Stripping down the stash

Too many cleansers, lipsticks, foundations?  Is this actually possible?




Kind of.
Obviously I adore beauty products. I have a fairly large storage system in my bathroom and  at points there has been 6+ different skincare routines with multiple brands, prices and product types. Same goes for my make up. I always used to like the thought of having my very own mini department store to shop at every day but recently it's been getting rather boring. Instead of using things I love or are excited by I gaze at old products I bought on a whim and find myself thinking how much money is sat there. Then I quickly change the subject in my mind!

Recently I have really been trying to use products up so I can just have a small collection of products I love and that work. I still like the idea of having a ' beauty wardrobe'  however I am now definitely more about the capsule wardrobe. A small collection of products to swap in and out with weather/skin changes.

How to get out of the rut?

• Check dates. Every product you have will have a logo on stating how many months it has of use before it expires. The logo looks like this;

It may break your heart to throw away tubs of £40+ face cream but any active ingredients in will be long gone.

• Give away to friends and family. 
• Simply use up.
• Store - make a storage system that is visually pleasing as well as useful. I like minimal Muji but whatever you like - do. 

The same goes for makeup, here is a list of how long you should have a product open before binning;

• Lipstick/gloss 18 months.
• Powders 2 years.
• Creams 12-18 months.
• Concealers/foundations 6-8 months.
• Mascara 3-6 months.
• Lip/eye pencils 8-12 months.
• Nail polish 2 years.

So after going through that list you should hopefully be a little lighter in the product department. Now look and what you have, what's missing? This is the time to make lists and really think about what you have loved. Are you buying random £10 cleansers that are on offer instead of biting the bullet and re purchasing your favourite £40 one? Just commit - it always saves you money in the long run.

Now I know this post was a little messy but hopefully you get the idea. Don't buy what you don't need, allow yourself a small selection - don't limit yourself or you will go back to your old ways! Hopefully you will end up with the perfect capsule collection where every item is loved, used and needed (just about!).

I will follow this post up with my own capsule routines once I have done some gifting, recycling and shopping.

Rosie