Declutter your cosmetics with confidence.
The era of Youtuber makeup collection videos took hoarding to a whole new level. As young, impressionable teens we too, sought to have the Ikea Alex drawers overflowing with the latest products. However, for many like myself, the accumulation of Revlon Lip Butters (Tutti Frutti – hello!) only led to what can be described as cosmetic baggage.
Nowadays everyone seems to have a minimal makeup collection of their favourite products. Rimmel Kate Moss Lipsticks are out and Dior Lip Oils are in. Recently, I got rid of a sickening amount of expired makeup and skincare products and I recommend you do too. As I approach 25, I want to feel like an adult, which means owning grown-up makeup. This includes creating a collection of core products or ‘holy grails’.
Step 1: Do I use it?
When beginning the cosmetic cull, the best place to start was functionality. Whether or not I used a product became my main focus and helped with the bulk of the process. I found asking myself this question helped bring it back to basics and find what products I truly love using.
Step 2: Do I want it?
After clearing a lot of unnecessary products, I found that items I was unsure of, or I thought had potential would be the next hurdle. Wanting to keep a product seemed like a bigger decision and I wondered whether I actually wanted and liked the product enough to keep it. More often than not I thought, ‘what was I thinking?’ – decision made.
Step 3: Do I need it?
A need is more emotional and I used this as the last step to filter out anything I really didn’t need. I found by this stage I was pretty confident in my choices and knew I needed most items I chose. At this stage it helps to think about different occasions or opportunities when you would need the product, but if you can’t picture it, then toss it.
I was very cut-throat in my approach when clearing out my cosmetics but it was worthwhile. Even though I probably still have more products than I should, it all fits neatly on my desk – result! I’d like to think my younger self would be proud that I’ve finally cleared the clutter (but really I know she’d be devastated that I discarded the Collection 2000 concealer). I highly reccommend doing this if you want to refresh your makeup, or re-discover some old favourites.
Isabelle Marsh 