My project pan, inspired by Beauty News, is a plan to completely use up beauty products to get them out of my collection. I don’t want to waste them and just throw them away if they still work fine for me. It’s also a way to remember if something actually works, or if you’re just keeping it for no reason. I’m mainly doing this using up products because they’re super old and I want them gone. I prefer to mark the line on the bottle when you can see through it, but for other products where that’s not possible I’m keeping track by weight (using an old food scale, don’t judge me). I’ll update this post with progress pictures from the year, as well as my thoughts on the products!
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, they’re marked with 💰. If you use them to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. I only link to products I genuinely love to use, and not because of the commission. Whether or not you decide to buy something using my affiliate links is completely up to you.
I received some of these products in gratis when I used to work at Sephora, those are marked as (gratis).
Hair/Body
I’ve got a TON of super old body lotions and sprays (legit like 6+ years) so a main focus this year is to declutter most of them by using them up. They haven’t gone bad and still smell fine, so I don’t want to throw them away.
Victoria’s Secret body spray in Rush – I love this scent! Body sprays don’t last long on your skin like a perfume would, which is totally fine with me. I absolutely would repurchase whenever I get through my collection
Victoria’s Secret hydrating body lotion in Acai – this was just ok, wasn’t hydrating at all but smelled good. I’d put on the lotion and then in a few hours my skin would feel dry again, which isn’t what I want from body lotion. Would not repurchase
Discontinued
Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Diamond shimmer body lotion – it smells nice but isn’t hydrating, plus it leaves a ton of glitter, not just shimmer that I was expecting. It’s nice for summer, but it’s probably close to 8 years old -yikes. I wanted to use it up pretty quickly so I kept going until it was done. Would not repurchase
Discontinued
Marc Jacobs rollerball in Divine Decadence (gratis) – it smells nice but I’m not a huge MJ fan personally. I’m making good progress as of October but I’m definitely getting tired of this scent. I think I’ll use as much as I can to finish out the year, and then start with a new one in January. Would not repurchase
Not available in rollerball anywhere that I could find, shop full size here
Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil – I don’t even know how old this is, oops… I like using this on my edges to try and get them to grow in better, but I don’t use a lot because it’s too heavy for my hair. For July I had the bright idea to use a dark purple polish to mark the bottle, but you can’t see the mark -nice job Sharana- so I drew the line again in white. (November update: I haven’t used this since July, sooooo it’s going in the trash, kbye)
Would not repurchase because I’m not a fan of the texture, and there’s other oils I like better for my hair
Skincare
There’s not a lot of skincare in my project pan since I tend to use it up quicker and don’t have a problem with it getting that old/getting products I don’t like. I’ve built up a pretty good sized collection and don’t want products to start going bad, so I think I’ll add more skincare into my 2021 project pan.
Caudalie Vinoperfect Essence (gratis) – I loved this! After being trained on it while working at Sephora years ago, I bought one that day and then received one in gratis later that month lol. I like layering lightweight hydration products like this in winter which is when I finished this one, but I also like it when I’m feeling dehydrated. Would repurchase with a coupon/sale
Ren Anti-Pollution Mist (gratis) – this mist felt nice going on, sometimes it’s hard to find a good sprayer but this one’s good. I used it as both skincare and makeup, it takes away any powdery look I might have. I’m not sure about the anti-pollution claims, I haven’t looked into the ingredients that deeply, so maybe take that part with a grain of salt. Would repurchase maybe a travel size
Makeup
The majority of my project is getting rid of old makeup. I worked at a makeup store for 2+ years and built a pretty good collection, but I don’t wear it enough (even then I didn’t wear it a lot) so now it’s just taking up space and getting old.
