Living a minimalist life, free of things you don’t really need, isn’t an easy project for a self-proclaimed beauty product hoarder. Especially when we all can’t stop talking about purging and ridding ourselves of excess – or KonMari – it’s hard to part with the 20-some red lipsticks we’ve accumulated over the past year, because we just may need each and every one. But you don’t have to forever live in clutter just because you love a great red lip – or well, a great berry lip, and matte orange, and so on. These tips from pros below will help streamline your top shelf.
1. Toss what you haven’t worn in months…or at least get rid of it somehow. Makeup Artist Suzy Gerstein says that since she has a constant stream of beauty products coming her way, she takes inventory and tosses or gives away anything she knows she doesn’t need.
2. Look to shelf life when buying beauty products, especially for green or organic products that have fewer chemical preservatives and expire quickly. Gerstein says the same for liquid or cream-based formulas. “They tend to be less stable than powders so I would advise against buying those in bulk,” she notes. Buying these in bulk will just create more clutter, and if you don’t use them in time, you’ll just be wasting money.
3. Go ahead and chuck dated styles of makeup.“Extremely frosty lipsticks, greyish brown lipsticks and lip liners, white eye pencils (except for professional use), pink foundations, heavy contour creams, and sparkly highlighters have had their day in the sun and can be tossed, along with your Melrose Place era chokers and baby tees,” says Gerstein. If the trend is dead and gone and never coming back, add that product to the toss pile. It’s probably expired anyway.
4. Make your own palettes instead of buying one with 14 colors you’ll never wear. Gerstein references the company Japonesque, which makes small palette pans you can color curate and design yourself. “They have about 4 wells so it forces you to edit down to your absolute essentials.” But palettes aren’t all bad. If space is your issue, makeup artist Neil Scibelli says these can be a lifesaver, especially when you’re traveling.
5. Take a makeup lesson to learn the best colors for your skin tone, notes Gerstein. It’ll prevent you from buying (and then hoarding) an unflattering hue that you’ll never wear.
6. If you really love product, you should have a makeup organizer. Gerstein says this will force you to weed through your collection and get rid of things you don’t need. Storage units, Gerstein is a big fan of Muji containers, can double as decor, which will help you out, too. “Because their storage products are so pretty, you will want to keep them clean and pretty and want only the things you love most to live in them.”
7. Dual-sided products will save space. If you’re a self-proclaimed lipstick collector but desperately need to clean out, look for products that include a pigmented side as well as a glossy side. It’s two looks, possibly three, in one tube. Scibelli suggests trying out products from Mally Beauty and Make Up For Ever.
MORE: Confessions of a Beauty Product Hoarder
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