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!
Related: Luxury Beauty Products Worth the Splurge
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.