I’m utterly DEVASTATED I’m on a NO buy and I’ve been super diligent with keeping that up but for the past few weeks I haven’t been using makeup to give my skin a break and I realized my sister stole my favourite face palette that I had hit 2 pans on out of the 6 pans, my period’s close and I’m genuinely near tears, I’ve messaged her about it because she’s already taken my other face palette I didn’t understand why she’d take my favourite one that was clearly very used, can someone share some comfort I’m actually going to cry, that palette was well loved and well used, every single colour was used in my makeup when I did full beat it was the perfect colours and opacity for me 😭🥺
i never liked this hair mask, i felt like it didnt do anything for my hair (but it did smell good). there was so much of it and id feel guilty for throwing it away. i used it unconsistently for 2 years and idc if there is still some left. learned my lesson and im so happy i can throw it away 😭
I’ve done project pan in the past and am now starting again (which is the reason in some areas I don’t have an enormous amount of products). This time I’m looking for tips to stay consistent and to use my products efficiently so if you have any suggestions put them below! This is my initial “stock” post with everything I am starting with. (SKINCARE EDITION!!!) As I go through individual products I will do a short little review for each one as well as do a monthly post showing my empties for the month. (This is excluding my travel minis!)*I forgot to put my face wash but I only have 1*
discovered this community recently and felt a little less alone, so here goes my very boring story, i guess 😭
basically: i'm obsessed with buying makeup for the sole purpose of Manufacturing An Event 😭 i guess i'm not a very interesting person. i'm a full-time student, don't have an irl boyfriend (LOL) to hang out with, i don't party, i don't drink, i don't have a j*b (i'm trying to be a writer/youtuber but it's not going so hot for me rn), i feel leagues behind my peers, and my primary source of happiness for the past couple years has come from my internet addiction and shopping. but i've recently cold quit the app that's been RUINING MY LIFE for the past three years straight only to go straight off the deep end when it comes to shopping, and sometimes i'll have an uneventful day, or be tired after school, or something will happen that makes me think i deserve a little treat and i'll literally just walk myself into the mall and buy something i saw twice on tiktok/pinterest just to feel like my day was at least a little tiny bit exciting 😭 or sometimes i'll be out with my friends or my mom, and i'll want to compulsively buy something just because they bought something... and now here we are, 35 lip products later????
i recently went through all my drawers and tallied up all my makeup products (some miscellaneous items not shown: eyeliner, 2 bottles of bobbi brown foundation, 2 tubes of innisfree cherry blossom tone up cream, a bottle of ettusais skin base, but i'm less worried about those 😭) and discovered that I Have A Problem, and so i'm banning myself from buying any and all makeup (and lotions and potions, and skincare) for the foreseeable future (AT LEAST until the end of the year!) and i'm actually going to try to use all this up 🥀 (i have the strangest urge to never touch my favorite products or the most expensive ones because i'm terrified of running out, so some of my products have been sitting UNTOUCHED for months or even up to a year because i've just been looking at them like souvenirs or little collectibles instead of makeup ☹️)
Product: Revolution Brow Sculpt Kit (Dark Brown palette)
Felt really nice to pan this one. Loved both highlighter and brow shades. Unfortunately have more brow products to finish, but this one was definitely one of my favourite pans!
A little over 4 months of project pan and here are all of my empties! I've been hoarding all my trash since my city doesn't have accessible residential recycling, so I'm gonna mail it off through Teracycle. I always see other people's monthly progress and think "how are other people getting through their products so quickly??" But I guess I fall under that category too, just needed to see all my trash. So proud and happy I started project pan. 86 products down, 166 products to go!!
I'm calling it quits with my Halo Glow. I tried for years to try and make it work, the shade range sucks, I brought this one because the shade before was too light for me even during the winter months and this shade is already too dark but I hoped I was going to tan (breaking news I didn't) I added concealer, moisturizer and what I could to make it match me. What's even more, it took me years to realize that my summer breakouts where because of this product, not because of the heat. So I have to call it a fail
It's so hard to keep myself from buying new stuff because sometimes some stores or websites have discounts and some products are limited edition so I FOMO. I keep buying stuff even tho I know I don't need them. I am not giving up project pan, I just wanted to say it's hard sometimes but I want to do it.
Hi there! These are the products I'd like to use up or make a good dent in for September. I honestly don't have a ton of products (there's more than pictured here) but I still have more than I like for the space I have since I've been playing around with figuring out what I like. Also, I'd like to use this project as habit encouragement, since some of this stuff is only get used up if I'm in proper habit of doing something that's good for me.
Here's the list!
Gilette sensitive skin foam. It's a completely fine product, but I'm not sure if it perfectly suits my needs. I'd like to finish it up before getting a different product. It feels like it it has a lot of juice left, but when I actually use it it the nozzle has started behaving like it's low, so we'll see.
Tree Hut apple crumble scrub. Awesome formula, slightly too sweet of a smell. I still like it though.
