Project pan 2021 progress report #1

After embarking on an ambitious project pan at the beginning of 2021, I’ve got my first progress report to share with you.

A project pan is where you select a certain number of makeup products that you’d like to ‘hit pan on’ during a specified timeframe. This means using up a certain number of makeup products either completely or mostly. This encourages makeup lovers to use up the products they already own, rather than always buying new products.

For this year’s project pan, I selected 21 makeup products that I’m hoping to finish by the end of 2021. This is a bold target but I wanted to challenge myself to get through as much makeup as I can. From 2020’s project pan, I learned that getting through powder products is really difficult, so I selected more liquid and cream products this time.

If you’d like to see how well I’m doing with my project pan so far, then please keep on reading.

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Products I’ve finished

• Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara in Noir Hypnotic – £27 I knew I’d finish this mascara soon
• Kat Von D Tattoo Liner – £17 This liquid liner went dry, so I successfully used it all up

Products I’ve nearly finished

• Tarte Cosmetics Shape Tape Concealer – £23 This concealer is so low now. Although, I’m starting to feel like this product is never-ending lol
• Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless Foundation – £6 I’m having to really squeeze the bottle to get the foundation out now
• NYX Cosmetics Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes – £6 I’ve almost used it up

Products I’ve made a lot of progress on

• Colourpop All Star Matte Setting Spray – £8 This setting spray is close to being finished. I predict that in my next progress report, this product will almost be finished or completely used up
• L’Oreal Paris Telescopic Mascara – £11 It’s hard to tell how much mascara you have left in a tube until it starts drying out. I’ve definitely made a lot of progress with this mascara, though
• ICONIC London Illuminator – £30 I’ve been using this liquid highlighter a lot by mixing it in with my foundations for a glowy base. This product is incredibly pigmented, so I only need about 2 drops each time, which is slowing down my progress

Products I think I can use up by the end of the year

• Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer – £28 I’m probably down to the final quarter now, so I’m fairly confident I can finish this
• Maybelline Lasting Drama Light Eyeliner Pencil – £4.80 – This little kohl eyeliner has been going strong since last year’s project pan but I’ve almost used it up now
• Glossier Boy Brow – £14 I included Boy Brow in my 2021 project as I use this brow gel with every single makeup look I create, so I wanted to see how quickly this product runs out. Truthfully, though, I will 100% repurchase this product when it runs out
• Sephora lip liner to go in shade 15 – £4.40 Look at how tiny this lip liner is now. Surely I’ll use this product up by the end of the year lol
• Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Foundation – £43 I used to wear this foundation a lot, so I think there’s under half a bottle left, so I’m reasonably confident I can use this up by the end of 2021

Remaining project pan 2021 products

• Soleil Tan de Chanel – £40 I’ve already hit pan on this bronzer but there is still a lot of product left (another product that seems never-ending). This tub contains so much bronzer so I’m doubtful that I can completely use it up in 2021. I still am trying to, though!
• RCMA No-Color Powder – £11.75 I seriously struggle to get through this setting powder and that is becoming more apparent to me as time goes on
• KKW Beauty Crème Contour Stick – £13 Although this iconic contour stick is very creamy, it’s still taking me a while to use it up. Plus, I don’t use a lot of contour when I wear it, so I’m not sure if I can use this up by the end of the year
• Essence Matt Touch Blush Peach Me Up – £1 I’m almost certain I won’t hit pan on this product this year as powder products seem to be my nemesis. Having said that, I’m still hoping to use quite a lot of this powder blush up
• Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour Liquid Lipstick in Christmas Cookie – £16 There’s not a chance I will finish this liquid lipstick up this year
• Tarteist Lip Bling – £18 This lip gloss is very shimmery so it’s not the most wearable product gloss I own. Therefore, I’m struggling to get through it
• Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palette – £43 I’ve hardly made with this eyeshadow palette so far. Abysmal
• Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise in Champagne – £22 If I wore this weekly for the rest of the year, I could probably use it up. I doubt this will be the case, though

Final thoughts on my project pan 2021 progress report #1

I’m happy to report that I’ve used up 2 products for my project pan 2021 so far. Despite this, I was hoping to have made more progress with some of my other products, particularly the Urban Decay Naked Palette. My progress there has been woeful. I’m aiming to have used up at least 2 more products by my next progress report, so let’s see how that goes.

Do you think project pans are useful or are there other initiatives that you believe work better for using up makeup products?

Sarah Sarsby is the owner of A Woman's Confidence. With over 6 years' experience of writing in the fields of beauty and lifestyle, Sarah is passionate about all things content, makeup, skincare, wellness, and lifestyle. She has oily skin, is obsessed with lip gloss, and loves cookie dough.