Are you like me, hauling everything you see or read because it intrigues you? Seeing a good deal online *cough Luxola cough* that you just couldn’t resist? Or are you buying backups of your favourite just in case the brand decided to discontinue it one day? Guilty, guilty and guilty of that 😀
Today I’m going to share with you how I used up my beauty stash, not just using it up but getting through it on a faster rate. This is not something new. It’s just that we sometimes forget about the simplest way and that is using it. It is so easy that anyone can do it at home.
Keep track of your beauty stash
I started with one large drawer to store all my stash / stock and later on ended up with two large drawer out of the 5-drawer cabinet that I have in my room. Let me tell you this cabinet is massive. Its as tall as I am and it’s wide across. My best furniture purchase ever lol. What you’re seeing now is the balance of what I have at the moment after clearing / using up most of the products. It’s no longer massive, which I’m happy and proud with.
What I like to do is to keep track of what I have in the drawer on weekly basis. I don’t note down what I have with their manufacturing or expiry date but I do it the conventional way, and that is to open up the drawer and take a glance through, sometimes taking the product out and do a cross checking of what I’m using and most importantly to keep track of it’s shelf life. It’s therapeutic than writing it down. That’s just me. If you’re a systematic freak type of person, by all mean feel free to note everything down. The most important is that you do what you feel best suits you.
Keeping track of my beauty stash / stock also prevent me from buying the same product over and over again with the assumption that I don’t have it yet.
Take it out and use it
This is a mistake most people do. They buy, keep, forget about it and when it’s expired, they throw it away. I also have a habit of opening up a new product to use for the sake of using only to have forgotten about it because I was using something similar. There’s a very simple way to fix this. And that is to use only one targeted product at one time. For example if I’m already on a brightening serum, I will used it all up before opening a new one to use. That way I can concentrate on just one product and by doing this, I will finish up the product faster. Rotating a few different product on the same category may seems the best way to finish up your beauty stash, sadly this doesn’t work as fast as concentrating on just one targeted product.
Put the product on a visible place
Another common mistake one make is to open up a product only to have forgotten about it. Or you just don’t feel like using it. I certainly fall into that category. I find this method work wonders for me too. I am someone that don’t fancy using body lotion as I find it extremely sticky on me but what can I do when I have tons of body lotion lying around? I place it in the bathroom vanity rack. I have a 3-tier vanity rack in the bathroom all for myself. It is a rack that I’m quite happy with as I get to see all my stuff at one glance so I put a bottle of body lotion in the rack. The trick here is, if I see it I will use it. And I did. Every time after I shower, I will (because I see it) apply body lotion before getting dress without fail. Can you believe it when I tell you that huge bottle of Clarins Renew Plus Body Serum was there for just two weeks ago and I’ve already used up more than half bottle of it?
Same method applied to my new rotating makeup organizer that I bought not too long ago. You can read all about my current beauty storage at this link. The reason why I bought this type of “open air” organizer and not the usual drawer type of makeup organizer is because the product need to be visible to me in order to use it. If everything is stash in a drawer, I might not see it what more use it unless I open up the drawer. This rotating makeup organizer has been the best organizer I’ve used so far. I’ve now neglected my Ikea Helmer and the MUJI dupe drawer thanks to this organizer. Everything is right in front of my eyes and I’m using products that I didn’t even remember owning! So remember, always place the product on a visible area in order for you to see it and use it.
Hope you like this edition of tips sharing on how to get through your beauty stash. It’s not magical tricks but it’s the basic things that you and I just forget sometimes. These are the methods that I’m currently practising and it has been working well on me so far. I’ve now gone back to just using one drawer to store all my beauty products and half of the drawer is basically empty boxes of some of the products that I’ve opened and currently using. You just have to remember this, stop buying if you ran out of space, start taking it out to use and most importantly put the product at a visible area to remind yourself to use it 🙂
Comments (14)
thanks for sharing the tips Fiona 😀 i must keep in mind to practice this so that my stashes can diminish faster. mom has been nagging me for having so much items and she wont stop talking about “merosakkan kulit” yada yada =_=” no matter how many times I told her I only use what I know my skin can accept, she just wont stop nagging and telling me to stop buying. the problem is, I really dont buy that much nowadays. I receive most of it. when parcels of product review arrived pun she will start “apa benda lagi kau beli ni”.
oh, another very obvious problem I’m having right now as compared to you is that, I dont have my own room and my own space to put my items systematically and SEE it. my family is currently residing at a 3-bedrooms government quarters and there is no way you can squeeze 4 grown-up daughters in one room (T_T) i kept all my belongings in my brothers’ room and he always lock the door to not get disturbed while playing games. well, I just have to bear with this until he goes to UK to further his studies this September and maybe I can have that room for 2 years XD
Nah, don’t worry about having your items systematically placed in front of you at the moment. Just work with what you have now and the place you are at. I had crappy placement for the past 2 years too haha.
