The Pull to Rotate

I feel like the two big camps in the panning community are those who "rotate products" and those who "project pan/pan that palette." Over the past few years, I've tried both. I remember having a spreadsheet where I tallied how often I used a product. I also remember having weekly makeup baskets and sticking with the same eyeshadow quad (shout out to you, Lorac Satisfying Toffee Crunch) for basically an entire year. And then at some point I just... stopped.

Some YouTuber (maybe Abby Williamson?) I was watching this week mentioned her philosophy was to always use your favorite, not to save it. Once you finish it, you move on to your next favorite. That way you're always using your favorite. When she made that comment (about camping food) I think she was likening it to saving "special occasion" or "too pretty to use" makeup, but I think it relates to constantly rotating products too. When your collection is at a manageable size and you love everything in it, it's easy to use your favorite. Sometimes you have multiple favorites, so it can be difficult to select a favorite. (More "Do I want to wear my favorite red lipstick or nude lipstick today?" Less "I love all twenty of these cream-colored eyeshadows and can't choose which to use today.") But when something isn't well-liked it's easy to weed that item out.

I rotate by finding new combinations to try. I might focus on an eyeshadow palette for a month, not because I want to force myself into a one month one palette but because I'm interested in learning how it works with this blush or that lipstick. Sometimes these explorations last a few days, sometimes a few weeks. Sometimes I simply use a product repeatedly because I enjoy it.

I no longer feel the need to rotate what I'm using to ensure everything gets used. (I also don't project pan anymore, but I've already made a post on that topic.) If I notice I haven't used something in a while there's probably a reason, and it might be a good idea to delve into why. Reflecting on the use and non-use of products in my collection really helps me understand the kinds of products that work for me and that I should bring in with any future purchases.