Project Make a Dent No. 2 | End Results

Project Make A Dent 2016

The biggest appeal of doing Project Make a Dent is surely seeing the progress made, or sometimes lack thereof. I can really get a sense of what textures and types of products I like with repeated use, as well as know what steps I can cut out of my routine if need be.

Being committed to a set of products did get a little boring as the months went by. But knowing that the end result would be to see empty pans or bottles made it much easier. Plus, I could always choose to go lighter- or heavier-handed with base products, skip eyes, or do lips. Even with a limited selection, there was still room for variety.

Project Make A Dent 2016 Liquid and Cream base products - Before results Project Make A Dent 2016 Liquid and Cream base products - Half year results
Project Make A Dent 2016 Liquid and Cream base products - End results

L to R: Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch, Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, Maybelline Angelfit Pore zero Base SPF 25 PA++, and Lancome Teint Miracle in 6W Buff

I guess there was no surprise to see that both Clarins' primers remained untouched in 2016. Many occasions, I preferred not to apply a separate layer of primer before foundation. Other times I did not want to dip my fingers into a potted product. But I think it was ultimately just my bad choice of having two too many primer options in this round of PMAD. I had a tendency to only grab for the Maybelline Angelfit base since it was already used some and I liked to mix it in with foundations.

Anywho, the end results of the base products for Project Make a Dent No. 2 are: Maybelline base has about 1/3 of the product remaining in the tube and the Lancome Teint Miracle has been completely cleared out.

Project Make A Dent 2016 Clarins Lisse Minute Instant Smooth - Before results Project Make A Dent 2016 Clarins Lisse Minute Instant Smooth - Half year results
Project Make A Dent 2016 Clarins Lisse Minute Instant Smooth - End results

Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch

See, no progress made with the Clarins Instant Smooth. None at all.

Project Make A Dent 2016 Powder makeup products - Before results Project Make A Dent 2016 Powder makeup products - Half year results
Project Make A Dent 2016 Powder makeup products - End results

L to R: MAC Mineralize Blush in Pet Me, jane Shimmering Blush in 01 Natural Blush, MAC Mineralize Blush in Utterly game, Visee Glam Nude Eyeshadow Palette in N-1, and N.Y.C. Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in 720 Sunny

The group of products I look forward to seeing at the end of every PMAD, powders! These are the easiest and quickest to apply. But are also the biggest teases since seeing pan doesn't mean emptying the entire thing is near.

Project Make A Dent 2016 MAC Mineralize Blush Pet Me  - Before results Project Make A Dent 2016 MAC Mineralize Blush Utterly Game  - Before results
Project Make A Dent 2016 MAC Mineralize Blush Pet Me  - Half year results Project Make A Dent 2016 MAC Mineralize Blush Utterly Game  - Half year results
Project Make A Dent 2016 MAC Mineralize Blush Pet Me  - End results Project Make A Dent 2016 MAC Mineralize Blush Utterly Game  - End results
MAC Mineralize Blush in Pet Me
MAC Mineralize Blush in Utterly Game

I thought I hadn't made any progress with these MAC Mineralized Blushes at the halfway mark. Now that I can compare the photos from start to finish, it is anything but. The dome of powder has definitely gotten more flat throughout the year. Utterly Game has even gone concave and some rings of the pan are peeking through now.

To the completely honest, I noticed that the dome in Utterly game was smaller than Pet Me after the half-year update and decided to use it solely to see how far I could pan the product out by 2017. Pet Me didn't receive nearly as much attention after that.

Project Make A Dent 2016 NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder 720 Sunny - Before results Project Make A Dent 2016 NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder 720 Sunny - Half year results
Project Make A Dent 2016 NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder 720 Sunny - End results

N.Y.C. Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in 720 Sunny

Like with many pressed powders that I have panned out before, the NYC Bronzing Powder crumbled into pieces from brush swirling after the hole got bigger. But I guess it still counts as having made a dent, yeah? I had finished this a few months before the year ended and can say I did not miss not having it in my routine. Rather than using a bronzing powder to balance lighter foundations and/or powders, I found slightly darker foundations to be very handy.

