products that i'm using currently (in preparation for June 2012 empties)

another type of video i love to watch are videos showing product that you're currently using, which is similar to makeup basket or project pan videos. this is my version of project x pan because these are the items i'm trying to use up. i find this type of "project x pan" is better suited for my style because of how large my collection is. i could never ever ever do a full project x pan because i cannot stick to 10 or however many products and not buy anything new during that time.

i think that is the key. i think i can do a project x pan because i did feature some makeup items in this video that i'm trying to use up, but my weakness is that i have to buy something! i don't know... i have such a large collection that i really don't need anything new, but i love certain brands that i just want everything from them and that is something i can't just quit myself from doing... for example, Bare Escentuals.

i have a small spiral notebook on my makeup table with a full page of brands that i will no longer buy from without exception. and then i have a full page of brands that i will continue to buy from but it also includes brands that i will only buy certain things from. like Revlon... i love their lip products but i don't need anymore eyeshadows from them so i'm banning myself from buying those things, but i will keep checking out their lip products, especially if they come out with more colors in their lip butter line.

i think the only way i can ever do a project x pan is if i ban myself completely from YouTube, Twitter, blogs, and all other social networks... and that isn't happening. LOL xoxo Kathleen

no buy 2012 revisited

yes, i am going to make a more conscious effort to not buy so much makeup! LOL i don't know what is wrong with me... when i like something, i want to get everything! i go nuts with nail polish and lipstick. i have an upcoming video where i bought 4 Wet n Wild lipsticks! of course, they were like pennies cheap, but still... did i really need all 4?!?!

so i made this video, mainly for myself, so i can keep myself credible (is that the right word?) for this commitment. i think it's overdue to make this goal... but as a makeup collector, it's just so hard to do!

here is the list of the products that i'm not going to buy in 2012 (with a few caveats, of course)...

lotions - body lotions, hand lotions, body butters
foundations - unless it comes pressed by BE
face powders / setting powders
mascara
concealer - unless BE releases a new one in pressed or creamy form
eye primer
eyebrow pencil /  powder
lip pencil
eyeliner pencils - unless they come in kits with other makeup products
NAIL POLISH
makeup brushes - unless they come from Sigma Makeup, Real Techniques, and Sonia Kashuk
face primers
single eyeshadows - unless they come in a palette
blush / bronzers - unless they come in a kit

i will allow myself to buy lipstick or lip glosses but IN MODERATION... i will be getting more glosses in upcoming kits, but i will no longer buy them in bulk no matter how cheap they are (i.e. WnW, etc).

so there you have it! by making this commitment, this will stop me from going to the drugstore, which is where i go crazy with the lipstick and lip glosses. i just hope that Revlon doesn't release more colors of their lip butter line because then i'm going to be in trouble... so girls, keep me honest! LOL xoxo Kathleen

Bare Escentuals Haul (from Sephora and Ulta)

did the video manager change today? it looks slightly different and the thumbnails are taking a while to be generated... why does YouTube always change things that ain't broken?!?!

so i filmed another haul video today and it'll be uploaded sometime in April, and in the video i mention that i was no longer on Project Pan or No Buy. well, i am still on Project Pan because i still want to use up certain product, but it's more than obvious that i'm no longer on No Buy. it's just hard to commit to when you watch YouTub beauty videos ALL DAY LONG! LOL i will say that i have definitely cut back. a few years ago (even last year) my spending habits were insane when it came to shopping for makeup and clothes. this year, i've definitely cut back on clothes and makeup. there's so much more that i want to buy but i'm holding off because i am trying to be more mindful of what i'm buying. of course, 12 nail polishes don't really fit in the "be more mindful" category. i don't know. it's just hard to say no!

at least, i'm not buying high-end makeup. i would love to own anything from Chanel or Dior or YSL or anything like that, but i just feel that the price of one Chanel palette can't be justified... especially if i won't use it every single day. like a price of an Urban Decay NAKED palette can be justified. 12 colors, all neutrals, full size shadows, for $40-something. one Chanel palette is like $50-something and you get like 4-5 colors. i don't know. i know it's luxurious to own, but i would be afraid to use it! and with that mindset, this $50 palette just sits there.

