Project Runway Season 14 Cast Overview & Predictions!

Hey, y'all! So, every time a new season of Project Runway rolls around, I declare once again that I'll be blogging (or attempting to blog) the new season, but after a few episodes, I give up. But not this season! Because I'm not even starting. Seriously, I'm not going to be doing weekly recaps!

However, what I AM going to be doing is running through the cast, talking about my first impressions. I'll also be giving these predictions:
-how well each person will do in the competition (out early [first 3/4 boots], middle of the pack, long-term [top 6ish])
-the 3 4 people that I think will make it to the finale (because let't be honest, it's not 3 anymore at this point)
-my dream top 4 (because this is probably different from who I think will make top 4)
-the person I want to win
-my way-too-early official winner pick (AKA the person I think stands the best chance of winning)

*Also, as a side note, this will probably be going up after episode 1 is aired, but I'm writing all of this before watching the episode and without looking up spoilers to see who was eliminated first* I say this because I've both been scarily correct (All Stars Season 1- pegged the first like 5 eliminations either on the nose or like 1 off), and incredibly incorrect (Season 12- pegged Miranda as the winner... yeah you probably don't even know who that is because she was eliminated like FOURTH).

Edit (right after first episode): As I said, sometimes I'm really right, and sometimes, I'm really wrong. I thought about editing my choices to make myself seem less dumb, but I just decided to leave it because it's honestly how I felt about things going into the season. So enjoy laughing at my FAIL, at least for this first episode...

Amanda Perna

So, I actually didn't recognize her until she started talking about being cast on season 9. I remember being slightly annoyed by her. Everything about her seemed too happysunshinerainbows. I do think that she shows some very obvious and considerable improvement. I thought that her clothes seemed really cool and interesting... for the most part. However, one thing that seems to have stayed consistent is that she seems to be a little too trendy. Last time she was on, her clothes seemed pretty trendy, and I kinda felt that again this time. Pretty much everyone showed one or two elements that other designers showed (high/low seemed to be the biggest commonality), but it seemed like Amanda had the most overlap. (I hope this makes sense...) That being said, I do like her clothes a lot more than last time and she seems to have grown a lot.

Prediction: Middle of the pack.

I could definitely see her being a late middle boot (as in top 7ish), but I'm not sure I could see her going much further, and I don't think I really see her winning it. 

Ashley Nell Tipton

I really like Ashley! She seems super nice and lots of fun. Aesthetic-wise, however, I have worries. I just kinda feel like it's been done before. I mean, obviously, a lot of stuff is reminiscent of other stuff, but I just feel like the clothes we've seen from her so far don't feel fresh, new, or unique. Not to say that I don't like the clothing she showed, I just feel like I've seen it before. And I do worry that because she designs for plus-sized women all the time, she might have trouble designing for the "model" size. Because I feel that designing for a different shape than you're used to designing for is difficult, but she seems extremely confident in her ability to switch over. We'll just have to see.

Prediction: Middle of the pack. 

I could see her as an early boot, but she strikes me as someone who's going to be middle or early-middle.

Blake Patterson

Half of me likes him, and half of me hates him. I think he's adorable when he keeps his mouth shut, but I think he can definitely become really obnoxious really quickly. I also don't see him lasting extremely well if he keeps up this bubble thing. If he keeps up the bubble stuff, I can see Nina haaaaating him. He also mentioned that his aesthetic is really over the top, and that usually doesn't go over well with the judges. The only person who's really lasted long like that is Joshua McKinley, and he still got constant comments telling him to tone it down. I think Alison Edmond pegged it in the interview. He seems to have two different things going on, and I think that his success on the show is completely dependent upon which of those he ends up going after. 

Prediction: Middle of the pack.

This is a very hesitant middle of the pack. I don't think he's going to make it incredibly far, and could definitely see him being out early. However, I think that if he heads in the right direction, he's good enough to make it through the first few eliminations. 

Candice Cuoco

I'm not sure which vibes I'm getting more from her: Elena (PR 10, All Stars 4) or Maya (PR 7). She also reminds me of Mila (PR 7, All Stars 1) and Helen (PR 12, All Stars 4). All of them are strong women with bold POVs who have done very well in this competition. It also means that I have about a 50/50 chance of liking her, depending upon which one of these women she ends up being most similar to. Right now, I like her and I think that she has a very strong aesthetic and will do really well.

