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Project Pan

bella

(website)

Veteran

Have you ever heard of this?
https://www.vogue.com/article/.....our-makeup
https://kimbedene.com/what-is-project-pan/
Apparently, it's been around in the makeup/skincare community for a while. I don't follow many accounts of this nature, so I only recently saw this idea. It means using up your existing products before you go purchasing new ones.

I am mostly a one-in/one-out kind of person regarding cosmetics and skin care. Yet, I still have a few vices: lip gloss/oil/moisturizer and nail polish. Those are the cheapest and easiest to pick when I am out and about. So I have a few in my bathroom cabinets gathering dust.

These items also create the biggest plastic waste because they were not reflective purchases made with sustainability and quality in mind.

I am also guilty of buying a replacement too early, that is before the previous product completely runs out, and as a result leaving the previous one slightly unused - still a good amount of use, but not hitting the pan!

I have now made a list of things that are almost finished but not quite, and I plan to prioritize using them before the end of the year, hopefully metaphorically hitting the pan. I don't use any products with actual pans (no classic powder, foundation, blush or eye shadow for me), but it will surely be satisfying to send the empty bottles/containers into the recycling.

What are your habits generally? Do you want to join me on the project pan?

General

17 replies

Latest reply was from Carol

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I think Suntiger was doing it Bella? But it was before she deleted her old profile and made a new one so it might be hard to find. I do try to do this myself and have used up cast-offs from first my sister and later my daughter!

Lisa

Veteran

I have not heard of this. Personally I don’t wear makeup that often (only when I go into the office which isn’t often with WFH). I usually throw out makeup that are liquids because they went bad before I can use them up (foundation and mascara usually).

For skincare I’m pretty good here to use things up first. I find it’s easy to get back logged because it can take months or years to use up tubs of creams.

One weakness I have is for foam hand soaps from Bath and a Body Works. I like seasonal scents but when there is a promotion on them I will stock up even though I may still have a few already. I will buy the max limit during a good sale, then spend a year or two using them up because I will swap a bottle for the scent before using it all up. (For example I’m swapping fall scents for Christmas and winter scents for the upcoming holiday season).

Dee

Veteran

This is very interesting because although I don’t wear much makeup beyond lip colour, I do have skincare and haircare products that don’t all necessarily get used up before I buy something else. Most often I stop using them because they irritate my skin or scalp but I have managed to repurpose a few facial moisturizers as hand/body moisturizers or I’ll use a failed facial cleanser or shampoo/conditioner for shaving my legs.

The proliferation of fast cosmetics is quite alarming, and I have seen all these giant makeup kits and often wondered how you could possibly use all those colours up. My only concern would be bacteria contamination after a few months if these products have been opened and used.

Suntiger

Yep, you remembered right Jenni! I tried it a few years ago, with all types of HABAs, and learned that things last a looooooong time.

Exhibit A-eyeshadow palette, bought about 6 months ago. I use the 3 darker colors about daily, barely made a dent.
Exhibit B- supposed to be contour stick, used as eyeliner/sometimes shadow, brow color. Bought in January.
Exhibit 3- cream foundation. Bought 7/23. I use it as underbrow eye shadow and contour most days.

Seeing how long things last, and well past expiration time, changed my buying habits. I don't buy big containers of most things, nor a bunch of multiples that do the same function.

I definitely recommend trying it though, cause ymmv, and I think it's more meaningful when it's your own stuff vs. other's experiences.

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RobinF

Veteran

Interesting articles. I don't wear a lot of makeup and when I find something I like I stick with it for a while, so I use it up. I tend to ignore expiration dates and my products last a long time.

But when it comes to haircare I am not so good. I am always looking for the perfect product for my wavy hair and have a bunch of barely used products in the linen closet. They mostly don't work for me but once in a while I pull out an old one and use it. What I would really like to do is pass it on to someone who likes it.

bella

(website)

Veteran

It seems we all have our vices. Besides the beauty industry is working overtime to sell us more stuff. Since when do we need two-step cleaning? Why do we need so many questionable serums? The beauty-influencing business went completely off the rails.

