Project pan wrap up

Helena

Hi friends, last year I decided to experiment with "project pan". Basically the idea is to use up all the makeup you've got before buying more. The purpose of this for me was to enjoy what I have more! I'm not judging anyone -- or myself -- for splurging on some beauty treats as a little pick me up! But I have a big enough stash that I want to get through and thought this would be a fun way to do it.

I had three categories:
- hit pan ... These were items that I used up and could replace (although I didn't always). Mascara, foundation, concealer, blush,lip products, eyeliner ... All represented and replaced as needed, except for lippies because I still have a ton to get through haha

- expired ... A few lippies and a 2016 mac concealer in this category. Honestly I don't follow the rules about these very well (clearly!) but these were definitely done for. Buh bye!

- flops. Happily this was a small category! My Fenty lip gloss which as I shared in the original post, tastes to me like paint, and an eyeliner and mascara that both made a mess all over my hooded eyelids.

I kept the empties all year so I could see the outcome and feel good about this habit! I'll do it again for 2026. And now these items are officially in the bin hooray!

Have you ever done a project pan? What's your beauty treat (if you have one) ... Lippie like me, or something else?

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19 hours ago

General

17 replies

Latest reply was from Angie

Carla

Veteran

Yup! Though I’m pretty ‘minimalist’ about many things in my life, I have a scarcity mentality when it comes to moisturizers and hair products. LOL!

I started a project pan sometime during the COVID years, and have been pretty good since. It took a long time to get through my stash.

Two weeks ago I decanted the last of my body lotion into the container I keep in my gym bag. I want to stock up at the Pharmasave on Thursday when I can get the Seniors discount. Unfortunately there was a snowstorm on the first Thursday, and last week I needed to run errands with my mom, and forgot! So, I’m using the stuff I decanted, and will play the game of patiently waiting for Thursday to get new!

19 hours ago

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I do it all the time. I haven’t bought a lipstick for several years now as I have 8. Think I last bought my favourite MLBB one in 2020 when alas I lost a relatively new tube of it at a wedding. It is close to finished now so I will replace when done. 8 is a nice range of colours to match my reds, pinks, oranges.
I have the same brand of blusher as you! Nearly finished a concealer but have a gifted one I will use next. Inherited some powder from a daughter.
I just seem to take ages to use these products up.

19 hours ago

Helena

Veteran

This is it Jenni ... I can't get through it all. And unlike you, I have loads of lip colours but somehow they are all basically the same colour (maybe two colours) hahaha

Carla well done, that's a great feeling when you get to the end and then can get a fresh new whatever-it-is.

19 hours ago

Sal

Veteran

I also do this (well to 90%) Helena.

The products I run out of are foundation and mascara. I did require a new blusher in 2025 with replacement. I did add an additional lip product and eye colour as well.

Eye shadow and lip products take me so long to use up. I have lost one colour lipstick which is frustrating and this will be my next purchase and only one in the foreseeable future.

17 hours ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Good work! I am very consistent with skincare including sunscreen and frequently use them up. Much less so with color cosmetics but I keep them around to play with once in a while.

17 hours ago

LJP

Veteran

I'm doing this right now - month of January is a no-buy -use-it-all up project. I have so much makeup, skin and hair care and had to get a handle on it. I love people who have 2 lipsticks and a mascara. I yearn to be that woman. I have 487 lipsticks and 400 tubes of retinol derivatives and it goes on. I obviously won't finish up much this month but I am getting to the end of skin care items without thinking I need to rush out and buy another one when I have something very similar waiting in the wings . Makeup, skin care and hair products are hopes and dreams in a bottle

17 hours ago

cat2

Veteran

My beauty weaknesses are eyeshadows and lip glosses. This year I finished checking the ingredients on every single product and got rid of everything with silicones. It has made such a difference to my skin. Macy’s has a good cosmetics page that lets you search for green products or free of various classes of chemicals, and that is where I have been finding new products to try.

17 hours ago

DonnaF

Veteran

DD had me go to LipLab custom lippies and I wanted to go to Jones Road on my own -- so I ended up spending more on lippies than I probably had in the rest of my life! I sincerely want and need to use these babies up! And not to mention the drawer full of other lippies. I never really learned the art of makeup and its application; hippie at heart? And then there's the dozens of nail polishes. . .

