Well friends, we’re one month into 2021 and…well, it has a bit of a 2020 vibe. Am I right? But one positive is that it’s time for my first project pan update of the year, which is all kinds of exciting for those of us that love to see those beauty empties stacking up. I can’t be the only one who gets excited about this kind of thing, surely.
Last year my project pan challenge was…partially successful. I mean, it was kind of a struggle.
This year I’ve mixed things up. I’ve decided to try to pan 21 products in 2021. Original, I know. I’m going to be focussing on seven products at a time and, each time I use one up, I’m going to be rolling in a new one to replace it. To hear more about this, you can check out my 2021 project pan introduction video right here.
Why I’m Doing a 2021 Project Pan
As you’ll know if you’ve read any of my no buy year content from last year, I have a whole bunch of cosmetics products and I’m at a point where I am desperate to use them up. I want to live more minimally and get all of the clutter out of my life.
I used to look at my huge makeup collection with a smile a say, “Wow! I have so much stuff!”
Now I look at my collection with a look of despair mingled with shame and cry, “Wow! I have too much stuff!”
Last year my project pan challenge really helped me to focus on using up specific products so I could whittle down my collection. I’m hoping that this year with my revised way of doing things I’ll have even more success and will be able to end 2021 with a much more manageable number of products.
What’s in my 2021 Project Pan?
Well, a mix of everything! I was so naive last year. I kicked off my 2020 project pan with three lipsticks and two pressed powder products. Amateur move!
This year, I’ve chosen a selection of some makeup products, some skincare products and a candle…because I also have way too many candles and need to get that under control. It’s a variety of products that I’ll be able to get daily use out of and that I’m ready to cycle out of my collection.
I want to point out that I’m still in the process of using up some products that are tested on animals, but I have no intention of repurchasing these once they’re used up. I now only buy cruelty free products. I’ll indicate which products are cruelty free with the leaping bunny logo.
January Project Pan Update
So here goes. Are you ready to see my January project pan update?
1. Nars Blush – Deep Throat
What a blast from the past! As you can tell by the fact that this started out with a pan, this blush used to be a favourite of mine. As you can probably also tell, it’s slow going with this. This blush doesn’t kick up a lot of product, which is good because there’s less waste, but it does mean it’s going to be a little harder to work through. Challenge accepted!
2. Benefit High Beam
I know, I know – it’s so 2010. I haven’t used this in a while and it’s time to finish up what’s left. Because of the way the product is stuck to the sides, it’s hard to see the progress, but the black lines on the second picture show how much I’ve used.
3. Bio-Oil
Bio-Oil is meant to reduce the appearance of scars and stretch marks. I have no idea if that’s true or not because I’ve never used it consistently enough to find out. Honestly, as long as I can use this up and have one less product in my stash, I’d still call that a win.
4. Garnier Light Gentle Clarifying Foam
This is one of those annoying fiddly things that lurks at the back of the drawer. These little sachets of face wash seemed like a good idea for travelling…but weren’t. I started off the month with 20 of them and so far I’ve used up 11.
5. Bath & Body Works Lotion – Bonjour Paris
I’ve managed to get a lot of elements of my cosmetics collection under control (check out my beauty inventory to see how much progress I made last year), but I’m still overrun with body lotions. I’m making pretty good headway with this one and hopefully I’ll be able to get through the rest of it quite quickly.
6. Clinique Long Last Lipstick – Pink Spice
She’s baaaack! This lipstick featured in my 2020 project pan for a full 11 months. I made some pretty good progress with it over the course of last year and I’m determined to finish it off in 2021.
7. Parlane Candle – Orchard Pear and Cucumber
Ok, so I forgot to take a before picture of this one, but it was unused when I started. Now it’s about halfway finished. Hopefully this will be used up by the end of next month.
Ok guys, I don’t want to jinx it, but I really think I’ve hit the ground running with this January project pan update. I mean, I’ve made progress with everything! At this rate I’ll be able to pan 21 products in 2021 for sure. Now let’s just see how I do next month.
