Please tell me it is not just me!  I have more makeup and skincare products than any one person could use in a lifetime.  I tend to buy something that is sure to help, only to find it is just like the other products. Soon it is abandoned only to be found years later in the back of the drawer.

The fact that now that my skin is starting to show signs of aging, and since some products make wrinkles look worse, have created more product abandonment.  I have lots of lovely shimmering eyeshadows and creams that now only highlight eye wrinkles.  And some of the top-rated foundations are not working on me.

Skincare and, in particular, sunscreen are especially very important.  I have never been a huge fan of laying out, although I did use tanning beds a great deal when I was in college.  Thankfully, I got in the habit of wearing sunscreen decades ago.  However, I do have a dark spot on my forehead which is hyperpigmentation.  My dermatologist felt like it was caused by hairspray.  I have had it removed, but it just comes back so I have learned to live with it.

As part of my overall lightening of my load, I am doing a deep clean out of products.  I have given away or thrown away lots of unused housecleaning products, now it is time to do the same with face and skincare products.

I am throwing away:

All products that smell bad.  They are probably too old to use.  Who wants to use something stinky anyway?!?

All products that I do not remember buying.  They too are probably too old to use.

All products that did not work for me.  This will be a hefty grouping, as I have about 8 different foundations that just did not work!  But before they go, I am giving them a second chance with a primer underneath.  I do think that the right primer can fix a multitude of sins.  I wish I understood the chemical reactions, because the wrong primer can ruin a good foundation as well.  Mix that with my sunscreen and sometimes I get a mess.

All boxes, empties, and near empties.  I always keep boxes for some reason, but any information I need off them can be found online.  If there is an expiration date, I just need to write it on the bottle with a Sharpie.  The near empties are probably because I found a replacement product, which I gave a try and never went back.  Empties may be hanging around in my attempt to locate the same brand and color.  Regardless, they are taking valuable space that needs freeing.

In addition to throwing things away, I am also grouping like items.  I am not sure why I had a bit here and a bit there, but it happened.  For example, I had new mascara in five locations.  Like canned food, they need to be arranged so that the older items are used first, and it is easy to see what is already on hand.

Through the years I have added storage instead of just pulling the plug on underused items.  This just exacerbates my problem of forgetting what I have which in turn means I buy more instead of using what I own.  Originally my makeup and products were under the sink, in a tray drawer, and in a deep drawer, all built-in to the cabinetry.  Then I added a drawer in a plastic rolling cart in my closet.  Next came the addition of an acrylic storage unit to stay on top of the counter.  Then I added a second on top of the original!  Then I added a rolling cart with three shelves in the closet (next to the plastic rolling cart).  I hate to say this, but when this clean-out began, they were all full!

I have also been bad about buying devices such as Clarisonic, NuFace, Dermaflash, Tria, etc. and not using them!  Not sure why I buy them if I am not going to use them!  Of course, I bought a nice bathtub when I renovated my master bath, and I tend to not take baths either.  I am more of a shower kind of girl!

Maybe more than just a physical cleanout for 2021, I need a mental cleanout.  I need to be more mindful of purchases, time, self-care, and available storage space.  This may sound lame, but I honestly believe these are some of the big stressors in my life.  Maybe you have the same situations?  Too exhausted to get up and accomplish anything (like housework or exercise), so I go online to mindlessly look and end up buying something.  That something then needs a home and maintenance, be it clothes, makeup or a new vacuum.  Thus, the trouble begins/continues!

Do you sabotage yourself in the same ways I do?  What are your tricks for preventing it?

Bonus Information:

One tidbit of organization that is working for me is a small grouping of travel makeup and brushes.  I keep small bottles and sample sizes of all the products I need to take with me for a trip in one spot.  When I am packing, I can just grab the brushes, hand lotion, makeup, etc.  It prevents me from forgetting something as well as speeds my packing along.