Prediction: Long-term.

David Giampiccolo

I'm very torn here. I just... don't get it. There's one every season where I just don't understand their aesthetic. I think David seems like a super nice guy and I think I'll like him as a person on the show, but I just really don't understand what's appealing about oversized quilted coats. At all. Obviously, I don't mean this as rude or derogatory, because everyone likes different things, but this is the one that I just don't get. Also, almost everything we saw from him was outerwear, and I feel like most of the outerwear designers that we've seen on the show just don't do extremely well because they typically don't have time to get to the outerwear. 

Prediction: Out early.

I could also see him getting a bit further as well, and this makes me sad because I really like him as a person, but I'm not sure the judges are going to get his aesthetic either, and the outerwear thing doesn't have me extremely optimistic about his chances. 

Duncan Chambers-Watson

Duncan was the one person who stood out to me throughout the show personality-wise. Regardless of whether or not he ends up doing well in the competition, I know he's going to be one of my favorite personalities on the show (if not my definite favorite). I loved the jacket that he showed. Like, possibly my favorite item of clothing shown all episode. Overall, I just really liked his aestetic as well as him as a person. Two thumbs up.

Prediction: Long-term.

I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't do as well as I think he will, mostly because I'm really biased. However, regardless of how I felt about his personality, I really like his aesthetic and think he has the talent to do well. 

Edmond Newton

Personality-wise, I really like Edmond. He seems like a really down-to-earth, chill guy. However, I liked very few of the clothing he showed. Maybe he has other, more cohesive stuff to show, but I just didn't think he had a very clear POV and I'm not exactly sure what his aesthetic is. On top of this, I also know that whenever someone tries over and over and over, it's typically for a reason and they don't do extremely well on the show (with the exception of my all time favorite PR contestant EVER, Seth Aaron Henderson, who tried out starting in season 3 and wasn't cast until season 7. Which he, of course, eventually won. Also, All-Stars 3.) Anyway, I digress. I'm not sure where to put Edmond. On the one hand, he doesn't seem to have a strong POV, but everyone also said that about Michael Costello, who has become one of the most commercially successful PR alums ever.

Prediction: Middle of the pack. 

I'm not sure I'd be surprised of his placement regardless of whether he goes early or makes it all the way to the end. He seems really tenacious, which could take him far. But, I'm also extremely unsure of his POV, which is usually seen as a weakness on PR. So I'm going to put him in the middle and just see what happens.

Gabrielle Arruda

Ugh. I think my negative opinion of her as a person is clouding my judgement of her designs. I just got a very "spoiled rich girl" vibe from her, but perhaps without the rudeness/cattiness (but I mean, who knows, maybe we WILL see that!). Anyway, apparently she graduated first in her class at Parson's, but I'm just not sure she has a clear POV. 

Prediction: Middle of the pack

I don't have too high of hopes for her, but I think she can last a few weeks.

Hanmiao Yang

I'm surprising myself by really liking Hanmiao. I think it's because usually the people who are these oddballs with really quirky personalities also have these really quirky/odd aesthetics that I just don't understand. But Hanmiao's strength (in my opinion) is that instead of channeling that quirkiness into crazy color schemes and odd shapes, she seems to channel it into really modern, interesting designs and patterns. And if there's one aesthetic that I appreciate above all others, it's androgyny. 

Prediction: Long-term. 

I might be biased, but I see a lot of potential in her, and can see her doing really well. 

Jake Wall

I don't feel extremely confident about his chances. Originally, I thought he might do well, but I think that might just be because he was so confident in his abilities. He seems like he's stuck in a bit of a polka-dot rut, also. He seems to rely heavily on his team, and a lot of the clothes he designs are things that take longer than a PR day to make. However, I also see him as someone who could float by in the middle for a while without getting much screen-time and then would suddenly re-appear because they ran out of obviously sub-par people to eliminate. 

Prediction: Out early.

I'm not 100% confident about this. However, I definitely don't think he's making it past the halfway point of the competition. Those dual-fabric jackets he showed were really cool, but I don't think he can make anything that outstanding within the confines of the competition.

