When you’re a beauty lover who cannot stop hoarding products, falling short of space to store your precious skin, make-up, and haircare haul is inevitable. No one likes to part with their goodies but did you know, decluttering and organising your surroundings can actually boost happiness?
“Tidying can transform your life,” said the famous organising expert, Marie Kondo, and to be honest, we’re sold. With 11 million people worldwide buying her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and millions tuning in to watch her Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, it is safe to say that when it comes to tidying up, she knows a thing or two. She believes that the main aim isn’t to throw out stuff but to just keep the items that bring you bliss and happiness.
Kondo has a five-step approach to only keeping the things that spark joy, and today, we’re going to apply that method to our beauty stash. Are you in?
Do it all in one go
Before you decide to organise stuff drawer by drawer, let us introduce you to the Japanese principle of ‘ikki ni’, or ‘in one go.’ That’s right, just take out all your beauty products and make a mountain out of them. Your materialism will (hopefully) shock and encourage you to get rid of the things you don’t want.
Divide stuff into categories
Categorising things helps you to take a good long look at everything you own. Separate your skin, haircare and make-up products and then further segregate them into smaller piles of cleansers, serums, masks, lipsticks and so on.
Get rid of expired and old products
This seems like the most basic step, but it is definitely one many of us are guilty of skipping. Beauty products have an open jar symbol with a number in it on them and post that much time, the item should be discarded (even if it breaks your heart). Discard your mascara if it’s over 6 months old or smells funny, and lipsticks should be used up within a year or two of buying them. Foundations are good to use for two years, whereas concealers should be thrown away after a year, as should kajals and eyeliners.
Keep things where you can see them
The easiest way to make sure you never skip your day- or night-time routine is to keep your everyday products where you can see them. That way the guilt of not doing your regime will keep you on track! Also, you won’t end up impulsively buying things you don’t need since all the stuff you actually need is in front of you. Win-win.
Organise similar stuff in boxes
After checking the expiry date on products, take some time to assess if they make you happy. If you feel like something does not incite bliss, Kondo recommends thanking it for its service and letting it go. Finally, take the products that make you joyful and place them in boxes, category-wise. Transparent organisers are good but if you have cardboard boxes you’d like to reuse, that works too.