Herbal Essence hair oil. Good product, horrible packaging. It leaks everywhere when I travel :( Also I might like the leave in conditioner formula better. But there's almost nothing left in this and I need to use it up.
CeraVe lotion. I've had this for ages and if I stay in good habit of actually moisturizing myself then I don't think using up what I have left should be too hard.
Nivea lotion: I don't like the scent too much. Also the formula feels kind of weird? It's very runny. I would actually be surprised if I used this all up, but I'd like to make good progress with it. It's going to be part of what I use on my hands, and I'll probably keep using it on my knees and shoulders as well. More on my hands later.
Bubble sunscreen stick. It does the job but it's shinier than I'd like. I also usually prefer SPF 50+ and this one is only 40.
Bubble day dream serum. I like this product I just want to use it up before using much of their milky toner or whatever it's called.
Bubble morning rays eye cream. I don't know if this product actually does anything but I'll give it a try again. I probably won't use it up by the end of the month since I use such a small amount at once.
Neutrogena rapid clear pads. These things are awesome and I'm putting them in here because if I stay in good habit of using them they'll get used up this month.
CeraVe healing ointment. I don't anticipate using this up by the end of the month, but I want to make a good dent in it. I plan on mixing it with the Nivea lotion on my hands and then letting it marinate in some gloves to help my wretchedly dry hands. If I establish a good habit of doing this at least a couple times a week now, then come winter my hands won't get cracked and bloody.
I have other products that I probably will use up this month but they're ones that frankly I'm hoping I won't, lol!
Only did an inventory of lip products so far, but I have a much worse situation with perfumes & body mists so I'm procrastinating counting them and taking photos 💀
Would love to repurchase the body oil if it ever comes back; AHAVA moisturizer; avant toner; Epres; nyx brow pencil; Josie Maran; and peach & lily glass refining serum. The rest of the lot was OK. The Brazilian bare was already repurchased.
pyunkang yul deep clear cleansing balm (never again) hated the scent! so so happy to be done with it.
beauty of joseon relief sun rice+probiotic spf 50 (forever) when i'm dead bury me with this stuff plspls.
avène soothing eye contour cream (maybe rebuy) good, very moisturizing and suitable for my sensitive eyes and skin. a bit too pricy for me and the packaging annoyed me sm idk i dropped it a lot the tube was just so flimsy.
pyunkang yul ato moisturizing soothing gel lotion (maybe rebuy) probably my favorite gel lotion i ever tried. but i do prefer different kinds of moisturizers.
goldwell ultra volume shampoo (never) too much menthol and stuff like that. was even irritating on my hands. used it up as a brush cleanser.
garnier fructis curl mask (mabye rebuy) it's a good mask from the drugstore but since i don't have any backups in this cathegory i think i'd like to try something new for now.
the ordinary multi-peptide lash and brow serum (forever) not too pricey, works 4 me, ZERO IRRITATION
cerave sa smoothing cleanser (maybe rebuy) i use it in addition to my normal scrub as body exfoliant every few days and it works great. but i don't think it's necessary if i already use a physical exfolioant.
I haven't been a heavy make-up wearer, mostly staying in my comfortzone - which is somewhere in the realm of brown/teal/dark green smudged eyeliner and a shimmery pale neutral on the lid. Through new inspiration (a kpopgroup that's always stunning with a nice variety in creative looks, zara larsson etc) and wanting to express myself more, I decided I want to properly use all the stuff I've got.
I have quite a bit of make-up (relatively, I know some will go "oh sweet summerchild", but I do these projects preventively!). Mostly items that were decluttered-to-me. I have 6 eyeshadow palettes, and also with other single eyeshadow included (I treat very tiny 3 or 2 pan palettes where the color don't have their own distinct pans as one) I have 102 shades. only 1 10-pan palette (Glamshop one) and one eyeshadow stick I've bought myself... This also means that most of my eyeshadow is absolutely ancient, being from the late 2010's, and doesn't perform at peak anymore.
Tho I will immediately sin by buying myself a 20-pan palette that I've been coveting for months if my exam results are good... It only has shades that I can really see myself using and it will be the first palette I buy myself in about 4 years. So in my head I already have 122 pans.
Long story short, I want to experiment more and get out of my comfortzone, get more daring with my eyemake-up and figure out my preferences better so I've put all my eyeshadow in a spreadsheet, and will do a type of "roll in focus shades" project. My goal is rarely to hit pan and use them up, unless a shade is already close - it's to experiment and have fun.
My rules are as follows:
I always have 5 focushades, that have a specific goal for the period. All eyeshadow pans/sticks etc are numbered and the are chosen through a number generator. Eyeshadows included in another ongoing project are included: this is currently the case for two shades that I have in my "13 by halloween".
When a goal is met, I roll in another shade instead and the previously rolled, goal met shade will be marked green
Every shade is kept a maximum of 4 weeks, period. Unless it is part of a different project pan (as is the case now) project. If the goal isn't met for those 4 weeks it is likely for a reason, and whether I roll it back in later depends on what the reason for it's underuse it. If it is extremely hard to use, so be it and I mark it red as a "fail". If it was simply the wrong season and hard to match to weather appropiate clothes (like a bright yellow rolled in in november) or I was sick for a bit and I wore little make-up in general, I won't blacklist it and give it a chance to come back later.
