I am a makeup hoarder. No, I am not kidding or exaggerating this. The amount of makeup I accumulate over the year is mind-blowing. With Morphe the affordable and addictive makeup store that just opened in the new year and holiday collections being released because Christmas is around the corner it’s a dangerous time of year for me. Exclusive holiday collections are my weakness. However, I have been really good this past year at not buying a lot of new collections over summer and stuck with the essential, foundation, concealer, mascara, etc. So, this week I was cleaning out my makeup collection and I was amazed at how much duplicates and things I didn’t use or was super old. So, it took a super long time for me to finish, but I managed to get rid of a fair amount out of my makeup drawer. So today, I wanted to give you some of my tips if you are struggling to get rid of some makeup to make room for new collections or if it’s just getting completely out of hand.
- Pull it all out
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That’s right not one by one. I mean to go in all of your purses/bags, drawers, makeup bags and lay them on the floor (with a towel, makeup is messy and stains) Lay it all out. Make sure you have everything now it will be easier to know what you have and don’t, what you forgot about and didn’t realize you had.
- Makeup expires but doesn’t always go bad
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Yes, makeup has a due date it’s in the back of your makeup product near the ingredients. A lot of people and articles say you should replace certain makeup every 6- 12 months. That would cost a lot of money especially if you buy higher-end makeup. Well, my good friend who works at Sephora and is a makeup lead tells me it depends on the product. When it comes to foundation, concealer or anything liquid it’s best to throw it away at the expiry date. It’s liquid so it’s easier for bacteria. Also mascara too as well, it’s best to throw it away at the expiry date. It’s on your lashes closest to your eyes and you don’t want to risk it. But things like blush, bronzer, lipsticks and even sometimes eyeshadow pallets can be used a few months longer than the expiry date. The major rule of thumb is: 1) if it smells off, garbage asap. And if it loses color and wears time. Throw them out. If they don’t smell bad or look less pigmented then maybe a few more months wouldn’t hurt.
- What makeup items do you pick up least or not at all
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The biggest problem with hoarding makeup is you think you will eventually use it but you never end up doing that because you like another palette better or bought another palette similar. If it wasn’t super expensive and you rarely use it throw it out. There’s no reason to keep a palette you NEVER use. If you haven’t touched it in 6 months or a year and it’s still pretty much full you probably won’t ever use it throw it out. OR if you only used it once or twice it’s still in good condition and just never used it you can put in the Fb groups buy and sell makeup page in your city and get some money from it so you can buy other make items in the future. Or check your local women shelter for rules and regulations for donating barley used makeup.
- Duplicates, Duplicates everywhere……
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Usually, this is me with lipstick but it can be for any makeup item at all. Get rid of duplicates. Find out what you have and don’t have so next time you go shopping you don’t get the same thing. Throw out any used or almost gone makeup duplicates and use the fullest one.
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- Parting with lipsticks can be hard
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This is probably the worst and I hoard this the most, lipsticks, Jeffree Star, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Huda Beauty. Just lipsticks everywhere. I have a new rule I will only own 5 lipsticks at a time. If one runs out I will buy a new one. My rules include 1 nude, 1 pink, 1 red, 1 dark, 1 crazy color. That’s all. I only need one nude that suits me. Pink is Pink so I go for most wearable, red is a must, dark is a must for fall and one crazy color that I know I will wear lots and if I feel edgy. This sets priorities and similar duplicates fast.
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Those are my tips for cleaning out your makeup. It feels really good to have a clean-up bag or drawer. Also, you don’t feel guilty about how much money you spend, you are aware of what you have and don’t and you aren’t buying dupes and wasting money. I hope these tips help!