Does it ever feel like your makeup and beauty products are an endless blackhole? If you have bags full of foundation in the cabinet, a drawer overflowing with moisturizers or a counter stacked with blush and bronzer options, it may be time to declutter.
Having less products isn’t a bad thing — in fact, it helps you to find things faster, get rid of expired products and see what you actually when it’s time to go shopping.
But where do you start? And how do you know what to keep? Here are four tips for decluttering your beauty products so that you have an arsenal full of the things you love and use most.
- Check Expiration Dates
An easy way to begin your decluttering process is by throwing out products that have expired. Some items will have a printed expiration date, which makes this simple. However, other products are based on when you purchased and began using them. There aren’t hard and fast rules and when a beauty product “goes bad” it isn’t always a visible change (like mold on bread).
However, the FDA does have some great ground rules to refer to, with tips like disposing of mascara after two-four months and getting rid of products if they’ve dried out or separated.
- If You’ve Never Opened it, Get Rid of It
Now, if you just purchased a new product and therefore haven’t opened it, this rule doesn’t apply. However, if you’ve had a product sitting unopened in your drawer for months, it probably means it just isn’t the right one for you. Whether you purchased it on a whim, realized the color doesn’t match your needs, or received it as a well-meaning gift, there’s no point holding onto a product that you just aren’t going to use.
- Categorize
Go through all of the products you have left after these first two steps and organize them by category. Choose categories that make sense for you — whether that’s simply “skincare” and “makeup” or lots of sub-categories like “foundation” “powders” “moisturizers” and more. Once you’ve divided everything you have into one of these categories, take a look at where you have excess. Then, decide which products you truly love and use and get rid of the ones that don’t make the top of the list.
- Stay Organized
Once you’ve categorized and disposed of your unneeded items, it’s easy to organize. Make sure the products you use on a daily basis are easy to access and easy to put away. Items you use less frequently can be tucked away, but make sure it’s still easy to access and put things away — otherwise you’ll end up back at square one with a cluttered and disorganized setup.