Declutter your makeup bag for the new year
Is your makeup bag bulging at the seams with old lipsticks and eyeliners lurking forgotten and unused for months (if not years)? Then it’s definitely time for a declutter.
Tough love
Take a deep breath and dig deep. What exactly have you got in your makeup bag and do you actually use it?
Let’s start with that makeup that you bought at a knock-down price in last year’s sales and have never used. Then there’s that dried up mascara and nail polish.
Some of the worst clutter culprits are freebies and samples that you’ve picked up from here, there and everywhere. Be honest: If you haven’t used them yet, you likely never will.
Did you know that once opened makeup can harbour germs. Wet environments in particular harbour bacteria, which is why mascara needs regular renewing. The bacteria that exist on our lashes are transferred to the wand and into your mascara tube.
Finally, toss out all those products you’ve used once and really didn’t like, but still hoard as a ‘backup’ option.
Feeling better already?
Cleaning and sorting
Wipe clean the products you are keeping. Then clean or wash your makeup bag – or treat yourself to a new one as a reward for all your decluttering work. If you’re buying a new bag choose one with small compartments or pockets so you can separate out different product types and sizes. Wash your makeup brushes and sponges. Run each brush under warm water using fingers to spread out bristles, avoiding water where the bristles meet the handle as it dissolves the glue, and bristles shed. Apply mild soap or shampoo and swirl the brush in your hand to lather up then rinse. Wipe across a clean towel and reshape bristles between your fingers.
Separate out your makeup tools such as brushes and sponges and store them in a separate pouch in your makeup bag to protect them and keep them clean. I also pop in tweezers and a couple Q-tips for emergencies adds.
Less is more: makeup bag essentials
Here are my top six tried and tested products that will really earn their keep in your makeup bag:
Jane Iredale Brightening Primer – for added hydration and luminosity.
Jane Iredale Liquid Minerals – Now the *New* Tinted Serum – a sheer foundation, now a serum, with a hint of colour and skin care ingredients.
Jane Iredale Glow Time Blush Stick in Mist – for a creamy hint of pink shimmer on cheeks.
Jane Iredale Retractable Eye Brow Pencil – to fill in and shape brows
Jane Iredale Blending Brush – perfect for blending foundation and blush.
Jane Iredale Triple Lux Cream lipstick in Rose.
P.S. I always have Powder Me Dry Sunscreen on hand to apply over my makeup for added sun protection. It’s available in Nude and Translucent.
New year, new you…
It’s a new year, a new start and there’s change in the air… so why not give your makeup a makeover with a fresh new look for 2023.
