Ever since I started earning my own money, I have always spent a large proportion of it on beauty products - mostly makeup. I have always had an interest in makeup even during my childhood days when I would apply clear mascara, lip-gloss and roll on glitter (ahhh, the nineties…) However, if you have read my blog before or follow me on instagram (@madolynthinks) then you may already know that I am an aspiring minimalist. I am in the process of applying minimalism to all aspects of my life and this also includes, my makeup collection. 

I thought it might make an interesting read if I wrote up my tips on how to streamline your makeup collection. I know that this would have been a blog post I would have loved to have read, and I would love to know what you think!


GET RID OF UNWANTED PRODUCTS 


One thing I would recommend before de-cluttering any items is to gather them all into one area so that you know what you’re working with. I would then recommend pulling out any and all of the products that are unwanted. I find that this is the easiest way to start the process as it is quick and simple but it gets the ball rolling and builds momentum. So throw away those eye shadows that you never wear, those lipsticks that you don’t like, and any products that are old, out of date or have been open past the recommended time. 

This also allows you to pave the way for new pieces. For example, I completely cleared out my false eyelash collection, getting rid of any old or unwanted lashes and glue. This then allowed room in my makeup collection for a pair of gorgeous, high quality false lashes from Esquido. I picked out the Lashlorette* design that has a collection of criss-cross and straight strands to create a full, yet natural look. The lash glue that comes with them is a fantastic size with easy-to-use application, which meant that I could throw away any old, leaky or sticky tubes of glue that I still had in my collection.


THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ACTUALLY USE ON A DAILY BASIS 


Once you have got rid of any unwanted products, I would then make a pile of products that you like to use on a daily, or occasional basis. Daily makeup products might consist of your favourite foundation/tinted moisturiser/concealer/powder/bronzer etc etc, and then occasion products may be glittery eye shadows/specific lipsticks etc. I would then recommend putting aside your favourite seasonal products which again maybe specific eye shadows/blushers/lip products etc. If anything doesn’t fit in any of these piles then it needs to go!


SIMPLIFYING YOUR ROUTINE


Once I had majorly reduced my make up collection, I then looked at how many products I had left. I would recommend having a think about your current makeup routine. Maybe have a play with your makeup and ask why you use this many products and is there a way that you are able to reduce it. For example, I was rotating between a couple of different concealers rather than picking just one concealer and sticking with that. I managed to massively reduce the amount of products that I used on a daily basis, ultimately streamlining my collection.


QUALITY OVER QUANTITY


The final point I want to make, which is a bit of a mantra that I have picked up from reading and learning about minimalism is; quality over quantity. This notion can be applied to all aspects of life, including your make up collection. It is a simple yet effective rule that enables you to live with less but appreciate more. So rather than having a number of different foundations/mascaras/concealers etc, that are ok, I now have one of each in my daily collection that I am one hundred percent happy with. 


 Let me know if you enjoy reading these types of posts about minimalism and de-cluttering! 

Madolyn
xxx

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This post contains PR samples but all thoughts and opinions are my own.