I am so excited to share today’s update for my Project Pan! In my previous post, I shared how I’m revamping my project this month, so please check that out if you’re wondering why I’m switching so much around in this update. This is going to be quite a long post, so grab a snack while you scroll!

Products I’ve Finished:

1. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer – Radiance with Hyaluronic Acid, sample
   I finished this at the beginning of this month and I was very surprised how far the sample size that I got from ipsy went – over 3 weeks using it almost every day! And that’s just since I added it to this project! Unfortunately, that’s where my enthusiasm ends. I’ll share my full review in my empties post on Thursday, but I’ll say now that this primer was just okay for me.
2. Covergirl Peacock Flare Mascara
   I made it through two months using only this mascara, and I couldn’t keep going for another month. Not only did I not like this (again, the full review will be in my next empties post), the product started irritating my eyes by the last week I used it, so I decided to toss it before the three month mark when it would “officially” be expired.

Like I mentioned in my project revamp post, I’ve decided to remove some products in order to give me more options for my daily looks. This means no more “colorful” products will be in this year’s Project Pan, link blushes, highlights, eyeshadows, or lip products.

Products I’m Removing:

1. NARS Blush – Orgasm
   In my previous update, I talked about how I was thinking of removing this from my project since it doesn’t always go with the eyeshadow palette I’m using each week, let alone every look I do with a palette each day. That is what really got me thinking about my overall goals for this project and, ultimately, what made me decide to revamp things.
   
   

   Intro

   

   Update #1

   

   Update #2

   

   Update #3
   Ulta Dual Ended Lip Liner – Flushed/Berry
   Even though the Flushed side of this liner is fairly neutral, it doesn’t work under any lighter lipstick, and the Berry shade also only works with certain shades. Similar to the blush, I want to be able to use whatever lip liner works with my lipcolor for the day, so I am removing this from my project.
   
2. Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black Eau de Parfum
   I said last month that I would probably be removing this from my project. Like I mentioned, I don’t feel like this fragrance is right for everyday/work, so I’m going to be using this more in the evenings, and maybe more often in the fall when the fragrance better fits the season. Other than samples, I don’t think I’ll ever include a perfume in a project pan, since I don’t have very many of them and thus don’t feel the pressure to “reduce” that portion of my collection. I didn’t make any progress on this item in the last month (I maybe used it twice) so I’m not including a photo.

Progress I’ve Made: (on products I’m keeping)

1. Coty Airspun Powder – Translucent Extra Coverage
   The reason I’m keeping this in the project is because I want to use up this container, then finish my other face powders, and then either try out new powders or repurchase a favorite that I find in this process. This is still doing well. I’ve been pressing powder in with a damp sponge a lot this past month, so that is probably part of why there’s a good amount of progress from the last update to this one.
   
   

   

   Intro/Update #1

   

   Update #2
   Fiona Stiles Sheer Sculpting Palette – Light/Medium
   I may have said this in an earlier post, but I am focusing on this item because I have an unopened backup of it in my collection. Now that the brand is sold on QVC, I am even less worried about totally using either of them up since I have access to buy another later – once I’ve used up other contour powders first, of course. Slowly, but surely this is getting used up, and I’m excited.
   

   Update #2, repressed

   

   Update #3
   OFRA Universal Brow Pencil
   This product is staying in my project because I am determined to finish it. It’s a decent color match and I don’t mind the formula. I have other brow pencils I know I like better, but I don’t want to give up on this when I’m so close to being done! I’m also trying to go through all of my “extra” brow products, with hopes of ending up with only my very favorite pencil and brow gel left at the end of this year.
   I really thought I was almost done with this, but I just had to go and figure out a way to keep using it now that the pencil itself is super short – by extending it using the cap so I can still get a good grip on it. I also ended up taking a different brow pencil with me on vacation at the beginning of March, so I had at least 4 days of not using this product. I estimate I have 2 more weeks of use (with a reasonable amount of sharpening) before it’s really got to go.

Moving forward, I’ll be focusing on a minimum of 10 products at a time, but since this is sort of a new beginning to this project, I’m going to be working on more than just 10 to start with. If I get below 10 at any point, then I will add more, but I can add or remove any of them at any time – my project, my rules! I’m adding items from all beauty-related categories to help motivate me to continue using products consistently. I’ll talk more about my motivation for including each item below.

Products I’m Adding:

