Last night I had a text conversation with my friend about how all these makeup launches for spring/summer 2015 are making me broke, and also how I’m running out of room to store all of it. It seems like every day Kat Von D or Anastasia comes out with something new and I just die over it. After thinking about it I realized its time for a makeup purge. To de-clutter and ya know…maybe make room for all the fun new stuff thats coming out. Don’t judge me!

When I first moved to this apartment I wrote a post about how to pack your makeup for a move and I mentioned in that post that you should purge your makeup of things you don’t use while you’re packing. That feels like it happened yesterday, but really it was almost two years ago and I’m moving yet again this week so its the perfect time to purge again. I’ve cleaned things out in the interim, but still…it’s time.

Trust me when I tell you that I know how difficult it can be to let go of certain things. I sat on the floor for a long time this morning with makeup all around me like “My Husband bought me this as a gift that one time that I barely remember!” and “I wore this color to so-and-so’s wedding even though it dried up since then” and so on and so forth. I’m a sentimanetal sap, what can I say?

Knowing how difficult it can be I came up with five questions to ask yourself as you sort through your makeup that will help you know whether you should keep it or get rid of it. You need to ask yourself:

1. Is This A Good Product?: Did you buy it and love it, or was it kinda meh and you didn’t get much use out of it? If the answer is “meh” then that’s easy. Throw that b*tch in the no pile.
2. When Was The Last Time I Used This?: Even if it’s a good product, do you get use out of it? I mean it’s hard to throw things out if they’re good, just because you end up using something else more but that’s why we’re going to make a separate pile to give to friends and family (If they don’t mind your gently used products. Most things can be sanitized) If it’s a crappy product that you haven’t used in a while, then why did it make it past question #1? C’mon man get your head in the game! A good rule of thumb is if you haven’t used it in six months, then send it to a better home…or the trash.
3. Is It Still Fresh or Has It Expired?: There is literally zero point in keeping makeup that’s not good anymore. I make the mistake of hanging on to things because I place sentimental value on them for some reason but I’ve made a rigorous effort to get over that. You have memories and photos you don’t need a dried out old tube of eyeliner that you wore to prom. If the color, texture, smell, consistency or anything to that effect has changed then get ride of it! It won’t work right and it can even give you a reaction or an infection. In the trash, baby!
4. Could Someone Else Get Use Out Of It?: This is where the pile for friends and family comes in. If there is something you don’t use because it doesn’t work for you try to think of someone close to you that it might work for. I put aside two whole boxes of stuff for my mom and sister today. A lot of it was never even opened because I got it as a sample, or in a subscription box, or as a gift with purchase and it just wasn’t something that appealed to me. Other things we’re things that I like, but don’t use much because I have products that work better for me. So I make a little pile of stuff that I think might work for each person in question. Generally I’ll pack it into a box from Birchbox or GlossyBox because then it’s nice like a little present for them.
5. Will You Even Miss It?: If you have considered all these things and you are still having trouble letting something go even though you know you probably should, ask yourself this - On a day to day basis will you miss it? Does it bring joy into your life? Do you LOVE this product? If the answer is no, then toss it. If you keep everything because you just can’t let go of it then you’ll stop appreciating the things you have. You’ll also be surrounded in clutter, end up with storage problems and maybe even end up on an episode of hoarders. Which is to be honest my worst nightmare. I’m sure a lot of you agree.

Those are the piles I made as I sorted it out, and the cute little subscription boxes full of stuff I packed up for the other Quinn ladies. Now I have more organized drawers, less to pack and last but not least…more room for new things! So if you need to make the makeup purge happen but it’s hard for you, just know that I feel your pain, and that asking yourself those questions helps a lot. You can do it!