Pan It! - 2025 Challenge

[ElleElleG]

It's 2025 and we're on YEAR EIGHT (8) of the Pan It! Challenge 🍾

The "Rules"

To accommodate a variety of interests, you all are encouraged to pick items to pan that are most suitable to your collections.  For some, this might mean focusing on a particular type of product (like lipstick) and for others this may include a larger variety spanning your entire makeup or skincare routine.

Getting Started (please share the following)

• Which item(s) you would like to work on
• How long you will work on said item
• Goal: explore a new item, revisit an old item, decide whether to keep pass or trash, and/or completely finish item, etc.
• Starting photo of item

Please Use This Thread To...

• share what item(s) you are working on,
• provide comparative progress photos of your item(s) monthly (at the beginning of the month when possible),
• ask questions,
• encourage others,
• motivate others with the looks you create with your item(s)

Tips and Tricks to Panning/Getting Some Use Out of Your Stash:

Spoiler

• Take photos!!  When you think you aren’t making a dent in anything look back at those photos, I’m certain you’ll see some changes 😃 *this is the number one recommendation for everyone, regardless of how long you’ve been panning! Those photos add up and can help you realize progress you might otherwise overlook.
• If you goal is to hit pan or use something up entirely, try concentrating your brush/applicator in the same area each time you use it
• Multitask your products: eyeshadows as highlighter, lipstick as blush, eyeshadow as brow powder, etc. 
• Layer eyeshadow to create different colors (this is especially helpful to get use out of shades you’re not fond of).
• Have shadows with a ton of fall out?  Use water
• Watching the progress of others’ can be fun but try not compare your progress to theirs.  We all use our makeup differently and have different goals.
• Don’t restrict yourself to only using the item(s) you are working on.  It’s more than OK to incorporate other items or take a break!
• Makeup should be fun….if you begin to dread doing your makeup because you made a commitment to use a product that you now hate, TOSS IT!  Do not force yourself to use up something you don’t like.  Move on to something else!  (This includes excluding particular shades from your goals if focusing on palettes, etc.)

 Ideas to Help You Pan Those Items:

Spoiler

• Roll the dice: number your items and use a random number generator to pick what you will use each (day/week/month/etc.) 
• Layer/Mask: items you are less fond of under things you like
• Pan a Look: at the beginning of the week pick a look that you can wear everyday
• Recreate: a look worn by a fellow BICer, celebrity, etc.
• Spice up an "everyday" look by adding subtle pops of color (in the crease or on the lower lash line, mix lip products to make shades wearable, etc.)

Past Panning Challenges:

Spoiler

Pan It! - 2024 Challenge
Pan It! - 2023 Challenge

Pan It! - 2022 Challenge

Pan It! - 2021 Challenge 🏆
Pan It! - 2020 Challenge
Pan It! - 2019 Challenge!
Pan It! - 2018 Challenge!
Pan It! - 2017 Challenge! 

For those of you who are interested in trying the challenge but fear you may not finish or move as quickly as others, remember:

[Mel231]

Hair products panned in August:

K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask Great.  Will repurchase.

Greasy mess category:

Bumble and bumble Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid 1.5 oz/ 42 g (deluxe sample) Unfortunately, I still have two more of these.

Bumble and bumble Surf Infusion Sea Salt Spray 3.4 oz/ 100 mL I wanted to lo e this because it is such a cute idea.

Products that were OK but have since been reformulated.  Guess I will need to try samples of the new formulations:

Bumble and bumble Thickening Full Form Soft Mousse 5 oz/ 150 mL (mini)

Living Proof Mini No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream 2 oz / 60 mL (deluxe sample)

OK but not special. Will probably not purchase:

Oribe Hair Alchemy Strengthening Treatment Serum (2 × foils)

Bumble and bumble Thickening Dryspun Volume Texture Spray (deluxe sample)

[itsfi]

@Mel231, hard to go wrong with K18!

[Samtian]

Very very slow month but I'm excited for September.

Use It- 141/333 Target 266
Pan It- 12/337 Target 33

[itsfi]

You know the saying @Samtian 

[itsfi]

Gonna try to get a head start on the long weekend so jumping in a little early with this month's panning check-in.

MONTHLY SUMMARY: Nothing pan or finished and there doesn't seem like that will change any time soon. Just staying the course with my pan it! challenge products, and that's just fine.

