Monday 11 July 2011

Out with the old

I used to be pretty good with using up cosmetics (skincare and makeup) before expiration dates back in the days when I first started wearing makeup and was a poor student (around the ages of 17/18). That's because I had very little makeup to speak of so could finish off an entire product before buying a new one - I even remember mascaras drying out and throwing away an empty Bourjois powder case when all the powder had been completely used up.
These days, however, I'm not so great with throwing out old cosmetics. It's pretty sad but I've become the type of person that's very attached to their makeup and skincare items and so I loathe to part with products unless I've used up every single crumb/ml/cm. I always think back to the days when I scrimped and saved the pennies (literally) to buy something as simple as a £2 lipgloss and it makes me feel more grateful for what I have now, but also constantly reminds me not to waste anything.

Yesterday I decided enough was enough and I really do need to start clearing out my collection. It's sad throwing out stuff I haven't even hit pan on but it has to be done.

So here are the items that were the first to go. The Maybelline mascara I used only a handful of times - the formula is a little too dry for my liking. I dislike the soggy formula that mascaras like L'Oreal Million lashes have, but too dry formulas aren't too appealing either. I've never thrown out a mascara after just 2 months but it had to be done. Next is the Maybelline Dream Matte powder. That one is at least 2 years old. I hit pan on it but there was still loads of product left and it seemed like it was in good conditon. But 2 years of use seems like more than enough. Finally I threw out my old Smashbox under eye brightener (over 1 year old),  a MAC primer sample (rubbish!!!!) and a Skin Doctors Zit Zapper (that did no zit zapping at all!)

It's kinda therapeutic throwing old stuff out but on the other hand the logical side of my mind is shouting ££££MONEY!!!£££ ALL THAT HARD EARNED CASH WASTED!!!!££££ Especially since all the products I threw out seemed perfectly fine too - nothing was "spoiled" as such.

I'm sure cosmetics have expiry dates on them for a reason though, so I guess it's good to follow that old saying "it's better to be safe than sorry". I'm going to have look through all my old makeup and start using up some products really quickly in the next few months or giving them away. Sleek palettes only have a 12M shelf life which is not much at all in the world of eyeshadow (even if you wore eyeshadow every day for a year you would not finish a Sleek palette).

Sometimes I think companies should make teeny tiny sample shadows for makeup junkies 'coz lots of people end up having to throw away makeup that has rarely been used. I think if I counted how many single shadows I have (by single I mean in single pots as well as palettes and pigments) I'd have hundreds. Whilst I have aspirations of becoming a makeup artist in future that's still too ridiculous an amount for a just a "wannabe" like me at this stage.

I discovered this website recently called giveandmakeup where you can send off makeup and skincare and other items to women who have fled their homes as victims of domestic abuse. I think it's an awesome project and I'm definitely going to donate some items because I have quite a few things I've never used. Lots of people buy makeup and then find they never use it as they have more than they will ever need (the hoarders anyway) so this is a good way to give away products to people who will appreciate them rather than let them fester in your makeup draw. :)

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