Starting a new year, we always have a few goals and one of mine is to finish up some of the makeup products I have in my collection. Okay, at least hit pan on them! Based on the project pan idea that has been around in the beauty world for quite a few years now, I won't be buying anything new until I have finished these up - so this goal goes hand in hand with my much bigger goal of not buying any new makeup this year. It might seem a little crazy, being a beauty blogger, but the past few months have really made me take stock of what I have already in my collection, and what I actually use. I won't be including products like mascara or concealer in this post, because I go through each of them every six months so it feels pretty pointless to include them.

 

Having been featured in many a blog post, my Too Faced bronzer is one of my all-time favourite products. I bought it in New York which feels like absolutely ages ago, and despite using it most days since, I still haven't made a real impact on the pan. This is one of those that I doubt I would finish this year, even if I wore it every single day, but I would love to make a bit of progress with it. 

The Colourpop highlight in the shade Flexitarian holds a very similar place in my collection as the Too Faced bronzer - bought it in New York, have used it loads since. It has a good dent in it, yet it still has a long way to go. It is my favourite highlighting shade, a gorgeous champagne shimmer that suits my skintone both in the summer and winter.

 

This is one I seriously think I can finish this year! I bought the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow pomade (in the shade Ebony) right at the beginning of last year, and since I don't use any other brow products, a good portion of it has already been used. It's already lasted a lot longer than a brow pencil like ABH's Brow Wiz, that only lasts me from 3-6 months, so it is far more cost effective. I've been estimating that it will last me about eighteen months, so I imagine half way through this year it might need replacing!

 

The Sky Wash in the shade Valley is on the list to remind me to use it more often! I bought this literally two days before the Glossier shop in London closed for lockdown last year, and because we then spent so long indoors, it never really got its chance to shine. The orange tone is perfect for the spring season, so I'm hoping I can try and get it used then - being a liquid eyeshadow, it won't last as long as powder products!

No, I'm not aiming to finish the entire palette this year - that would be a difficult feat for any palette in my collection, let alone the one I've only had a year! But certain shades in Soft Glam I use every single day, pretty much, and it would be great to hit pan on them over the next year. Dusty Rose, in the bottom left, is my everyday go-to eyeshadow - it's the perfect base for any sort of look, especially a dusky pink. I get a lot of use out of Burnt Orange, Sienna and Rose Gold too.

 

I am determined to finish a whole lipstick for the first time this year, and I have no doubt it will be Velvet Teddy! One of my favourite lipsticks, there is only a tiny stub left of it now. Once I'm done, I will certainly be repurchasing a brand new one - replacing a lipstick because I finished it feels like such a feat!

I doubt I will use Very Victoria up as quickly as Velvet Teddy, simply because there is far more left of it. However, it is my go-to lipstick that I reach for almost everyday, so although I maybe won't quite finish it, I really hope to be on my way by the end of 2021.

I've read and watched many project pan posts over the years, but never thought it could be for me until I considered attempting to not buy any new makeup this year. I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to use up some of my favourite products that I already own, to make space for new things. When it comes to things like mascara, I only have one on the go, and just replace it when it is finished anyway, so of course when I say buying no new makeup, I don't mean not replacing things! But when I have so many lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes already, I really want to try not to buy any new ones, instead making use of what I already own.

 

What makeup products do you want to use up this year?

 

It feels difficult, or maybe downright ridiculous, to write about looking forward to the new year, when we've just been plunged into a lockdown just like where we were ten months ago. I've been unmotivated to write this one, but am desperate not to break blogging tradition!

The aim of this post is to look back on the goals I made in my 'Hello 2020' post, see if I achieved them or want to extend them into this year, and perhaps add a new goal or two. Last year I actually only made three goals - perhaps I was somehow aware that 2020 wasn't going to be an overly productive one.

 

My first was 'Read more books'. Now if you've read my recent round up of all the books I read in 2020, you'll know that I achieved this one and then some. My goal of twelve books for 2020, and my actual achievement of 36 books, may not look like a big number to some, but considering I only read five in 2019, I had come a long way.

I really want to continue with this goal into 2021 - I'm so glad I let reading back into my life this year. I am excited about new releases like never before, exploring different authors and genres and most importantly, have rekindled my love for books that I seemed to have lost over my teen years. 

 

My second goal of 2020 was to put more time into my blog. This is a trickier one - I think at times, I really managed this, and at others I didn't. There were points where the endless staying inside sucked the inspiration from me, and others where I tried new ideas and wrote posts I was really proud of. I'm still torn between two mindsets about my blog this year - between being super organised and scheduling everything, or just going with the flow and writing when I feel like it. Honestly, the latter will probably be how I end up approaching it, because at the end of the day, blogging is a hobby, so I need to enjoy it!

The final goal I made last year actually made me laugh because I didn't even think about it the entire year - keeping up my French knowledge. After I finished my A Level in French, I really wanted to keep my skills up because they had come so far, but unfortunately this never became reality! I think the closest I got was watching Emily In Paris on Netflix and being proud of understanding what her French co-workers said behind her back!

 

A new goal I want to make and stick with in 2021 is to make more time for artwork. You would think that last year, what with that huge lockdown, I would have had plenty of time for painting, and yet I only did two and a half paintings last year. Not great. Painting and drawing is one of my favourite hobbies, and the only one that makes me truly forget about everything else for a couple of hours. I find it so useful to relieve stress, so I really hope I can get more creative this year.

Buying less clothes and makeup is a big goal for me this year too. I did pretty well makeup wise last year and this year hope to stick with the rule of only buying replacement products eg. a new mascara or brow product when they run out. I'll soon be posting a 'project pan' style post about the makeup products I want to try and use up this year to make room for new things, so stay tuned! Buying less clothes is going to be more difficult - at first I was going to say no new clothes at all, but that would be lying as I have a list of a few gaps in my wardrobe I really want to fill this year - an oversized blazer and some good sandals being two I really want to find this spring. It's not that I buy over excessively, or that I'm in the habit of buying clothes I get bored of - I'm such an indecisive shopper that about 95% of my wardrobe are items that I love and will cherish for years. But because I love them all, there's plenty of them for now!

 

Are you making any goals this year? I was in two minds whether to even make any, since the start of 2021 doesn't really feel like a fresh start, but it's always good to try and make some positive changes, isn't it? Let me know how you are feeling about the start of this year!