Okay ladies let’s start with our makeup. The goal is to create an organized space for your makeup so that the products you love can be found easily and quickly.
The first step is to throw out all the makeup you own that has gone beyond its expiration date. In order to avoid infection it’s a good idea to routinely weed through your makeup to discard what is outdated. How do you know how long you’ve had it though is a good question and one that can be quickly remedied in the future by simply marking the date of purchase with a Sharpie on the back of the item.
Abbie from the Organizing Life blog has a great post on When to Toss That Makeup. She lists the expiration dates on most commonly used beauty products which you’ll find very helpful as you’re going through your stuff.
Also while you’re at it, toss anything that you just don’t like and looks hideous on you. You know you’re never going to wear it so why wait until it expires, save yourself the trouble and throw it out now.
I’m not a big makeup wearer myself but I do have a favorite brand I love which has alleviated the need for me to experiment with anything else. Thankfully this helps keep my supply to a minimum (wish I could say the same for my hair products). I just took a quick picture of my makeup drawer though and it looks like it could still use a little tweaking nonetheless.
Don’t forget to take your before picture and also I’d love to see how many products you were able to part with.
Let the purging begin!
Jenny says
You don’t need any makeup because you are absolutely gorgeous!!
It’s funny you posted this, I was just thinking about going through my makeup…and I have a lot!!LOL
Ginny Ingram says
I agree with the above comment – I was just thinking today that I need to go through my makeup and discard what I’ll never wear. My daughter gave me a bunch of things that she can’t use, and I’ve hung on to them for whatever reason. Your challenge might be just what I need!
Jennifer Sagle says
Funny you posted about throwing out makeup! I was getting my eyebrows waxed yesterday & I asked the girl how often I should replace my Bare Minerals makeup. She said 6 months!!!! Woops!! I’ve had the same set for 2 years!!! I don’t wear it daily so it last me a long time. Could explain why I break out everytime I wear it! Guess it’s time to clean out the makeup box & get new!
Wendy Sice says
Ah, yes, the old ‘purge of the bathroom cupboard’ routine. You sure know how to make me feel embarrassed! Wendy xxx
Abbie says
Laura, this is something I should certainly do soon. Even with all the organizing advice I post, it seems hard following it sometimes. Thanks for the reminder, and thank you for the link! I hope that info is helpful to your readers! Best, Abbie
Megan says
I definitely need to do this. I have MAC eyeshadow that I got for my wedding 4 years ago! It really hurts to throw away $14 eyeshadow, although I do have far more colors than I ever wear.
Karen says
I had to learn the hard way. A few years ago I was getting stys in my eyes quite frequently. I pitched all my eye makeup and got new. I’ve never had a sty since.
Susanne says
We must be on the same wavelength. I just finished going through my makeup tossing and purging? I just keep my stuff all in a basket in the bathroom cupboard. I wonder if the bathroom is really an ideal place to keep makeup with all the humidity in there?
Donnetta says
Thanks for the link of expiration dates and when to toss makeup. This is one area I could do better in!
Maybe I can find a bit of time to tackle this today!
Veggiemomof2 says
Thanks so much for this post! I’ve been fighting minor skin break-out under my eye & can’t figure out what exactly is causing it. I’m going to be watching my face care routine now to see if it could be a makeup product.
Susie's Homemade says
I did this with my makeup a while back. Now, I only have what I use on a daily basis and I keep the other “special occasion stuff to sample or travel size because I don’t go through it as fast. Plus, it’s cheaper:-)
Dolli-mama says
I am moving soon and deceided to throw away anything in my bathroom that is old or almost empty. I don’t need to waste precious space in boxes. It is working out great! I feel so much better, and I don’t think I will miss anything!
Marci@OvercomingBusy says
Every couple months, I go through my make up and bathroom shelves and toss anything that has expired or that I just will never use. I have a brand of makeup that I really like, too. One benefit of this is that I have mascara and my mineral powder auto-shipped to me every 3 months so it doesn’t get too old and gunky.
Alexiajoy says
I just have to say a BIG thank you for your site! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! My husband thanks you! I’m so excited about getting my makeup drawer organized, I’ve tried several times to do it myself and I keep making a mess of it after it’s organized. Obviously I hold on to TOO MUCH STUFF!
Forgetfulone says
I really agree with throwing out the old makeup! I usually just guess at how old something is, but I like your idea of putting the date on the back in sharpie. Thanks! I use the same kind, so it usually runs out the same time I should throw it out anyway. I’m scared of eye infections, and I won’t share my makeup, either.
Darla says
What great advice. I hang onto my make-up way too long. Another item to address is to wash your make-up brushes in warm suddsy water quite often. Love your website.
Rebecca says
I don’t wear makeup that frequently so it seems horrible to toss it after such a short amount of time! Guess I should throw out all my chemical-containing nail polishes, since all of them are over a year old.
Where did you get that nice drawer organiser?
Laura says
I’ve previously posted about the container that started it all:
https://orgjunkie.com/2008/07/the-container-that-started-it-all.html