Joseph Charles Poli

I think Joseph is going to get on my nerves. Maybe not as bad as some of the other people on the show, but unless he's just really funny or something, I'm probably not going to be a big fan of him. However, his clothes do seem to be really sophisticated and his construction seems on point. Even though he does seem to be a bit full of himself, it doesn't necessarily seem undeserved (if that makes sense). I'm not sure he's going to win, necessarily, but I can definitely see him sticking around for a long time.

Prediction: Long-term.

I'm not totally sure of position. I could see him making it to the finale, but I also wouldn't be surprised if he only made it to top 6.

Kelly Dempsey

Yikes. Mondo and Dmitry (the two PR alums who were in her casting interview) are two of my favorite contestants EVER on PR, but I just don't know what they were thinking. Kelly strikes me as being that contestant who will use fabric-like material in the unconventional challenge... if she even makes it there. Like, I just think she's going to be in way over her head here. I don't think the judges will get her aesthetic and I think that her clothes can turn tacky very easily. If I were to pick a "most likely to get kicked off first" contestant (which, I guess, is what I'm doing right now...) it would definitely, without a doubt, be Kelly. Also, on a personal level, I know she's going to annoy me. I can spot it from a mile away. She's going to get on my nerves.

Prediction: Out early. 

I just really can't see her lasting very long

Laurie Underwood

*Sigh.* I'm not a fan. Of anything. I feel like her designs, rather than being inspired by time periods in the past, look like they were dragged out of that time period or (even worse) look like costumes representing that time period. And she doesn't even seem to have nailed down a time period either. Like, some of her stuff looked really 40s, some looked like it could've stepped out of the 70s, and then there was like one lone dress that actually looked pretty current. And I'm not a huge fan of her personality either. She's one of those "too nice" people and people like that annoy me. Either way, aside from my personal dislike, I'm not sure the judges will like her designs if she keeps making stuff that looks so old.

Prediction: Out early. 

I'm sorry, I just can't see her doing well. 

Lindsey Creel

I'm going to just say it outright. I like Lindsey, and I think that she will do well. She has a very clear aesthetic that is very clean and minimal, and has shown to be very successful on the show. (Ex: Gretchen S8, Anya S9 and Sean 13, just to name a few, all had very well defined, clean aesthetics. And look where they are now.)

Prediction: Long-term.

Her POV is clear and she seems to really know what she's doing. 

Merline Labissiere

She didn't exactly make much of an impression on me. My impression of her clothes is that they look like they belong in a dystopian film because they're just so incredibly minimal, both in design and in color. I'm just not sure how well she's going to do. On one hand, I could see the judges thinking she's too minimal and sending her home early, but I could also see her designs not making huge waves and allowing her to slide through the first few eliminations without much trouble. 

Prediction: Middle of the pack. 

I see her as someone who's not going to get a lot of screen-time until a few episodes in, when the editing inevitably suggests that she's probably going home that episode. 

Swapnil Shinde

Y'all. Y'all. The second I saw his designs, I thought I heard angels singing. This was the first designer (halfway through the Road to the Runway episode) who really, truly, impressed me. I don't think that I saw a single design of his that I wasn't incredibly impressed with. However. His stuff is very intricate, and I'm worried about how well he will do within a short time-frame. I'm also getting shades of Christopher Palu (PR 10, All Stars 3) and Van (PR 10) in the sense that he does seem to use one specific design feature/pattern quite heavily (for Chris it was a V shape pattern, for Ven it was putting a rose into everything) and I worry that he could be someone that the judges are impressed with, but where they say "Hey, we've seen this a million times. Show us something different."

Prediction: Long-term.
I was really impressed, Y'all.


Prediction for the Finale!
(These are the ones I think will make the finale, not necessarily MY picks)

Swapnil


Lindsey


Candice


Joseph


I think these four stand a really great chance of making it to the finale because they have really strong aesthetics, and that has shown to be a huge advantage on PR. They all seem to have a very strong drive to win, and I think that this is the most probable finale.


My Finale Picks!
(AKA the designers that I subjectively think are the best)

Swapnil


Lindsey


Duncan

Hanmiao

Now obviously, I've only swapped out two people. And it's not that I don't think that Duncan and Hanmiao can make it to the finale. I absolutely think that they have strong aesthetics and will do really well. But, I also have a tendency of being somewhat blinded by my own like or dislike of people, so I worry that I see them as better than they actually are. Does that make sense? Anyway, I think that this is also a really viable option for the finale. In my opinion, this would be a really strong finale, and these are the four designers that I personally think are the best.