AUGUST ALL-STARS: Hourglass Mini Ambient® Lighting Powder Dim Light because it's finally gotten more than just one or two uses this month. I made an effort to include it in every makeup capsule this month and managed to do so for all but this last week. That's not bad, considering that I reached for it about 3 or 4 times every week. 

NEXT MONTH'S FOCUS: I've been rotating my detoxifying scalp treatment and lip scrub/peels for most of the year but I think for September, I'll see how my scalp and lips fare if I just focus on one product each. So the Vegamour serum on a weekly (instead of every other week) basis and the Typology gentle lip peel whenever I need to exfoliate my lips.

[Samtian]

@itsfi Great progress! 

[itsfi]

Thank you @Samtian! I feel comfortable that I'll pan the Vegamour hair serum before the end of the year. It may be down to the wire for the haruharu wonder eye cream unless I make it my only eye cream, day and night, for the next couple of months. I may give that a go, but after this heat wave passes.

[Mel231]

July Progress on my Hair products:

Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil 1.7 oz/ 50 mL sample.  Second sample this year, and the third one I have tried overall. I was not impressed with this the first two times, but this last sample seemed different--lighter, and with more fragrant.  I wonder if they reformulated it, or if the product is just inconsistent.  Not sure if I will purchase, but I might try another sample if available. 

Bumble and bumble Mini Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Heat Protectant Leave In Conditioner Primer 2 oz/... deluxe sample. I always keep this in stock; I still have a full-size. Not really a favorite, but it is a good multi-tasker.

OUAI Hair Oil 1.5 oz/ 45 mL foil (2).  An old favorite. Will likely purchase in rotation with other fav oils

OUAI Detox Clarifying Shampoo with Apple Cider Vinegar foil.  An old favorite. Will likely purchase in rotation with other detox shampoos or scrubs

Christophe Robin Hydrating Melting Mask with Aloe Vera (foil)  This was a goal for July. Nothing special. Will not purchase.   

Christophe Robin Purifying Shampoo with Thermal Mud (mini).  This was a goal for July. This was my first time trying this.  A great daily shampoo for summer, when your hair is full of sweat, sunscreen, and hair products.

Moroccanoil Color-Depositing Mask (clear)(mini). I thought this would act like a gloss, but it did not. Nothing special. Will not repurchase.

I could not resist the GWP hair product sample set in July, so I have even more products to use up, but the FOMO was strong.  There were several products in there that I have been wanting to try. Hopefully, I can resist the one that is likely coming this month or next.   

[itsfi]

@Mel231, the Ouai detox shampoo is a good one.

[Samtian]

@Mel231 That thermal mud one sounds interesting. Great work!

[itsfi]

Pan Progress: July 2025

MONTHLY SUMMARY: We're still on the slow-and-steady course, and I'm good with that. I'm down to 9 products, having finished one of my pan products (first pan 2025) last month. I considered adding another item to this pan it! challenge but have decided to just keep things where they stand. I'm doing a fairly good job of working through my products with this challenge coupled with the seasonal shop my stash challenges and the makeup capsule challenge. And, while there are beauties that catch my eye, whatever FOMO I had experienced before has significantly subsided. 

JULY ALL-STARS: I don't know if they're all-stars in the sense of a lot of progress being made so much as the haruharu wonder Black Rice Bakuchiol Eye Cream and the Vegamour GRO Scalp Detox Clarifying Treatment for Dry, Flaky, Oily Scalp 3 fl oz/60 ml have been moving at a good clip. This wasn't planned, but from the photo, it looks like they're moving at the same pace too.

NEXT MONTH'S FOCUS: This year's challenge has been good for showing me where some holes are in my product usage (i.e., what types of products are more difficult for me to work through). That Hourglass finishing powder is my Everest. 🏔😂 It feels like it makes "Next Month's Focus" every month. 😐 I'm going to try to include it in all of my August capsules for the Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 2025. Let's see if that will get some more use from it. 

[lmaster]

Definitely seeing progress! @itsfi 

[Samtian]

@itsfi Getting there! 

[itsfi]

Slow and stead @Samtian.  