Bare Minerals Combo Control primer (gratis) – this was nice, I liked the texture on my combination skin – not too heavy on my oily spots but still hydrating on my dry spots. It worked well with or without makeup too, which made me want to use it more often. Would repurchase with a coupon
Smashbox Primerizer (gratis) – It surprised me how much I liked this primer! It’s nice with or without makeup, similar to the Bare Minerals primer, so I liked using it almost every day. Sometimes I’d use this just as my daytime moisturizer because I liked the texture so much. The good skincare ingredients were a just bonus to me because I’m not sure of concentrations/ how much they’d really do for my skin with all my other skincare I use. Would repurchase with a sale
Smashbox Photo Finish primer (gratis) – this is a classic silicone primer that smooths out your skin for makeup. I really like using this on top of a cream sunscreen because it helps take some of the shine down without me having to use powder that might transfer. I like the more hydrating primers better than this now that I’ve tried both, but I would repurchase a travel size
Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint in Seychelles (gratis) – I used to really like this on fuller coverage makeup days, it kept my skin matte almost all day and I loved how it still looked like skin. I got to the point of not wanting as much coverage and tried to sheer out, but I just wasn’t using it as much. It was slightly too dark in winter/spring, then I decided it was too old and should stop using it. So sad it’s discontinued because I would absolutely repurchase for my collection
Discontinued
Younique BB Cream in Tan – I bought this from a direct sales party I hosted in 2018. I didn’t like the texture on my combination skin, but the color match was fine. It needed both a matte primer and powder layered on to keep me from looking shiny after 4 hours. I tossed it out in May because I didn’t like it and wasn’t going to keep forcing myself to use it. Would not repurchase
Makeup Forever Water Blend Foundation in Y505 (gratis) – I love how lightweight this is on my skin, it’s almost like a bb cream to me without being a cream texture. It matches me better in summer which is why I waited a while to add it to my project, but I’m still not wearing that much makeup so it’s gonna be a while before I get through this. I didn’t use it at all in July, so I just kept the same picture because there’s no point in taking another. (November update: I still haven’t used this. I’m taking it out of the project and will maybe put it back when we don’t have to wear masks outside) Would repurchase
Maybelline Age Rewind concealer in Tan – I like this with or without foundation, which is what I want from concealer. I’ve had this one since 2018, so it’s time for it to GO! I’m trying to finish it even though I’m not wearing as much makeup these days, but it’s nice on low-makeup days because it matches my skin so well. Would repurchase
Cover FX Power Play foundation in N80 – I received this foundation sample in 2018 and it was too light, but I kept it in my stash. I really like the formula, so I’m using it as concealer just to use it up. Would repurchase (I’ve already purchased this in my correct shade and the Power Play concealer too)
Sephora Microsmooth Powder in #56 Mahogany – Let’s just ignore the fact that I kept the lid closed in April 😂 I like this for setting my face with or without foundation underneath -it takes down shine & matches me well. (November update: Haven’t used it much since June, but I kept taking pictures just in case there was any progress haha) Would repurchase
Jamberry Brow Gel in Dark – This is the brow gel that helped me figure out how to use brow gel lol I liked the product once I figured it out (not the highlighter end though) The gel lasted well throughout the day, even when I wear a face shield at work and it presses against my brows. I’m not a consultant anymore and there’s other gels out there that work just as well for way less cost. Would not repurchase
ELF Brow Pencil in Dark Brown – I picked up this pencil from Target a while back, and it’s a great match for my brows. The pencil isn’t the smallest width, but I just use it to fill in sparse areas and it works fine. Would repurchase, especially since it’s only $2
Bobbi Brown liquid liner in Night Sky Sparkle (gratis) – this liner isn’t very dark, probably because of the sparkles. It lasted fine throughout the day but multiple layers were needed to get it to show up how I wanted. There’s other liquid liners I like better, so I would not repurchase
Discontinued
Marc Jacobs Highliner in Earthquake (gratis) – I don’t use pencil eyeliner that much so it’s taking forever to finish and it’s hard to track progress with these pictures. It’s a soft texture and lasts throughout the day, but I wouldn’t spend that much on an eyeliner. I took this out of my project in June because I got tired of feeling like I HAD to wear eyeliner every day. Would not repurchase
Becca blush in Amaretto – this was part of the Jaclyn Hill blush palette that I’ve had since 2016. It’s my favorite blush color of all time, it’s subtle but still shows up on my skin and adds a little sheen. Plus it matches no matter what else I’m wearing (eye, lip, etc). I’ll be SO SAD when it runs out! (November Update: I haven’t used this much since August, so I’m taking it out of my project until we don’t have to wear masks) Would repurchase a single if I could
Discontinued
Younique lip gloss – I bought this from a Direct Sales party in 2018 but I didn’t like this gloss. It was a little too sparkly for me, the color was sheer but fine. The main thing I didn’t like was the texture: it was sort of oily and not hydrating. Didn’t finish it, I tossed it out because it got old and started to smell weird. Would not repurchase
Sephora Collection Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in #17 Browny Touch – I love this gloss! It’s actually hydrating and feels nourishing. It’s my perfect nude shade and works with or without makeup. Even though the weight didn’t change at the end, the streak marks let you know that I finished it – I’ve never completely finished a gloss before! Would absolutely repurchase
