When you hear about Project Pan, it’s usually from someone with drawers full of makeup, overflowing bathroom cabinets, and a goal to dramatically downsize their collection.
That’s not me.
I’m in my early 40s. I live fairly minimally. I don’t buy high-end beauty products. I don’t rotate through endless palettes. I make some of my own body products, buy basics, and only replace things when I genuinely need them.
So when I decided to start Project Pan for the first time, this was my question:
🌿 Does Project Pan even make sense if you don’t have a huge makeup collection to begin with?
If you’re new to the idea, Project Pan is essentially an underconsumption challenge.
The goal is simple: use up the beauty and body products you already own — right down to the very last drop — before buying anything new. It’s about finishing, not just decluttering. Using, not just organising.
And while I don’t have “drawers and drawers” of products, once I walked through my house and really looked, I realised something interesting.
Even as a frugal minimalist:
- I still stock up when I find a good deal
- I still have backups tucked away
- I still have slow-moving items I forget about
- I still have things I’m not sure I’ll repurchase
Maybe Project Pan isn’t just for overconsumers.
Maybe it’s for anyone who wants to be more aware of what they already own.
This year, I’m running a full 12-month Project Pan experiment — not to shrink a massive collection, but to see what real-life, low-consumption beauty use actually looks like across all four seasons.
If you already live simply and you’re wondering whether Project Pan is relevant for you… this might be a very different take on the challenge.
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Watch: Project Pan As a 40-Something Minimalist
Come and join me below as I chat about embarking on a 12-month Project Pan Challenge as someone who’s already frugal and minimalist. 👇
What Project Pan Looks Like When You Don’t Own Much Makeup
Most Project Pan content online starts the same way.
Someone opens a drawer full of makeup… and then another drawer… and then another.
There are palettes everywhere, half-used foundations, dozens of lipsticks, and a big goal to dramatically reduce the collection.
That’s not my situation at all.
I’m already fairly minimal when it comes to beauty and body products. I don’t wear much makeup day to day, and I tend to stick to simple, inexpensive basics rather than constantly trying new things.
If you’ve ever looked up Project Pan and felt like it only applies to people with huge makeup collections, you’re definitely not alone. That’s exactly how I felt when I first heard about it.
But once I started walking through my house and actually looking at what I own, I realised something interesting.
Even when you live fairly minimally, you can still end up with more products than you realise. Not because you’re constantly buying things, but for a few other reasons.
How we still often end up with excess:
- You stock up when you find something cheap
- Some products last far longer than expected
- Things get forgotten in drawers
- Some items never seem to get used
So I decided to run a full-year Project Pan experiment to see what we actually use throughout a full annual cycle.
The Simple System I’m Using to Track My Empties
Some people track Project Pan with spreadsheets, progress charts, or detailed lists of products they want to finish. That felt like way too much effort for me.
Instead, I grabbed a large empty box that I already had around the house and simply labelled it for the year.
Then I placed it on the top shelf of my cupboard without the lid on it.
Now, whenever we finish a product, I just throw the empty container straight into the box. It’s super simple, but it works well.
With this box system:
- I can physically see the progress building throughout the year
- I don’t have to remember to track anything
- By the end of the year, I’ll have a very clear picture of what we actually used
Walking Through the House: What I Actually Found
Once I started opening drawers and cupboards, I found a few more products than I expected. Not a huge amount by ‘beauty world’ standards — but certainly enough to make this little experiment interesting.
As I walked through the house, I grouped everything into a few categories on the bed so I could visually see what was there.
🌿 Some items are everyday essentials that will definitely get used fairly quickly.
🌿 Others are occasional items that might take much longer to finish.
🌿 A few things that I suspect might still be sitting there at the end of the year.
Everyday Skincare We’ll Definitely Use
Some products move through the house fairly quickly simply because we use them every day.
For example, I currently have a small collection of Sukin cleansers and moisturisers.
Last year, I found them at a discount grocery store here in Brisbane called Lighthouse. They had them for $2 each, instead of $15 each at the supermarket.
At one point, they even had a 5 for $5 special, which worked out to be $1 per bottle, so of course I stocked up!
My daughter and I both use them daily, so they will absolutely get used over time. But I’m curious to see how many we actually go through in a full year.
Everyday products in our routine include:
- BB cream – I wear daily because I burn easily and have rosacea
- Homemade face powder – I use for a matte finish
- Moisturiser – my daughter & I
- Cleanser – my daughter & I
- Shampoo and conditioner – family use
- Bar soap – family use
- Toothpaste – family use
These are the products that we will definitely move through the fastest.
Cheap Basics That Work Perfectly Fine
When it comes to shampoo and conditioner, I’ve never really been someone who buys expensive brands.
My hair is very straight and very fine, and honestly, I’ve never noticed any actual difference when using the fancy stuff. For me, it has always felt like spending more money for exactly the same result.
So for now, I have been using a cheap ‘Natures Organics’ brand that costs $2 per bottle and isn’t tested on animals (which is important to me).
I recently stocked up on a few bottles because I like having everyday household essentials on hand.
This experiment will probably show me how long that small stockpile actually lasts.
I’m playing around with the idea of moving to Castile Soap, which can be used as a shampoo and would be a much more natural alternative to supermarket shampoos. But for now, I’ll work through what I’ve already got.
The Small Amount of Makeup I Own
My makeup collection is very small compared to what you normally see in Project Pan content.
Most of it only gets used if I’m going out somewhere in the evening.
