How often do we complain that there is absolutely not enough space in our cosmetic bag or on the dressing table! But in fact, it just contains a lot of unnecessary cosmetics, which we use only once a week or even less often. You can safely refuse such funds, leaving only the basic set. Thus, time will be saved on everyday makeup, there will be free space in the cosmetic bag or bag itself, and, of course, it will be possible to reduce the cost of purchasing new cosmetics. So, let's start the revision!

How often should a cosmetic bag be audited?

Stylists and wardrobe experts advise throwing away clothes that you haven't worn in a year or a season. For example, if over the past winter you have never put on a coat, then it is unlikely that you will wear it in the next cold season. Feel free to dispose of it! Moreover, today there are many means to do this: sell on commission sites, place an ad on a marketplace, donate to a friend or sister, and in the end, donate to charity.

The same is with cosmetics, and even more: an audit of the cosmetic bag and dressing table in the bedroom, as well as all the care products in the bathroom, must be carried out every six months. The shelf life of cosmetics is short-lived, and therefore you need to pay primary attention to this, and throw away the funds as soon as it has expired. The only exception can be spirits, (read if they have an expiration date) but perfumes must be stored correctly and carefully.

But how can you competently conduct an audit in a cosmetic bag and leave all the essentials? Here are the top tips.

1. Make a step-by-step plan for your daily makeup

In drawing up a basic set for everyday make-up, approximately the same rules prevail as in drawing up a capsule wardrobe for every day. Before throwing out something unnecessary from the cosmetic bag, and even more so to acquire something new, you need to decide what stages your daily make up consists of. This will show which cosmetics you will use most often and in large quantities.

For example, your daily ritual before leaving the house is to apply foundation, matte powder, blush or bronzer, eyebrow / eyebrow pencil, eyeshadow, mascara, and lipstick / gloss. As a rule, this is the standard and most popular set of commonly used tools.

2. What kind of means to choose?

Now think about what exactly the foundation should be, remember how many and what brands you have tried and where in the end you stopped. The same applies to all other cosmetics. Most often, you can do with one foundation, the same transparent matting powder, one bronzer and standard shades for nude eyebrow and eye makeup, black or chocolate mascara.

Variations can be different shades of the foundation for winter and for summer, but in summer, if desired, a shade of light tan can be given with the help of a bronzer. It's the same with eyeshadow: you can use a bronzer or highlighter instead. For eyes and brows, you can use the same well-sharpened pencil. Lips demand more: you can purchase two colors for use every day and two darker / brighter for the evening.

3. Study carefully the expiration dates

Now you can start revising the cosmetics you already have. First of all, be sure to check all expiration dates and manufacturing dates. Remember that liquid creamy textures last for about a year, while powders and other dry textures last for 2 to 3 years.Mascara and liquid eyeliner will not retain their structure for perfect application for more than 6 months, and therefore will be simply useless in the future. Lipsticks and lip glosses can be stored for 6 to 12 months.

In any case, you simply have to revise all packages, and throw out everything that has passed the expiration date. In parallel, analyze what tools you have not used for more than six months and ask yourself why? Didn't the color match? Texture? Don't like the smell? Draw conclusions: you shouldn't buy them in the future.

And what to do with those cosmetics that will be suitable for a long time, but do not suit you for the same reasons of color / shade / smell / texture? The same as with clothes: sell, exchange, donate. But only on condition that you just tried the remedy, and did not use it for a long time.

4. What to do with evening make-up?

Today, evening makeup may well be nude and as natural as possible. Even if you want more expressiveness and richness, you can easily get by with the same basic set for everyday use. It is not at all necessary to use bright "acid" colors. To accentuate the oval of the face, add a little more matte powder to the forehead, nose and chin, and a little more bronzer on the hollows of the cheeks, along the hairline and on the chin.

Want to make your eyes expressive? Use a black or dark (graphite, chocolate) makeup pencil. They can also emphasize eyebrows, and apply to the lash line as an eyeliner or liner. Also, if you shade the pencil, you get the effect of smoky eyes. Still, if you want a little more solemnity, you can buy glitter or glitter shadows - they are suitable for an evening, a date or a holiday.

But, as we said above, you will need several lipsticks - for every day, and for an evening out. However, instead of bright lipstick, you can use darker and more saturated lip liner colors and blend them all over the lip area.

5. Remove all unnecessary stuff from the cosmetic bag or bag.

To save space in your purse, you should also think about which funds you need during the day, and which ones can be used in the morning and leave them at home. So, if it is not at all necessary to carry a foundation with you, then a matting powder will still be needed. In this case, a compact compressed powder and a sponge will still be more convenient, and not a crumbly version with a wide brush. If the compact powder is inferior in quality to the mineral loose powder, leave the latter at home, using it in the morning, and put matting rice paper napkins in your cosmetic bag.

Mascara can also be left at home by thoroughly coloring the eyelashes before going out. But you can take a pencil with you. It will come in handy if you need to make your eye makeup a little more expressive, deciding to go with friends or a young man to dinner after work. It will also be possible to correct the shape of the eyebrows during the day. Well, again, lipstick: it is a must in a cosmetic bag, wherever they are, because it is the lipstick that is erased from the lips the fastest. It's also good to keep a regular colorless lip balm on hand.

From the rest of the little things, it is good to put a nail file (even if you regularly do manicure with a master), a mini version of your favorite perfume or a small bottle of scented body spray, and a comb or hair comb in your cosmetic bag or purse. But what you can definitely do without during the day is without curling eyelashes, eyebrow tweezers, pencil sharpeners and other tools, all manipulations with which can be carried out at home.