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If you have ever looked at a drawer full of makeup you barely touch and thought “I really need to stop buying things,” you already understand the instinct behind project pan. The idea is simple: use what you own before you buy more. The execution is where most people get stuck.
I have been doing some version of this for years, and the version that actually works looks nothing like the finish-every-product pressure you might have seen on YouTube. Here is what it really involves.
What project pan actually is
For anyone new to project pan for beginners, the name comes from hitting pan i.e. the metal base you see when an eyeshadow is almost finished. But in practice, project pan is less about finishing things and more about using them with intention. The goal is to reduce waste, eliminate decision fatigue, and stop the cycle of buying more before you have used what you already have.
It also teaches you something most beauty lovers never figure out: how many products you actually go through in a year. Once you know that you use roughly six shampoos annually and five conditioners, the idea of owning twenty starts to look very different.
How I organise my stash to make it work
Everything I own lives in IKEA Alex drawers in a separate room. My everyday products live in a single clear bin. Those are the only things I get ready with. When something runs out or stops working for me, I go into the organised stash and replenish from there, as if I were shopping a store that already belongs to me.
The rule is that nothing migrates back out unless it is replacing something. This single habit has done more for my overconsumption than any declutter I have ever done.
Check out products that help Finish What You Have and Project Pan Essentials.
Usage-based project pan vs. finish-based
The version of project pan that burns people out is the one where you commit to finishing a product before you can move on. That works for some people. It did not work for me, and based on what I hear from viewers, it does not work for most.
When I tracked my usage properly, I realised it took me over a year to finish a single Charlotte Tilbury blush stick. If I had twenty blushes at the time, the math meant most of them would expire before I ever reached them. That number was the wake-up call.
Usage-based project pan means you set a usage goal instead of a finish goal. Ten uses of this eyeshadow. Thirty uses of this foundation. You learn your actual patterns without the pressure of having to scrape out every last drop.
The rotation habit that keeps it going
Monthly rotations changed everything. Once a month I swap out a product or two from my everyday bag from the organised stash. This keeps things feeling varied without buying anything new. The itch to try something different gets satisfied by my own collection, which I spent years building and largely forgot about.
I also keep things where I use them. Body lotion lives in the bathroom. Perfume lives on the dresser. If a product is not in the place where I would naturally reach for it, I will not use it up.
Here’s a link to the skincare I have actually finished and love.
Repurposing before you toss
Before anything leaves my collection I try to find it a second job. Shampoo that does not work for my hair washes brushes. Lipstick can double as a cream blush. Eyeshadow works as liner. Products that feel off texturally or past their best get let go without guilt, especially anything with that sticky old packaging that makes using it unpleasant. Life is too short.
How to start if you are overwhelmed
Do not try to overhaul everything at once. Start with one category. Pick the drawer or shelf that bothers you most and pull out the things you genuinely want to use up. Put those somewhere visible and accessible. Ignore the rest for now.
The goal at this stage is not a perfect organised stash. It is building the habit of reaching for what you already own before you buy something new. Everything else follows from that.
Learn more from my post on Why Your Makeup Decluttering Isn’t Working.
Project pan is one of the most effective things I have done for both my collection and my finances. Not because it made me finish everything I own, but because it made me honest about what I actually use, what I actually like, and what was just taking up space and guilt.
Watch the full video below for the complete walkthrough, including the AI colour analysis method that helped me eliminate a third of my collection in two weeks.
Here, I talk about my lazy skincare stash system that is helping dwindle my collection without feeling overwhelmed. See you there.
