P100P #013 - Manicare Nail File

This poor Manicare Nail File (Medium/Fine) has been used so much it has been stripped of every last scrap of grit!  It had to go as part of Project 100 Pan.

I must confess I immediately replaced this file with one of the same, although I bought the Manicare Medium/Coarse version while I am still dealing with acrylic/gel nails.  I debated whether I should count this in my project as it has been replaced, however this is the first time I have ever completely finished a file, so it's in.

I have tried loads of brands of nail files, and I prefer Manicare over all the rest.  They don't fall apart, and they are sturdy enough to deal with the bending and twisting I put them through.  My old pooch (no longer with us) preferred the Manicare emery board too, and they still filed beautifully, teeth marks and all.

P100P #012 - Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation

Ole Henriksen’s Sheer Transformation oil free moisturiser did nothing for my skin.  I really struggled to finish it.  It wasn’t moisturising enough and I can’t recommend it for dry skin at all.  I had seen another YouTube guru using it, and we tend to have very similar skin woes, so I was hoping I would see the same fantastic results on my skin.

I bought it as part of the 3 Little Wonders box set, which also included the Truth Serum and an Invigorating Night Gel.  This kit retails overseas for USD$70, but will cost you a whopping AUD$165 if purchased locally in Australia.  The products are aimed for the anti-aging market and promise to deliver ‘truly transformative results as they embrace your skin with protection, comfort and hydration. Every product works to defend against signs of aging by firming, lifting, retexurizing, tightening and evening out skin tone with light, oil-free formulations.’

Here’s what Ole Henriksen says each product will do: 

Truth serum-collage booster 1 fl oz / 30 ml - Provides skin with natures most potent anti-aging nutrients, deeply hydrates and calms with rose hips extract, green tea and Vitamin C
Sheer transformation 1 oz / 28 g - Feels light and silky as it penetrates, leaving behind a protective and restorative surface. Gradually reduces hyper pigmentation with licorice extract, actiwhite™ and Vitamin C and increases cell turnover rate with beta hydroxy acids and fruit acids

Invigorating night gel 1 oz / 28 g - This firming treatment contains botanical alpha hydroxy acids in concentrated amounts for rapid cell proliferation, exposing younger and firmer looking skin. Hydrates and prevents irritation with fruit acids suspended in purified algae extract, vitamins A, C and E, plus mucopolysaccharides

I cannot recommend the Sheer Transformation moisturiser and I am extremely happy to see the empty container in the recycling bin this week.  I’ll give the other two products another go in the next few weeks, and see if they survive Project 100 Pan!

P100P #011 - MAC Rapidblack Penultimate Eyeliner

This liquid eyeliner in a felt tip pen style from MAC is horrible!  It is dry, and if you perspire or rub your eye at all this product will run.  When I got in the car in the afternoon, I had a black stripe where my eyeliner flick was earlier in the day.  Oh no!  I hope it had just happened and everyone didn't let me walk around like that all afternoon. 

I was going to bin this liner when a friend reminded me that I could Back2MAC it in exchange for a freebie.  Now all I need is another 5 empty cases to go with it!  Off to the bottom drawer it goes.

While I have some MAC blush, lipsticks, lipglasses and eyeshadows, I am not really a fan of the line overall.  They seem so focused on their limited edition lines at the moment.  I wish they would put some more effort into improving their foundations.  MAC has such a great colour range, but their foundations are below average.

Well that's enough of a rant.  Back to finishing off more products.

P100P #009 & #010 - Avon Ultra Colour Rich Lipstick & Rimmel Exaggerate Lipliner

These products are both very lovely, and brand new.  I have gifted them to my mother as part of Project 100 Pan only due to the colours not really suiting me.

The lipstick is Avon Ultra Colour Rich in Crush.  A beautifully creamy lipstick which wears very well.  I bought this lipstick because I had a YSL Rouge Volupte lipstick on my wishlist but I knew the colour may not be ideal for my ruddy complexion.  Instead of forking out for the high end brand, I bought the Avon dupe.  I'm glad I did!  I've been reminded that the Avon brand is fantastic, especially when you want to try something a little wilder, and since the colour didn't really work for me, no major damage to the bank account.

The second items is a Rimmel Exaggerate Automatic Lipliner in 064 Obsession.  These lipliners are brilliant, but I bought this colour specifically to co-ordinate with the Avon lipstick.  Nothing else in my lip collection will go with this liner, and it's not something I would wear filled in on my lips.

