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Do you throw away makeup you don't like/use?


Do you throw away makeup you don’t like/use? Or do you keep it anyway?

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I admit, I do have trouble letting anything high-end hit the trash bit (or recycling bin, if it can be).

66 Comments

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Tiffany Avatar

i still have a few mac lip laquers hanging around from 05′. i cant throw them away because they were my first mac purchases…but i know its gross X_X

Linda Avatar

I tend to put them all in my ‘junk’ drawer as i’m abit of a hoarder, I keep telling myself i’ll find something to do with them one day as I did spend money on them and i hate to waste things but I never do lol.

I occassional give things to friends if they think they like them, i’ve two best friends in particular that are always looking threw my junk drawer for new stuff lol.

nikki Avatar

i have a whole buncha drugstore stuff from my nonmakeup addicted days that i reallllllly wanna throw out but can’t seem to. even if it is just drugstore i keep thinking that i should still try and use it up or its a waste. lame i know

Sophie Avatar

I stash it in my make-up cabinet until it gets to cluttered and I have to clean it out. Then, after a fair amount of painful deliberation haha, I’ll try to give things away.

Rosanna Avatar

Yup. If I don’t like it and can’t figure out how to use it – I will try to give away (like Milani Eye palettes I just gave away) to friends and family.

If no one wants it, I’ll throw it away after keeping it a while (to edge off the guilt).

nicci Avatar

Give it to my best friend…she generally will take it, especially if it is high-end cause she doesn’t have the chance to buy those kind of brands.

Kim L Avatar

If it’s something that is unused (just is not giving me the use it feeling) or parts of free gifts that aren’t my colors, I save for my friends and friends of friends. I give away prob a couple thousand every year since I buy so much makeup! I really am trying to stop!!!

Anitacska Avatar

I throw away the yucky cheap stuff, but normally give things to my sister or swap them on MUA or try to sell them on eBay if I can. I would not throw away something prefectly good just because I don’t use it, especially if it cost a lot!

TG Avatar

I obsessively purge my stuff. Right now I have a lot to get rid of that’s in great shape, but I don’t feel like going through the swap rigamarole since I don’t need anything and listing them for sale on Specktra is even more of a PITA with people haggling you, not responding, etc.

Thing is, this batch of items isn’t something my friends would want. :\

Lina Avatar

I rarely throw things away, but on the other hand I’ve been lucky enough to never have gotten stuff I really dislike. But I do have loads of very old products, that I should get rid of but never do…

dolce aria Avatar

Usually, no. Even if i don’t like a product, I save it, try to work with it outside of complete looks to see if it can be salvaged, or just sanitize it, and keep it on hand in case I find someone it will work for to give it to. But then, I really AM a horder. For years after I started developing my high end collection, i saved my drugstore makeup in a separate box, in case I didn’t have the right color in my sparse collection, or had a need for it. I usually didn’t and i FINALLY got rid of it… maybe a year ago? When I moved in with the boyfriend.

a-hem Avatar

I donate them… to my sister! 😀
It’s funny, because stuff that doesn’t look too great on me always looks awesome on her.

amelia Avatar

i try not to… its kind of wasteful IMO. i tru to use stuff up in one way or another, or if they’re face products that are the wrong shade i’ll give it to someone.

Salvinia Avatar

I moved countries last year and had to majorly streamline my belongings, so I tossed about 95% of my drugstore makeup, most of which was purchased on impulse anyway. I only kept a few things that I really liked, and of course I kept all my MAC, which was thoughtfully purchased and which I considered a worthwhile investment.
I pretty much never throw out makeup based on how old it is; I have mascaras that are like a year old and lipgloss that’s probably 4 or 5 years old. I wouldn’t even think of throwing out something I like that doesn’t necessarily get a lot of use unless it started irritating my skin or smelled really gross or something, which has yet to happen. I just know that if I threw something out that I like but don’t use very often, I’d totally regret it!

Quennie Avatar

It’s hard for me to throw anything away, especially the expensive ones. I really try to finish everything. When it comes to lipstick, I try to give it away. But if it’s already bad or feels different or old, I definitely throw it away.

Katie Avatar

I have some of my childhood makeup products (cell phone lip glosses, Lip Smackers, and some 1-2 dollars of chapstick that I can’t bring my self to throw away but i probably should soon (I don’t use them though!)

Angela Avatar

I usually end up stowing them away, because I can’t bring myself to throw them away. I always think that maybe I will like it later. Though, when I find really old stuff that I had previous stowed, I do throw it away. Just takes a bit of time.

katrina Avatar

I usually keep it if I think it suits me but I’m just not feeling it due to the season or my mood. If it just looks awful on me, like gorgeous gold did :(, I will give it to my bff!

Ashley Avatar

I try to donate it to a domestic voilence shelter- as long as it can be sanitarized, I sanitize them like MA’s do at cosmetic counters. Usually better for hair products or skin care. I’ve volunteered at a few vintage stores, who’s profits went straight to the shelters. They would let women from the shelter come into the store to get whatever they needed for a job interview. So I saw how much small things like that can help give women confidence for things like a job interview.

Emeraldc83 Avatar

I cant bring myself to throw away makeup. I try to find someone to give it to who can use it. Unless it is realy old then I would throw it way because I dont want to give anyone old makeup.

AnGeLwInGz Avatar

I purge drugstore products all the time, but high end is a little more difficult (unless it’s mascara, which is worthless once it’s dried up). I have 3-year old Chanel foundation and skincare that hasn’t been used and I’m damn sure not putting something that expired on my face, but I can’t bring myself to throw away over $100 worth of products.