The Person I Want to Win!

Duncan

I just really think he's a cool dude and I really like his aesthetic. I'd be really happy if he were to pull out a win. 

My Official Winner Prediction!

Swapnil

I was just really, really impressed with his designs. Out of anyone, he seems to have the best chance of winning.

So, that's it for my Project Runway Season 14 cast overview and predictions! I can't wait to look back in a few weeks/months and see how horribly wrong I probably was on a lot of these... or, ya know, in like 5 minutes when I look up a spoiler to see who the first person to go home was. 

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Project 10 Pan Update #3- FINALE!

Hey, y'all! It's finally here, the last Project 10 Pan update!!!
If you want to check out the previous posts, you can click one of the links below:

Original Project 10 Pan Post
Update Post #1
Update Post #2

Beside each product that I've completely finished, I'll put "complete" and for the ones I've hit pan on, I'll put "panned." Also, for the products that are completely gone, I'll say whether or not I'll repurchase. For each item, I'll have the picture from last update, and then a current one. For products which were completed last update, they'll just have a single picture, without any info. Products which were panned last update which have not yet been completed will be labelled "Still panned" rather than simply "panned" to denote a difference.

Let's get into the updating!

Project 10 Pan

#1) e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator- COMPLETE

#2) L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Makeup- COMPLETE

A new picture won't do any good for this, because you can't tell that it's all gone, but it is!
Amount of product left: Nada.
Opinion about the product: So, I realized recently that although it always looked awesome when I put it on in my terrible dorm lighting, it actually made my face orangey. So... not as good as I thought.
Will I repurchase? Probably not, after seeing how orangey it made me.

#3) L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Powder- STILL PANNED

It still looks just like this, so there was no need for another picture.

Amount of product left: A fair amount. Not a ton, but it's certainly still usable.
Opinion about the product: I really like it when I first put it on, but if I don't set it with the right powder, it doesn't look so great after a few hours.
Will I keep using it? Here and there, but not on a regular basis. I like other powders better.

#4) e.l.f. Translucent Mattifying Powder- COMPLETE

#5) e.l.f. Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara- COMPLETE

I was going to take a different picture, but you can't even tell that it's all gone, so there was no point.

Amount of product left: None!
Opinion about the product: I still like it. I'm just ready to be able to throw one of these away.
Will I repurchase? Yeah, but not until I go through the other one I have!

#6) e.l.f. Eye Shadow Refills- Peach Fizz, Driftwood- STILL PANNED

They still look like this.

Amount of product left: Maybe 3/4 of each one, even though I already hit pan on one.
Opinion about the product: They're OK. I'll kinda be glad to be rid of them.
Will I keep using them? Like the powder, off and on. I have other neutral shadows I prefer.

#7) e.l.f. Cover Everything Concealer- STILL PANNED

Exactly the same as before.

Amount of product left: Still quite a bit.
Opinion about the product: The texture isn't my favorite, and it's a bit dark for me, but it works.
Will I keep using it? No, I have another concealer I like A LOT better.

#8) e.l.f. Eyelid Primer- COMPLETE

#9) e.l.f. Contouring Blush & Bronzer

Before

After

Finally, the pan is visible!

Amount of product left: Still quite a bit.
Opinion about the product: I'm glad to be done with it. I'm not a huge fan of the blush color and got more and more tired of using it as this went on.

#10) L'Oreal Magic Anti-Redness Correcting Primer- COMPLETE!

So, there's my final Project 10 Pan update! As I said in my previous updates, I'm planning on buying some things I've been eyeing for ages, and then going back on Project 10 Pan (or something similar... not quite sure yet). As I've explained, I'm doing this so that I don't impulse buy and regret it later. Especially now, because I'm going to have a bit tighter of a budget than I did over this past year, because I'll be having to pay rent this summer because I won't be at my parents' house. And I need to eat. And drive.

If you like my posts, please follow/subscribe/comment, because it lets me know that you're enjoying the things I'm posting. I love hearing feedback! Thanks for reading, y'all!

