Most of us have fallen victim to some light makeup hoarding at one point or another. Truth is, with vanity drawers full to the brim and medicine cabinets spilling over, this problem may be a lot more prevalent than most women want to believe. We listed down five simple ways to help you declutter your life one lipstick at a time.
Acceptance is key
Before you begin your clutter-free journey, it’s important that you’re brutally honest with yourself on whether you are indeed a beauty hoarder. There’s no shame in admitting this because the truth is, there are loads of other women out there with a little too many mascaras than need be. The best way to start your journey would be to be open with yourself about your purchasing habits and any possible hoarding tendencies. Do you buy a new foundation every other week? Perhaps it’s time you had a little heart to heart with yourself!
Check expiration date
Having a fully stocked vanity may be fun but getting an eye infection because of an old eye pencil, isn’t. Before things get unhygienic, start looking at your product’s expiration dates, or better yet, know them by heart. For instance, products such as mascara are usually expected to last about three months once they’re unsealed. Powder and blush on the other hand can last up to about two years which may seem like forever but you’d be surprised how those two years can creep up on you.
Observe the 6 month rule
How many of you have products that you haven’t touched for more than six months? Most times, there’s a good chance you’ve forgotten you even have these products in your stash so why hold them for any longer? A great way to de-clutter would be to pass on these products to your girlfriends especially since you never know how well it could work for them – can you think of a better way to kill two birds with one stone? Just be careful not to give away products that are expired so consider sticking to products with a longer lifespan such as blush, powder and foundation.
Finish up all the almost empty products
Let’s be honest, we’re all drawn to the appeal of shiny, new packaging and there are few things as exciting as the soft pop of a mascara wand or a satin finish lipstick leaving its tube for the very first time. If I was to count the number of times I’ve bought a new product in anticipation of my current one getting finished, only to start using the new product, we would be here forever. A great way to keep yourself from holding onto several bottles of almost-empty foundation would be to train yourself to finishing one before moving onto the next.
Compartmentalization is key
Once everything is sitting pretty in its place, it’s usually a lot easier to identify which section is your greatest weakness. Perhaps your real obsession lies in nail polish which means you’ll be able to tackle that issue on its own. Or maybe once everything is in its place, you’ll realize that you don’t have as much as you assumed you did. Compartmentalization will not only help you see how much you have but it also helps saves space and declutter.