Project Pan (in my eyes) is a straightforward way to reduce overconsumption through intentional purchases, triggered by the completion of an existing product. As an avid beauty content consumer, I needed Project Pan more than I knew.
I’ve never been the type of creator who had hundreds of products open at a time. I always wanted to finish my moisturizer before I opened a new one. Same with eye creams, toners, cleansers, and more. Skincare was always straightforward because it’s something I use everyday. Volume-wise, I would go through skincare (and haircare for that matter) quickly.
Makeup is a completely different story. No matter what, I would find myself tossing products that have been opened too long. And it’s a combination of multiple products open but also that the amount I use is so tiny each time.
So I decided to (unintentionally) do Project Pan. It was more inspired by frugality, but let’s just go with me trying to be intentional with my spending.
Here are all the ways Project Pan changed my approach to spending on beauty products (as someone who gets a decent amount of free product from PR gifts but also continually gets Sephora Rouge each year).
New Purchasing Rules for Makeup
I’m going to limit exactly how my behaviors have changed to just makeup. Skincare was (and continues to be) a cycle of finish what’s open and then move on. It’s approximately a 1 to 2-month cycle, so I can wait. Makeup could literally be anywhere from 6 months to 2 years (oop).
My lip products (tinted or not) also fall under the same category as makeup here because it takes me a literal eternity to finish a singular lip product. And I also always have a million of the same type of product open at once.
If I’m buying makeup, can I buy an SPF version of it?
I’m slowly making the swap from some of my favorite products to SPF-based versions of the same category. Yes, that means I have to switch brands. Yes, that means there’s potential that I really dislike the product after I try it.
But with that risk comes the ability to use FSA funds on the makeup. FSA funds mean I can pay for the makeup product with pre-tax dollars, effectively giving myself a “discount” on each purchase. And that “discount” would even stack with whatever promotion Sephora is running (whether that is the 20% off Sephora sale for Rouge or for a gift with purchase where you get a giant skincare sample set).
The case for sun protection
Yes, FSA is a big selling point for me. But my skin is also happier when I use SPF-based makeup because it is adding on an additional layer of sun protection. And that means anti-aging. That means reducing discoloration. That means less risk of sun burn. The list goes on for why SPF should be the product of choice.
Complexion products are not a requirement
Going through all of my opened makeup products, one thing was crystal clear: my foundations and concealers are not getting used up in time. And I’ll expand the definition of foundations to be as inclusive as possible. They’re foundations, tinted sunscreen, tinted moisturizer, and the like.
Maybe it’s just me, but all I need right now is a mineral sunscreen that has the slightest bit of tint in it (a la Inn Beauty Project or Kosas Dream Beam or even Summer Fridays ShadeDrops). I don’t like things that have too much coverage because I work hard on my skincare to have a solid base already. And I don’t like having high coverage, which would make me need more makeup products to continue adding dimensionality and layers to my skin. At most, I’ll do medium coverage.
Reducing the amount of complexion products I use helped me stop my spending in that category but also had spillover benefits in that I don’t need to buy as much of other products to remedy the flatness from foundation (contour, blush, highlighter, etc).
Concealer is something I will use, but instead of fluid concealers, I opt for stick concealers.
New purchases need to fit a new shade category
Humans are creatures of habit, and if you looked at my makeup drawer, you would fully agree. I love a deep red/maroon lip. I love a purple or deep red blush. I love a golden highlighter.
And that’s the problem: I have multiple tinted lip treatments in the same color, different brands. I have multiple blushes in the same shade, different brands.
So now, if I am going to buy a new product, I have to ask myself, “Do I have something in this same shade already?” And most importantly, bffr.
No, it’s not one of those things where you say, “This one has a slightly darker tone,” or “But this one is more pigmented.” Those things may be true. But they do not warrant purchasing a new product. You can continue using the one you have, and then replace it with the one you want once you finish.
How My Mental Health Has Changed
The psychology behind merchandising and purchasing is low key insane. I would constantly be checking the Sephora app, as if something would come out anew. It didn’t help that my Instagram was flooded with posts about new products from fellow creators or from brands.
But forcing yourself to only buy when you’ve gotten through an existing product gets rid of that itch. And you can refocus your attention on other things in your life.
I spend at Sephora just to hit Rouge
Okay, that sounds bad. But hear me out. I spend my FSA funds just enough for me to hit Rouge each year and then halt my spending for the rest of the year. That let’s me get my dopamine hit from purchasing without going overboard. And it feels better because I am using pre-tax dollars.
I always try to keep Rouge status for multiple reasons:
20% off during Sephora sales
Special digital events (to redeem points for deluxe size samples, as well as Sephora swag items)
Less so for the “concierge service” and the Rouge events
And when I am buying sunscreen (whether it is standard SPF or makeup), I know that I will get through it. So I don’t have any concerns with stocking up as long as it is something I use consistently.
I am less concerned about how my budget is
There was always something a little unsettling about knowing that I am spending money at Sephora. But I could never put my finger on it directly.
It was always this constant chase of wanting to try the new product because everyone and their mother is talking about it. “If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you”-type of vibe.
But I am more methodical about my spending so that I can allocate it towards larger life things like rent, car payments, insurance, FSA (lol). It’s a small budgetary change, but it gives me more reassurance on a daily basis.
Takeaways from Project Pan
If you’ve been curious about it, I would say try it. If you’re a product maximalist, I am sure you could benefit from it. If you’re a product minimalist, you probably won’t see as much of a lifestyle change because you’re already living the life.
At the least, you’ll take an audit of what you already have and see what’s serving you or not. That’s how I quickly understood that complexion products just aren’t worth spending on for me.
And then you can take it a step further and see how many redundancies you have. That’s how I quickly identified what shades I gravitate towards.
You learn a lot about yourself when you declutter (and if you need inspo for what to do with empty products). And that can be good or bad, but let’s just say it’s a good thing overall.
And now’s the time for me to stop off my Marie Kondo soapbox.
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