It’s time to Marie Kondo your makeup drawer

I hate hoarding with a passion but I am also guilty of sometimes holding onto cosmetic favourites way past their use by date.

I try my best to take a leaf out of Marie Kondo’s decluttering masterpiece, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, but things like the limited edition M.A.C Prabal Gurung persimmon cream blush still reside in my beauty drawer despite being five years out of date.

Multitasking makeup is a good way to keep your makeup collection minimal.Credit:Shutterstock

Having said that, with 2018 on the way out, I feel now is the time to take the lipsticks by the horns and have a massive chuck out in preparation for the onslaught of fabulous new product to hit the turf in 2019.

Here are some golden decluttering mantras to live your beauty life by.

Use it

Face masks are a classic example of this. I have sheets and sheets of them languishing in my bathroom. Now I am actually going to schedule them into my diary and take action.

Chuck out by the use-by date

Eyeliner can last up to a year and face powder can last up to two, but products that have passed their use by date – like mascara that is more than two months old (you should replace these before if they are dry and clunky) nail polish that is as thick as mud, and expired face creams – should definitely end up in the circular file.

For foundation the expiry time is 12 months, but if it separates or starts to smell off it’s done (always ensure it’s stored in a cool dark place). Lipsticks will last you 18 months (but I tend to use them until I am sick of them).

As a tip, on most makeup packaging there is a number on a little lidded symbol which indicates the number of months you should keep makeup for before it's time to replace it.

Keeping tools intact

No one is dissing the importance of cleaning your makeup brushes but you can do it just as easily with a gentle baby shampoo rather than doling out $30 for a brush cleanser.  If cared for lovingly, and cleaned regularly, makeup brushes can last for years

Extraneous products

I love an eyelid primer as my lids are quite oily but you can easily ditch this and a concealer topped with a light setting powder to help eyeshadow pigment stay in place.

Ditch the useless mini applicators that come with most eyeshadow products and invest in an eyeshadow brush. To keep it bacteria free, spritz it with a brush cleaner and work it over a tissue after each use.

Loofah lowdown

Loofahs are next on the hit list. They are porous and have lots of nooks that can fester with germs and bacteria, which can then transfer to your skin. Make the change to bar soap or use an old-fashioned washer with your favourite shower gel.

Learn the art of editing

I once counted five nude lip liner pencils in my portable makeup bag. That is not to mention the 30 or so I have stashed away back at base camp. In my ideal desert island world, I would edit it down to one nude lip pencil my M.A.C Lip Pencil in Spice and an all-purpose red one.

Rationalise your skin care creams

The skin on your neck and décolletage is a finer consistency than that on your face but it really doesn’t need its own cream. Your regular moisturiser combined with lots of sunscreen to prevent that distinctive sun-damaged Aussie V is all you need. Just remember your face ends at your boobs.

Other multitaskers

Split end sealers can temporarily make your split ends look smoother but so can the residue on your hands after using your favourite face oil.

Oh, and get a cream blush: you can use it on lids, lips, eyes and cheeks. In the event of a nuclear winter, this product is a keeper.

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