Project Pan/Reverse Rouge Challenge 2019: Introduction and Staying Accountable

I Purchased This

Hey everyone!

I hope you had a great New Years! To start the year off right and to be more aware of my consumption, I'm setting a Project Pan/Reverse Rouge Challenge for myself. If you're not familiar, a Project Pan is a challenge to "pan" or finish up products (the term comes from using a product up until you see the silver pan at the bottom of the packaging). Reverse Rouge is a project that can coincide with a Project Pan where the goal is to use up $1000.00 worth of product (a play on Sephora's VIB Rouge status achieved once you BUY $1000.00 worth of product). Credit goes to Elle S for coming up with the Reverse Rouge concept.

I've started thinking about consumerism and sustainability in terms of my makeup collection and consumption so that inspired this challenge. The overabundance of plastics, single-use products in non-recyclable packaging, etc is something I'm hoping to reduce from now on.


Click through for more information on what items I'm using in the Project Pan!


There are no specific rules or tracking that you need to do with a Project Pan but lots of people have themes or challenges. If you'd like to join in on Reverse Rouge, here are some rules/suggestions courtesy of MakeupRehab on Reddit.

1. Track the items you use up based on how much they cost. Go off the retail price vs. a sale or discounted price.
2. It's fine if you purchased it in 2018 and use it up in 2019, count it!
3. Count all beauty products including skincare and fragrance.
4. If you got it in a set or palette, divide up the cost by number of items or pans.

Here are the four items I am planning to use up for my first Project Pan. I'm setting myself up for success so I'm focusing on finishing these while still using up other products that count towards Reverse Rouge (things like skincare products, bath and body products, other makeup, etc). I'll be trying to do monthly updates to keep up with my progress.

These are Smashbox Eyeshadow Primer, Stila Shimmer and Glow Liquid Eyeshadow in Grace, Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid in Opal, and Makeup Geek Blush in Heart Throb. I figured it'd be good to give myself leeway to switch out different eyeshadows and lip products while still utilizing core products.



To keep myself accountable/on track with products I use up, I'm using the Vanity feature on Temptalia. When you sign up for an account, you can create a virtual "Vanity" of your collection and add details like whether you'll repurchase, when you bought it, etc. More information is available here. I figure it'll keep me appraised of what I actually own and I can keep notes of the cost of products over the year.

In order to inspire my creativity, I'm stealing an idea from Alyson/The Gloss Menagerie to use a Roulette app (like Decision Roulette) to help me pick what eyeshadow palettes to use. This way I'll be able to cycle in something new each time if I want to and it encourages me to use up more of my stash.


Do you have any beauty-related resolutions this year?

15 comments

  1. This is awesome. I plan to focus on some of my products to finish, I recently did large destashes and am enjoying using my products now that there aren’t AS many!

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  2. I haven't joined a formal project pan program, but I am sure I used up over 100 products worth around $1K last year, and I intend to do it again this year. In addition to wanting to be greener, I grew up without a lot and I feel the need to use up everything or almost everything before recycling what can be recycled and discarding what can't. I hope I will buy less this coming year, but I always feel the need to review products that I buy myself as well as those I receive from PRs etc. But I have enough cosmetics to open my own store, lol.

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  3. I'm not sure I could commit to this, lol!!! But Im glad someone can do it! But I did just purge a ton of products that were passable to friends and I have a big box I pass to my gym for the ladies to pick through.

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  4. I just want to vary my use of palettes. I tend to favorite one a month!

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  5. I love this challenge and kudos to you for keeping yourself accountable! I started thoroughly destashing last year and now only keep products that I truly enjoy using.

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  6. I'll be interested to see how you do and how challenging this will be for you. Happy New Year!

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  7. Interesting concept. I like the idea of making a concerted effort to use up and I'm trying hard to do it. I thought I'd used up a TF e/s primer and used something to squeeze it to get the rest out and it's still going strong after 1.5 months. It's harder to do than I think it is. Good luck.

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  8. I've never tried a project pan. I need to set goals like this for myself.

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  9. I love that your first product picks cross a range of products so you can play with other things as you wish! I've not created any specific resolutions, but after unpacking yet another box with products, I do plan to do a cleanout! I may have to do my own pan project as well!

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  10. I did a Project Pan Challenge last year successfully (the goal was 118 products, finished 147 - but counting samples). This year, I want an even tougher goal, with more full-sized products, and more makeup. I love your goals; that's a great idea to do a Reverse Rouge. Go us!

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  11. I've never tried a pan project, so many seem to tho! Could be fun!

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  12. I'm excited to hear more on the shadow primer! I love the idea of project pan, I'm terrible at using up stuff!

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  13. This is so cool! I’m working on Purging my nail polish to get rid of things I don’t like or don’t work for me.

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  14. Can I just say that everything about how you're doing this is GENIUS. I love the idea of a Reverse Rouge Project Pan. I also love the idea of a roulette app to pick the palette to use. I didn't know that Temptalia had a vanity feature. Going to have to look into that!

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  15. I think this is a brilliant idea. I don't know if I can use $1000 in a year, maybe I need to try the Ulta status of $450 or whatever, lol. I plan to keep track in a notebook, but I do like the idea of doing it online. I'm really nervous for my first project pan -

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