Project pan 2026

Happy new year - welcome 2026. As in the few last years, I have a few items I would like to move out of my collection in 2026, or get some use out of. I have plans to finish several of the products, and then get a partial use, or make a dent into others.

Full sizes and a few deluxe sizes in my project pan 2026

Testers and deluxe samples in my project pan 2026

This year I have a mix of full size products, deluxe samples, and small samples in my project pan. Ten full size products, where I plan to use up nine of them, and use about half of one of them. A few deluxe samples that will be quick and easy to use in the course of a few months and give me a boost into the year.  

Neutrogena - Rapid wrinkle repair regenerating cream (48 g):

Weight at the start of 2026: 185 grams

Goal: Finish it

Why: I should only use this once or two times per week (and layered with another moisturizer), it has already expired, so I want to get some use out of it

Macadamia - Oil extract hair mask (250 ml):

Weight at the start of 2026: 130 grams

Goal: Finish it

Why: I bought it a few years ago now, my hair is quite dry at the ends, so this is the perfect time to use it up

Clarins - Radiance-plus golden glow booster (15 ml):

Remaining amount at the start of 2026: Maybe 1/3 of the product remains - as it sits on the upper part of the text; "Radiance-plus"

Goal: Finish it

Why: This has been in my project pan before - and I want to move it out of my stash this time

Dove - Summer glow nourishing lotion with subtle gradual self-tanner (250 ml):

Weight at the start of 2026: 233 grams

Goal: Finish it

Why: It is getting older in my stash

Kiko Milano - Intensive hand cream (60 ml):

Weight at the start of 2026: 55 grams

Goal: Finish it

Why: It is getting older in my stash, and time to use it up

BioEffect - Egf body serum (120 ml):

Weight at the start of 2026: 143 grams

Goal: Finish it

Why: It is a roll over product from my project pan 2025

Lancome - L'absolu lacquer in 323 shine manifesto (3 ml):

Remaining amount at the start of 2026: About half

Goal: Finish it

Why: It is small and should be easy to use up and I like the color. I also tend to switch my lip products during the season, and this being a small one, there is a higher chance for me to be able to finish a small one over the course of the year.

Mac - Strobe cream in Pinklite (50 ml):

Remaining amount at the start of 2026: The product sits perhaps 4 millimeters below the Mac logo on the packaging

Goal: Use up about half of the remaining primer - so the product will reach (when standing upright) just below the pink label on the front of the packaging. 

Why: I have a few primers waiting on the sideline, yet to be opened and I really do not want them to go bad (as I think happened to one primer in 2025). And also I really like this primer so I want to get some use out of it. From the results of my project pans in 2024 and 2025, I seem to be able to use up about half of a 30 ml primer, or about 15 ml in a year. This one has 50 ml of product, but I already have used a bit of it, as well as I finished the primer for my project pan in 2025 a few months before the end of 2025 - and then I started on this one. 

HarKlinikken - Balancing shampoo cleansing & neutralizing (250 ml):

Remaining amount at the start of 2026: The shampoo sits just below the text shampoo. 

Goal: Finish it

Why: It is getting older in my stash and would be nice to just get rid of some items from my bathroom cabinet. I already have a backup, and I don't even like it in perticular.

Clarins - Lip comfort oil in 04 pitaya (7 ml): 

Remaining amount at the start of 2026: About 60% of the product remains.

Goal: Finish it

Why: I was gifted this for Crristmas in 2022, so for an oil product, this is getting up there in age. I want to get my use out of it, and it will (at least for this season live in my work handbag).  

Spectro Sensitive skin care - Cleanser blemish-prone skin (200 ml):

Remaining amount at the start of 2026: 216 grams

Goal: Use it up

Why: My nephew bought it in the states for me years ago, and I have only used it a handful of times. It is supposed to be good for perioral dermatitis, and not irritate the skin. I still prefer my African black soap from Shea moisture, but it is about time for me to use this up. The sad part is I do not in particular like it, it does not foam and almost feels like cleaning your face with nothing. So realistically I would only use this for my morning routine, not not after makeup as I feel it would not clean any residue of makeup off.

