How To Project Pan – All You Need To Know

How To Project Pan - All You Need To Know

Do you have an overwhelming makeup collection and don’t know what to do with it? Do not fear! The makeup community has the solution and it is called Project Pan. “How to project pan” depends a lot on you and your lifestyle – the system can be completely customised as there are no real rules like for bullet journaling, for example. The main goal is to finish as many beauty products as you can. If you want to know more about it, today’s post will cover all the basics!

Project Pan – what is it?

A project pan consists of setting the goal to finish a certain number of beauty products within a specific timeframe. The term “pan” indicates the case where a powder product is usually housed, like for example an eyeshadow palette or a blush. That is why you will hear the expression “hitting pan”, meaning that you can see the bottom of a case after making use of a product. However, “hitting pan” or “panning a product” are now used not only for powder products but for any type of products including liquid ones that come in bottle containers.

The concept behind it is to make use of your makeup collection as much as you can: “shop your stash” is also used to indicate that you can dig in in your makeup collection and use products that you might have even forgotten to own.

How to do it

In a nutshell, what you want to do is to use the same makeup product(s) over and over again until you hit pan or you finish them. Besides that, how to project pan is completely up to you.There is no real set system when it comes to project pan. How you will do it depends on your life style, your makeup collection and your project pan goals.

However, the following basic steps are a good starting point:

Be realistic

When you pick your products, you need to be realistic with the products you choose. If you choose a neon eyeshadow palette and you want to use it on an everyday basis, well, you might not be able to rock a hot pink look that often…

Choose your product wisely

  • Products you like. Don’t repeat my mistakes 🙂 In the past, I tended to mostly include products that I did not like in my project pan. My reasoning behind it was that I wanted to “keep” my holy grails for important events or occasions. At the end, I ended up wasting some very nice products. So please make sure to include also a good number of products that you like!
  • Products that are easy to pan. If you want to keep the panning momentum, I recommend that you include a few products that are half way used or easier to pan, such as a cream or liquid product or a product that comes in a smaller container.
  • Multitasking products. To make more use out of a product, reuse it for other purposes: a lipstick can be a blush, a bronzer can be an eyeshadow, etc…
  • Skin care products. Make sure to include a few skin care products in your list too. This kind of products are usually easier to pan, such as a mask jar or a toner, and they can help to boost your motivation.

Set your project pan goals

If “how to project pan” depends on your lifestyle and personality, consequently your project pan goals do too. You can set a number of makeup products that you want to finish in a certain amount of time or you can set up a certain number for each product category. You can be super flexible with your goals as long as they are also realistic!

The (deeper) meanings behind it

People decide to commit to a project pan for different reasons. It is important though to figure out not only how to project pan but also why you want to do it. If your motivations are strong enough, it will be easier for you not to slip back into old habits.

1. Money-conscious

The “no buy or low buy” approach is gaining some popularity. In today’s society, or simply because we like so :), we tend to exaggerate with our shopping. Let’s be real: unfortunately, not all of us have an infinite budget and sometimes we need to be more cautious with money. Project pan is perfect to save some extra cash!

2. Environmental-friendly

Fast beauty is (unfortunately) a new thing and brands release thousands of new products every year. However, companies are producing more and more, because we are buying more and more. If you care about the environment and the excessive consumption of natural resources, the project pan system can be ideal for you!

3. No wasting

The equation here is very simple: if you don’t finish a product and it expires, you will waste not only your product but your money too! A project pan can be the perfect solution to make sure that you use up the products that you have bought before it is literally… too late!

4. Challenge accepted

There might also be no “deeper” meaning behind your choice and you simply want to have fun with your collection.This is fine too!

Are you a “panner”? Have you ever tried to do a project plan? Did you know how to project pan?Let me know about your experience in the comments below! Don’t forget that if you are tired with your project pan commitment and lack makeup inspiration, the Makeup Guide  can help you!


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