1. Milani Make It Dewy Setting Spray
   I recently purchased this because I wanted a setting spray besides my Skindinavia Bridal spray, and I’m not really loving it. I decided to include this on February 28 when I officially decided that I was taking Nirvana Black out of the project. This is the only item I’m including in this project that I don’t really like and want to use up since I know I would just let it sit there and go bad if I didn’t. I was going to try to move the product to another bottle since one of my main complaints about this is the way it sprays, but since I’m so closed to being done I decided to leave it.
2. Smashbox X-Rated Mascara, travel size
   I started using this after I was finished with the Covergirl Peacock Flare on February 28. This mascara came in an ipsy bag and has been sitting sealed up until I was ready to fully dedicate myself to using it. First impression: I like this a lot, but I have to pay closer attention to how it performs to make a real judgement. I hope to use this for at least two months, and I’m interested to see how long this lasts in comparison to a full-size mascara.
3. Milani Prime Light Strobing + Pore-Minimizing Face Primer
   I used the last bit in another sample size primer for a couple days after finishing the Smashbox one, but this is the primer I’ve been using since March 3. I have a good number of primers in my collection, so I’m working on them in order of when I purchased them, so this one was up next. The line in the photo below is where I’m at as of this update, not when I started using it. (Oops!)
4. Touch in Sol Advanced Real Moisture Foundation – #21, sample
   This foundation sample came in an ipsy bag, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was both a great color match and I liked the formula! I do, however, want to use this more regularly to get a better idea of how I like it and to know if I’d ever want to repurchase it. I am using it both alone and mixed in with my Japonesque foundation to help amp up that foundation’s coverage. Again, the line in this photo is as of this update, not when I started using it.
5. L’Oréal Infallible Never-Fail Eyeliner – Black Brown
   I’m including this liner in my collection because I have a Colourpop liner in the exact same color (Stomper). Since the CP liners are my favorite, I’ve decided to pan this one so I only have one in this shade.
   
6. Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon – Blaquer (42), mini
   I want to pan this liner because I have a lot of black liners and this is (I think) the oldest one in my collection, so it’s up first. I’ve had it since December 2016 (yay Sephora birthday gift!) and used it a good amount. It’s usually the black liner I reach for when I want to use a black pencil, so I’m going to focus on it now and try to incorporate it into more looks.
   
7. Clinique Clarifying Lotion 1 – For Very Dry to Dry Skin (6.7 oz)
   This and the next few skin and hair care items are ones that I simply wanted to include in this project because I want to motivate myself to use them consistently.
   
8. Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye
   I got both this and the Clinique Clarifying Lotion back during the end of year Sephora VIB sale. I’ve been using this eye cream almost every night, so there’s a good amount of product used so far.
   
9. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream – unscented (2 oz tub)
   This is my favorite body/hand/all-purpose lotion, and I have it in multiple scents and types of packaging. I’ll be going through them as this project continues, and this “version” is the one closest to finishing, so I figured, why not. I’ll swap in another once I finish this. (Since it will probably be empty really soon!)
   
10. Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Active Brightening Oil (mini)
    I also want to use this more frequently since I’ve been really loving what it does for my skin these past couple of weeks. I have been using this in place of a night moisturizer whenever I don’t use an overnight mask. I also want to use this up because I’ve had it for a while (thus the oil being tinted by the rose petals instead of clear like on Sephora’s website) and I want to use it up before its expiration date in a few months.
    
11. Not Your Mother’s Blonde Moment Treatment Shampoo
    For this, and all of the other hair care items below, I am adding this to the project because I want to better track how long it takes to go through them. For this specifically, I want to get through this product so I can try out another brand of blonde treatment shampoo and compare the results (especially because the other brand is more expensive than this one).
    
12. Shea Moisture Fruit Fusion Coconut Water Weightless Shampoo
    I originally got a sample of this and the creme rinse in an Influenster box, and I loved the scent of them and how they worked on my hair. When I ran out of my other shampoos around the holidays, I sought these out.
    
13. Shea Moisture Fruit Fusion Coconut Water Weightless Crème Rinse
    I expect to get through this relatively quickly since I have quite long and fairly dry hair, so I tend to use a good amount of this conditioner each time I use it in the shower.
    
14. L’Oréal Paris Elvive Total Repair 5 Damage-Erasing Balm
    I received this in an Influenster box, and it is really nice! I also have a Shea Moisture Fruit Fusion masque, but it’s slightly more lightweight than this one. So I chose this one to use up first so I have the lighter one when it gets warmer. I alternate using this with the Shea Moisture conditioner.
    
15. It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Lite (# oz)
    I also want to pan this because of the reason above for the NYM shampoo, but I also have other leave-in conditioners in my stash, so I’m starting with a small size before moving on to the larger ones.
    

So – a total of 18 items for my new-and-(hopefully) improved Project Pan! I am so excited to continue using these items and to share my progress with you.

Have you ever done a Project Pan and changed things up mid-project? Let me know about your panning experiences in the comments, and please share your blogs/channels/Instagrams so I can follow your project as well!

– Natalie

P.S. Here’s some referral links to some of my favorite sites. Use if you’d like!

• Ebates – This is a great way to earn cash back from online shopping (that you’re already doing) at many of your favorite stores! (Including Sephora & Ulta!) If you join through this link and make a purchase of $25 or more, you’ll get an extra $10 cash back and I’ll get $15, as well as your own referral code.
• thredUP – I love using thredUP to clean out my closet and shop for new pieces at a discounted price – sometimes they’re even brand new with tags! When you join thredUP through this link, you get $10 to spend and I get $10 to shop after you place your first order.
• StitchFix – This is a great way to try out some new items for your closet, without the hassle of going to the stores and the bonus of a personal stylist. If you sign up with this link, you’ll get a FREE styling fee (usually $20) on your first Fix, and I’ll get $25 credit once it ships.