I’m all about spring cleaning! Out with the old, and in with just the items that you need. It’s hard to admit though, I tend to hoard my beauty products. Since it’s part of my job to stay ahead of the latest lifestyle, beauty and fashion topics, you can only imagine how quickly my pile of must-tries grows.

Eventually, that pile gets shoved aside, and forgotten. That’s why I’ve been making an effort this year to seasonally clean out my entire beauty collection.

Here’s how you can start to spring clean your beauty cabinet.

Look At Expiration Dates

The easiest way to start minimizing your arsenal is to split all of your products into categories and then go through each and every single product, noting their expiration dates. Toss all items that have already expired. Trust me, this will make the process of spring cleaning your beauty cabinet much faster.

Pick Essentials

Now that we’ve tossed all those products that expired, look at what you have left in front of you. Again, I suggest sticking to going through your collection by categories of products so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Pick up the things that you are always using and reaching for, and set those aside, away from your trashed items.

My one rule is, if I haven’t used it, or even seen it in a month, then it needs to go. Chances are if I haven’t used something new within a month, it was never going to make it into my routine in the first place. Now, it’s just a space hog. If the items are new or lightly tested, I will donate them, or give them to my sister, mom or a friend.

There are many local women’s shelters and programs that are in need of products we take for granted. They make a huge difference, so do a little research on their rules for donation, and where you can send items.

Downsize Your Tools

You might forget this part, but your brushes and skincare tools are part of this spring cleaning project, too! They take up just as much room, if not more. During my beauty purge, I discovered I had drawers full of brushes and sponges that I had completely forgotten about. Many of them were unused as well.

I didn’t even bother to look through them—I went through all of this time with them, I could definitely give these away, too. Go through your tools and make sure they’re in good shape as well. Anything old or broken should be tossed without a second glance.

Clean It All

Now that you’ve narrowed down all of the products you use and want to keep in your beauty cabinet, it’s time to clean everything. Wipe down those messy palettes, and your storage solutions. This is also a great time to clean and condition your brushes. Ideally, you should be cleaning your brushes as often as you use them, but I am one of those that like to get a few uses out of my brushes before washing them.

Organize With Purpose

It’s now time to get reorganized, and finding your method should be personalized to you, and what works best with your routines. I love a good ‘beauty shelfie,’ but aesthetics shouldn’t trump function.

I keep my p.m. items in my bathroom because I’m an evening showerer. Seeing it in my bathroom reminds me to keep up with my daily routine: toner, serum, eye cream, etc. My a.m. products are tucked neatly by my desk in my home office. I’ll usually do my routine with a cup of iced coffee right before starting my workday. Any items that I interchange, I keep nicely organized in my beauty cabinet.

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