How to Pan That Damned Product

You know that one product that you really don't like and want out of your collection, but you don't want to declutter either. Think about it. You know which one I mean. That one. Exactly that one. Today, I'm going to help you pan it.

We all have products in our collections that we don't want to declutter, but we don't really know how to use up either. It might be a black lipstick that you can't wear to work or a face cream that just isn't as good as that holy grail product you just found and don't want to stop using. They are a pain to try to pan and they can be a source of a lot of frustration. The one thing that helps the most with this is creativity and that is where I suggest you start if you struggle. Take an hour to yourself and get ready to experiment.

Try to find unconventional ways to use your products. A lipstick doesn't have to be a lipstick every day, some days it can be a blush, other days it can be an eyeshadow base. An eyeshadow can be blush, eyeliner, contour or a lipstick topper. Experiment! You have nothing to lose! Don't be confined to what the packaging says a product should be used as, dip your feet into the glory of bad makeup science and don't be afraid to fail. Make franken products to your hearts content. If they don't work, get rid of them, if they do work then congratulations, you've just made a product work for you! Some franken products I've made includes face paint (eyeshadow + moisturizer), tinted lip balm (lip balm + lipstick) and a huge variety of lipsticks (lipstick + concealer + eyeshadow in varying amounts). It might take you a few tries to get it right, but most great discoveries require some trial and error.

Another thing I suggest you do with your products is layering. We don't actually need a 100 lipsticks in a thousand different colours and undertones. We just need to learn how to layer things properly. Layering both helps you use up products you might not reach for otherwise, but it also helps us create looks we didn't think we had the right products for. Layering truly is the biggest beauty secret out there. If you don't know much about colour theory I suggest you read some articles or watch a few youtube videos on the subject before you dive in, but after that nothing can stop you.

If the product you can't seem to pan is something you do know how to use. Let's say a nail polish and the problem is that you just never reach for it, give yourself some rules to follow. Write "paint your nails" in your calendar or take the nail polish out of your drawer and put it somewhere you'll see it and be reminded of it. If you prefer other products, vow to use it at least every other day instead of forcing yourself to use it constantly. Create what works for you.

And if all else fails and you simply don't want to use the product, allow yourself to declutter it. If you can't bring yourself to put it on, do you really need to keep it?