Why is it so hard to say goodbye to old makeup? I’ve been thinking about this lately, in large part because all of the momentum I had while I was decluttering my stash last spring has ground to a halt. The Marie Kondo train I was happily riding — toot, toot! — has been going nowhere for months.
I’ve been stuck. Big time.
One thing that hasn’t helped was that I had to bring all of the products that were out in boxes in the garage back into my house, and UGH — it’s a long, dumb story concerning homeowner’s association parking rules, but the point is, I had to do it, and now everything’s stashed in a corner of my dining room.
Totes upon totes upon totes, but hey, at least I had the good sense to not bring it back into my office! 👍
I’m looking at the totes in the corner now and wondering why I haven’t touched them in months.
I think one reason is because I assumed that decluttering makeup would be on the same level as cleaning out my closet and saying goodbye to my pre-baby wardrobe, which was hard, but not impossible. Yes, it took a while, and it had many difficult emotional moments, but I got through it, and I felt great afterward.
Here’s the thing, though: with clothes, you get immediate feedback if something doesn’t fit. For example, when I cleaned out my closet earlier this year, I could try on stuff and make an immediate decision. One time, I tried on a cute white jacket, and I couldn’t even get my arm through a sleeve, so it was easy to say, “OK, this clearly doesn’t fit me right now at this moment, so I’m happy to pass it on to someone who can fit into it and will appreciate it more.”
With makeup, it’s not always the same immediate feedback for me. I mean, yeah, there are the obvious times when I’ll open something up, and it’ll look weird or smell funny, and I’ll know right away that it’s going.
The further I’ve gotten into the purging process, the more challenging it has become to say goodbye.
Like, I’ll see a beautiful piece I’ve held onto for years and think to myself, “Oh, this is really pretty! I have to keep it.” Then I’ll do the math and realize I’ve had it for…way too long, and even though logically I know the item should still go, has to go, I can’t do it.
I have a tendency to 1) remember how I used to be in the past or 2) think about how I might be in the future, and when I’m surrounded by those compacts, lipsticks and palettes, I’m rarely ever in the present moment.
For example, I’ll have a blush in my hand, and so many memories of my 30-something self come flooding back. It was a time and place when I was kindasorta fabulous! I stomped-walked in high heels everywhere I went — yup, even at the airport, girl! My closet was bursting with quirky dresses and cute accessories, and I stumbled into all sorts of adventures. Most of the makeup currently sitting in the totes in my dining room is from that era.
And, on the opposite end of the spectrum, sometimes I’ll be holding the same blush and will start thinking about the future. I’ll wonder if I might need that blush someday and if I’ll regret letting it go.
What if, what if, what if.
I guess one lesson learned from this process is that I no longer want to be swinging back and forth between who I was in the past and where I might be in future. I just really, really want to be more present in the current moment. The now.
So, maybe that’s the push I’ll need. Maybe? I hope so.
I also try to tell myself that saying goodbye to old makeup means I’ll have more room for better things in the future. Newer things. Maybe I’ll find new colors and textures and brands to love!
Anyway, thank you for listening. I hope this was relevant to you in some way as a fellow beauty lover.
Here’s to all of us moving forward, one lipstick at a time.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I can 100% relate to this post. I have always loved cosmetics and have bought way too much over the years. I started reading some of the minimalist blogs (Joshua Milburn & Ryan Nicodemus, Courtney Carver, & Josh Becker) and until this crazy pandemic happened…I never really attempted to try and actually practice any minimalism. The last couple months, I have slowly started going through it all and letting stuff go. And surprisingly… it’s very freeing. I struggle with anxiety and all the clutter in my house really wasn’t helping me. My stress levels with this crazy world have been a real struggle lately and I wanted to change something. I wanted “control” over something. To get inspiration on the makeup part…I watched “makeup declutter” or “makeup purge” videos on YouTube. Shoes have been the harder area…I didn’t even realize I owned that many. And alot of items I hold onto are for the same reason as you…I keep holding on to my “fantasy” self. I don’t wear heels anymore…but man I looked cute in them before the kiddos. Now my ankles and joints would scream…but what if I need them? Red lipstick and berry/plum lipsticks are also hard for me to get rid of. I know I really do not need that many (I only have one smile and right now it stays covered with a mask). I am just getting started, but I have been proud of the progress I have made. Good luck on your makeup declutter!!!