Whodunnit? FINALE

Sorry this is a bit late. I didn't get to watch it Sunday night and since then, everything has been really crazy with move-in and such.

Click HERE to see all of my Whodunnit? reviews!


We get a little review of the season before the episode begins, as well as a recap of what happened at the end of last episode. They're in the limo, and suddenly turn around and head back to Rue Manor. Giles comes on the TV screen all tied up. He's hidden somewhere in the manor. Fog covers up everything and Melina disappears.

The tv then shows a creepy "dear mortals" message. It says welcome to last day,  and that the killer has vanished and two of them will die. It also says that when Sheri died, they got a three digit code. They have to remember or figure out that code. They go to the parlor, where the code was etched into the window sill, but it's no longer there. However, the killer set up different things with numbers (like the pool table has the 6,1, and 3 balls out, and the chess pieces are arranged to be 6,1, and 3. Kam figures it out first, and runs to where he saw some secret room, and Cris and Lindsey follow. They use the code to get into a secret room, and inside find all of the killer’s things. Kam called it an orgy of evidence, which I found kinda funny. They also find Melina on the floor with the Geno beads around her neck.

Kam starts questioning the two of them because he knows one is the killer. They start accusing each other and then we get little montages of each of their most shady moments. In Melina’s hand is a puzzle piece. The rhyme on it said to hang onto it.

They go back into the living room and find that their final challenge has been set up. There are 3 question mark shaped puzzles with video screens in front of them. The extra piece is Kam's advantage for winning last time. Giles pops up on the screen and talks to them. The killer voice comes on and says they had to dispose of Giles. They have to solve the puzzle as quickly as possible, and then they'll be told to go to a room which is basically going to serve as the finish line for the winner. Then, suddenly all of the dead people start coming down the stairs. Each of the dead people have puzzle pieces. They have to solve riddles at each station to get the pieces. They’re told where to go from the screen. The puzzles all have to do with how that person died. If they get it right, they get the correct piece. They get it wrong, they get the wrong piece. They don't know whether they got the right or wrong piece until they put all of their pieces in and then light up their puzzle. Any correct pieces turn white, incorrect stay black. Each riddle has to do with that person's death. For the final piece, they have to go up to the attic. Kam is the first to make it to this point.

In the attic, Kam finds Giles untied. He explains that the killer made him tie himself up. Giles says to go downstairs to the bar and get his contract. The contestants have to read the contract, bring him the last page, and tell Giles, based on the contract, whether or not Giles is the killer/ responsible for the murders. After a montage of everyone running around, Kam is the first to light his puzzle. He has only two incorrect pieces, so he runs back to the stations he got incorrect. Cris also ends up having 2 incorrect. Lindsey ends up with only one incorrect, but is very far behind the other two. Kam is the first to finish, and is told to go to a secret room upstairs. Cris finishes next and is told to go to the same room. Lindsey finishes last and is given a riddle which leads her to the room where they found Melina dead. When Kam gets to the room upstairs, he finds that it has tons of evidence. To me, it looks like the rooms you see in crime shows when a person gets overly obsessed with a case and keeps all the evidence they can find. 

When Cris gets to the room, he talks to Cris about what's going on. He's confused, because from what he understood, this was the finish line. Then a TV comes on and they see Lindsey opening the door to the room downstairs. She walks in and then a wall swings around and she almost immediately gets shot in the throat with an arrow by a knight statue. Kam is shocked, and looks at Cris and accuses Cris of being the killer, to which she admits. She then tells him that he's the winner. Giles enters and gives Kam a pair of golden handcuffs to handcuff Cris. Then Giles hands Kam the money and takes him out to a limo and asks him where he wants to go. His response? HOME.

I must say, I wasn't completely surprised that Cris was the killer, but she certainly wasn't my first suspect. I was convinced it was either Lindsey or Melina. I was sure Kam wasn't the killer, and was hoping he would win, so I'm really glad he did win!

So, there we are, mortals! We've reached the end of the season, and have discovered Whodunnit! Do you think we'll get another season of Whodunnit? Do you WANT another season of Whodunnit? I know I do! Hope you enjoyed reading my Whodunnit reviews, because I know I'll really miss watching the show and being able to review it. Hopefully, I'll see you for another season, mortals!