Getting nervous about the last two pans, PTP update #9

This is **Nabla: Soul Blooming**

September was very busy and full of allergy-induced woes for me, but I still managed to get the most out of all of these shades. Still nowhere near hitting pan on the two remaining pans, but I do hope I will use up Chamomile in October if I really focus on it. So excited about that! I’m a bit nervous if I will be able to hit pan on the last two shades. This was also the last month I had Honey Drip, Bolero, and Climbing Rose as my focus shades. As I thought it would be, I’m nowhere near finishing Honey Drip, but I’m happy with pan expansion and that I hit pan in the other two. However, I’m looking forward to switching to my autumn focus shades and get away from these bright pinks.

**Goals in September:**

1. Try Honey Drip as a nail polish topper
– I did this once and it looked pretty nice, but it was too chunky-looking for my liking to try it again. I also did this in the past with Garden Gate and Philosophy, which turned out great for Garden Gate and meh for Philosophy. I didn’t try it with Climbing Rose as it’s too bright for my liking for nail polish, and I already have polishes similar to Garçon and Anemone, so no point in doing it with them.
2. Use each shade in the palette x3
– Standard goal for the last month in the quarter. I changed one of my original goals for the palette which was to have at least 30 uses for each shade to reach a minimum of 60 uses on each one. Once I reach the 60 uses on a shadow, I’m allowing myself to stop using it completely. I also want to reach a minimum of 30 uses on the rest of my eyeshadows (with this palette I have 30 in total), so I’m trying not to overwhelm myself.
3. Use Honey Drip, Bolero, and Climbing Rose x10 each
– Managed to use all of these 10 times or more, pretty happy about it. Here are my thoughts on these shadows: Honey Drip – a nice, multidimensional duochrome. It’s a bit chunky if I use too much of it, but otherwise, it is really beautiful and looks well on its own and as a topper. I thought it was my favourite shadow ever, but it is not, as it can pull a bit too orange for my liking. I used it a lot as a quick work appropriate look, all over the lid and Chamomile in the crease. Bolero – a very bright and pigmented coral-leaning pink matte. Like the other mattes in this palette, this blends like a dream and you don’t need much of it on the brush. I wore it a lot as a blush, too, which I at first thought was too bright to pull off. It’s a bit too bright for my liking, even in the summer, but it works well when blended out with a neutral blush. Climbing Rose – a bright shimmery pink. This is almost a perfect shade for me. It works well as a shimmer in combination with other eyeshadows, but it also works well on its own (blended all over the lid and as a transition shade) or with toppers. It’s a bit too bright to be perfect, but I can work with it. Overall, I liked these three shades, but they aren’t top favourites and I must work to make them more wearable for my day-to-day looks.

**A small update for my seasonal eyeshadow project**, which consists of four eyeshadows that compliment three focus shades from Soul Blooming. The four ended up being two, as I used up one and decluttered another one. The other two shades were a peach matte and a mid-to-dark matte brown. I wanted to fully use up the peach, which didn’t happen and I reached my goal of 20 uses on the other matte. I also depotted that brown into another palette where it will get more consistent use, hopefully.

This month marked **the end of my summer focus shades** and it’s time to switch it up for the next and last three months of the year (October, November, December). My focus shades will be Middle Karma, Garçon and Caravaggio. I want to hit pan on Middle Karma and Garçon and get some more use on Caravaggio. Since I already have well over 100 uses on Caravaggio and have hit pan on it, I want to challenge myself to use it as a base or a shadow, not just as a liner. I chose three companion eyeshadows from my collection to complement these focus shades: a vibrant yellow-gold shimmer, a medium shimmery plum, and a matte warm copper. At the start of the year, I wanted to include another, a mid-toned warm copper, but I decluttered it recently because I felt as if I was forcing myself to use it whenever I did reach for it. The goal for the shimmery yellow-gold is to hit pan and just to get to know the other two shades better.

**Usage of all shades, total uses this year in brackets:**

1. Honey Drip – 12 (52)
2. Gea – 8 (57)
3. Chamomile – 33 (178)
4. Bolero – 10 (60)
5. Middle Karma – 5 (44)
6. Garden Gate – 4 (47)
7. Climbing Rose – 13 (62)
8. Garçon – 5 (22)
9. Anemone – 6 (55)
10. Flowery – 3 (44)
11. Philosophy – 2 (60)
12. Caravaggio – 11 (125)

**Goal for October:**

1. Use Caravaggio as a base x2
2. Recreate x3 saved looks
3. Use Middle Karma, Garçon, and Caravaggio x10 each