Thank you, Mandy! I’m going to brainstorm some ways to move forward with the project today. Hopefully something will stick!
P.S. I struggle with anxiety as well. Have you heard of the YouTube channel “Therapy in a Nutshell”? I’ve found the videos very helpful, especially the series on processing your emotions.
I will definitely check that out. My emotions have been all over the place. Having young kids in school has been very hard with this new Delta variant. Work, kids, pets, emotions…adult life is hard😝. Love coming to your site for a break from it all.
Adulting is SO hard. I feel you! What’s been the most difficult part for me is all the uncertainty. I like having plans and being able to count on certain things, you know? When everything is up in the air — even the seemingly simple things — it wears me down.
Regarding the Processing Your Emotions series, it’s 30 parts (!) and packed with lots of useful, applicable information and tips. It’s really helped changed my perspective. I usually listen to a video while I’m walking or doing something around the house — they’re between 10 and 20 minutes long.
Another thing that I’ve found really helpful is meditating first thing in the morning, right after I wake up. It helps me to not grab my phone first thing to doom-scroll the news, and it sets a calm tone for my day.
I hope you and your family have a healthy and happy fall/winter season!
Good luck as the de-clutter saga continues. You’ve made fabulous progress, so don’t be too hard on yourself. I’ve been too lazy to tackle any of mine, so you should give yourself credit for a great start! 🙂
I’m glad to hear that you’ve found something (the Emotions series) that’s making you feel better. I hope all is well with Connor at school and that you guys are getting into a happy routine!!
I can totally relate to the “maybe I’ll use it in the future” thinking for makeup, clothes & shoes! I am working on de-cluttering my own (very) modest stash, and I agree it’s hard to let stuff go. But here’s the thing – you had totes of makeup stored in your GARAGE. When was the last time you used any of that? Do you need it for future reviews? If not, then I think it’s safe to say you can recycle or trash. Take a deep breath and make a goal to do tote per week, or maybe spend an hour per week working on it. Good luck!
Maybe you could do a little blog series, ode to xzy…. Show us a cute photo of the product and tell us a little about what it reminds you of, and we can all say goodbye to it.
It makes me think of my freezer stash of breastmilk, when it went bad I made my husband take it to the trash on trash day when I was upstairs, I just couldn’t bear to watch it go but we needed the freezer space.
If you have any unused products, you could donate them to a women’s shelter. One of the skin care companies I used to work for did that with their products.
Why don’t I do that? Because I dabble in all of mine! :/
I agree, it is SO hard, way harder than getting rid of clothes. With my old makeup, I am not only thinking about the woman I was, but also about the woman I may want to become, and how that woman would totally wear that lipstick/ blush/ eyeshadow, and then I feel as if I am giving up on that version of myself if I don’t hang on to that item…
Yes, so hard! I feel you, girl.
Just checked out Therapy in a Nutshell. Thank you for sharing that, it looks so helpful. Makeup can be so nostalgic. But I agree with the prior comment that having your older makeup stored in your garage shows that you really could let it go. The garage and the curb aren’t that far apart.
Your reference to the white jacket reminded me of something that happened when I was a child. My mother had a jacket as a young woman that she washed incorrectly, and it shrank quite a lot! She saved it anyway, and when I was about 9 I wore it on a family trip to the La Brea Tar Pits. It fit me perfectly!
I’m amazed you can store makeup in garage. Where I live, the heat in the summer and cold in the winter would ruin it in *very short order.*