(Not a panning project focused on minis: that would be a “mini-panning project.” But now I want to do a “mini mini-panning project”…)

Despite my enjoyment of other bloggers’ empties posts, I have a strange aversion to finishing my own lipsticks. I’ll use a lipstick until there are just a few millimeters of product left, then set it aside for months and eventually forget I own it. Perhaps my real aversion is to repurchasing makeup. Finishing a lipstick forces me to choose between the satisfaction of having a slightly smaller collection and the satisfaction of owning that particular shade. I can take pleasure in having reduced my lipstick count by one or I can repurchase the lipstick, but not both. I’ve discussed why I don’t often set panning challenges for myself, but this is one situation in which such a challenge makes sense for me. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be using up lipsticks I like: I have dozens of others, and removing a couple of staple colors from my collection might force me to find new staples in neglected products.

I don’t want to get overambitious, though, so I’ve chosen three lipsticks. Two of them are almost gone, and the third will probably expire within a year:

L-R: MAC Up the Amp, Revlon Coy, ColourPop Trap.

MAC Up the Amp has been in my collection since the spring of 2012, and though it still looks and smells perfectly fine, I should probably finish it as soon as I can. This is one of the most flattering lipsticks I’ve ever worn: something about that slightly grayish pinky purple lights up my complexion and eyes. I’m less fond of the Amplified Creme formula, which is too shiny, slippery, and fade-prone for my taste. After I finish Up the Amp, I’d like to find a matte lipstick in a similar color. MAC Men Love Mystery looks promising, though I fucking hate that name. What men love has nothing to do with my lipstick choices. (A lipstick compliment from a lady, though, will always make my day.)

Revlon Lacquer Balm in Coy has been with me for only two years, but I’ve flown through the tube (by my standards, at least) because I have to reapply it every couple of hours. I may end up repurchasing this one: it’s neutral and sheer without being boring, a combination that’s very hard to find. The sheer plummy brown color is unusual enough, but the copper sparkles elevate it to something really special. I’m paranoid that it will be discontinued abruptly like many of its Lacquer Balm brethren, but I think I’ll hold off on buying another…and keep a stern eye on the Revlon shelves.

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Trap is my only liquid matte lipstick (the NYX Liquid Suedes set to a satin finish), and I tend to neglect it because I find bullet lipsticks so much easier to apply. I’ve used about half of it so far (the ColourPop tubes hold a deceptively small amount of product), and I’d like to use the rest before it goes bad. Once I finish this, I might search for a bullet lipstick in a similar shade—Bite Thistle comes to mind, but I don’t like the Amuse Bouche formula. Hmm.

My goals right now are to finish Up the Amp and Coy before I leave for winter vacation in two and a half weeks, and to wear Trap at least twice a week until it’s done. I’ve placed the three lipsticks in a special jar at the front of my makeup shelf, so that they catch my eye every time I go over there:

Here I am wearing Trap two days ago, along with the duochrome from the Wet n Wild Plaid to the Bone trio, with Urban Decay Frisk in the crease, Illamasqua Zygomatic blush, and ColourPop Lunch Money highlighter. Apologies to those of you who already saw this FOTD on Instagram, but at least this photo is taken at a slightly different angle?

Closeup of the brown/teal duochrome, just for fun:

…and back to dissertating.