Project Make A Dent 2016 jane Shimmering Blush 01 Natural Blush - Before results Project Make A Dent 2016 jane Shimmering Blush 01 Natural Blush - Half year results
Project Make A Dent 2016 jane Shimmering Blush 01 Natural Blush - End results

jane Shimmering Blush in 01 Natural Blush

Oh, jane Shimmering Blush...how I am glad the year with you is now over. It was super difficult trying to get color from pan to brush to face. The mixing of colors and metallic-y swirly mess in the pan made my inner neat freak grow exponentially. Ultimately, I didn't quite like you as a blush nor as a highlighter.

Project Make A Dent 2016 Kose Visee Glam Nude Eyeshadow Palette N-1 - Before results Project Make A Dent 2016 Kose Visee Glam Nude Eyeshadow Palette N-1 - Half year results
Project Make A Dent 2016 Kose Visee Glam Nude Eyeshadow Palette N-1 - End results

Visee Glam Nude Eye Shadow Palette in N-1

If there was one surprise from this PMAD, it would be the progression in this eyeshadow palette. It is hardly noticeable in the photo. But I have really tried my hardest to incorporate eye makeup, other than eyeliner, into my routine. My looks aren't anything dramatic. It is just enough for me. Maybe I'll keep at this with the Visse Glam Nude in 2017 and see how much I can dent it now that I am more inclined than last year to use eyeshadows.

Project Make A Dent 2016 Lip products - Before results Project Make A Dent 2016 Lip products - Half year results
Project Make A Dent 2016 Lip products - End results

L to R (clockwise): Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 680 Temptress, L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in 418 Caring Coral, and Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine

As with the bases, there was no surprise with how I did in the lip products department. Lip balms are staples in my nighttime regime, so the Korres Lip Butter surely would have been emptied once I made it routinely. It was slightly more difficult to get myself to remember to use the L'Oreal Colour Riche but have found it to be quite nice as a MLBB/sheer coral lip balm. As someone who usually hates to have things on her lips throughout the day, even lip balm, the Colour Riche balm is a good compromise for when I want a bit of color and protection. As for the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick...I have no excuses. It just never became a part of my routine and was forgotten.


Project Make a Dent No. 2 seems to have been pretty successful. Most of what I expected to completely finish was indeed used up. It would have been even better if I was able to get through a blush and a lipstick as well. Perhaps next time?

I am not 100% if I will be doing a full year's worth of PMAD in 2017. I have a stash of makeup sachet samples that I would like to use up. I might also stick to using the same products that were in PMAD No. 2 for a while to try to pan those out. If that's the case, then PMAD No. 3 might not be very interesting and/or repetitive. We'll see!

tria Hair Removal Laser 4X & SmoothStart Calming Gel - 1 Month

Here we are, a month into my at-home laser hair removal journey! It is still too premature to say whether or not the tria Hair Removal Laser system works. But that is not of anyone's fault. The company even said it takes at least 3 months before results are very apparent. This series is mainly to keep everyone updated and so I too can look back and see if there was any progress or not. I am committing myself to a monthly update.

tria Hair Removal Laser Facial Hair 2 Weeks

tria Hair Removal Laser Facial Hair 4 Weeks, 1 month

Now that I am looking at it, I guess my wispy moustache hairs aren't that big of an issue in full face, medium scale photos. Sometimes it does feel like the hairs add a dark-ish shadow to the corners of my mouth though. Does it?

Since the first introductory post I made, I have used the laser on 2 additional occasions. Just as a recap: the very first session was conducted at the level 3 setting with no calming gel, the second at level 4 with calming gel, and the third at level 5 with calming gel.

I was surprised by how ineffective the SmoothStart Calming Gel was at stopping the pain sensation. When that laser hits a hair follicle, you can definitely feel the zap. The gel did help a little with the warm feeling which comes with the laser zapping. Having too thick a layer of the gel product doesn't give any extra protection, unfortunately. Doing this actually hinders the laser from being able to sense the skin properly.

