Warning: Readers of a squeamish disposition should look away now.
28 lipsticks
9 lip liners
7 lip gloss sticks
9 lip gloss tubes
17 lip balms, various ...
Yes, dear reader, I have confronted one of my demons.
One of the many skeletons in my cupboard.
Here's what a demon looks like. EEEEKKKK.
I recently moved up into my "new" bedroom. It's a bedroom I closed the door on a few years ago. I knew when I closed the door, there were skeletons lurking in the cupboards that I did need to confront. But by closing that door, confrontation was automatically deferred. In my mind anyway, for I have many tools used in my striving towards Procrastination Excellence and the Closing The Door approach has been tried and tested.
But now that I am spending time in this room, I am opening cupboard doors and confronting my demons, finally.
When I wrote my upbeat and positive piece The Great Make Up Cull of 2017 back in February, I knew deep down that I was just scratching the surface of the problem, Then, I dealt with the make up and toiletries in the en suite of the bedroom I was calling mine at the time.
I knew that there lurked a greater demon upstairs. But what the eyes don't see, the conscience don't fret over.
When I wrote my upbeat and positive piece The Great Make Up Cull of 2017 back in February, I knew deep down that I was just scratching the surface of the problem, Then, I dealt with the make up and toiletries in the en suite of the bedroom I was calling mine at the time.
I knew that there lurked a greater demon upstairs. But what the eyes don't see, the conscience don't fret over.
What is the journey that has led me to having 60 odd lip products sitting in a box stuffed in cupboard? Well, when I worked I was forever popping into town for a sarnie and returning to the office with a lipstick, a foundation or an eyeshadow. You see, the best sarnies in town were in a department store. Buying beauty products in department stores spawns more beauty products. It creates a multiplier effect when for each product bought, samples and "buy 2, select five more from the range" end up in your shopping bag and there's a limit to what even this needy lady can use! So I went into retirement with a lot of cosmetics and these days I use even less make up and the stockpile has remained untouched.
And now that I'm back in this bedroom, I realise that the already aging make-up I turned my back on has in the meantime aged another 5-6 years!
And now that I'm back in this bedroom, I realise that the already aging make-up I turned my back on has in the meantime aged another 5-6 years!
So the question I pose to you today is "Is 10+ year old make up still usable?"
I'm hoping some beauty experts amongst you can help me out here. In the meantime, the fundamental question I ask myself is "Does the product touch the eyes or not? For as you may have picked up in this blog, I am uber cautious about what goes on around my eye area. So my keep-or-dump test essentially is whether the product gets anywhere near the windows to my soul.
Lipwear
What's the worst that could happen? These are applied well away from the eye area. Keep? Anyway, with the benefit of this photo I see it's the middle rows that are truly ancient, the rest are more recent and have merely strayed, so they're keepers, defo.
Foundations, BB creams and Sun Creams
(bottom row)
These fail the eye test. Dump.
Eyewear: Eye Shadows, Eye lines, Eye and Brow Pencils, Pencil Sharpeners
(top row, above)
Yes, some of it may look in pristine conditions ...
... but given its 10 yr age, it's not going anywhere near my eyes!
Dump.
Cleansers, Exfoliators etc
I've had a wash cleanser for maybe 2 or so years that got lost in the make up stash. Does this stuff go off?
If it's harmful, I don't want this stash co-mingling with items acquired in recent years which I'm very happy with.
If it's harmful, I don't want this stash co-mingling with items acquired in recent years which I'm very happy with.
So dear, kind, helpful, knowledgeable reader. Can I use really old lip products without inflicting damage to my person? And what about cleansers?
I think the clue might be in the water ratio in the product, but I'm not 100% on that.
On reflection, I tell myself this mountain of makeup I now find myself dumping symbolises a past life which I have now walked away from. And now the time is right for me to be dealing with the relics of that past life.
Have you had to deal with clearing relics of your past life? Maybe post-retirement?
How did you handle it? Closing a cupboard door or confronting it head on?
And do you have any make up cull rules that you can share? Or do you have a more relaxed approach?
And the culling doesn't stop here. I now need to head into the bathroom next door. EEEEEKKKK!
A la perchoine.
.
I think the clue might be in the water ratio in the product, but I'm not 100% on that.
On reflection, I tell myself this mountain of makeup I now find myself dumping symbolises a past life which I have now walked away from. And now the time is right for me to be dealing with the relics of that past life.
Have you had to deal with clearing relics of your past life? Maybe post-retirement?