Katie Avatar

I have a really hard time throwing them away, definitely. I always think about how I could have used the same money to buy something else that would have worked well for me. Once, in a moment of unexplainable stupidity, I bought two bottles of this face wash that I later found I was allergic to and had lost the receipt. Now, I use it to clean my brushes. 😀

Lauren Avatar

If it’s something of quality that I’ve barely used, I will just give it away. If it’s something I paid $5 for, I’ll just toss it. I just had to throw away a DIOR L.E. set from around 05. The gloss section was not healthy looking so I didn’t want any of it to touch my face. I won’t lie, I got a lil sad, so I snapped a quick pic of it. I also am holding on dearly to a MAC compact that is from the Tailormade series that was also my first MAC purchase with my own money. It’s 6 eye shadows for warm eyes in a metal case covered with black and white fabric. Just for the sake of reminiscing, it has Classic White (which I’ve finished long ago), Vex, Honesty, French Cuff, Woman of Means and Boutique Brown.

Any old, unloved lipglosses and lipsticks hit the bin without much thought if they are not apart of a return program like B2M.

Diana Avatar

it’s sooooo hard!! i recently cleaned out my room and was like ok i dont use it, it’s old, it’s going in the trash! so i threw it away…and then took it out and put it back in storage lol

Catherine Avatar

I don’t think my sister or my mom has bought a lip gloss/stick or eyeshadow in years. I just keep giving them the stuff I don’t like/use.

Michelle Avatar

I usually give the stuff away, mostly to my mom.

This is the precise reason I try a sample of something first. I’d hate to get stuck with something that I can’t use.

Alisha in WI Avatar

I try to give it away or think of how to use it. If it’s bad then I will but that usually doesn’t happen, only with hair products and moisturizer.

Eileen Avatar

If the product has only been “gently” used, can be sanitized, and has not gone past its discard date, I’ll offer it to friends. If it doesn’t meet that set of criteria, than I’ll usually hang on to it for about a year, but then I’ll toss it out if I haven’t developed any love for it.

ChickABoo Avatar

I try and use everything up, or if i really dont want to use it, i give it away to friends, family or workmates…the amount of makeup ive given away is shocking…!!

amy Avatar

I have trouble letting go of things because I keep on thinking I would one day find a creative solution for it and use it, even though it is not working out at the moment. It is especially the case with higher end makeup and limited edition packaging stuff.

Lils Avatar

It’s like this with clothes too….i CAN NOT throw anything away, i always convince myself that ill need it one day, or ill wear this again..and as it turns out i never do! With clothes tho its easier for me to just give away than makeup unless its a color i think will look good on someone and ill give it to them 🙂

Meesh Avatar

i try to give things away. but obviously only those that i use once and haven’t contaminated or things that i buy and never touch…but I usually end up throwing them away if I can’t.

LNU Avatar

If its high-end I keep it and always try to find a use for it…if I can’t it just stays in my makeup bag forever. But my old drugstore stuff I kept for awhile till I ran out of room and just threw it out.

Milessa Avatar

If its super old, and gross i’d throw it out, or back to back. But, for the most part, my sister gets it all…which she loves! She’s always in my stuff in any case.

Carrie Avatar

I hate to throw products away. If it’s something I just don’t use, I’ll give it away. I once had an eye infection, so I had to throw all of my eye makeup away. That was brutal.

Jazz Avatar

I sure do . If I am not feeling a product , I will throw it away . Hence the reason most of my collection is from the drugstore , so then I dont feel like im throwing my money away

Scarlett Avatar

I typically give things away to my family and friends. I have sooo many unused products as I always presell with my makeup counter friends for GWPs, PWPs, etc. They always tuck extra gifts into the bag. I also have a hard time passing up a good online deal from Lancome or Estee Lauder. Currently, I work on an on-call basis for various beauty events and am typically paid via gratis. (I actually “make” far more when I work for product because I wouldn’t be paid more than $10/hr, but may receive around $200 worth of gratis for an event.)
I am regularly putting together presents for my grandmother, friends, etc. Whenever there is a makeup emergency—like when a bff had an eye infection and lost her entire collection—I was able to replace quite a bit from my “stock”.

jenny Avatar

i try to hang on to it determined to find a use for it, and somehow i always do. to this day, ive used up everything to its end, even if i dont like it. it may not be for its intended use, but it gets used for something. and i love when that happens

telle Avatar

I definitely don’t! I will give it to girlfriends! I also had a girlfriend tell me about a boutique that she likes to shop at for some high end cosmetics where they will take in donated cosmetics, sanitize them and give them away to women’s shelters, etc. HOW AWESOME IS THAT! 🙂

Leenie Avatar

I usually don’t trash my makeup If its still in good condition I’ll give it to someone I know that might want it, a friend or maybe my sister.

Emily Avatar

If I’m not smitten with a product and want to use it almost daily, I just return it. Makeup is too expensive to keep buying stuff I might use. With that being said, I do have a palette of MAC blushes that I typically only use one or two of but I try to force myself to use them all at least once a month so at least I’m using them!!

With eyeshadows – I try to steer clear of colours I know I won’t use regularly since ultimately it will be a waste of money on my end.

I feel bad for returning items but, like I said, it just too expensive to have that much lying around that I’m not crazy about!

katt Avatar

MAC products I don’t use I B2M so that I can get something I DO use… other stuff I gove to my friends. I hate seeing good stuff go to waste.

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