As a make-up lover, I’m often found scrolling through Beauty Bay and browsing through the aisles of Superdrug and Boots. However, when I became a vegan I realised that many of the brands I had been purchasing from were not cruelty-free, and most products were not vegan. I knew I needed to be a better, more conscious consumer. But, I didn’t want to throw all this make-up away, so it sulked around the edges of my collection never really being used.
Recently, I discovered a new trend popping up on beauty blogs and YouTube channels called Project Panning. Project Panning is where you focus on finishing products you already have in your collection, rather than buying new products. Many of the bloggers and content creators who are doing these panning projects have incredibly expansive collections which otherwise would need decluttering. Something often not spoken about enough in the make-up community is what is colloquially known as ‘Make-up Addiction’. Like any shopping addiction, it is where the thrill is buying and receiving new items rather than getting any joy from using the products. Due to the excessive promotion and advertising of make-up, people often become tied up in purchasing all the new products released without thinking about whether they already own something similar. To own the new becomes far more important. Though this is not something I have ever experienced, I can understand how in this sort of situation starting a panning project would be incredibly helpful to reduce a collection size.
Having read about and watched many other make-up lovers panning projects, I have started my own project. As part of my own project panning, I have decided that I am not allowed to buy any new products until I have finished ones in my collection. My main focus is on finishing all my non-cruelty free or non-vegan products, so I don’t have to feel bad having them in my own collection. To start my project, I grabbed a make-up bag and selected the products I wanted to pan, and I will add new items in from my collection as I use up these selected products. What I have noticed while doing this project is that I’m forced to work with products I would otherwise have ignored, meaning that I am having to be more creative with my looks.
An added bonus to this project is the benefit on my budget. No longer am I running to grab the latest products (which can often be quite pricey if it is a higher end item) but I am confronted with a plethora of products that will perform the same job - they are just tucked away in a drawer. One important thing to note though is the use by dates on make-up. Though often many of us, myself included, ignore these warnings it is something to keep in mind. When digging through my collection I discovered some old mascaras that I thought I should put in my project pan, but they were incredibly out of date. Any out of date make-up should, unfortunately, just be thrown away as they can really damage your skin. Any products you use around your eyes you should be extra careful about.
Project Panning is really just about loving the collection you already have, and who knows, you might find some hidden gems you had forgotten about! For more information about Project Panning, I would check out Lauren Mae Beauty’s video called ‘What is Project Panning and the Project Pan Community?’. I personally found this video incredibly informative and helpful when I started and developed my own project.