As a bit of history, I spent the last five months of 2020 doing a rolling Project Pan and in that time I successfully used up a lot products that had been sitting in my drawers for far too long.

Lately in particular I’ve been thinking back over my Project Pan experience and the few mistakes I made along the way. Had I been smart I would have thought it through a little better before I began so here I am, writing this post to share with you my do’s and don’ts of a Project Pan.

What is a project pan?

If I’ve already passed your knowledge of Project Pan’s then before you continue please read this previous post of mine in which I explain exactly what a Project Pan is and all of the benefits I gained from doing one.

Project Pan Do’s and Don’ts

Now that I am nearing the end of my project pan I’ve compiled a list of all the things that I wish I had known before I began that would have made my life a little easier. Here they are below for your reading pleasure.

DO… decide your type of project pan before you begin.

What I mean by this is that there are a couple of different types of Project Pans that you can do. For example a Project Pan 20 where you choose 20 products and set yourself a deadline to finish them by. There is also a rolling Project Pan in which you choose an initial group of products and as you finish one you add another one and the Project Pan continually rolls on.

DON’T… select all of your products from the same category

If your Project Pan is comprised of mostly lipsticks then you’re making it very difficult for yourself to finish all of them! One or two of the same category is alright however it’s best to choose a variety of products that you can use all at once each day.

DO… take progress photos along the way

When you’re using your products every day, you don’t notice the gradual changes that are occurring and it can feel like you’re going nowhere. If once a week, or once a month, you take a photo of each product you will be able to look back and compare the progress and you’ll be surprised with how far you’ve come!

DON’T… pick products that you hate to use

While it’s a good idea to choose products that you’ve been passing over in your collection it’s not a good idea to choose products that you hate to use. Your Project Pan is meant to be fun! If you have any old loves that you’ve forgotten about then use your Project Pan to rediscover that product and fall in love with it again.

DO… a trial wear the day before

After you’ve chosen the group of products for your Project Pan, it’s a good idea to trial wear them for a day beforehand to be sure that they all wear well together, not just in terms of a cohesive look but also that the formulas get along and look good.

DON’T… choose items that can only create limited looks

Unless you like wearing the exact same colour scheme everyday, make sure the products you’ve chosen will be able to create a decent variety of looks. How many looks that is will depend on your personal style but if you like to wear colours everyday then don’t pick a neutral eyeshadow palette to pan.

DO… take days off if you need

If, after a while, you find yourself sick of your Project Pan products and longing for a change then take a day off. Wear that different lipstick shade or don’t put on that primer if you don’t want to. If you feel like you’re getting tired of the same things then change it up every now and then.

DON’T… be discouraged if it seems to take longer than you thought

Everyone who starts a Project Pan does so with the aim of finishing their products within a certain time-frame but sometimes things don’t go to plan. If you don’t finish your products before the deadline you set then don’t be discouraged. Look back on your progress photos and appreciate how far you’ve come, if you need more time then keep going! What’s important is that you keep pushing and panning your products.

Those are a few handy tips that I have learnt throughout my experience with my own Project Pan that I wish I had of known about before I began!

If you have any Project Pan do’s and don’ts of your own please leave them in the comments below as I’d love to read them!