16 hours ago

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Yeah DonnaF I had too many nail polishes as well. Partly because I won a lovely box of 8 Opi Spider-Man polishes years ago! And they were full size where I would often try to buy mini ones. I still haven’t finished them up. Some of my other ones have dried out though so I was actually quite happy to chuck a couple out. I succumbed to buying a new bright gold recently, but am still down on overall numbers. At least I have done bright pink (to be wedding guest), bright red (Christmas) and coral (to go with my orange dress and sandals) in the past 2 months

16 hours ago

Helena

Veteran

"Makeup, skin care and hair products are hopes and dreams in a bottle" ... Did you ever nail that Lisa!

Donna, three of my expires were liplab! They are great lipsticks and glosses but the natural ingredients do limit the shelf life I think. If I wasn't so overloaded with other colours, I may have actually gotten through them *sigh* live and learn!

16 hours ago

Dee

Veteran

Good job Helena, its surprisingly tough to actually finish up makeup. I used to work in a cosmetics department part-time when I was in high school. Back then, I received so many freebies, and too often they just ended up being half finished and tossed out

16 hours ago

JAileen

Veteran

Do you remember buying a lipstick sampler from Nordstrom? I copied you! But then we had a pandemic and everyone stopped wearing lipstick. I still have all of those little samples. I did use many of them, but some didn’t work for me.

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15 hours ago

Kate

Veteran

Lipsticks are my weakness. I never leave home without it. I'm always looking for the perfect red.

I also have a large stash of eyeshadows. I love them, but when I wear shadow, which is not often, I default to cream and shades of brown. I'm loath to toss them, though.

I never use up mascara, because I hardly ever use it. So I end up tossing a a never-used mascara because I can't remember how old it is.

My most used product is my Anastasia clear brow gel, and I actually do run out of it. I live in fear the company will discontinue it, so I always seem to have several on the go.

10 hours ago

Sisi

Veteran

Well done Helena! To answer your question, yes. I think I started to do this a couple years ago. I have always had too many lipsticks (my passion) and nail polishes. Now, I bought my last lipstick last year and scooped it all out until the last gram using the little sponge of a lipgloss. And I want to resist buying a new one before using up this same lipgloss (a gift of a friend) plus an old, unfinished and very expensive Dior lipstick. I still have too many nail polishes even though I always use the same two-three colors. I decided not to toss the other ones but use them to paint and identify keys, small objects and to decorate Christmas cards.

7 hours ago

Helena

Veteran

Wow, love all these responses and glad it's not just me with a slight makeup issue haha!

Jaileen, YES! It was loads of fun playing with all the colours ... The super strawberry one I have a full size of now, that was a winner for me. There were a few others that were nice too, and some that didn't work, but the ability to try them was still fun and informative. Did you find any favourites?

Sisi, great idea on the nail polish ... I too have loads, and wear exactly two of them (and one of the two very rarely).

4 hours ago

RobinF

Veteran

I don't consider myself very into makeup and skin care but I still have plenty that I use for a while and then it sits in a drawer unfinished. I am more likely to try various skin products than makeup but I don't like to spend much time with it hence giving up before it is used up.

I am a bit surprised by all the lipstick people - the only ones I have are those that are supposed to last all day. That and chapstick haha.

Great idea to make it a project. Maybe it is time to go through my little stash again.

3 hours ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Well done, Helena! Very satisfying. Looking very neat and tidy

Despite my line of work, I'm not a beauty product person! I am also careful with what I use because of reactive skin. I don't use nail polish other than clear. As a result, I don't accumulate this type of thing. I have what I use plus one spare. I also have a travel toiletry bag ready to go. I use all my products until they finish because they are used daily, and I have a very tight assortment. I DO have the same lip balms in many places and use all of them until they are finished, Upstairs, downstairs, in my bag, and in the car! I must have moist lips.

I cleaned my make-up tray, though. It was easy to pop into the dishwasher, and now is sparkling!

I have other weaknesses. Like crockery.....I LOVE crockery......

2 hours ago

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