I am guilty of being a full-time makeup hoarder. You show me a lipstick shade and there’s a 200% chance of me buying it. And I just can’t bring myself to declutter that makeup collection unless it gets extremely difficult for me to even open the drawer.
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The task of decluttering makeup comes with its own set of struggles. Even though you haven’t used a product in a long time, it’s difficult to let go of it because you believe that you might end up needing it someday. You may even come across products that you didn’t even know were a part of your makeup collection. And then there’s makeup that has expired over time or is lying contaminated because of being stored improperly.
Decluttering makeup can be challenging because the products in question are usually expensive. Also, since makeup doesn’t take up too much space in your home, you believe that sorting it through won’t make a big difference.
But that’s not true.
As your makeup collection grows in number, it ends up becoming a source of mess. Think of the time you waste every morning trying to find that one shade of blush or eye shadow. And imagine how much makeup gets wasted when you are not using the old makeup but continue to bring in new products.
If you want to be ruthless in decluttering your makeup collection but don’t know where to start, here’s a list of questions that you must ask yourself to make sure that you take the best decisions:
1. When Did I Buy The Product?
Makeup products get expired over time and can have a bad reaction on your skin if used past their expiry. While decluttering your makeup, check the expiry date to decide whether it stays or goes. If it’s expired, toss it immediately. If it’s nearing its expiry, keep it in a separate pouch or shelf and use it on priority. If you can’t remember when exactly you bought the product, chances are that it’s quite old and should be trashed immediately.
Remember that makeup products like foundation, concealer, gel eyeliner, contouring sticks and cream-based products shouldn’t be used beyond a period of one year post manufacturing. Powder based products like compact, powder blushes and eye shadow can be used for 2 years utmost after which they will start smelling odd or become discoloured. Do not ever use a mascara for more than 3 months after opening the seal because it’s prone to catch bacteria over time. Also, try not to use a lipstick for more than 2 years and a liquid eye liner for more than 6 months. Even if these products haven’t yet expired by the time they’ve reached their ‘ideal age’, toss them away to keep your skin safe.
2. When Did I Last Use This Product?
Each one of us has that favourite lipstick shade that we use most often. Also, I’m pretty sure that you don’t use more than 7 or 8 brushes from that pack of 30 you own. Now it can be hard to get rid of the unused products because they are expensive to replace. But you need to take a step back and ask yourself if you plan to use these products tomorrow, or day after tomorrow. Well, chances are that if you haven’t used a makeup product in the last 6 months or so, you don’t love it enough and can live without it.
Note that while going through your makeup collection, you might discover products that you have forgotten about. Do not use it as reason to hold on to them. Ask yourself if you plan to use these products soon. If not, toss them immediately.
3. Do I Have Something Similar To This Product?
I remember owning three lipsticks in the same shade but with different undertones. As someone who is obsessed with nude lip shades, I had foolishly piled up on a lot of lipsticks most of which weren’t even used for months. I also had two shades of concealers that were largely similar in shade but were of different quality and texture.
Knowingly or unknowingly, you accumulate makeup products that already have something similar to them sitting in your vanity. Swatch these products on your wrist to figure out if you have more than one makeup product in the same shade. If it turns out to be true, choose the ones that you use the most and toss the rest away.
4. Would I Buy It Again If It Were Gone?
Now there are certain products that you bought on a whim only to realize that they didn’t suit your skin type. Maybe you saw your favourite influencer swatching some pretty shades of blush and you ended up buying a couple of them. But as soon as use applied them on your skin, they caused a bad reaction or didn’t make you feel as pretty as you’d expected. Now given how costly these products were, you decided not to throw them away thereby letting them occupy space in your makeup drawer.
Many unused and unloved makeup products are hard to get rid of because of the money you spent on them. Ask yourself if you would buy this product again if it were gone. The answer would most likely be ‘No’ for many of them. Do not wait for even a minute to toss them in the Donation box.
5. How often Do I Use It?
Your makeup drawer probably has a variety of products and some of them aren’t used as frequently as others. If you are someone who likes to apply light makeup on a daily basis and goes for heavy makeup occasionally, chances are that most of your makeup products lay unused for many weeks on a go. Some of these less used makeup products can also get contaminated over time because of being stored improperly.
While decluttering your makeup collection, ask yourself how often you use every makeup product. If it isn’t used more than once or twice in 6 months, try letting it go and replace it with something else. Your lipstick can also be used as a blush, and your blush can be used as an eye shadow. Get smart with using your makeup collection and make do with what’s already there rather than buying new products that won’t be used as much.
Now that you know how easy it is to declutter your makeup collection, it’s time to go through it. Make sure that you carry this list of questions to get the task done in the most effective way possible.