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After noticing her makeup spending had gotten out of hand, Alyssa Gillis took to TikTok to promote more mindful habits

She joined the Project Pan trend to focus on using what she already owns

Now, she shares her story to help others rethink impulse buying and influencer hype

When 23-year-old Alyssa Gillis from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, decided to start creating makeup content on TikTok, she wasn’t looking to sell the next trending product — she wanted to stop the cycle of overconsumption.

A full-time worker with a deep love for makeup, she realized she had been spending like a beauty influencer, not someone living on a 9-to-5 budget.

Wanting to approach content creation in a way that felt authentic, she tallied up the cost of all the various products she already owned — a

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