Seeing as how it’s the last month of Spring I decided it was
about time I did a proper spring clean of my stash and storage!
Had a lot of fun clearing everything out and re-arranging it all. There’s now
finally space for some new products too.
So now onto my tips!
1)Clean Your Applicators!
It’s not just your skin which requires cleansing but anything which touches it
regularly. There’s nothing so self-defeating as using a dirty make-up brush or
sponge on a clean face. You’re just replenenshing the nasty bacteria!
I try to wash my applicators every other week.
Before Cleaning
I use Johnsons Baby Shampoo, though you can use oil cleansers that you’ve
fallen out of love with as well. For those stubborn foundation brushes I find
make up remover works a dream.
And after cleaning!
It’s really satisfying to see all the grime and muck come out of the brush.
Especially the foundation! It’s surprising how much can be hidden away in the
brush. If you suffer from acne this could be one of the reasons why.
2)Check Expiry Dates
This is something I have to admit I’m not so good at, especially when it comes
to sheetmasks. While with other products I use them regularly so am,
unlikely to reach expiry before finishing the product, sheetmasks are easy to
hoard and forget about. Which is why I used this opportunity to properly go
through my sheetmasks and check the dates!
Some places where you can locate the expiration dates
One thing to note is that Asian Products can either have
the manufacturing date or the expiry date. The manufacturing date
is 제조 and the expiration
date in Korean is 까지. So before you
panic and throw out all your products check to see which date it is. For your
European goods there’s a handy symbol, the M stands for months.
And I’m sure we all are guilty of keeping a bag/box of
samples which we’ve never touched somewhere. Fish it out and be ruthless.
Re-gift those samples you’re never going to use, or use those you’ve been
sitting on! If they’ve set up a permanent habitat for more than 2 years, follow
my next step.
3)Throw Out Old Products
This links to the above. If your product has expired throw it out. If it’s been
sitting on your shelf for 3+ years, throw it out. Bacteria can grow and
preservatives become less effective over time, so you could be damaging your
skin without realising it!
This is particularly pertinent when it comes to eye make up. Many a recurring
pink eye can be explained by re-use of old infected products. If it smells
funky or become gloopy toss it out. The risk isn’t worth it!
All the products victim to the spring clean
Below is a handy bullet point summary of how long you should keep each product
from opening.
Make Up
ØCream/Liquid/Stick Foundation – 6 months to 1 year
ØPowdered Blusher, Foundations and Bronzers – 2-3 years
ØCream Blusher – 6 months-1 year
ØMascara – 4-6 months
ØLiquid/Pencil/Gel Eyeliner – 4-6 months
ØPowder Eye Shadow – 2 years
ØCream Eye Shadows – 1 year
ØLipsticks – 2-3 years
ØNail polishes – 1-2 years
Skincare
ØKonjac Sponge – 1-2
months
ØCleanser – 1 year
ØToner – 6 months to
1 year
ØActives (BHA or
AHA) – 1 year
ØMoisturiser – 6
months - 1 year
ØSuncream – 1 year
4)Clean Out Your Storage
This is an easy one to overlook. If you keep your products, especially make up,
in a bag or box empty it out. Give it a good clean, make sure there aren’t any
old/expired products while you’re at it. You might even discover a hidden gem
you’d forgotten about!
Not even half my collection out of storage!
5)Re-arrange Your Display
My favourite part of the whole experience! Now that you have
gotten rid of the old and uninspiring it’s time to beautify your display.
This is the perfect time to switch out your winter heavy products for a lighter
set! I tend to use less heavy creams and lighter colours in the spring/summer
to match my mood.
You might have seen my rather basic bathroom display in my
Beauty Blog Party Post (Read Here),
now below is my bedroom side table! It’s sometimes hard to keep organised but
when I can see everything it makes it less likely that I’ll forget it. Which means
less waste and sad moments when I have to throw hardly used products out.
Are you ready to start Summer with a spring in your step! What
are your tips for spring cleaning? Share them below.
Now that you’ve read my Top 5 Tips I recommend reading two of my other related posts.