Lancome - Rose sugar scrub gentle exfoliating scrub (15 ml): 

Weight at the start of 2026: 22 grams

Goal: Finish it

Why: It is small and should be easy to use up

Vieve - Super skin nova (1 ml):

Why use this tester: I have a tendency not to use testers, I just got this one, and I have this primer in a small size (12 ml) and I have not opened it yet - but still curious how it feels and if it is nice, so now I get a chance to use this new sample and test my new primer (still without opening the bigger one).  

Laura Mercier - Caviar stick eye color in Strapless (1 g): 

Remaining amount at the start of 2026: 1.7 cm of product when it is fully screwed up 

Goal: Use 0.5 cm of the product

Why: This was a part of the Sephora birthday gift from 2022, I have not used it often, and when I was about to use it the other day I felt the stick had become loose from the base, so I took the product in stuck it back into the base. This surely means the product has started to dry, and would be nice to get some use out of it. The color is described by Laura Mercier as a soft nude shimmer - I would also say it has a pink hue to it, so it should be an easy color to use throughout the year

Nature Republic - Snail solution emulsion brightening and wrinkle improvement:

Remaining amount at the start of 2025: About half 

Why use it up: It is small and maybe quick to use up 

BioSelect - Cretan remedy dictamelia ointment (1 ml) : 

Why use this sample: I got this in Greece on holiday a few years ago, and I could for sure use this on the scar I have on my knee or on my super dry hands. 

Erborian - BB Creme au gingseng (1.5 ml):

Why use this sample: I have two sachets of this product, it has been very popular, or viral even, so it would be ideal to use.  

Summer Fridays - Rich cushion cream ultra plumping moisturizer (2 ml): 

Why use this sample : This also is a relatively new sample, as I got it with my Sephora birthday gift in 2025 and would be nice to use some of these samples while they are still new and "fresh" 

So all in all, I have plans to use up nine full size items, use 50% of the remaining amount of one full size primer, finish two deluxe size samples, make a dent into one deluxe size eye color, and finish four samples.

Other goals for 2026: After failing in a major way for all my other goals in my project pan 2025, I think I will not make some grand no-buy goals for 2026 - I know I have too much makeup and beauty products in general. But perhaps it would not be a bad idea to buy fewer color products in 2026 vs 2025 - which would mean fewer than 11 - so on average it means I can buy less color cosmetics than one a month. We will see what 2026 will bring. 

January - May haul 2025

So much for sticking to my no buy 2025 - where I gave myself the exception to purchase two items until Black Friday sales in 2025! I caved in three times, as I purchased three items, and that in effect when only just over three months have passed of the year! 

The first purchase was made on my birthday whilst on a work-trip abroad. In came the "birthday" blues - so a trip to Target was just the medicine where I ended up buying myself a elf blush. The other purchases were two different lip balms - one from Refy and the other from Violette Fr. Then some other stuff came into my possession in the form of gifts and purchases, mainly hair-products, a category which I have so far not been wild about. 

Hair towel, mini Guinot products and a hair serum

Sephora gift, samples, and a gifted facemask

Kerastase conditioner and shampoo

Cosrx - The 6 peptide skin booster (30 ml): This was the Utla birthday gift in 2025 - and I was fortunate enough to be close to a Ulta store in my birthday month to pick one up.

Aquis flip - hair drying tool - wove with copper sure: This hair towel I ran into at a Marshalls store in Baltimore. This one is woven with copper which is supposed to be good for the hair. It was on a really nice discount, well turns out the elastic was not very well sown into the base. So I had to sow it up again. But as I have been dealing with hair-loss it is worth giving a go.

