No matter how well it's organized, your makeup drawer can get messy pretty quickly. Hectic mornings can lead to dropped palettes, spilled foundation, and trails of translucent powder. Plus, brushes and blenders easily collect dust and germs if you don't clean them often enough. Then, there’s the tendency to stuff random things into your makeup drawer in an attempt to tidy up before rushing out the door.
The above scenario is all too familiar to me, especially during busier seasons. I often joke that if a stranger took one look at my makeup stash, they would never guess how long I’ve worked as a professional organizer. But over the years, I’ve developed simple habits that have seriously helped to curb the clutter and keep products tidy. Here are eight things in your makeup drawer that you should clean or clear out altogether.
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Declutter Your Makeup Drawer
Before you get to the actual cleaning, take a few minutes to declutter your makeup drawer with these organization hacks. (After all, there's no sense in cleaning old products you're not going to keep!)
- Separate everyday makeup from special occasion makeup. While I’m a firm believer in the organizing rule of storing similar items together, there’s no reason to cram multiple sets of magnetic lashes or tubes of matte lipstick into the precious real estate in your vanity drawer if you only wear them a few times a year. Reserve some space in the linen closet, for example, to corral the special occasion products and you’ll be left with much more room in the drawer for day-to-day items.
- Make expiration dates a no-brainer. Since most beauty products merely contain a symbol indicating the number of months it’s good for (rather than an actual expiration date), it’s easy to lose track of how long you should hold onto something. Of course, you can always observe the consistency or notice if the smell is off to determine if a product is past its prime. But you can also consider keeping a fine-point permanent marker in your drawer to mark the month and year you open an item to take the guesswork out of decision-making.
- Schedule regular decluttering sessions. I actually schedule these on my calendar so I don’t forget. Keep up a regular decluttering schedule and add your makeup drawer to the list.
Clean or Toss These Items from Your Makeup Drawer
1. Miscellaneous Items
Errant hair ties, bobby pins, contact lens packaging, and a slew of other small household objects can easily make their way into your makeup drawer. Take the time to pull out anything that doesn’t belong and re-home them elsewhere. If it’s convenient to stow a couple of clips in the drawer to keep your hair out of your face while you apply makeup, that’s fine so long as it’s intentional.
2. Trash
Without fail, every makeup drawer I’ve been asked to organize contains at least one of the following things: A handful of cotton swabs, ripped-off clothing tags, or the aforementioned empty contact lens packaging. What they all have in common is that they’re garbage—even the “clean” cotton swabs that you occasionally use to rectify your winged eyeliner. That’s because there’s something else that’s inevitably in every makeup drawer: Dirt, dust, and strands of hair. So if you have cotton swabs rolling around in that mix, they’re certainly not clean enough to touch your eye. Use the stray swabs to pull accumulated debris out from the corners of your makeup drawer and stick to storing fresh ones in a lidded jar on a bathroom shelf or countertop.
3. Mascara Older than Three Months
Speaking of things touching your eyes, many products made for them have a shorter shelf life than other makeup. Mascara is the one to look out for. According to the FDA1, it should be tossed three months after it’s been opened to avoid potential infections. Mascara should also be replaced after any eye irritation or infections. If you’re questioning it or are concerned about contamination, toss it and restock the next time you’re at the drugstore.
4. Expired Makeup
Most other makeup will last you one to two years, but again, if you’re unsure of its expiration, it’s better to let it go. Using expired products comes with the risk of rashes or infections, particularly if you’re using something that directly touches your skin (such as a concealer wand). You’ll know that it’s truly time to part with your holy grail product when it starts to smell bad or separate, looks clumpy, or oxidizes immediately upon application. Because makeup can be expensive, it's tempting to hold onto that wrong shade of blush you bought years ago or the eyeshadow palette you never use. But letting go of products you no longer need means more storage space for the things you actually use on a regular basis.
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5. Makeup Brushes, Sponges, and Puffs
Once you’ve decluttered and tossed the items you no longer need, it’s equally essential to clean the things you’re keeping in the drawer. Cleaning your makeup brushes, beauty blenders, and powder puffs should take top priority. Ideally, the task should be done once per week to help prevent bacteria buildup that can lead to breakouts. There are a plethora of brush cleansers and tools available, but you can keep it simple and use baby shampoo to get the job done. Choose a morning when you have a bit more downtime to clean them so that they’re fully dry by the next time you need to get ready.
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6. Tweezers, Eyelash Curlers, and Other Tools
You should regularly clean the things that touch your hands and face and, therefore, have the potential to harbor bacteria. Your trusty tweezers, go-to lash curler or faux lash applicator, brow spatula, mascara shield, pencil sharpener, and whatever else you employ in your makeup routine all need to be cleaned frequently. In some cases (such as with tweezers) they need to be sanitized after every use to ensure they’re sterile. Fortunately, they can all be taken care of by the same basic household ingredients. Simply wipe them down with either rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Follow by rinsing your tools with water and letting them air dry completely before using them again. You can also take an extra precautionary step with your tweezers and eyelash curler by soaking them in a small dish of boiling water for a few minutes prior to cleaning.
7. Messy Makeup Packaging
Because most makeup drawers are filled with powders, compacts, and liquids, messes are inevitable. If you haven't cleaned them in a while, chances are your eyeshadow palettes are currently caked in a layer of pigment, or your liquid foundation is escaping from its pump. Commit to cleaning off bottles and palettes with a makeup remover wipe or damp paper towel as soon as you notice them. This will help prevent spills from spreading and products from being needlessly wasted.
If you do have a shattered bronzer or broken blush palette on your hands, you can revive it by breaking out the rubbing alcohol again. Using a spoon, combine a few drops of the alcohol with the powder in a bowl to create a paste and then mold it back into the compact. Place a small piece of plastic wrap on top and smooth the paste with a spoon. Then, remove the plastic and let it dry into a powder before applying it again.
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8. Drawer Organizers (and the Drawer Itself)
Don't neglect cleaning the actual makeup drawer. When it’s empty, use a handheld vacuum (or even a lint roller in a pinch) to pick up any bits of dust or makeup powder, and then wipe the inside with a dampened cloth. I highly recommend using individual organizers to store your makeup, as they’ll serve as an extra barrier in avoiding hard-to-remove stains on the bottom of the drawer. If possible, look for ones made of recycled plastic or acrylic as they’re the easiest materials to remove makeup from. (Take a lesson from me, however, and always wash organizers by hand, because they can—and will—warp when run through the dishwasher.) As an added benefit, you can then effortlessly sort and arrange eye, lip, and face products to stay more organized and save precious minutes each morning.