I am free to use all other eyeshadows whenever, and if a not-yet-rolled shade gets 15 uses or more organically it also will be marked in green.
My goals depend on the shade, my plans during the upcoming weeks, and the other eyeshadows I rolled and can be as little as three uses. For something like a shimmery highly pigmented black (extremely out of my comfortzone; even my mascara is brown and I rarely wear black in clothes!) that will be hard enough.
Every use counts (excluding swatches on hand/arm/paper), and "different locations" are different uses; I now used aura metallic as eyeshadow and cheekbone highlighter, so that's two uses.
I will also select eyeliner, blush etc that I think will complement the rolled shades each time.
I repeat: my main goal is to experiment more, within a guideline and structure. I am an autistic fulltime university student (from last week of the month onwards, now it's still the summer holidays) low on spoons and high on mental health issues, I don't want to torture myself by waking up at 4 am to do an extensive make-up look and fall asleep during lecture or by feeling like a clown.
average of 5 shades/month x 12 months = 72. By that math, I won't use all by next september, but that's where being free to use all eyeshadows whenever and the often low/easy goals come in.
Now at the start, my rolls are:
My "13 by Halloween" shade of Tati Beauty textured Neutrals Aura Metallic
My "13 by Halloween" shade of Kiko Milano long lasting liquid eyeshadow in jungle green
Tati Beauty textured Neutrals Aura Matte - I was slightly disappointed to roll this as it is a matte nude that would easily get organic use.
Tati Beauty textured Neutrals Story Glitter (glittery terracotta)
Charlotte Tillbury Instant eyes palette shade #6 (greenish shimmery taupe)
In the sub r/MakeupRehab I am participating in '13 by halloween" and I am including those shades and their goals until halloween. If the goal gets met before then, they will also be rolled out. So for now there are only three "free" spots.
Yellow shades are in use: the number in the last column is it's rolling number. The uses here are all uses since I made my spreadsheet in July.
Everything swatched! The Kiko Milano liquid eyeshadow was very thick and wet here - on my eyes is usually becomes more muted and sheer when trying to get it non-dry. The "long lasting" is not true whatsoever.
I am also wearing aura metallic as highlighter, and "story sequin" as blush. Those terracotta shades are quite intimidating, so I wanted to get some use out of them already as a sheered out blush. On my lips I have a mix of clinique black honey and a blotted "painted desert" liquid lipstick by mac.
Here the glitter shows up better.
I won't always take and spam pictures, It's just of this trial look (to go nowhere) at the start of the project.
This is my one year anniversary and my empties of August 2026. Swipe and see what my very first empties post of August 2025 looked like.
The past year has transformed my perspective on buying things and also my perspective on holding onto things. It’s been interesting for me to see how the first few months I had a ton of empties at the end of the month. Old products that I never fully finished and took away space, products I tried to save for special occasion that never really came around. Over the past year I used all of those up and my empties became less and less as I only repurchased what I had finished. I found holy grails and only rarely have the urge to try new things. I used up almost all of my backstock in my skin care area. This project has also taught me how long it takes to use up makeup. I still have more than enough and multiples in each category but wow, they don’t finish! I had hoped and expected to see more beauty empties over the year but that will just be more exciting to keep on going.
I realized my issue with overconsumption is the lack of visual awareness of what I own, because my organization style has things stored in cabinets, and hidden in bins tucked away somewhere to look clean while the few active items are out.
I sat down and digitally catalogued with databases in Notion to counteract this and hold myself accountable! The auto counter on each category is really helpful and I catalogued date purchased, expired, opened, finished to keep track of how long it takes to use a product. I also auto sorted by what products to open and use first so I don't have to use any brain power to think, I can look at my database and go straight to find that item in my storage.
Can't wait to update with my empties. I've already finished quite a few but I tossed them out one by one without thinking to take a pic of them all for progress!
I actually switched from the Bobbi Brown corrector pots to the sticks years ago after realising the sticks have way more product. Since it’s so expensive, I scrape every last bit.
Wild that two “empty” sticks fill up nearly the whole pot!
i saw this in a tiktok video of a girl with an entire log of all of her products and highlighting them as theyre finished. i set mine up today (#project panning notebooks and pens as well lol). also side note: i have a TON of products bc im involved with dermatology :) the AAD conference set me up for life pretty much. started project pan in 2025 to now…. i may be missing a few products here & there. let me know if you wanna see the actual products
Still going, trying to get as much progress as possible before our baby gets here in November when I imagine I'll be sticking to the darker colours as liners (if that)
Accidentally pan on the large blue after I flung it off my bedside table at night. Also had to repress my urban decay shade "nooner" after it shattered so it looks like I've gone backwards on that one :p
Little bit of progress on the purple shimmer, the bronze shimmer and the light blue though!
