All the Best Tips to Declutter Your Beauty Stash

I love experimenting with different beauty products.

I have a good reason! I’m always on the search for that one thing I can latch onto for life (like my foundation). 

There’s just one problem. Or dozens of them…depending on how you look at my bathroom medicine cabinet!

An overwhelming amount of beauty clutter. 

From Sephora samples to unused Bath & Body Works gift sets (because no one really knows what to buy women at the office Christmas party!), I had three packed plastic bins underneath my bathroom cabinet, two stuffed baskets inside my closet, plus the aforementioned overflowing medicine cabinet.

And….whenever I ran out of, say, mascara, I’d forget what I already had in stock and run out to buy a new one, thus perpetuating a growing problem. 

Does any of this sound eerily familiar? 

Then you are going to love my guilt-free process to declutter makeup, skin care, and more; tossing what’s expired, and what you just don’t love.

Watch the video, or scroll down to read the cliff notes.

1. Remove everything!

The first thing you’ll want to do when you start to declutter makeup is gather all your products (yes, all of them, even the ones you know you want to keep) and spread them out in a large space.

As you go through this process, remember: This is not an exercise in frugality.

I’m all about saving money, but runny and discolored ten-year old lotions need to go. I want you to focus on keeping products that are still good and are what you will actually use!

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2. Sort and toss

First, toss all EXPIRED products.

If the beauty product smells bad or the texture has changed, definitely toss. 

There’s also a secret symbol on the bottom of most products that will tell you when they’ve gone bad. 

For example, 12M means the product will expire 12 months after opening.

There are also “general rules” about when a product will expire.

For instance,

• Most nail polishes expire after two years.
• Mascaras should be replaced every three months.
• Lip gloss should be tossed after one year and so on.

It’s hard to remember all the expiration dates of everything (especially if they don’t have that handy symbol!), so make sure you download my Beauty Expiration Chart to print and hang behind your vanity mirror. 

I also find it helpful to write the expiration date on a label and stick it on the actual product.

Next step in how to declutter makeup: get rid of all the colors you don’t like or don’t look good on you.

I got rid of black and gold nail polishes (I don’t know why I bought them in the first place; I’m more a pastel person). I also tossed all purple eyeshadow hues because I prefer warmer colors like pink and brown.

Tossing expired products is one thing, but it can be hard to trash products that are perfectly good! I know how you feel! Just remember that rather than hang onto colors you don’t love, you are making room for the ones you do.

While you’re at it, toss formulas you don’t love or products that don’t work as they claim.

If a lip gloss dries out your lips, toss it. If a concealer looks cakey under your eyes, toss it. Don’t keep something you hate just because can’t bear the thought of not fully using it up.

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3. Organize what’s left

Once you’ve finished adding to your TOSS pile (mine is below!), sort what’s left into baskets and bins that are easily accessible.

I have:

• ONE nail polish bin (down from two!)
• A basket of everyday essentials (these Target baskets are my fave)
• A basket filled with extra lotion and skin care products that are not expired yet.
• A bin of extra makeup supplies.

Although I still have some “extra” bins and baskets, it’s so much easier now to find what I need, when I need it. Plus, it made organizing inside the RV a breeze! (Yes, downsizing was of the reasons why I needed to declutter makeup and beauty products!)

I hope you are inspired to declutter your makeup and other beauty products this week and post a before and after picture on social media. Don’t forget to add the hashtag #DeclutterWithKB so I can see!

When was the last time you sat down to declutter makeup & other beauty products?

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.