My Mum's eyes lit up when I offered these barely touched goodies to her this afternoon.  I know they have gone to a good home.

P100P #008 - Crest 3D Whitestrips

If you read my original P100P post you'll know that I have pitched my number so high because I want to include some samples and smaller items in my tally.  Here is the first item out of the smaller bunch.

I was sent this set of strips to try from Bini from Bini Blogs Beauty some time ago.  I hadn't had a spare 30 minutes to sit down and not flap my gums.  I'm a yakker, and usually only silent when sleeping!  On a recent trip to Sydney, I had a hotel room to myself, so I tried them out!

It took me a while to work out how to get these suckers out of the pack, but when I did they were easy to apply.  It was a strange feeling and my mouth started to water right away.  I felt a bit dribbly and drooley but I could see that my teeth were slightly whiter after the first treatment.  Impressed!  I didn't experience any negative effects while using the strips, or in the days after.

I would certainly consider a whitening regime in the future, now that I know I can handle the product itself.

P100P #007 - Dr Bronner Soap - Unscented

This is the sliver of soap left, so I snapped a picture for Project 100 Pan before it dwindled away to nothing.  This bar of soap is from the Dr Bronner range.  Both of my children have used the range as it is suitable for the most sensitive skin.  This is the Unscented version.  My favourite is Peppermint.

You can check out the Dr Bronner range at the Lateral Food website here.

P100P #006 - Dr Bronner Pure Castile Soap - Hemp Rose

I adore this natural, organic, no nasties, liquid soap!  In fact, I like it so much you will see a giveaway on my YouTube channel in the very near future. 

I will not rave about all the details in this in this post, however I will say that the Peppermint version is my favourite body wash.  It's a multiple use product and can be used for a myriad of crazy things, such as a mouthwash and to wash makeup brushes. 

I purchased the Rose for my son to use in his bath.  It does not bubble, so is not useful if you are looking for a bubble bath product.  However I squeeze a little into my son's bath to help soak the dirt out of his kneecaps!  I use another squirt of the soap to wash him directly.  It is non-irritating and works effectively.

I will buy this product again, when I finish the Peppermint that is in my shower.  You can purchase this Castile Soap from Australian seller Lateral Food, check out their website here.

P100P #005 - Laura Mercier Matte Bronze Light

The next item to be cleared in Project 100 Pan was a very disappointing product by Laura Mercier.  Usually an outstanding brand with exceptional products, but this one failed to please.  I decided this product was not fit for a blog sale, and has been discarded.

This product is exactly what it's name suggests, a light coloured matte bronzer, no shimmer.  When I first purchased it about a year ago I loved it.  Unfortunately after just a month the product developed a film on it.  It seemed like I needed to scratch the surface to get some colour payoff on my brush. 

I understand that you can have a build up of oil on powder products left by dirty brushes, however I am fastidiously clean with my brushes, and discount this as the cause.  The product seemed cakey, and not worth saving.

This experience does not damage the Laura Mercier reputation in my mind at all.  One of my all time favourite products comes from the LM line, and it is the Shimmer Bloc in Mosaic.  A divine glowy highlighter which surpasses Dior's Amber Diamond and Nars Albatross.  Definitely worth a look!

P100P #004 - Urban Decay Primer Potion

This miniature Urban Decay Primer Potion (otherwise known as UDPP) came with the Naked Palette kit.  I finished it on my recent business trip to Sydney.  I loved this product but have now moved onto a tube of Too Faced Shadow Insurance. 

The UDPP works beautifully and feels silky, almost silicone based when applied.  It certainly extends the wear of my eyeshadow.  However, in my opinion it does not cover my yellowness and red veins well enough, and I sometimes still revert to MAC's Painterly Paint Pot for full coverage.

I am undecided on whether I will buy this primer again.  I have so many still to try!

P100P #003 - Silk Oil of Morocco Shampoo & Conditioner

This shampoo and conditioner is packed with Argan Oil which is all the rage at the moment.  I tried the original shampoo and conditioner by MoroccanOil and liked everything but the smell. 

I then purchased this Oil of Morocco substitute thinking it would be as good, without the overpowering smell.  I was wrong.  It certainly doesn't have a fragrance but unfortunately this duo does nothing to tame my wild locks.  I have used about half of each, and it was very pricey at AUD $99 for the set. 