Thanks for the advice, hehe! I’m now having 3 systems to keep the products. For the sealed, unopened ones (mostly from events who blessed us with entire set instead of 1 item) i put it in a big container box and told my mom + sisters to search inside there if they need anything 😉 for the opened ones i put them in my 5-tier drawers (which is still a mess because i kept on pindah melaka-shah alam-bandar utama-shah alam-melaka) and for things that I’m currently using + forcing myself to use, i put them in the baskets i bought from Daiso, and it is on top of the shelves that I can see.
Good system, as long as it works for you 😀
My mum are used to parcels flowing into the house everyday that she no longer suspect I purchase online. She thought everything was sent for review LOL although I don’t get as much product now because I am in control of what to be sent to me. I say no to probably 90% of review request. Sometimes I’m happier with purchasing myself 🙂
That’s so true, I prefer to be selective and will accept items only if I am interested. I mean, ultimately I have to use it.
I actually enjoy reviewing items that I have paid for myself and I enjoy reading posts by other bloggers who actually buy items for review. I’m skeptical if a blogger is constantly saying that everything is great and only seems to write sponsored posts. I stop following those blogs after a while because it’s just advertorial after advertorial with no critical content.
I may as well only watch the ads on TV.
New bloggers tend to get overwhelmed and started to accept every single review request coming their way. Nothing wrong with that actually. Just myself personally I want to be able to finish everything, not throw away in the trash can.
There’s one point of time where my skin takes everything like a sponge that I have nothing bad to write about and I stopped. I have to stop because my skin is okay with everything and people might start to think it’s fake. Same goes to sponsored product vs own purchase. When thing gets unbalance, I’ll just stop 🙂
This post came in a timely manner dear! I recently checked some of my deluxe samples and realized I’ve been using expired items. I’ve a bad habit of hoarding and then don’t have the heart to use them. I’m odd like that. But I guess in the long run, it hurts more to throw away those items. I’ve been purchasing those items on sale too! Guilty as charged. I’m really hyperventilating on how to finish them. Coincidentally I did that yesterday and thought long and hard. Then I saw your post today. Super awesome feeling to be able to relate to you. As always your tips are such gems! Thanks much dear. Really appreciate your sequentially and structured manner!
Thanks dear. It’s not an unusual tips hehe. Just a simple reminder on how we can get off track and went on board with so many products at the same time. Nope you’re not odd. I am exactly the same. I’ve recently discovered all my Guerlain deluxe size samples are expired 🙁 . I did a spring cleaning before I stick to this method. I was rotating between 4 brightening products and it’s going no where. I stopped what I was doing, concentrate with just one and I finally hit the bottom today. It took me 6 months to finish a bottle when I’m rotating comparing to 2-3 months for a bottle when I’m using just one bottle at one time.
At one point of time, I can’t breath because products are overflowing everywhere. I ran out of space, I can’t seems to finish anything, I can’t stop buying. It’s just too overwhelming. I’m so zen now LOL.
Haha. I like how you put it that you’ve reached zen. Yes, I agree that if I want to stretch my products, rotating makes sense. But that also means it prolongs the usage of 3-4 concurrent products. Glad that you’ve a structured method now. Oh no, I feel bad for your deluxe samples which expired. We learn for the better I guess. It’s ok. At least we can remind each other now to be mindful with our purchases. Like my recent Bioderma itch. Good thing you knocked senses into my head. Thanks a bunch dear. More skincare and cosmetics adventure in a prudent manner!
Hehe that’s because your Bioderma itch and mine are exactly the same. I have thought of getting on the promotion bandwagon because it’s such a good deal. Then I remember Guardian carry the cute 100ml so that’s how I decided not to get it. Anyway my current 500ml will last me very long lol.
I have these single-brand missions I go on and have to haul everything in that theme. But other than that, I have been very good with my beauty purchases and only buy smaller sizes or sample bags and there has been little wastage.
I am also quite generous with giving people beauty gifts.
I prefer to invest more money in beauty products that don’t have an expiry, hence my weakness for makeup brushes and tools.
I’d much rather buy very, very good brushes than ten tubs of meteorites.
I cannot stand seeing travel kit. I fall for small, cute skin care and it’s cheaper too. Gifting friends and family with beauty products is a great way to disburse some love. Last year is my 2nd year doing so. After all the gifting on Valentine’s Day and Christmas Day, I still end up with a lot of stuff. Sigh.
Haha I love your theory on meteorites. I have 4 of them now. I should have 5 but sold off one long time ago 🙂