What was the last product you decluttered?

What didn’t I declutter? I went through six or seven bins filled with products I reviewed in the last few months and really tried to keep very, very little. I also emptied my Hourglass and MJB drawers!

— Christine

28 Comments

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Mandy Avatar

Yes, I need to do this too! I also think I still have a bag full underneath the bathroom cabinet from saving all my MAC empties & then switching to mainly shopping online (closest store was over an hour away too) & never taking them in.

Penny Avatar

Surprisingly most of my MAC stash…..I just got rid of a bunch as there are so many new inventive brands on the market these days I just haven’t been using any MAC in the last year or two…..some of my old UD eyeshadow palettes also went to eyeshadow heaven…..

Mariella Avatar

I’m the opposite of Christine (and of course, don’t have her amount of incoming items) and find it hard to let go of ANYTHING I once loved. I did get rid of a bunch of old makeup a few months ago – a lot of things from PUR Minerals (things that came in Shopping Channel “Showstopper” sets) – and also a lot of gift with purchase makeup – so mostly items that I didn’t actually choose but which came free or in a value set with other things I did want and use.

Christina D. Avatar

I had so much MJB that I really liked but it had all “aged out” and I got rid everything, too!

I routinely declutter and my most recent mission has been to eliminate items more than three years old (with very few exceptions). I find that in most cases the products don’t perform like they used to — noticeably shorter wear time — and I really want to make use of newer things. I am also striving for a more succinct and carefully curated selection. And I refuse to buy more storage bins LOL.

Kimmwc03 Avatar

I’ve been trying to declutter at least one item every week this year and the last was a MUFE powder foundation.
But, I just read that Back to MAC is ending so I guess I need to go through my MAC stuff now.

Lily Kelley Avatar

I just decluttered a lot of old Mac and Lancome lipsticks that i do not wear anymore. Also some blushes that were old and not what i would wear now.

Erica Avatar

My makeup collection isn’t so big for decluttering. But I just let go of a Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink. I have tried so hard to like and make the lipstick work, but I hate everything, absolutely *everything* about this product. It’s extremely uncomfortable, patchy, smells weird, and dissolves off in a record 2 – 3 minutes.

Genevieve Avatar

It’s been awhile since I did a big declutter, but I did a mini one of my old lipsticks a couple of months ago. I got rid of the ones that I didn’t use much – like my Bite Beauty ones (just not creamy enough and they dried my lips), but that’s about it. I probably should go through my eyeshadow palettes, but I just can’t part with some of them.

Kesha Avatar

A bunch of old Pat McGrath lipsticks that during one of the Black Friday sales a few year ago when they were $10. Mostly shades that I had suitable dupes for and currently use. Nothing was really wrong with them per se. I just haven’t touched those specific lipsticks in so long it felt like it was time to let them go. I still love the formula (particularly the MatteTrance and LuxeTrance ones) and still have a ridiculous amount left that I didn’t get rid of 😂

Nina Avatar

I love single eyeshadows. It’s from the MAC days. For a while I was always picking up a single shadow here and there. From MAC to Covergirl. Two weeks ago I tossed probably 8 single shadows. They were old and tired and who knows what shape they were in. There’s so much makeup out there now that I don’t feel the need to get something and a backup. Chances are it will be discontinued or still available if I run out.

Nina Avatar

Also, in the next two weeks I’m tossing many lipsticks. I bought and used many Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks (I’m counting 11). I’ve outgrown them. They seem heavy and not my thing anymore. They were great then, not now. So lipsticks are going bye bye soon!

Emma Avatar

Decluttering in the UK means, essentially, binning items as there isn’t easy access to ‘rehoming’ used makeup. Most of the shelters here too won’t take used products so all you can do is gift to friends and family which is annoying.
I did that with my Drunk elephant Bronzi drops as i’m just too pale to pull it off, even in the summer. They make me look like a floating Orange head! I did get rid of some old dried out liquid lipsticks and cream eyeshadows, does that count?

Christine, I know you were upset with Hourglass a while ago due to their lack of shade diversity in their powders and felt they weren’t particularly inclusive as a brand but i’ve noticed the past year or so that they seem to have brought in much deeper shades across theirs powders and palettes. Is there another reason why you no longer purchase their products? Not a criticism, just curious.

Christine Avatar

I don’t think they have improved their line very much to be honest – they are still very limited on blush, highlighter, bronzer, contour, etc. and they haven’t actually gone deep as far as I’ve seen in their limited edition releases. You can still see how they don’t really think about it through their launches – for example, the Vanish Airbrush Concealer has a mini size, but what shades do they drop? A lot in the medium-deep/deep ranges. They offer almost all the light and most of the light/medium shades, but they don’t even offer the darkest shade in a mini size. They have 22 shades in the concealer but only offer 12 shades in minis.

Helene Avatar

The last one was a mascara. I don’t remember name or brand. I have a decluttering bag that I’m slowly filling. The things that are going out are mostly creme products, lipsticks and dried out eyeliner pencils.
As for eyeshadows or palettes, I keep them, I have a really, really hard time letting go of anything like that, though I did toss a few Dior quints not all that long ago, but they were really old and didn’t perform well when I tried them on.

Wednesday Avatar

I did a massive purge prior to moving back in summer 2021 where I trashed all my old MAC stuff, and more sadly, a whole slew of older lipsticks (Tom Ford, Bite, Nars Audacious, Estee Lauder, Armani), skincare, haircare and anything other beauty related products I was not using on a routine basis. I suffered through that. I truly did. When I saw the resulting heap of trash representing !!so.much.money!! sitting on my floor, it altered me. Fast forward to today and I purge on an ongoing basis even though there is not much to purge. The last victims were a small handful of colourpop palettes. I hate the formula (too stiff, too powdery for my tastes) and what is the point of struggling when I have ample product I love and find easier to use.

Matilda Avatar

I just decluttered a Colorpop Super Shock eyeshadow in Dream Much. It is a gorgeous ethereal perwiinkle but it is too glittery to go with the rest of me.

miss.mercurial Avatar

Decluttered three eyeshadow that I’d blended to dupe the High Tides palette since I now own that palette lol.

I will likely declutter a couple SSS from Colourpop that I tried to revive and only had middling success with. Honestly I have to get better about decluttering but it feels like such a *waste* when I routinely inspect for off odors, etc. and sanitize my products.

I may declutter a blush that broke – lovely color but it served its use and it wasn’t so unique that I feel compelled to re-press it. I’ve had mixed results re-pressing baked shadows/blushes anyway.

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