Elf - Camo liquid blush - Peach perfect (4 ml): This I got tempted to buy on my birthday in February, wandering around the isles in Target being hit with a wave of the birthday blues. Since I have perhaps used it two or three times, it is a very soft color.

Guinot - Micellaire cleansing water (30 ml): My sister had already gifted me a x-mas calendar containing these Guinot products. But my mom was also gifted this calendar, and she figured she would not use any of them, so she ended up giving me a few of them. 

Kerastase Genesis - Fortifying serum (90 ml): I have been dealing with considerable hair-loss in the last six months or so, and after seeing this being recommended all over social media I decided to grab a bottle during the Sephora sale. It turned out to be hard to find it in store, as I had to visit three different stores in Washington DC to find it in stock. You are supposed to use it every day, in combo with the shampoo and conditioner from the same line. I have not used it like that, but when it is getting closer to a hair-wash day, I put it in the day in before a wash. The smell of this product is nice, but it tends to linger for at least 24 hours. I have also started taking hair-vitamin on a regular basis, and hope I will able to turn this hair-loss around. 

Guinot - Express eye makeup remover (30 ml): This was also re-homed to me from my mom. 

Guinot - Hydra toning lotion (30 ml): The last item I got from my mom. I better start using some of these items, as I have duplicates by now. But they are the perfect size to take to work or on holiday. 

L'occitane - Hand cream - dry skin (30 ml): One of my co-worker who was flying with us on standby, gifted all of the crew small hand-creams. A perfect size for the handbag.

Refy - Tinted lip gloss - Taupe (13 ml): This was a 100% weakness purchase. I had seen this color featured on some social media. And during a layover in Washington I forgot my lip-balm at my hotel room, and instead of me going back to fetch it - I popped into the next Sephora store and bought this one. The color is super soft though - and does hardly show up on my lips at all, I might as well have purchased the clear gloss. But then my lips are quite rosy pigmented. 

Summer Fridays - Lip butter balm - Pink sugar (7 g): This was a part of the Sephora birthday gift for 2025 - so of course I decided to grab the free gift this year.

Summer Fridays - Jet lag mask (15 g): Also a part of the Sephora birthday gift, and have I heard nice things about this mask.

Violette Fr - Bisou Jelly - Bonbon Caramel (2.5 g): This is a brand I have had my eye on for some time, and now it just launched in Sephora. So I got tempted to buy one item in New York. Not sure the color suits me very well, it is described as a warm caramel color, maybe I will just put it aside for a few months as it might be more suitable in the autumn. 

Summer Fridays - Rich cushion cream ultra plumping moisturizer (2 ml): The third and last item in the Sephora birthday gift.

Elemis - Pro-collagen marine cream (2 x 2 ml): This most likely came into my possession at Sephora, as some free samples they give you with purchase. 

Sephora - Green tea eyes mask (6 g): A friend gifted this to me for my birthday.

PS - Two blender sponges: I came across these at the register at Primark, and I decided to give them a try.

Kerastase Genesis - Fortifying anti hair-fall conditioner (200 ml): After I bought the hair serum from the same line, I saw a summer giftbox on a 20% discount in one of the hair salons of Reykjavik, so I decided to splurge and buy the shampoo and conditioner.

Kerastase Genesis - Anti hair-fall fortifying shampoo (200 ml): This was a part of previously mentioned gift set. I have only used it once, so it's too soon to say if it works. I am also taking hair vitamins on the regular, so any improvement will probably be two sided.  

So all in all - quite the fail from a no-buy until Black Friday 2025. I did give myself the exception to purchase two items until that time, well in the period of January - May I have indeed purchased three items, two of them being a lip product. The third; a liquid blush. Ironically when this spring powder blushes are making a serious comeback. And what on earth do I have to do with more lip glosses when I had 14 lip-glosses before and 7 lip balms? Totaling now in 15 lip glosses and 8 lip balms! It usually takes me years to finish one lip-balm or gloss.... 

Something really needs to change! And the only person who has the power to do it, well it's me!