Spring Cleaning: Done!

Just in time for the first day of summer, I finished Spring Cleaning my makeup cabinet. It had been… awhile. I think I skipped doing it last year due to some health b.s., and I had an embarrassing number of expired products.

It seemed like all of my MAC products had expired at the same time. Though, since I’m pretty sure I bought all of them around the same time, during a Kandee Johnson phase, this definitely makes sense. Mostly, it was lipstick. I used to buy all my lipstick from MAC before I found out about Sephora’s awesome return policy. Come to think of it, I used to buy all my lipstick from MAC before NYC even HAD a Sephora. Anyway, I had a whole bunch of them. Some of them had expired, some of them were never right, but they didn’t take up much space, and I had PAID for them, so I kept them. (Something to not do.)

I’m happy to get rid of them, and clear out some space, especially because MAC has a “Back to MAC” recycling program. If you have six empty MAC cosmetics containers, you can exchange them for a new lipstick. And trust me, I have way more than six. There is, however, one I’m sad to see go, and that’s the limited edition Cyndi Lauper Viva Glam. Bummmmed.

There were quite a few other things that I really liked, but had totally gone south. It sucks makeup expires so quickly. If you actually stop to look, you might be shocked at how quickly things go bad. A lot of cosmetics expire after 12 months, the more natural products after only six! With creams or liquids, you know when they’ve turned. They’ll smell funny, feel funny, or look funny. But with powders it’s not really obvious. They seem fine! Right? But they still have little labels on them claiming a relatively short shelf life. Just to be sure, if this was, you know, really REAL, I checked in with my friend Sheri, a professional makeup artist and aesthetician. This is what I learned in our very casual facebook conversation, which I just got her approval to share:

As far as powders (face, blush, shadow) go, the rule of thumb is 12-24 months. The cleaner you keep your brushes, if you don't use your hands, and if you store the products in a clean, dry area, the longer it lasts.

The more natural the product, the shorter the shelf life.

If you find that your regular powders are starting to cause breakouts or irritation… time for them to go.

Eyes are always the most sensitive to bacteria so those powders should go first.

If something is "old" but has never been opened, it’s still usable (for the most part). Since it hasn't been exposed to air, it hasn't started oxidizing yet.

You can clean powders by spraying them with a high percentage of alcohol, which will also make them last longer.

Thanks, Sheri!!! So yeah, I guess it’s a real thing that you have to toss old powders. Bacteria! Those jerks.

Bacteria is also the reason you want to do a good job cleaning your brushes. I ended up using Johnson's Baby Shampoo on mine, because the Clinique Brush Cleaner I have seems better suited to a quick-clean in between uses. I also used those brush protectors we talked about to dry them. It was like a makeup brush beauty parlor up in here. All the girls got their hair did.

So, the main event! I finally did a massive overhaul of my cabinet. I posted my “before” picture with my plan of action a few months ago, in actual spring, but here it is again, along with some detail shots.

Below is a bowl full of stuff I got rid of. So. Much. Stuff. This is a good reminder to consider each purchase carefully, and to return anything that doesn’t work out. And shop at places that let you return stuff! Also, clean out your stuff regularly. All this clutter was getting in the way of me getting ready!

Here is an ACTUAL EFFING MOTH that was in the bottom of the thing where my eye and lip pencils live. Gross!!! I swear, I keep a clean house. I guess I just don't clean the bottom of my makeup pencil holder enough. Obviously. 

And here is the reorganized cabinet! Cleared of all underused and expired products, and with a removable basket holding my most-used products. Ahhhhhhhh….

Tah-Dah, right?! It is so much easier to put on my makeup without having to dig through things, and without stuff falling all over the place. Though, that IS how I got the idea for a mini-most-used-makeup basket, which I really like. Learning!

Do you wish you had a friend like Sheri? Guess what, you DO! Sheri has agreed to answer all our questions about makeup and skincare. Use the contact link in the right column to ask your question, and Sheri will answer it in an upcoming post. (Your name will not be used.)