I think it is ok to stop using something if it starts to irriate your scalp or skin, or otherwise fails to deliver as in curly girl hair products. In that case, passing it on to someone who might use it is completely acceptable and falls under sensible consumption. My sense is that, the pan project is geared towards creating an awareness of the excesses of skin care/beauty products and their overconsumption (in fact, purchasing without even truly consuming!)

cat2

Veteran

I did this during the pandemic shutdown; it got me to sort through my stash of products, figure out which ones would really never work, and focus on using up the oldest first from the rest. I powered through some old lip products, face cream samples, the random body creams, and even reduced my perfume collection a bit. I am now worried about tariffs, though, so instead of trying to trim down I am stocking up a bit on essentials with long shelf lives.

Runcarla

Veteran

Moisturizers and hair care products are my Achilles heel, but during Covid I made an effort to ‘pan’ those products and be more selective going forward. I’m probably ‘1 extra’ on both.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Cat2, I have a similar concern about availability of some products with long shelf lives, so I’ve bought a little extra back stock of some of my favorite products that I know I’ll use every day.

I’m mostly a creature of habit when it comes to beauty products and makeup. I don’t experiment a lot, so I tend to buy a new tube/container when I see the old one running low.

I do have some infrequently used items — eye shadows, nail polishes — that I’ve kept for years if they have not gone bad. I literally have eye shadows that are over a decade old because I rarely use them and they are pigment rich so a little goes a long way. I have no desire to buy new ones. So I guess I’m already kind of doing this project just by default.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

It can take an enormous amount of time to use some things. I think it’s blusher that I have only had about 4-5 lots in my adult life! I remember in the late 80s having a good one where my sister had the same, when she emigrated to the UK in 1989 she left it behind, and it took until well into the 90s to use hers up. Then another 2? for the next 20 or so years, by which time my second daughter, who likes makeup, thought one was not right for her, so I used that up until about 2 years ago. My current one is very small but I can only see the pan in the middle. I predict another year of use.
None of these have seemed to go off.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I tend to use up my products before replacing and don't have a huge stash of skin care or makeup items. But I do order replacements before I'm completely finished -- because I have my favourites and don't like to veer away from those due to skin sensitivity, etc. If I do develop a sensitivity to something, though, I have to let it go. I had to do this not long ago with eye makeup remover, which I had in fact doubled up on. Sigh...

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Exactly what Suz said.

I'm good at this - I suppose...... because I'm not tempted by beauty and hair products I love walking straight past those aisles!

I have reactive skin and eyes, so I am VERY particular about what I use, and don't veer from it. I have a small set of items and stick to that. I change them when items are discontinued.

I think it's good organization to have a spare of every item stored in a bag so that it's there when I run out. I don't need to go without, and rush around getting another. Personally, I'm sticking to that strategy!

LaPed

Veteran

I did this a few years ago (along with suntiger) and used it as a sort of reset. Since then I’ve been pretty strict about only replenishing the things that actually use on a daily basis. It was a worthwhile project for me. Errant items still sneak in from time to time (show-specific makeup, and emergency purchases while traveling) but I’ve more or less curtailed HABA shopping as a hobby.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

HABA is Health and Beauty Aids? Yes?

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I almost always hit pan (so to speak) on my skincare products, which I use very routinely and don't normally switch. On makeup hardly ever, but I keep it as long as possible.

Helena

Veteran

I am horrible with this. Lip products and to a lesser extent nail polish are my "little treat" Achilles heel. I'm getting better but need to work on this for sure!

Carol

(website)

Veteran

I think this is a great concept for lip stuff. I keep whatever lip thing (gloss, lipstick, etc.) in my apron at work, and compulsively put it on throughout the day like chap stick. I definitely get "down to the pan" this way. Other things I'm not so sure, because we keep most of them way too long, anyway. Mascara, for instance, should be thrown after 3 months, and who really does that? (Perfectly?)