I did a #panthatpalette in 2022... here's what I learned (as well as progress pics)

 

Hii gang! 2022 was... a rough one for me. But we got through it, all is well now thank goodness. 

One thing I really got into in 2022 was the project pan community- it's a group of people who track their progress in using up their makeup. It's really calming for me cos it's quite a lo-fi, no frills community that's in general super supportive, which is so refreshing! Reminds me of old school YouTube. I haven't posted any videos, I'm just a high-key lurker. But it's satisfying and I would totally recommend.

One of my smallish goals for myself lately is to try and stop buying consumable things I won't ever be able to use up (like beauty, stationery or even spices and fancy gin), and only to get the things I can use up. Less waste overall, better for the environment and better for my wallet. 

So, less skincare backups and less makeup coming in- I'm aiming for one in one out this year with skincare, and for more used up than is coming in for makeup which I'm on track with. I've cut way down on my beauty consumption, but there's still a way to go. Focussing on how long it will take to use things up is definitely helping me stay on the straight and narrow. As is Hannah Louise Poston's concept of "duping the vibes" of things I want with my existing makeup- i.e. you don't need the thing, you just need something that can create a similar effect.

My #PanThatPalette2022

The palette I was aiming to use as much as possible of was this Next palette. Providence unknown, I'd had it for literally over 10 years. My original goal was just to use up the the pink-beige, the brown and the orange and then I'd be done. But I managed to use up more than that so my new goal was then to hit pan on every shade in the year. 

I also supplemented the palette with other, equally old palettes. From Per Una and Autograph (both M&S brands) and H&M, along with some dregs of other things. Zero idea how old they are but they were all certainly older than 10 years. 

Progress photos: 

(These are awful cos I was originally not going to post them anywhere.... )

1: My palette on 2nd February 2022, I'd already hit a pan but this is my first photo I have: 

2: My palette on 18th February 2022, I hit two more pans: 

3. 13th March 2022. Four pans are showing!

4. 29th March 2022.

5. 8th May 2022: 

You can see here I started to get bored and had added a second palette made up of three shades from one old Per Una palette and two shades from an Autograph palette. They were all performing ok but there was definitely some repetition going on with all the purple. 

6: 10th June 2022: 

7: 3rd July 2022

8: 1st August 2022

Here I'd added a coppery shade which was the last from a Lancome palette I'd nearly finished a while ago (another one that I have no idea how old but definitely before 2017...) along with the dregs of a gold freebie Emoda shadow that I'd got in Japan. 

9. 17th September 2022. I added one more palette in, this one was old from H&M. I have zero idea how it came into my possession. But, I was happy to be able to replace the light pink with another light pink as I'm told it looks good on me :)

I also took the one copper shadow on holiday with me which is why it's in the little tin separately. I had also just noticed how I was working on three oranges at once. I decided to stick to one at a time....

10. 16th October 2022: 

11: 12th November 2022 

12. 2nd December 2022. The Mary Quant palette pictured is in the picture cos I'd hit pan in the brown shade 072 and the eye primer and cream highlight, yay! I love that brown, it's sooo easy for me to just thrown on. 

13th and final update: 29th December 2022 

The end result? 5 out of 11 shades completely used up (not bad tbh!) and pan on all of the shades. I hit pan on the deep blue shades by trying to mix them with Inglot Duraline to use them as eyeliners. I'm pleased as I definitely used up way more than my original goal, and I learned a lot. I was actually getting into it and had been planning to keep on using it up, until fate intervened and it was time to throw it away. I also finished 4 of the extra shades I'd bought in: two light pinks, the gold and the copper from Lancome. So 9 shadows finished off last year.

And here's the empty palette, cleaned for dropping off to recycle: 

What did I learn?

1. I learned how long makeup takes to use up! I didn't exclusively use this palette, but I did use it a lot. Like, over half the year, definitely. 

2. I learned that powders do go off eventually... one of the next shades definitely went off at the end of the year, which was when I decided it was time for the whole thing to go. I noticed the dark purple was irritating my eyes, so I crushed it up in order to throw it. At which point... the smell..... I hadn't noticed a smell before, but the smell from the crushed up shadow was a clear sign the whole palette should be binned.

3. Another thing I learnt is to push myself with makeup colours and experiment with application. I learnt how to do a cut crease (sort of) and I also learnt that lilac, orange and powder blue (!!) kinda suit me. And I learnt that sometimes it doesn't need to "suit" me if I'm enjoying it. And also, that people don't actually notice things like eyeshadow that much- it's just makeup and it's not that deep.

4. I also noticed that while I thought of myself as always just doing the same makeup over and over (I have actually used up several eyeshadows without particularly "panning" them, as they had just been my go-to look at the time) , I did actually chafe at "having" to keep using the same colours over and over when I didn't feel like it. So I do want some variety.

5. I've also totally gone off the idea of big eyeshadow palettes (not that I had that many, but it felt like too many...)  and am into single eyeshadows (which I think is also the trend in general atm). I often tend to go through the light and mid shades first, which is fine, but I do not need to get aaaany dark browns at all for a long time. 

And my new goal is to not have so much makeup that I end up with things that are well over 10 years old!!

I don't want to get to a minimal state by just "decluttering" and throwing stuff away only to replace it down the line, but I definitely reckon that I can chip away slowly and get things down to a more manageable size. And, I want to buy some treats now and then to keep things fresh and to replace things that have been completely used up. 

I have tossed some of the other eyeshadows I was working on last year as well as the aforementioned  main #panthatpalette, after realising they were also making my eyes water. And any makeup that is suspected of being off and has suffered a change in scent, etc. is also getting thrown away as and when that happens obviously. (Well, put into recycling schemes where possible)

So would I recommend doing a #panthatpalette ?

Yes and no. If you have a really big makeup collection or get bored easily, it's probably a shame to focus in on one palette while everything else sits there getting older. But I would recommend focussing on one eyeshadow or one blush etc. and seeing actually how long it takes to hit pan.... it might shock you. Or it might be motivation for a low buy! But I can't deny that I learned a lot from the experience and I think it was a positive for me in general. (Crikey I sound like a reality TV contestant there.)

Oh also disclaimer! I am not recommending that you put really old makeup on your eyes or your face! In fact I'm recommending you don't, probably. The expiration dates on makeup are there for a reason, so please be safe and also try a patch test on a less sensitive area, look for signs that it's gone off like difference in smell, texture etc. At some point the preservatives in there will go off.

The main thing is that it's probably best if, going forward, we don't buy so much makeup that we end up hoarding the same makeup for 10 years plus... you know? Saying that at myself mostly. But also hoping you guys learn from my mistakes... 

As for myself, I am going to continue to use up my older makeup- you'll see when it pops up in my empties! And keep sticking to my low buy with renewed vigour. Not sure I'll be doing another pan that palette per se though as it's quite limiting, although you never know! 

Let me know if you've had similar thoughts- have you ever tried a pan that palette? 

Thanks for reading! 

-Amy xoxo

Empties #32 Bleach London, Makki, Muji etc // Sustainability and beauty