Makeup empties: what they are and why they matter

In beauty circles, “empties” are products you have used up completely. The finished tube of mascara, the lipstick worn down to the base, the moisturizer scraped out of the jar. Many people save them for a while and then share them, often in a photo or a video, with a quick verdict on each one.

It sounds like a small thing. We think it is one of the most honest ways to judge beauty products, because it is based on what you actually used, not what you bought.

Why empties matter

A new product review tells you how something feels on day one. An empty tells you what happened over weeks or months of real use. Did you like it enough to finish it? Did it work the whole way through? Would you buy it again?

That is also why empties fit so naturally with Project Pan. Bustle describes Project Pan as committing to finish the products you already own before adding more, and each empty is a finished product you can count.

What your empties tell you

Look at a few months of empties together and patterns show up.

You will see which categories you actually use. For a lot of people that is skincare, lip balm and a base product, not the eyeshadow palettes that take up most of the drawer. You will see which products you repurchase without thinking. And you will see how long things really take to finish, which is useful when you are tempted to buy a new one.

The products that never make it into your empties matter too. If a category keeps expiring before you finish it, that is a sign to buy smaller sizes or fewer of them.

How to track them

Keep it simple. A small box for empties, emptied out once a month, works fine. Before recycling, jot down the product, roughly how long it took to finish and whether you would buy it again.

If you prefer something digital, a note or a spreadsheet works, and the Makeup Shelf app tracks finished products along with what you saved. Add the price and you can work out the real cost of each product with our cost per use calculator.

Empties vs expired products

Not everything leaves your collection as an empty. Some products go off first. The American Academy of Dermatology lists the signs to look for: clumping, separating, crumbling, a bad smell, a change in color, or a product that feels different on your skin.

We suggest tracking these separately rather than calling them empties. They tell a different story. An expired product usually means you bought more than you could use in time, and that is worth knowing too.

What to do with empties

Clean what you can. Rinse out glass and plastic jars, and check your local recycling rules, since small beauty packaging is not accepted everywhere. Some brands and retailers run take-back schemes for empty packaging.

Then start the next round. If you are just getting going, our Project Pan guide covers how to choose what to finish next, and how to hit pan has tips for getting through products faster.