As I’ve mentioned approximately 8 million times, I am a Project Panner. All that really means is that I like to focus on finishing products instead of buying new all the time. It means I haven’t bought soap in over a year because I have so much of it, and it’s rare that I buy most beauty products.
As someone who focuses so heavily on using what I currently own and reducing my beauty waste, purchasing new items can be weird and difficult. Heck, there is often quite a bit of guilt associated with making new orders. While I don’t want to feel guilty (or make others feel guilty), I’ve been trying to use those feelings as motivators.
The less I buy what I don’t need, the less guilty I feel.
That being said, I still like to buy makeup. So here are five things I take into consideration before just buying a new product!
1. Do I have it?
This is the easiest way to slow down from making an unnecessary purchase. I’ve always been someone with backup products, but I’ve slowed that down significantly. Yes, I still have two giant conditioners, but they were both gifts, and they last a long dang time. I wrote this piece on duping the Sailor Moon palette from ColourPop not to mock the brand for their color choices, but to remind myself that I don’t need duplicates exclusively for the beautiful packaging. I had all of the colors in that palette and could make any of the same looks as using the official Sailor Moon palette. This is also helpful when I look at the basics like: do I have face wash? Cool! Then I don’t need more yet.
2. When will I need more?
One of the big orders I placed this year was for three new face washes. I had just moved back home to New York and brought one of my two washes with me (I use both a cleanser and an exfoliator). So I checked out how much of my cleanser I had left, waited two weeks until it was about two weeks from being empty, and placed an order. When I hyper-focus on how much I use, I know how long products will last! Usually, I try to buy in-store, but because of COVID-19 and my living situation, an online order was more feasible for me at the time.
3. Do I need other things?
When I ordered the face wash, I ordered two cleansers, an exfoliator, and some toner. I was almost out of both cleansers and exfoliators but had no toner with me. By taking a moment to view my personal “stock,” I was able to reduce the number of packages I ordered. If I’m going to order something, I usually ask my friend Ashley if she needs or wants anything from a company. This way, we can reduce the amount of packaging we have to use. While this isn’t necessarily a Panning thought-process, it’s a way to keep the environment in mind while buying. That’s why I pan!
4. Is it something I’ll be able to get in the future?
A while back, Cristine (SimplyNailogical) released a rainbow collection for HoloTaco. I was super in love with it and some of the Unicorn Skins that had been previously released, but I have a ton of nail polish and didn’t feel like it was the best plan for me. But I wanted it. So I took a look at the nail polish I owned and realized that I had nothing like the magenta jelly or any of the unicorn skins. I made myself finish a nail polish first (I have finished 10 so far this year. Yes I’m proud). My thought was to finish the nail polish and then see if the color I wanted was still available. Then I’d order the two colors that I liked, a base coat, and the solar unicorn skin. I ordered four even though I only finished two of my pre-owned nail polishes because I knew that HoloTaco’s smallest package is for four polishes. I thought it was a worthwhile purchase, and I am happy with the colors. Plus, I use them all the time!
5. Will I use it?
This is probably the most important question. Looking at some of the lipsticks I have, there are a lot of “no”s to this question. Sometimes you just want a fun green lipstick! But having one fun green lipstick is different than buying every fun green lipstick I see. So consider when buying if you think you’ll use them. I know that my makeup is mostly technically too old, but my stubborn butt isn’t gonna toss them. But if I’m thinking of investing in a new fun green lipstick, I go through all of these questions, and end with asking myself: “Will I use it?” Because objectively, I know that I will not use up an entirely new fun green lipstick—especially since I have so many unique colors currently.
Fun fact about this piece: these are just the things that I consider when I’m thinking of buying. You should feel no pressure to change your spending habits because of how I choose to spend my money. But if you are considering panning or just trying to cut back on your purchases, these are some things to think about!
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