Postby Indiana » Sun Oct 10, 2010 2:08 pm
Cut Down on Makeup Clutter
1. PURGE things you don’t need or use anymore.
•Give things to friends or family members
•More does not always equal better
•Get rid of doubles
2. KNOW THE DATE. Make sure you get rid of what’s EXPIRED.
Makeup collects bacteria over time. It expires and needs to be thrown out. Makeup companies are not required to print expiration dates. Shelf life varies from product to product and brand to brand, here are some general guidelines:
•Concealer: 6 to 8 months
•Powder, Eye Shadow, Blush and Bronzer: 1 year
•Eyeliner and Mascara: 3 months - *NEVER keep these two longer than 3 months! The eyes are the area of the body most prone to infection. Pumping your mascara or eyeliner pushes bacteria into the tube increasing your risk of infection.
•Lip Stick: 1 year
•Lip Gloss: 6 months to 1 year
3. PRIORITIZE your everyday items and things you need easy access too.
•All other items can be stored in drawers or cabinets
•Things you haven’t worn in more than 3 months can generally be tossed.
•Group all of your “everyday” items together and your “special occasion” items together.
4. Take INVENTORY
•Make a list of the things you have, and the things you need to purchase to fill in the gaps. This will help you to not over shop on your next trip out and only buy the things you need to replace.
•Don’t hang onto things you never liked to begin with. Not everything looks as great at home as we expected it to in the store, and this isn’t likely to change over time.
•If you can’t remember when you purchased it, trash it.
•When in doubt, throw it out!
5. ORGANIZE
Once you’ve chosen the storage solution that suits your needs, group like items together; things for your eyes, lips, face, tools, etc. This will not only help you find what you need when you need it, but will also speed up your routine.
•Group things by purpose rather than color
•Find the storage solutions that work best for you and your needs
•Drawer dividers, individual makeup caddies, make your own.
•You can make your own makeup brush holder- put marbles or vase filler in a bowl or a container that you already have and stick your brushes right in.
6. MAINTAIN
•Organization isn’t just about things looking better, it’s about functioning better. Remember to return things to their designated spot. Soon enough, it will become habit.
•Make it a habit to do a mini purge every 3 months
•Keep a sharpie in your makeup kit to write the expiration dates on new items so you know when they expire.
TIPS: Not sure how old something is or if you should hang on to it?
•Smell it. Much like food, makeup has preservatives which breakdown over time. If you notice an odor, it could be from bacteria and the product should be thrown out.
•Items that have changed in color or texture should be discarded immediately. Beauty products, especially cream-based one, will settle or separate over time and simply won’t perform the same.
Nate Burkus Show