A Beauty Declutter & New Additions

September is a month of decluttering for me. I've already tackled my wardrobe so it was time to have a go at my beauty stash. Writing about beauty means I'm incredibly fortunate to be sent products to consider for review so things mount up and it's all too easy for them to get out of hand. So I got to work at not only decluttering and simplifying my beauty collection but making room for some new additions as well as giving everything a thorough clean. 

DECLUTTERING AND CLEANING

• Empty everything out so you can get a good idea of that you own.
• Organise items into piles, like foundations, tinted moisturisers, primers and so on. 
• Clean all your storage and surfaces with your antibacterial product of choice. 
• Wash your makeup brushes, even the ones that you've not used in a while as they're probably still dirty. 
• Ditch anything that has gone off [the smell test is my favourite].
• Move all of your favourites that you don't want to be without to their own separate pile so they don't get mixed up. 
• Organise any base products that aren't your colour at the moment and store them appropriately. 
• Get rid of anything that's not been used in 6 months or more. This is the rule that I go by with anything as 6 months is quite a while not to use something. 
• Be tough with yourself and ask yourself if you're really going to use it or just hanging onto it for the sake of it. 
• Move all products that have very little let to the front of your stash so they get used up first. 
• Regularly rotate. 

ORGANISING & STYLING

My dressing table has gone through so many stages and so many different setups over the past 4 years. For a while, I liked having everything tidied away but as of right now I'm really enjoying having things out on display that otherwise getting shoved in the main draw and forgotten about. I try and rotate my products on a weekly basis so that I make sure I'm using everything up and by putting things out on display it's not only easier to reach for but makes me aware of how long I've been using the same routine. Of course, my dresser is mostly for beauty but I've added things like jewellery items into the mix. Because I have no proper way of storing my jewellery and I tend to forget to wear it otherwise. So if it's right in front of me on a daily basis I'm much more likely to remember to put it on. 

THINGS I'M USING UP

MARC JACOBS DAISY DREAM*: During my time at university, the original Marc Jacob's Daisy was my fragrance of choice. And now there has been many additions to the Daisy line and Daisy dream is a very sweet twist on the original. My fragrance tastes have changed so much in the time that I've owned this and it's just not quite hitting the sweet spot for me anymore. Even though it contains some of my favourite fragrance notes like blackberries, white musk and coconut water. It's just not sitting right with me anymore and I find it a little too sweet. 

REPURCHASE: NO

AESOP PARSLEY SEED MASQUE:  I've been saving the remains of this mask for a long time as it's one the greatest masks I've ever used for getting all the dirt and grime out of my pores without leaving me with a full face of spots afterwards. Nor does it settle down to a really uncomfortable cracking finish on the skin which isn't something I like in a mask. They're are so many awesome high street deep cleansing masks as clay [which is the main ingredient in a deep cleansing mask is incredibly cheap]. But there is just something about this Aesop mask that I absolutely adore and keep going back to. 

REPURCHASE: YES, BUT NOT RIGHT NOW

MAC MINERALIZE SKIN FINISH NATURAL: This powder has been in my beauty stash for far too long but I don't feel too guilty about it as I'm the only one that uses it and out of all beauty products powders have the longest shelf life. I flip back and forth between loving this cult product from MAC and then forgetting about it for weeks. It is a great powder, it's very smooth in its formulation and can be built up to give coverage but it doesn't cake up on the complexion. Thinking about it now I'm not quite sure why I forget about it so much but there are powders that I definitely prefer over this. 

REPURCHASE: NO

YSL LE TEINT TOUCHE ECLAT FOUNDATION: When I bought this I'd been wearing high coverage foundation for years because my skin was so terrible that I just wanted to hide it away. And this was the product that sparked my entire love for lighter bases. It's been a foundation I've written about so many times that I've lost count. But it's such a stunning product, it adds so much light and life to the skin but it doesn't make it look greasy or like you've dunked your face in glitter. The coverage is light to medium but it's something that is incredibly easy to build up in the areas that you need extra coverage.  

REPURCHASE: YES, BUT NOT RIGHT NOW

NEW ADDITIONS & FIRST IMPRESSIONS

NAILS INC NAILKALE NAIL POLISHES*: A new nail polish is something that always excites me because it's one of those instant gratification beauty products. You don't need to use it for weeks and months to know how it performs and your true feelings on it like many other products. I've not had the greatest experience with Nails Inc Polishes in the past, I've always found the brushes tricky to work with and the formula never suited my nails. The newly released NailKale polishes are formulated to help create strong nails and upon first impressions, they are so much better. Since their relaunch, I believe that the brand has changed all their brushes so now they're wider and flatter and they're much easier to work with and make application a breeze. Even with a light colour I only needed two coats to achieve an opaque finish which is a far cry from the original formulation I used years ago. 

LANCOME CUSHION FOUNDATION*: This foundation has been absolutely everywhere and it's something that really sparked my curiosity. Cushion foundations are huge on the Asian beauty market and are slowly making their way over to the Western world. They're incredibly lightweight in their formula and because you pat the product onto the skin it's so easy to achieve a flawless finish. Even though they are lightweight they don't scrimp on the coverage and in the areas that you want something a little fuller you can build on it. Whilst I've had a great experience with this product from Lancome  I am a little unsure on how I feel about the packaging and the process of applying this as I'm so used to using a brush and blending rather than patting with a sponge. I also have concerns about keeping the sponge sanitary and the product drying out which when paying for a luxury product is something to bear in mind. 

SARAH JESSICA PARKER LOVELY*: During the summer months, I absolutely loved using SJP Lovely Sheer. And at first I wasn't keen on the original but now I'm a little in love. As ridiculous as this might sound this is exactly how I imagine Sarah Jessica Parker to smell, it's feminine but it has a strong element of musk to it. And with notes of amber and rosewood, it's no surprise that I like it. Celebrity perfumes can be very hit and miss but I really like these releases from SJP as they're not sickly sweet and child like but they're still feminine. 

CLARINS MOISTURE RICH BODY CREAM*: Whilst I typically wouldn't go for body care from a brand like Clarins I had no doubt in my mind that it would be great. And of course, it is, Clarins is one of those brands to me that can really do wrong because they create beautiful, no-frills, reliable beauty products. This lotion is simple but powerful and makes my limbs feel awesome, it's hydrating enough that you can feel the moisture on the skin but you're not left slippy and slimy. Of course, buying something like body care from Clarins isn't something that's an option for the vast majority of us. But as a treat or as a gift the moisture rich body cream is a complete dream. 

Do you have any tips for decluttering your beauty stash? What new products are you using at the moment?

R x

Check out: Madolyn Thinks