I think we all agree that the first step to a sustainable beauty lifestyle is getting out of a spiral of amassing new products all the time and instead using what we own. But oh the quandary of using it all! A way to do that might be setting challenges for yourself, like a low- or no-buy or a project pan. Inevitably, boredom with both will crop up – but don’t despair, I’ve found a few project pan ideas to help with that!
Reminder: makeup is not a chore. It’s fun! So do what you’re most comfortable with. There’s no beauty police making you adhere to a 10-piece project pan! The aim is you using your stash, no matter how. Choose three products you want to use for a week (I do that), go for 15 for a month, choose palettes or minis – your stash, your decision.
Project pan ideas: Combine
- If you’re unsure which products should be in your project pan, why not play project pan roulette? Sort your stash into categories and pick one product randomly from each. (Inspirations over here at Holly’s blog.)
- To prevent boredom, combine project pan products with non-project pan products in as many ways as possible. Imagine there’s one especially dull eyeshadow in your PP. With what can you pair that eyeshadow to make it look interesting? Use different liners! Different placements! Start layering products! Overthink your regular product placement, placement of light and dark shades! You’ll find a way to make that one product look differently, I’m sure.
- If you want to use more products in your stash and you’re in kind of a rut, grab random products and use them a few times. Random colour and product combos can free your inspiration and get you to work with your products in a non-traditional way. If you’re the analytical type, why not go through your whole stash – either by brand or product type? Discover old faves by doing that.
Project pan ideas: Re-utilise
- Think outside of the box. Use lipstick as blush. Blush as eyeshadow. Eyeshadow as highlight or contour. Experiment! Makeup is a creative outlet and fun, after all. And who knows, maybe the lipstick you don’t like that much on your lips makes an awesome blush? Or that liquid lipstick turns into an interesting eyeliner?
- If you include skincare into your PP, that’s how to play around with it. Serums you don’t love? Use them on your décolletage. Moisturisers you don’t like for your face? Your elbows, shins and feet will thank you!
Project pan ideas: It’s a party!
- Everything is easier when done in a group of likeminded people or friends. Join a group with similar goals as you. No-buys are easier when you can gripe about it with your beauty junkie friends.
- Why not swap actual products, ideas and inspiration with like-minded weirdos, be it online or in real life? Find those people! (Hint: twindly has something in store for you… you might want to sign up for the newsletter!)
- Nothing is more stifling than doing the same look during the same time every day. And if you can’t set aside some time to play before work, why not have a wild makeup session on a Saturday evening or Monday morning? Recreate looks from your friends on ig, mags, award ceremonies… Follow makeup artists on social media and see how they do things!
Don’t set yourself up to failure
Don’t let it be a punishment. You love all things beauty, that’s the reason you own a lot of really awesome products. Instead of feeling guilty for that, celebrate it! You deserve to be pretty and pampered. You have the tools for doing that – so do it. Also, if you truly don’t like a product – either repurpose, gift or bin it. Live is too short for bad beauty products – you deserve to wear your best lipstick.
I love this type of posts. I do a lot of the things you mentioned and it definitely helps.
I also don’t own a lot of lipstick, just a few handful of favourite shades, so when I get bored I mix two shades to get something new.
Hi Andrea, thank you so much! Mixing lipsticks is a great way to customise colours! I’m astonished again and again how much even a simple lip liner can change the look of a lipstick!