i would much rather spend $50 on something that i will use every single day like a makeup brush, but even so, i can't justify spending that much money on one brush! as long as you take care of your brushes, the cheapest ones can last you for years. maybe once i start working... well, nah... i still can't justify spending that much money on anything... except for shoes or purses. LOL

okay, that's enough rambling for tonight. i'll be back tomorrow! xoxo Kathleen

basket of the month: February (and what Project Pan means to me)

in a rather lengthy video, i tell how you i'm adapting Project Pan in my so-called "no buy 2012" and then i show you the items in my makeup basket of February!

there is no way i can completely cut myself off from buying makeup. i'm just being more moderate in my spending. i know i can do it! i don't need everything... and if i miss out on something, c'est la vie! :) xoxo Kathleen

foundations that i'm currently using

i don't own a lot of foundation simply because i always have a hard time trying to find the shade that matches my skin and so i just don't buy any. i've only been matched a few times (by M.A.C, Clinique, and in Shoppers Drug Mart in Vancouver) and i've been satisfied with those matches. however, when i go by myself to the drug store, i just can't see what they see. in the past, i've bought my fair share of foundations that didn't match my skin, but i've been quite successful recently. however, i plan on not buying anymore foundations (as part of project no-buy 2012) until i've used up what i have. it's a good thing i really don't own that many foundations.

in today's video, i show you what i am currently rotating through, but i completely forgot about the other foundations that are stashed away in my makeup drawers (the white drawers you see in the background of some of my videos). i forgot i had bought the M.A.C mineralize satinfinish foundation and also the Clinique superfit and acne solutions foundations. i also forgot that i have a handful of tinted moisturizers, too. i'm not sure when i'll add them to my foundation rotation... probably when i've made a serious dent in what i have on my makeup table.

one of my longtime subscribers (from my old channel "daysies1974") mentioned that she really enjoyed this camera angle as she could see the true color of whatever i was showing. so i think i'll be filming from my makeup table a lot more and take advantage of the natural light that comes in from the windows that flank either side of the table. i'll probably film from my desk when i have to show products that aren't too dependent on the color or when i just need to vlog or something. i also want to cover up the wire shelving that's behind me because i think it looks ugly. i had put up some window sheers but that looked ugly, too. i don't know if i want to buy a screen and wrap it in some cute fabric. i just want a non-cluttered background. oh, well, it's not too too important at the time being.

well, thanks for hanging out with me again today... i'll see ya tomorrow! xoxo Kathleen

basket of the month: January (and project pan... mostly face products)

i finally succumbed to Project Pan... started by Laura/lollipop26 a few years ago, Project Pan was to select 10 products from your makeup collection and use them up exclusively (?) until they were completely empty, or "hitting pan" (where you can see the metal/glass/plastic pan at the bottom). some YTers selected more products and some selected just a few... regardless it was to use up what you already had and not buy more. then once you were able to accomplish this, you can reward yourself with buying more products!


since i put myself on a mostly no-buy project for 2012 (except for a few brands, like Bare Escentuals/bareMinerals), i have to shop my stash and use what i have. so today, i selected 7 products for my basket of the month. a couple of girls i recently subscribed to make videos about their basket of the week, which are products they are using for that week. they change up the products from week-to-week and may include some of their Project Pan items. since i don't wear makeup enough, i thought having a basket of the month would fit my routine much better. i guess i could have a basket of the week, which would include eye, lip, and cheek products, but i like to switch those things up every single day.

so my basket of the week will contain mostly face products because i know i can use those up the fastest. to make things easy for me this first time around, i chose items that are already halfway used. i've also had these products in my collection for years actually so i'll be happy to use them up. most likely i won't repurchase these items after finishing them because i have sooooo many other products to go through... but this video will help remind me what i've used up in case i want to repurchase these products in the future.


i'll make these videos monthly and so i hope you continue to stay tuned in! xoxo Kathleen