Heyy! How's it going?! I know it's been a hot minute since I last posted anything, but I've started feeling an intense urge to begin writing again, so here I am! It might be a bit chaotic but bare with me!
The last few years have been such a blur since Covid and lockdown. During this time, as I'm sure we all remember, there wasn't much to do, so one of the things I became obsessed with was the makeup community on YouTube. I binge-watched get-ready-with-me (GRWM), makeup tutorials, makeup hauls and declutters. It was like I got sucked into a black hole! It was a guilty pleasure; I became hooked!
It was the makeup decluttering videos that got me! Seeing the elaborate makeup collections of thousands of products became something I aspired to have. I went from knowing maybe around 10 makeup brands to discovering what felt like hundreds of high-end and drug store companies. I also came across many online retailers like; BeautyBay, Lookfantastic (LFTFDILS for discount), Cult Beauty, and Space NK. Being stuck at home with zero motivation and little to do left me endlessly scrolling these sites all day. They all ran fantastic sales at the time, and I, of course, overindulged in them. I went from having a modest collection to an explosion of makeup that soon began spilling everywhere. I've been trying to track how much makeup I have since July 2020, and the numbers have been astonishing.
From watching declutter videos, I discovered the very niche community of panning. The goal of panning is to use up your products or to hit pan. I found this community in April 2020 when I discovered Alejandra's videos. I became super fascinated with this new world and seeing people completely using up products. In July, I decided to start my first-ever project - 20 in 2020 - where you pick 20 items to work on for the year.
Where did the issue begin?
In the last several years, we've seen makeup consumption rise exponentially and get pretty out of hand. I, too, am guilty of falling into mass consumption. We've got brands spitting out collections endlessly. I won't name any, but if you're into the makeup community, I know you'll have a few to name. The release of Fenty by Rihanna led to an increase in competition. Other brands saw the success and inclusivity shown by Fenty, which led to other brands wanting a piece of this success as well. We would see these massive collections through PR YouTubers received. Many people sought after the new hot product: Publicity = sales.
Panning Community and Minimalism
The overconsumption of makeup eventually led to the creation of the panning community. When we overindulge in anything, the dopamine rush eventually wears off, and we no longer feel the joy we initially did. I can't find a specific person who started the community or formed the idea of panning.
To pan means to either hit the pan of the product (bottom of the blush or eyeshadow) or to empty the product (finish a foundation tube or concealer). Another aspect of panning is doing something called a low buy or no buy. A low-buy is when you limit how much you buy: limited to the number of products a month, a quarter, half a year, or a year, or how much money you're allowed to spend in a timeframe. A no-buy is when buying makeup is off limits - it could be a no-buy for a specific category like highlighters or mascaras or a complete makeup no-buy for a given timeframe. I've tried both and have been somewhat successful. It's important to remember that everyone's panning journey is their own, so you make the rules as you go. You also get better at panning the more you do it because you learn the best way of panning for you. And the longer you're on a low buy/no buy, the more critical you become of what you bring into your collection.
What are panning projects?
The panning community is a creative one. There are so many cool projects circling the internet that you can take part in. It's where a theme is chosen, and you follow the rules within. You can mainly find the panning community on YouTube and Instagram. Projects can be rolling: when one product finishes or hit a usage goal, you roll it out and replace it with another product to use. A non-rolling project is when you choose to only work on a specific amount of products in the time frame until you've hit all your goals.
Some popular panning projects are:
Partners in cream (creators: Steph Lyons and DaLin) - pan any cream or liquid products (no powders are allowed). This is because cream makeup goes bad faster than powder. You pick between 3-6 products and work on them for as long as you like. Year-long project.
__ in ____ (project 23/ 23 in 2023) - where you pick the same amount of products of the year we're in. You can select any category to pan. This can be rolling - for example, you work on 10 products at a time and roll in a new product once you hit your goal. Or you can do it the non-rolling way: choose 23 products at the start and continue to work on them until you've hit your goals. Year-long project.
50 shades of _____ (Amanda Lee, Jessica, and Cece) - a pantastic ladies collab. This is a colour-based project where a new colour is chosen each year. This year the colour is yellow/gold (#50shadesofyellowgoldpp). The project started from April 2023 - April 2024. You pick 50 products that can be makeup, skincare, body care, and hair care that either are yellow/gold, have yellow/gold packaging, or has the word in their name. You set the goals for the products yourself.
Project A-Z (creators: Amanda and Jessica) - you pick products for each letter. You can either pan the item or use it for a specific amount. You can pan anything - makeup, skincare, hair care, nail polish etc. Year-long project.
Pan that palette - pick a face palette or an eyeshadow palette. Again, everyone's goals are different, so you could do a usage goal, hit pan on each shade or fully pan the product. This can be just for the year, or you can make it a rolling project - you carry on panning the palette until you hit your goal - this can take you over or under a year, which depends on your goals and how often you use the palette.
Pan those eyeshadows - you can pick a range of palettes (e.g. 3) where you choose a shade from each palette to pan. Again, the rules are up to you; you can either set a usage goal or just hit pan and roll it out.
Shop my stash - where you rotate products within your stash to get use out of everything. This can be done weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or even seasonally. It can be for your entire makeup collection or specific products.
Panning looks different for everyone. It's more of a trial-and-error situation until you find the best process that works for you. My advice is to take it slow. Start a single project and see how that is for you.
Makeup minimalism has been on the rise, and all for good reason. Panning encourages us to use what we already have and to limit our consumption. With the rising cost of living, makeup prices have increased too. High-end brands have become more out of reach than before, and even the more affordable brands have increased their price. Buying less is also better for our environment; the littlest steps go a long way.
The road of makeup minimalism for me.
I'm guilty. I've bought so much makeup and wasted so much too! I started collecting makeup in July 2020 whilst we were stuck in lockdown. I had no other way of escaping my thoughts, and my mental health was debilitating. I just needed to feel something. My spending was out of control. I ended up wracking up a huge debt and a lot of makeup I had no space for. I've slowed down my spending substantially, and I'm working on managing my finances better.
Another reason I chose to attempt a no-buy for a few months is because I struggle with rotating through my collection. Unfortunately, I'm super attached to my collection; I struggle to declutter things (*sigh*). In other words, I'm a hoarder... I started taking monthly inventory in my bullet journal to monitor the growth of my makeup collection to check how much I'm bringing into my home. I love makeup. I love experimenting and collecting makeup. However, I'm at a place where makeup has started to feel overwhelming and no longer enjoyable as it once was.
Since 2020, I've been panning loosely. After seeing my numbers continuously grow, I'm glad to say that some categories are starting to see a decrease! It's one of the best feelings ever. I've been keeping note of things I'm decluttering vs using up, and it's been eye-opening! I've now come to a point where I've realised I would rather have a more curated collection. My inner collector needs a moment, but I know this is something I'm ready for. I would rather have a smaller makeup collection I use and love than have products gathering dust. In January this year, I decided to attempt a no-buy for 3-6 months, and for the rest of the year, I'll be doing a low-buy. It requires a lot of discipline, but I'm ready to start bringing this change. You can see my now-buy journey on Instagram!
Here's to my road to makeup minimalism!