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When your makeup collection looks like a lost and found table, it’s time to declutter.

Consider this your comprehensive guide to decluttering your makeup and keeping it neat and simplified. With our tips, you can refine your collection to something you can be proud of and excited about.

Create Categories

Before you do anything, group your makeup items. The good news is this is one of the simplest parts of the decluttering process. Put lipsticks with lipsticks, eyeshadow with eyeshadow, and so on. Here are the most common categories to help you get started:

• Lip products (lipstick, gloss, balm, liner, etc.)
• Face products (concealer, foundation, blush, primer, bronzer, moisturizer, etc.)
• Eye products (mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, brow pencil, etc.)

Alternatively, you can categorize items by their place in your makeup routine. For example, if you use lash primer, face primer, and chapstick at the beginning of your routine, you could group those into a “primer” category. 

Consider breaking down categories even more if your collection is massive. If you have a dozen mascaras and 10 eyeshadow palettes, those should go into their own categories. 

We recommend doing this on a large surface, like a dining room table or the floor. This will help you assess your collection and consider what you might have too much of. Don’t worry; you don’t have to throw out anything yet.

Use a Makeup Organizer (or Several)

Seeing your collection separated into categories is crucial to buying the right makeup organizer. The product dimensions will determine the ideal organizer. If you have many tall bottles, you’ll need a tall organizer. Get an organizer with ample compartments if most of your makeup products are small.

There are many organizer varieties you can choose from, like lazy susans, miniature chests, travel cases, tiered shelves, cubbies, and more. This is where our first tip comes in handy!

Count your categories and note the dimensions. Buy an organizer with enough compartments for each category, and ensure it’s large or small enough to suit your product sizes.

Luckily, you can find fabulous makeup organizers for less than $25. But you can also try something more DIY. Mason jars, small baskets, jewelry boxes, and sewing boxes are a few items you can repurpose to store your makeup!

Ditch the Duplicates

This is obvious, but many of us neglect to do it. The cruel, cold truth is you don’t need four highlighter brushes or three eyelash curlers. If you’re like us, you might buy a new brush set but not discard the old one. This is where the clutter creeps in. Having “backup tools” can be comforting, but it’s not conducive to a neat makeup collection.

Makeup duplicates are trickier. Maybe you have five red lipsticks, but each shade is a little different. For now, you can keep all those, as long as they’re not the exact same. We’ll address dealing with those kinds of duplicates later on.

Take Expiration Windows Seriously

We’re guilty of holding onto makeup light years past the expiration window. Remember, makeup doesn’t have expiration dates; it has expiration windows. Most expire within six to 18 months of opening. The makeup might seem fine long after the window, but it’s probably not.

Expired makeup can cause skin irritation and rashes and won’t deliver the same results as fresh makeup. Eyeshadow won’t stick; lipstick will clump; foundation will pill up. The bottom line is you won’t look as cute, and that’s the last thing we want.

When you crack open a fresh makeup product, write the expiration date on it. If that ruins your collection aesthetic, keep a small notebook with all the expiration dates. And adhere to them!

Use or Lose Those Free Samples

Oh boy, those free samples are delightful. We love them all — the tiny packets of primer, the mini lipstick tubes, the little facial sprays. The best way to avoid the sample clutter is to stop taking free samples. But we would never ask you to do something so soul-crushing.

Instead, we’ll ask you to use them or lose them. Give yourself a deadline for free samples. We recommend one week. If you don’t use your sample within seven days of getting it, give it to someone else or toss it out. Odds are, if you don’t use it in the first week, you’ll never use it, and it will become a permanent piece of clutter. 

Be Real About Your Aesthetic

This is a big one, and we know it might be unpleasant. So sorry! To stop the clutter, be realistic about your makeup use. 

If you still have a tube of purple lipstick from five years ago, maybe purple lipstick isn’t your vibe. If you haven’t been brave enough to wear that neon eyeshadow yet, perhaps it’s time to let that lime green dream go.

Be honest with yourself. We’re not all bold enough for blue eyeliner or talented enough to put on false lashes. And that’s okay! But we must move on from the makeup products that won’t work for us. Either commit to using and finishing these forgotten products or say goodbye.

Regularly Take Inventory

Keeping a lovely, organized makeup collection is an ongoing, neverending project. You should routinely assess your collection and discard expired or unloved items. 

How often you take inventory depends on how often you shop. If you do a makeup haul once a month, do a purge once a month, too. If you buy makeup once a year, you can wait longer. We recommend doing one every three to six months to weed out those expired products.

Pace Yourself

Lastly, you don’t need to do a drastic purge today. You can slowly decide what items work for you and what don’t belong. 

Those five shades of red lipstick we mentioned earlier? Wear each one at least once before deciding what can stay. Maybe all five suit you! That’s great — cherish them, use them, and keep them organized.

Curate a Collection You Can Be Proud Of

This isn’t about throwing away 80% of your goodies. It’s about honing your collection so it’s full of products you adore and use. 

We want every item in your makeup organizer to be something you truly love, so don’t let the so-so or iffy products hang around. You and your face deserve better.