Next up in my Decluttering Challenge is how to declutter your makeup. Makeup can be expensive and therefore letting go of items we no longer use or need can be challenging.
Before you even get started with decluttering your makeup, put yourself on a makeup buying band until you’ve had a really good look at everything you already have.
You may find you already own similar products to those you’re tempted to buy that have been forgotten about or are just lots at the bottom of a drawer somewhere!
How To Declutter Your Makeup
1. Take Out ALL of Your Makeup
The first step is take out ALL of your make up. Pile it up and then gradually split it out into different products. It may be worth putting down a sheet or a towel first to prevent any spillages ending up on the carpet.
Don’t forget to grab any make up from other areas of your home such as your bathroom or handbag.
2. Remove Anything Broken, Empty or Unusable
If you have a huge make collection then there might be some items that immediately stand out because they’re old, broken, empty or a colour or product you no longer use.
These can be the first to go – more to on what to do with your decluttered makeup products at the end of the post.
3. Pick Out Your Favourite / Everyday Items
Next, take out your favourite items or the makeup you use everyday and add this to a keep pile. These are the things you absolutely don’t want to get rid of and know will get used up before they go out of date.
4. Choose The Best of The Rest
Next, choose the best from what is left. This could be unopened products that you’ve been meaning to try but had forgotten about, some fun colours or products by a favourite brand.
5. Sort Through What’s Left
Sort through everything that is left and be ruthless. Remember, you’ve got your faves and possibly some new things to try too. Do you need any of what’s left?
Split between your keep and get rid of piles.
6. Check Expiry Dates When You Declutter Your Makeup
Before putting items away, check the expiry dates on items, especially those that are open. Add anything out of date to your discard pile.
7. Clean Your Brushes
While you’re sorting through your make-up and having a declutter, it’s the perfect time to give your brushes a good clean and get rid of any that are old and unusable.
8. Put Everything Away / Add Storage
Finally, put away everything in your keep pile. You may want to add extra storage if you’re aiming to keep everything tidier in the future.
What To Do With Your Decluttered Makeup
So, you may now have a pretty large pile of make-up that needs to be got rid of. Here are a few things you can try before simply dumping it.
Sell unopened/sealed makeup – Most selling platforms have rules against selling opened makeup but anything unopened can be sold online on eBay, Vinted or Facebook Marketplace.
Return empties to store – Certain brands will allow you to return empties to store and some will even reward you with a free product or a discount. Here is a list of 10 Stores that do this.
Donate – Another thing you can do with unopened make-up is donate it to women’s shelters.
This post is part of my #DeclutteringChallenge – read the other posts here:
Should You Hire A Professional Declutterer?