I was equally shocked to find that level 5 doesn't really hurt that much more compared to level 3 or 4. Since I have the gel, it won't go to waste. It will most definitely be used up. As for whether I would repurchase it or deem it necessary with the laser, my current answer is no. Then again...I haven't tried level 5 without the gel. Perhaps I'll try it and update next month.

tria Hair Removal Laser Facial Hair 2 Weeks Closeup

tria Hair Removal Laser Facial Hair 4 Weeks, 1 month Closeup

Upper lips.

There was probably no progression in hair loss or less hair growth 2 weeks after the first treatment. By the next bi-weekly session, I did notice slower hair growth. It didn't feel like there were any bald spots per say. Just that the hairs seemed like it was coming back at a slower pace. It is difficult to get a clear shot of what I mean with the upper lips.

tria Hair Removal Laser Armpits Hair 2 Weeks

tria Hair Removal Laser Armpits Hair 4 Weeks, 1 month

Armpits.

The results are surely more noticeable with my armpits hairs. Some hairs grew back just as long but there are also equally as many, if not more, follicles that are thinner and shorter. I am also keeping my fingers crossed that the hair laser will help fix the ingrown hairs somehow.

tria Hair Removal Laser Knuckle Hair 2 Weeks

tria Hair Removal Laser Knuckle Hair 4 Weeks, 1 month

Knuckle hairs.

This area was the most difficult to treat. Since the laser nozzle is flat and my knuckles are anything but, getting the laser to sensor my skin was challenging. There is a high possibility that I missed some hair follicles. But there does seem like something happening to the knuckle hairs; certain fingers' also experienced the same slower and finer hair regrowth like on my upper lips and armpits.


It hasn't been 3 months yet, but I think I can safely say there are some results even after 1 month. The photos seem promising enough to continue on with the process. 'Til next time!

December Hauls - May Coop

What can I say? After splurging on the tria Hair Removal Laser 4X, I told myself that I would hold off on buying any beauty related goodies until I finished that particular type of product. But gosh is it hard to resist those darn end-of-the-year holiday sales!

All the beauty shops, whether online or in-store, had multiple promotions running in December. I tried desperately to not check my sales e-mail and hoped to avoid overspending. Sephora was ultimately the instigator. When I found out that VIB members would have a $20 off $50 gift card to spend, my interest was piqued and my brain couldn't stop lusting over "necessary" skincare products.

lavlilacs 2016 December beauty haul

I felt I absolutely needed some products in my arsenal to battle the dry winter season. May Coop  Raw Sauce came under my radar via Sephora's K-Beauty page. The promise of "hydrating softener" sounded very fitting for any impending parched skin. Heres to hoping the special maple tree sap will work some wonders as NYC gets colder.

Since an essence would definitely not have been enough to be the standalone barrier between my skin and the natural elements, I wound up getting May Coop Raw Moisturizer from Peach & Lily as well. It was inconvenient to not find the rest of May Coop's lineup at Sephora. Luckily, Peach & Lily had a 12 days of Christmas promo and one of the days they offered 35% off popular hydrating products, which included the Raw Moisturizer.

The Sephora Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover was a bag filler of sorts. The May Coop Raw Sauce was $43 which meant I was short $7 from getting Free Shipping. It never hurts to have a little travel bottle of makeup remover at home, right? The Laura Mercier Foundation Primer in Blemish-less was a freebie via a promo code. I have heard good things about Laura Mercier's other foundation primers but this Blemish-less version was completely new to me. I wonder if it would really help with breakouts while also keeping foundation in-tact...

Side review: This was my first time ordering from Peach & Lily. They are a brand that I have followed recently and have heard fellow beauty blogs say good things about. I love their selection of indie Korean beauty brands and how tailored the website is towards different skin conditions. I was drawn by their introductory Peach Points offer, which essential gives new online customers $10 gift card to use towards the first purchase. However, I was a tad disappointed to find that I couldn't used both a promotion code (ex: % off) and the gift card for the same purchase. I do understand that it is probably to protect against coupon/promo abuse. But that just means if anyone buy a lot and accumulate many points, it wouldn't be usable during sales. Maybe I was being too greedy in thinking I could get a super good deal?