5 ways to declutter your beauty closet

I like to have a fresh start to the new year therefore this is the time that I go through a major decluttering exercise. Getting rid of clutter can be tough because you probably like many of the things that you have.

Some items may be in perfect condition and still have the price tag on. I realised that I can be a hoarder of certain items, keeping them for sentimental reasons. But is there really a reason to keep a five-year old moisturiser just because its a designer brand?

In Marie Kondo’s book “The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organising”, her premise is that you should keep only the things that bring you joy and get rid of everything else. She also suggests that you should sort things out by category and not location. This means that your brushes should be in one place, lipsticks in another.

Here are some guidelines that will help you in the process:

Take everything out of your bathroom or beauty closet or shelf and start with clean shelves. Sort everything on the floor into three categories: make-up, skincare, and bath products. Sort your makeup into smaller categories such as brushes, lips, face, and nails. Put the make-up that you use daily in one holder, and the rest in their respective containers.

— Have you used it in the last six months? I have a lipstick that I haven’t used in two years. I kept hoping that one day I’ll be brave enough to wear that colour. Do you have a foundation that was always the wrong colour. There’s no point in keeping it as your skin colour is not likely to change.

— Is it old? If you can’t remember when you bought it, you should throw it out.

— Is it empty? I’m one of those people who will keep an empty container because it’s “pretty”. If it doesn’t add any value to your life, throw it out.

— Is it broken? Have you been keeping it, hoping that you will fix it soon? If you have fixed it in the last 6 months, get rid of it.

— Is it a gift you don’t like? Rather than keeping an item out of guilt, you can give it to someone else.

— Are you keeping an item, just in case? I have a metallic gold eye-shadow that I have been keeping just in case I need it. I haven’t used it in three years.

Benefits

You know that you have nail files in one of your drawers but you just never seem to find one when you need it. Why is it that those hairpins always seem to be hiding. De-cluttering brings order to your life and saves you time. It also saves you money because now you will think twice before buying something new.