To many, spring cleaning your makeup bag can seem like a chore – or in bags as big as mine, like torture! While torturous, cleaning the makeup bag is a must because it helps you get rid of old makeup that can cause skin breakouts or worse. However, cleanup doesn’t have to be stressful, and with these tips can be quick and painless!

1. Dump It: You’ll want to dump out everything you have so you can see what you’re working with. Nothing fancy, a big shoe box should do the trick. Everything gets dumped except for brushes, they go in a separate container.
2. Something Smells: Go through all your makeup and perform the “smell” test, in which if it has a foul odor (or just doesn’t smell fresh any more), you know it’s time to toss it.
3. Live No More: To everything there is a season, and makeup surely has expiration dates. Toss out anything that is past it’s expiration date or the following rules of longevity.
• Mascara – 3 months OR if it’s dried out
• Foundation – 1 year max (take precaution if you use your hand to apply)
• Powders/Blushes/Lip Gloss,Stick- 18 months max (But don’t push it!!!)
• Nail Polish- 1 year max but toss it if you see it’s getting old
• MakeUp Sponge- 1 month max (It needs to be washed each time)
4. Broken Dreams: Toss away anything that is broken. If you really want to save it, convert your blushes, eyeshadows etc. into a loose powder by crumbling up the powder and putting it in a sealable container.
5. Brush Away: Your brushes need to be cleaned every week, or at least bi-weekly to remove dirt and bacteria. Brushes that use liquid or gel (foundation or eyeliner applicators) need to be cleaned each time so you don’t reapply bacteria to your eye.
• Place them in a cup slightly filled with water with a bit of shampoo.
• Swivel them around, rinse and lay out on a towel horizontally. CAUTION: DO NOT lay your brushes vertically with the head up because water will seep into the glue and destroy the bristles.
6. Let It Go: No need to hoard. Let go of anything you don’t use, stuff you don’t want, and things you seem to have in bulk. Either toss it out or give it to a friend and be done with it.
7. Necessities: When you go out, only take what you know you’ll need. No need to try to fit 4 different lipsticks in your purse when you already know which one you’ll wear. Use the “hand” test- only take as much makeup that can comfortably fit in your hand.