My makeup stash currently includes:
- 3 x BB Creams
- 1 x Liquid Foundation
- 1 x Pressed Powder
- 1 x Homemade Face Powder
- 2 x Mascaras
- 1 x Eyeliner
- 3 x Lip colours
- 1 x Eyeshadow palette
- 1 x Henna Eyebrow Tint
The eyeshadow palette only contains dark smoky shades, which is really the only type of eyeshadow I ever wear. That palette will probably last for years.
The mascaras and eyeliner, on the other hand, will likely get used up much sooner.
Once I finish the foundation and pressed powder, I won’t replace them. I’m happy to keep making my own homemade powder for a matte finish, and I want to start making my own tinted moisturiser or BB cream as the base.
It will be interesting to see whether I actually finish any makeup items at all this year.
The Products I’d Completely Forgotten About
While I was going through drawers, I found a few things that had completely slipped my mind.
One example was a vitamin C powder for your face that I remember being talked into buying at one point. And then, like many impulse purchases, I used it for a while, but now it sits forgotten in the back of a drawer.
This is exactly the kind of thing that Project Pan is good for.
Instead of letting it sit there indefinitely, I can actually use it and decide whether it’s something I would ever buy again (spoiler alert – it’s not!). Maybe I can use it in my homemade face cream when I get to that?
The Things That Might Take Years to Finish
Some beauty products just seem to last forever. For me, nail polish is a good example.
I do paint my toenails once a month because it tends to last well there, but even so, a bottle lasts an incredibly long time.
Sunscreen is another interesting one.
Even though I burn easily, I actually prefer to stay out of the sun and cover up rather than apply chemical-ridden sunscreen. So those bottles will probably just stay in the back of my drawer for “just in case.”
Zero-Waste Habits That Already Reduce What I Buy
There are also a few products that don’t really factor into this challenge because I already avoid buying them.
For example, I make my own DIY deodorant using three simple ingredients. Because of that, there won’t be any deodorant containers going into my empties box.
| 🌿 READ: 3-Ingredient Deodorant Recipe → |
The same can be said for disposable cotton tips. We all use stainless steel ear picks that I got off eBay instead, which are washed and reused.
For soap, I usually buy bar soap in cardboard boxes, which avoids plastic packaging. I do still have a couple of bottles of liquid hand soap left, so we’ll use those up first before going back to bar soap.
I’m also trying out homemade toothpaste to see how that goes, which means future toothpaste tubes could be eliminated altogether (for me at least – we’ll see how the kids go with it).
Products I Don’t Plan to Repurchase
As I was going through everything, I also noticed a few items that I probably won’t replace once they’re gone.
For example, I’m currently right down to the last drops of my perfume. Instead of buying another one, I’d actually like to start making my own simple perfumes with essential oils.
So once that bottle ends up in the empties box, that may well be the end of store-bought perfume for me.
I found some makeup sponges I’ll honestly probably never get through – maybe those can be a giveaway.
The Random Bits and Pieces Around the House
There were also a few small items scattered around that I wouldn’t normally think about.
Random items:
- Lip balm in my bedside table
- Pawpaw cream
- Another lip balm in my handbag
- Moisturiser from when I had laser hair removal
- A couple of disposable razors
Since having laser hair removal, I barely need to shave anymore, so those razors might last quite a while.
Eventually I’d like to switch to a stainless steel safety razor with replaceable blades, which would be a much more zero-waste option.
How to Start Project Pan With a Small Makeup Collection
If you’re curious about trying Project Pan but don’t have a large beauty collection, it can actually be very simple.
You don’t need a complicated system.
A minimalist Project Pan might look like this…
1. Gather everything you own
Gather and lay out all of your makeup, skincare, and body products so you can clearly see what you have.
2. Separate daily and occasional products
Daily essentials will move quickly, while occasional items may take years to finish.
3. Choose a simple tracking method
Simple ways to track your usage:
- An empties box
- A simple list
- A ‘Before’ photo at the start of the year
4. Use things normally
There’s no need to rush through products or force yourself to finish things unnaturally.
5. Pay attention to what actually gets used
This is where the real insights appear. Anything that doesn’t get used or finished tells you everything you need to know.
Why Project Pan Still Makes Sense for Minimalists
If you already live fairly minimally, Project Pan probably won’t lead to dramatic decluttering. But it can still be surprisingly useful.
Even with a small collection, Project Pan helps you:
- Notice what you actually use
- Identify products that last far longer than expected
- Finish items that might otherwise sit in drawers for years
- Avoid buying replacements too early
- Or, know how many items to stock up on when you see a good deal
Sometimes, the most valuable part is simply becoming more aware of your habits.
What Minimalists Might Learn From Project Pan
Running a Project Pan experiment with a small beauty collection can reveal some interesting patterns.
For example, you might discover:
- How long everyday products actually last
- Which items you rarely reach for
- Where small stockpiles slowly build up
- Which products you don’t feel the need to replace
Even if you only own a handful of beauty products, it can still highlight consumption habits you hadn’t really noticed before.
The Plan for the Rest of the Year
For now, everything will simply stay where it normally lives.
I’m not planning to force myself to use things unnaturally or rush through products just to finish them.
The idea is simply to:
- Use things normally
- Finish them when they run out
- Then, drop the empty container into the box
By the end of the year, that box should tell a very honest story about what actually gets used in our house.
And I’m genuinely curious to see what it looks like at the end of 12 months!
Now, it’s over to you.
Will you be doing a Project Pan challenge this year?
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