Spring Cleaning: Just Throw it Away!

          For some reason, I have a tendency to hang on to old, unusable makeup. I talk myself out of throwing it away even though I know good and well I will not use it again! But no more! I have finally broken that cycle (more or less) and did a major clean out! I realized that I was using the same products everyday and I didn’t want to use anything else. I had boxes and plastic containers full of makeup that I didn’t use and, most importantly, I didn’t want to use. I got all of my makeup down to a more manageable size after one major clean out. Now, it all fits in my three-drawer plastic organizer. I am able to find just what I want and everything is neat and clean. I also threw away old nail polishes and now, only my best and favorite polishes are on display. I found the whole process to be stress-relieving and I am much happier because of it! 

Here are some tips for cleaning out your own makeup collection. Let’s start the summer off with a clean slate!

1.                    Check the expiration date! Not all products have one, but many have a symbol on the back that looks like a small, open container with a number and the letter “M” (See the picture below). The number is the number of months the product is good for after it has been opened. For example, “12M” means the product is good for 12 months after you open it. If the product is expired, THROW IT AWAY! Even if it is something that you use, it is no longer good for your skin! It has been open for a while and collected germs and bacteria that you are just putting back on your face. EW!

Example of expiration date

2.                    Have you used it in the last week? I understand that some makeup products are used only for special occasions so you only use it every once in a while. But, if ALL of your makeup is for special occasions, you should probably rethink your buying strategy. Otherwise, only keep the products that you use on a regular basis (plus a couple of special occasion things like a super glittery eyeshadow). If you’re still worried about throwing something away that you’ll miss, take out all of the products you don’t use regularly and put them to the side. Go an entire week without using them. Did you miss them? If not, throw them away! They’re just taking up space and they’ll probably go bad before you get around to using them. If you feel bad about throwing stuff away, give it away. Spray the product with rubbing alcohol to disinfect it, and then give it to a friend who’d wear it or maybe a little girl who will play dress-up with it.

3.                    Is it your color? Maybe you have some makeup left over from the winter when you were three shades paler. Or maybe you have some from when you got that spray tan and now it makes your face look like an Oompa Loompa. Throw it away. Seriously, if you keep it, you’ll only be tempted to wear it. Don’t wear it! It’s not your color and you know it! If you really liked that foundation or bronzer or whatever, go buy it in YOUR SHADE!

4.                    Is it dirty? Products covered in dirt or residue from other makeup is just gross. You can try to clean stuff off with disinfectant, but most of the time you should just toss it. Every time you pick it up, you’re getting that stuff on your hands. If you throw it in your makeup bag, it has infected all your other products. Don’t put germs so close to your face!

5.                    Is it broken? Sometimes you can save products after they break, sometimes you can’t. It’s just the facts of life. If you’ve tried to put that eyeshadow back together and it just won’t stay, it’s time to say bye-bye. Broken products have a nasty tendency to spill and go everywhere, especially powders. It’s going to ruin other products if you hang on to it for too long. Broken containers are also problems because they can cause leaks. It won’t be fun the day you open your makeup bag and find liquid foundation coating everything. If it’s something you really love, try moving it to a different container. If that doesn’t work, throw it away.

6.                    Do you want a new one? Let’s be real, we’ve all wanted a brand new version of something even though ours is perfectly fine. Maybe there’s a new packaging or the label has come off on yours. Sometimes it’s ok to throw the old one away and get a new one. Should you do this with your $60 foundation? Probably not. What about that $4 lipstick? Go for it! Maybe you don’t like the shade anymore or you like the new one better. Or maybe the product is just fine; you just don’t like it any more. Don’t leave things in your collection that you hate. It’s your makeup collection; you can do whatever you want! So just throw it away!