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Thursday 27 September 2012

Hitting Pan


For all of you makeup mavens and beauty junkies out there, "hitting pan" can be a significant moment. A sign of accomplishment, dedication, or of persistence. Or simply an indication that you have truly loved a product for a solid amount of time. For those who haven't heard of the term, "hitting pan" is essentially the moment when you've used up so much of a product that the bottom of the packaging begins to show. A flash of silver indicating that a product is nearing its end. 

Here are some examples from my own stash of this momentous phenomenon:

(L-R); The Body Shop blush in Golden Pink, NARS Powder Blush in Deep Throat, Make Up For Ever blush #74, Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Ash Blonde

MAC Blot Powder in Medium, Laura Mercier Eye Shadow in Sandstone, MAC blush in Dainty 


For those of you with smaller makeup collections, hitting pan might be a fairly common occurrence. You have several basics, use them daily, finish them up, and buy a replacement. For those with larger stashes (me included, it's a bit ridiculous), few products get used on a daily basis. You know, to spread the love around ;)

Because my makeup collection is so abundant, the products I have featured in this post are truly standout, "holy grail" items that are my go-to, essential staples. Because these items have been such favourites of mine, I thought I'd provided a quick review of each!

NARS Deep Throat and The Body Shop Golden Pink

NARS Powder Blush in Deep Throat: I am pretty sure this is my favourite blush of all time. I know this is a bold claim given that I own many blushes (and of course, love each like a child ;), but as you can see from the photo above, Deep Throat has been almost completely used up. Those of you who know how much product is in a NARS blush will recognize that this is quite the feat! On me, Deep Throat is the perfect shimmery pinky peach that adds a lovely, brightening glow to the face. Highly pigmented, but difficult to overdo. I find it to be incredibly versatile and strongly prefer it to its more popular cousin, Orgasm

The Body Shop Blush in Golden Pink: Unfortunately this lovely blush has been discontinued, but I thought I'd still give it a shout-out! This is actually the second one of these that I've owned; the first I purchased back when my blush collection was at about 3 (ah, the simplicity of youth!) and I was quick to buy a replacement when it ran out. I find Golden Pink to be a slightly pinker and more shimmery version of Deep Throat and actually much prefer this one to NARS Orgasm as well. It's perfect when you're wanting to make a statement with your blush without having to opt for a deep or overly vibrant colour. 

Make Up For Ever Blush #74 and Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Ash Blonde


Make Up For Ever Blush in #74: I bought this blush about 7 years ago when I worked briefly in the cosmetics department at Sears (which is actually not bad here in Canada!). I was looking for a matte, vibrant coral and #74 fit the bill perfectly. It is quite pigmented and applies so smoothly. Perfect for a warm pop of colour! I'm not sure if Make Up For Ever still carries this shade, but I will certainly hunt it down when the one I have officially bites the dust. 

Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Ash Blonde: This is perhaps the one product that I use every single day. I have incredibly sparse brows (thanks to the thin eyebrow trends of the '90s and timid hair follicles) so filling in and shaping them is a must for me. Anastasia Brow Powder looks incredibly natural and extremely long-wearng. I can go swimming and my brows look flawless afterwards! And Ash Blonde is a perfect match for my hair colour and complexion- not too grey and not too orange. A match made in (eyebrow) heaven!



MAC Blot Powder in Medium: I've been using this a setting powder on and off for about 8 years. It applies seamlessly over foundation and goes a long way to keep my skin matte throughout the day. It's a little pricey as setting powders go, but it's my go-to in the face of balmy summer weather.  Medium is a great match for my NC15-20 skin tone, though it's nearly transparent so I could probably go up or down a shade without too much problem!




Laura Mercier Eye Shadow in Sandstone: This has been my go-to highlight shade for the past several months. It is a ultra-flattering shimmery beige with slight golden and pink undertones. It really brightens the eyes and can be worn on its own for a wash of colour or as a complement to a deeper shade of shadow in the crease. Plus the texture is incredibly soft. Makes me want to try out other Laura Mercier shadows!



MAC Mineralize Blush in Dainty: This is right up there with Deep Throat as one of my all-time favourite blushes. The texture is so soft and smooth and it imparts the perfect amount of shimmer. Noticeable, but not over the top! The shade itself is a warm, mid-tone pink with golden highlights. It's definitely one of those no-fail colours that looks lovely with almost any makeup look. I featured it in my most recent Look of the Day, here!

And that's it! Anyone share a love of the products I featured here? On what items have you guys hit pan recently?

Thanks for reading! :) 

19 comments:

  1. well done! I have so much makeup too that I very very rarely hit pan - I think at the moment I only have two items in my vast collection that I have hit pan on... one being my every day powder, and the other being an eye shadow that I hit pan on years ago when I only used a couple of eyeshadows

    http://kitschsnitch.blogspot.com.au/

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    1. Haha, it's funny that hitting pan earns congratulations, but I guess it is an accomplishment! ;) Trust me, it doesn't happen often- I've been working years to gather this collection of near empties!

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  2. I think I'll need to try out this Laura Mercier shade. It looks gorgeous - something to wear everyday.

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    1. You totally should! I love everyday shades that are not boring, and this one definitely falls under that category. And the NARS Deep Throat I featured here- that's the one you gave me in undergrad! It's been well-loved :)

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  3. One day I will hit pan!! You have some great items that you have hit pan on!

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    1. Haha, thanks! The products I featured here are really some of my favourites.

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  4. LOL, I feel like hitting pan on products deserves congratulations, so, congrats!! And thanks for these awesome reviews :)

    https://abundanceoferica.blogspot.ca

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    1. Haha- thanks, Erica! Glad you found the reviews helpful :)

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  5. Wow, that is a LOT of pan! Especially the Anastasia - I've been using mine daily for almost a year and have a dip, but I'm not even near pan.

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    1. No kidding! Believe it or not, I actually have 2 Anastasia Brow Powders that are nearly gone- I find they last for about 2 years, which means I've been giving them lots of love :)

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  6. I hit pan on one of my powders the other day, it's so sad.
    There is so major pan-age going on in this post.

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    1. It can be a bit sad to see a well-loved product almost finished! A bittersweet accomplishment ;) And yes, so serious pan-age here! I had to write this post now or there would be nothing left! :)

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  7. So many make up products!! I just got my first power last year, and I'm still nowhere near pan. I'm not sure if this is a good thing, or a bad

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    1. Haha, doesn't have to be a bad thing! Means your making it last and/or that there's lots of product in the item. No need to rush through :) Thanks for reading!

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  8. Haha, there's something quite nice about finishing a product however it's kind of heartbreaking isn't it?
    I absolutely love Deep Throat!
    Very nice post :-)
    www.ruelalips.blogspot.com

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    1. There is! A bittersweet moment for sure :) And yes, Deep Throat really is one of the best blushes out there. Thanks for the kind words, and for reading!

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  9. I have yet to hot pan anymore. Once upon a time I would hit pan on my foley MAC eyeshadow

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    1. Yeah, it's definitely a difficult thing to do when you have a bigger collection! Thanks for reading :)

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  10. That IS a lot of pan! I have never hit pan on anything. Soon... Soon...

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All of your lovely comments make my day! Thanks for taking the time to share your musings, ideas, and opinions. Feel free to leave a link to your blog- I'd be happy to check it out :)