDN).  Another HG for many in the past, but again has been somewhat unsurped by newer formulations recently.  I never loved this primer, and perhaps you can see I didn’t entirely finish the bottle – I didn’t like the way it sometimes would pill and ball up on the skin, and it is soo silicone-y!!  I feel like used on a regular basis, this would majorly break people out.  It’s effective but not my cup of tea. One of my fave products ever, Jack Black’s Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25 in Lemon Chamomile.  Also reviewed here.  Smells SOO good and feels great on the lips.  Has quite a bit of slip, and you only need a dab, but it keeps my lips hydrated and smooth without fail.  For around $10CDN its a tad steep but it lasts ages to I’ll continue to buy these regularly.

Hiding underneath is an old MAC liquid liner in Black.  A friend gave this to me because she just couldn’t master the liquid liner technique, so I’m not sure how much is cost – and in any case, it’s been long discontinued.  This lasted forEVER and was really easy to use.  It didn’t have the best staying power, so if I did a ‘flick’ at the end of my lash line, it often ran or smudged throughout the day, but it still was a standby for a quick eye look.  If you’re looking for something similar, I’d recommend Make Up For Ever’s liquid liners which are about $26CDN and AMAZING with superlong wear.Last but not least, my beloved container of Jojoba Oil.  I’ve been using this for everything, it’s such an amazing multi-tasker!  On body & face, as a hair treatment, cuticle treatment….love.  It’s pretty pricey, for this small one it was about $20CDN – the large size is like $45??  But sort of worth it.  I really like that it’s JUST jojoba oil, no additives or other ingredients, so you know what you’re getting.  You just feel good using it!

So, there you have it.  I managed to lighten my load and it feels great!!  It’s really spurred me on to keep up the good work, I already have several other products used up and ready for another showing   I’d love it if my shopping addiction turned to a reduction addiction……uhhh, yeah, right.

Is anyone else having a challenge with product overload?  What are you doing to improve the situation?  Or are you rolling in abundance with relish?  Have you ever tried Project 10 Pan?

Thanks for stopping by, I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!