Save your money on this one ladies.  I have 'gifted' this into my son's bathroom as he was out of shampoo.  As he wears a ton of product in his hair, he uses loads of shampoo.  It will be put to good use.

P100P #002 - Blistex Lip Conditioner SPF20

I purchased this Blistex Lip Conditioner a few years ago, but never really fell in love with it.  From memory I bought it during a very cold winter when my lips needed some additional help.  I chose the Blistex brand thinking they were market leaders.

You can see that I haven't really used much at all.  I don't like the packaging or the smell.  To top it off the lid has been broken which really puts me off using the product.  I've had it in my desk kit, but it's time to go.

I won't repurchase this product, as there are so many better lip conditioners out there. 

This product has been binned as part of Project 100 Pan.

P100P #001 - Amarige de Givenchy Perfume

It's time to get the ball rolling on Project 100 Pan (P100P). 

I have been working on this bottle of perfume for months.  I really love it, and didn't want to waste it, but I was so sick of looking at the dribble in the bottom of the bottle.

Created by Givenchy in 1991, Amarige is classified as a sharp, oriental, floral fragrance. This feminine scent possesses a blend of violet, mimosa, soft sweet spices, and orange flowers.  I love it as a fragrance for work.

My tactic to finish this off was to wear this perfume consistently for weeks until it was finally gone.  I will repurchase this in the future, but I have a few more bottles to get through before that happens!

Project 100 Pan

I like to think big!
As I packed my overnight bag for yet another business trip to Sydney, I contemplated just how much clutter I could be free of by partaking in a Project 'X' Pan. The question was, just how far could I take it?
I hate clutter, but I have a knack of being able to ignore what's right in front of my eyes. I arrived home from work last night to find my adorable Mum clearing out my office. It still houses an old PC that pre-dates wifi and blu-ray. It weighs as much as a Ford Escort. To see everything neatly tucked away gave me such relief, even if it is stowed in the cupboard for now!
So here we come, Project 100 Pan.
I will include items that are finished, blog saled, gifted, thrown away due to aging, as well as small samples that I have been saving up over the years. I will review as many products as possible and post updates as I go.
No buying until this project is complete. None. Nada. Nix. Nothing. Nilch.
Now that I've said it out loud, I'm scared... GULP! Please support me during this cleansing process.

French Manicure with Gel Nails

Recently I had gel nails applied with a view to having instantly pretty nails.  It worked!

I have had acrylic nails applied once before and was thrilled with the results, but after my first 'refill' I decided that they were way too much trouble.  Sitting still in a nail salon for an hour every other week was much more than I was willing to commit to.  However a few years on I found myself going back for another session.  A set of gel nails with tips in a french manicure set me back AUD $50.  Refills will cost AUD $35 if I decide to maintain these nails.

I am not a big fan of the process.  The filing and picking at my cuticles was really annoying, and the smell in the salon was overpowering.  The service in the salon was not one that encouraged relaxation, as I was shuffled from one assistant to another during the application process.  Putting the process aside, I was once again very happy with the results.



Here are the nails just applied.  The assistant described this as 'little bit square, little bit round'.  You may also hear it referred to as 'squoval'.  These were a little to square for me, and I immediately noticed a deterioration in the accuracy of my keyboard skills.

Just applied

The photos below are my nails after two weeks of wear.  I filed the square edges down and was thrilled that my nails still look lovely two weeks in.  As the manicure was a french polish, the regrowth is a natural colour and not obvious.

Two weeks later, square edges filed down

Two weeks later, square edges filed down

I don't believe I will refill these nails.  I am more likely to continue filing them down and eventually soak them off with acetone.  However if I had a special event coming up I would consider having another set applied.

Haul - It's all about the lips!

Here is a little look at a haul that arrived at my office today.  Nothing better than a few lip products to brighten up your afternoon and completely distract you from your work...

These products are all new to me, so I will conduct a thorough review and post the outcome either here on my blog or on my YouTube channel (subscribe here).

Everything was purchased from StrawberryNet.

From Left to Right:

Guerlain - Kiss Kiss Gloss in No. 865 Rose Tenation

Estee Lauder - Double Wear Stay-in-Place Lip Pencil in Russet

Too Faced - Luster Liner Pearl Effects LipPencil in Tahitian (comes with a pencil sharpener)