[KeriCherryDee]

Items being evicted from the Shelves Of Shame in July 2025:

BBW body cream in Uplifting Boost Neroli Blossom Bergamot: notes are neroli blossom and bergamot essential oils. Shocking, I know. Do you want to know what this actually smells like? Picture it: a table of wives at a New England country club during Sunday brunch in May already on their second round of mimosas and arguing amongst each other about whether Mr. Big is sleeping with the maid or the secretary (Mrs. Big is not in attendance, poor dear). This is one of my few blind buys that has turned to be Not Good and I’m happy that it is gone.

BBW body cream in At The Beach: notes are frangipani blossoms, toasted coconut and bergamot waters. She is beauty, she is grace, she makes me feel like I’m tanning on a beach with expensive sunglasses on my face. Chef’s kiss. I’ve loved this scent for years. I couldn’t not have it in my life for the month of August (cue Taylor Swift), especially when I have my own pool after all, so I exercised restraint and got myself the hand cream iteration during Semi Annual Sale. Happy tears.

CANDLES

BBW Brightest Bloom: notes are lily of the valley, jasmine sambac, garden carnations and fresh cedar wood. I bought it for the packaging and I don’t regret that. Scent was fine; not my favorite. So glad I knew better than to buy the body cream or lotion because she was FLOOOOORAL.

BBW Firecracker Pop: notes are red cherry, fresh citrus and juicy berry. I lit this (unused) for our Fourth of July party and it lasted a few days after that, and the seasonal appropriateness made me really happy y’all. Like I wanted to eat a hotdog every time I looked at it. I’m preemptively shedding a tear that fall is lurking in the distance and I still have sooo many candles that will not be seasonally appropriate for that time, but I don’t want to buy anything more until I have space to put them.

BBW Butterfly: notes are raspberry nectar, iris petals and airy vanilla. Butterfly is a lovely scent, and this was slightly cozy enough to burn on some days where it was a bit stormy and rainy. I finished the body cream version last year and I enjoyed that iteration too—I’d repurchase in the future but I’m not currently in a hurry.

BBW Blue Sky Breeze: notes are morning spring air, fresh violet petals, crisp gala apples and English ivy. This was ever-so-slightly too fresh for me. I wanted more apple out of it. Packaging on this and the few others I have from a similar collection are right up my alley though, so it looked gorgeous on our new dining room table.

Random mid-ish-year thoughts: I’ve been watching a lot of conscious consumerism, beauty inventory, semi-casual project pan or project X uses, etc. content on YouTube lately and it led me to shake up my inventory spreadsheet to include an “Arbitrary Maximum Per Category” section under my Project Pan tab, now renamed Goals instead. I did a bunch of math also related to my inventory and goals, so I have a better understanding of the categories where I’ve got months’ or years’ worth of items based on my average usage. I changed some of my Project Pan list to be more like “finish 15 full-size BBW body creams” instead of listing specific ones so that I have a bit more freedom of what I choose to work on based on how I’m feeling when I’m ready for the next one. It was a nice exercise to come up with my ~ Dream Collection ~ (for lack of a better term) for my Arbitrary Max, and reinforced the reality that even if I’m down to like one of some type of item like cleanser or shampoo, I can get a replacement for it within a day or two and therefore I don’t need backups languishing in a drawer or cupboard for months—especially because sales, deals, and coupons repeat themselves often enough. August should be a more fun month because I’ve got some things So Close to being finished, but the Panning Pixies are showing up every night to secretly refill them. Until next month!

 

 

[itsfi]

@KeriCherryDee, making adjustments to how you go about panning, liking going with a realistic or practical approach you take to choosing your pan it! products is the way to go! Great work with making that adjustment. It helps to make it more likely that you'll be able to stick to and reach your project pan and fits in to your lifestyle. 

[Samtian]

Use It- 133/333 Target 266
Pan It- 11/337 Target 33

Slow progress. 

[itsfi]

@Samtian, slow progress is still progress. I feel like "slow and steady" goes closely with pan projects. The summer months also seem like there's less use of many beauty products.

[Mel231]

@Samtian 

Totally agree with the pan challenge being harder in the summer.  I had to switch products a lot due to changing needs due to changing weather and activities, so it was harder to stick with one product through to the end. 

[lmaster]

Got a couple products done,  and showing progress on a couple others

 

 

 

 

 

[Samtian]

@lmaster Ooh amazing progress!