I tried decluttering my makeup collection using 'body doubling' and got rid of 32 products

If there's one thing I love collecting, it's makeup. But, beyond my signature dark winged eyeliner, my many full drawers of eye shadows, blushes and lipsticks sit unused the majority of the time.

This year, however, I decided that enough was enough. Not only is using old makeup unsanitary, I don't want to risk putting expired products anywhere near my face.

Inspired by our recent article on how body doubling makes tedious chores easy, I decided to give this decluttering method a go to streamline my makeup, something I've put off for too long. Not only was it actually an enjoyable experience, but I cleared 32 items out of my collection with ease.

I tried decluttering my makeup by body doubling

Although I'm fast becoming familiar with decluttering tips, I actually hadn't heard of the concept of 'body doubling' until I realized I've actually been doing it all along. Struggling to motivate myself and stop being a serial procrastinator when it comes to cleaning and tidying, I often pop on some background television or a podcast to make the task a little easier.

The 'body doubling' part comes in when putting on videos of other people cleaning, tidying, or in this case, decluttering their own makeup collections in the background. There are lots of these videos available for free on YouTube, and I particularly like the creator sophdoeslife.

Most importantly, I found having one on made it much easier to overcome decluttering roadblocks, particularly when it came to products I wasn't sure I wanted to part with, but knew I should.

My process for decluttering my makeup and skincare was simple. With a video on to help body double the task with me, and one of my best candles lit, I went through my makeup collection one drawer at a time.

It became immediately clear which items had to go as there were signs of discoloration, ominous odors or changes in texture. For others, I relied on expiration guidelines, identified by the small symbol you can find on all makeup packaging, that looks like an open tub with a small number inside it.

• Powders usually last up to 24 months.
• Creams have a shorter expiry date due to their higher water content, and are usually good for use for up to six to 12 months.
• Mascara typically lasts three to four months – although mine usually runs out or dries up by this point anyway.
• Lipsticks should ideally be replaced after 18 months
• Lip gloss is good for six to 12 months, but you will usually be able to easily see degradation in formula or color, if you're unsure how long you've had an item.

Using a strong trash bag, such as the Hefty Strong Large Trash Bags available at Amazon (I knew there would be a lot to go) I sorted through product by product, testing colors and smelling items as I went.

Rather than finding this laborious, following along with my body doubling video companion made it feel more like a joint effort. I actually re-discovered products I had forgotten about and enjoyed thinking about the times I had worn that red lip color or blue eye shadow and the memories attached to each.

Usually, I find it hard to declutter sentimental items but this felt completely different – after all, if something is expired and can't be used again there's really no point in holding on to it.

My verdict

When I had finished, the pile of products really spoke for itself, and I was delighted with my hard work and the way body doubling helped me to be more ruthless when decluttering and let go of stuff easier to streamline my storage ideas.

My final tally was eleven lipsticks and liners, two lip glosses, three mascaras, four eye shadow palettes, five eye glitters, three eyeliners, one bronzer, one blush, one highlighter and one primer. What a result!

This year, I'm taking notes from the underconsumption trend and embarking on what's called a 'no-buy year' when it comes to my makeup collection, I won't be stocking up or online shopping unless my item has truly run out and I need it.

Shop my favorite makeup organization picks

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