Today marks the first day of Spring, which also means the start of spring cleaning. Every year when spring cleaning rolls around, we think about cleaning our closets, kitchens, bedrooms, but don’t forget about your beauty products. I love organizing my makeup, but if you’re like me, you probably haven’t washed a makeup brush in 5 years. Here are five steps to organize and clean up your makeup collection.
Declutter:
We are all guilty of going into a makeup store in search of new lipstick and leaving with eyeliner, an eyeshadow palette, and two more lipsticks. It happens to the best of us, but take this time to declutter your makeup collection. Begin by laying out all your makeup on the table, then categorize the items so you can see which category you have an abundance of makeup products. Now is not the time to lie to yourself and use the “someday” excuse. A good rule to follow is, if you haven’t use the product in the last eight months you’re probably not going to use it in the future.
Clean Your Space:
Now that you have all your makeup products out of your drawers and containers, it’s time to clean your storage space. You can take some Clorox wipes and wipe down the outside and the inside. Let your drawers or containers dry before putting items back in.
Divide and Conquer:
Dividing your cosmetics into different categories helps with organization and convenience when using your makeup. Spring cleaning is also an ideal time to bring warmer colors to the front and set aside the winter hues. An excellent system for organizing cosmetics is using acrylic holders and stackable drawers.
Clean Those Brushes:
You should clean your makeup brushes weekly or at least bi-weekly, but if you haven’t done so, spring cleaning is the best time to wash those brushes and get in the habit of doing this weekly. Not only will your skin thank you for using clean brushes, but your makeup will apply a lot better.
Steps to cleaning your makeup brushes
- Wet the brush with lukewarm water.
- Place soap or makeup brush cleanser into the palm of your hands
- Gently circle your bush in your palm
- Rinse off soap/cleanser
Repair:
Sometimes we drop our makeup but repairing broken compact or eyeshadow palette is easy. Gather all the broken pieces, then let it soak in isopropyl alcohol until it is completely dry and you are all set!
Replace:
Very important, take this time to replace any expired makeup. Or any mascara or eyeliner that you know is fading and drying out but have been too lazy to go out and replace it.
Guidelines to follow when replacing products.
- Mascara and liquid eyeliner: replace every 3-6 months
- Pencil eyeliner: 1 year
- Blush, eyeshadow, and other pressed powder cosmetics: up to 2 years
- Liquid foundation: up to 1 year, if stored away from heat
- Non-liquid foundation: 6 months
- Lipgloss: 6 months
- Lipstick: up to 2 years if kept clean, meaning wiping them off or spraying with a little alcohol to sanitize
The motto for spring cleaning is out with the old and in with new!