At this time of year, Halloween makeup may be top of mind for you, but I’ll bet you have a ton of old makeup stuffed in a drawer or caddy somewhere. This week in the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge, we’re organizing and decluttering makeup.

At one time, I had a ton of makeup—every colour of lipstick under the sun with lip liner to match, not to mention a rainbow of eyeshadow colours. You name it. I had it. These days, I stick to my favourites. When I’m at home, I usually don’t wear any makeup. When I venture out or have a virtual meeting or presentation, a little foundation, blush, eyeliner and lipstick or lip gloss is all I need.

I didn’t expect to find much when decluttering makeup. Are you ready to see what I learned in week 43? Let’s go!

This post was originally published in October 2021 and republished in November 2024.

What is the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge?

In this year-long journey, we’re tackling one task at a time with the goal of cleaning up and organizing our homes. If you’ve just joined us, no worries. You can jump right in with this week’s challenge. Just check out the first two posts in the series to download your free checklists.

• 52-Week Decluttering Challenge
• Week 1 – Easy Decluttering Checklist

You can get easy access to all previous weekly posts on the main Decluttering page.

Week 43 – Decluttering makeup

I keep my makeup in one drawer in a vanity table in my bedroom, so this was a pretty quick decluttering task.

This week’s tips – 7 ways to simplify your makeup routine

Beyond the usual baskets to keep things organized, I don’t have a lot of decluttering or organizing tips to share this week. Instead, I’ll share some tips on how I’ve simplified my makeup routine to reduce waste, and save time and money.

• First, a good set of makeup brushes will reduce clutter, waste, and save money over time. Plastic eyeshadow applicators and cotton swabs are no longer needed!
• Similarly, makeup sponges can cut the need for cotton balls and cotton pads. You can wash the sponges and reuse them for ages.
• Keeping those makeup brushes and sponges clean is easy. Just swirl them on your favourite mild bar soap, rinse well and dry on a washcloth.
• To reduce waste, look for a refillable compact. I bought one from Pure Anada a couple of years ago and I love it. The refills are magnetic so you can mix and match colours easily.
• I make my own face power with simple kitchen ingredients.
• Coconut oil is excellent for removing makeup and you can also use it instead of lip gloss. Check out Coconut oil – 1 simple product, 12 beauty hacks for other ways I use this simple ingredient.
• Finally, cut down on the amount of makeup you buy by finding colours that work for you and sticking to them. I used to own 6 or 7 shades of lipstick. Now I’m down to 2.

What I got rid of

Here’s what I got rid of this week. Just 6 items.

• 1 unopened eyebrow pencil
• 3 makeup samples
• 1 eyeliner pencil cap
• 1 paint sample from when we painted our bedroom years ago

And here’s a before and after shot of my makeup and vanity table.

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2024 Update

It has been three years so I’m rebooting the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge to see how much I can get rid of in 2024.

I haven’t fallen back into the trap of overbuying and experimenting with makeup, so this week’s decluttering task was quick and easy. I found just 3 items to get rid of—an old eyeshadow compact, a plastic eyeshadow applicator, and a bottle of hand lotion that I don’t use.

So that’s week 43 done. I hope you found my tips for simplifying your makeup routine helpful.

If you have friends or family members who could benefit from a little less clutter in their lives, please share this post and spread the word!

What did you declutter from your makeup collection this week? Tell us below.