Purging wasn't easy. Many times I sat there feeling horrible about how impulsive i've been with my collecting. The money I spent that just got tossed away like a magazine from two years ago.
But a purge was necessary. As I continue to blog and review products, I continue to add more things to my collection. Why should I keep a 4 year old lipstick if i never plan on using it again or should use it because its old.
I found that much of my makeup was old and needed to be tossed because much of it had just gone off or was about to. Most makeup products have indicators telling you how long they last for. For instance, a mascara has a shelf life of three to six months after its been opened. Lip products were my biggest purge. Probably 3/4ths of my collection went to the trash. Much of it was old and some smelled bad. Old lip products tend to harbor bacterias which could in turn make you sick.
The best thing was to clear out the old, clean up the things that were good, and make space for new additions. My favorite tip for cleaning out is to think of when I purchased it. For most of the things I tossed, I couldn't remember when it was exactly but it wasn't recently. Another thing was to think if I would ever use it again. If I have 6 red lipsticks, do I need another one? Is the formula or color special?
Once I successfully purged things, I made sure to clean out each drawer well and placed different organizers in them to make it easier to find things. Some of my favorite are old glossy boxes and Birchboxes. I have many of these laying around and they perfectly separate different types of products like foundations and concealers. My most used favorites went towards the front of each drawer and the products I use less go towards the back.
Overall, I purged at least half of my stash through a combination of tossing, passing on and depotting. I hope this will inspire many to do the same. Just think, holiday collections are around the corner...
xx, Lexy