How did you handle it? Closing a cupboard door or confronting it head on?
And do you have any make up cull rules that you can share? Or do you have a more relaxed approach?
And the culling doesn't stop here. I now need to head into the bathroom next door. EEEEEKKKK!
A la perchoine.
.
Oh dear I have a similar collection and cull along similar lines. I have used old lipsticks and not suffered in any way. I throw cleansers and moisturisers that have been opened for more than 6 months but have toners. I must admit that the last lipstick I bought was in Paris 2 years ago.
ReplyDeleteG'day, Pieta! Oh, do I feel better after reading your comment! It's so good to hear that you have a similar approach. Thanks for popping in with your comforting news! Hugs, x.
DeleteI've been planning the same task. Samples build up and I really don't use much product. I've recently gone back to work after 6 years of retirement and I find that my younger colleagues are mostly fresh-faced. I'm not going that far but I have a lot of partially used product. Pitch out!
ReplyDeleteHi Madame, so nice to hear from you. Hope you are enjoying your return to the workplace. You're right, youngsters mostly avoid make up at work, though like you, I still have places where only my "public" face will do.
DeleteThanks for popping in. Hugs, x.
You are in so much trouble! Do you realize that you are forcing me to confront my own demons?? I am a certified expert in the Closing the Door method, and now you have brought my attention to something I was not planning on thinking about for awhile...thanks a lot! But good job. You have inspired to me maybe start thinking about this..after the holidays, or maybe after my spring vacation, or next summer, or in a couple of years. HAHAHAHAHA
ReplyDeleteOh Susan, so funny! Looks like I'm not the only ostrich in town! I wish you luck! Hugs, x.
DeleteThis may be helpful:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/08/makeup-expiration_n_5662820.html
Hi Maggie, thanks for popping in and with what looks like a very informative article. I'll read it tomorrow, Hugs, x
DeleteI have trouble throwing away anything in a case with a mirror inside.
ReplyDeleteOh Jean, you now have me scrambling in the dumping box for compacts!!
DeleteGood to hear from you, hugs, x.
It's time to not only confront those demons but slay them as well. I say throw it all out - you'll feel so much freer and you obviously haven't missed any of these products, now have you? I'm sure TP will agree with me, grab a trash bin and start tossin' sista! Adios amigos!
ReplyDeletexo,
Kellyann
What sound advice, Mrs R. I like that warrior talk and your No. 1 fan, well, he'll just like your bossin' me. Hugs, x.
DeleteDear Pout, I think you should dispense of all of the items, every single one. Old make-up is bad and it often gets a funny smell. We down sized nearly two years ago and I threw so many beauty products, toiletries, stale perfumes away. It was very liberating. I now only have current items and they are much reduced. I've found as I get older I use less make-up but much, much more moisturiser, day/night creams, eye serums, rich cleansers, etc. Stating the obvious really. My usual make-up is reduced to one small make-up bag just 8 items - light moisturiser as a base, light mousse foundation, concealer, blusher/highlighter, loose face powder, one eye shadow palette with four colours in it, mascara and lipstick/lip-gloss (I do have other lipsticks to ring the changes with colour but have counted lipstick as just one item). Just think how free you will feel once all is thrown away plus you will have cleared some space for other loveliness such as jewellery or scarves. Regards Sue H xx
ReplyDeleteHi Susan, great to hear from you. Seems like smell is a simple indicator, so now,I've suddenly become a lipstick sniffer! Your journey sounds similar to mine (apart from the downsizing!), the focus shifts from slap to serum on retirement. The lure of words like freedom and liberation are selling it to me. Dump and be done!
DeleteBTW, I tried to get in touch with you when I was over in October, hoping to meet you for that coffee. I tried via your link but maybe you didn't receive it your end. Thanks for popping in, hugs, x.
Ohhhhhhh, thank you for that bit of information. I've been putting that off and off and off... It will now have to be on my 'to do' list for 2018!
ReplyDeleteHi Diane, lovely to hear from you. You got a great and pragmatic approach to make up. I've already applied your odour test to some this morning - a few have dumped.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your tips and for popping in.
Hugs, x.
Seems like many of us share stake demons. Hope you let me know when you've completed your cull, LD. Hugs, x
ReplyDeleteDear Pout, Oh I am devastated as I did not receive any message from you, what a blow. It would have been wonderful to meet you in person and imbibe a coffee or two. I will e-mail to your link above and hopefully that will work ok and then next time you are over maybe we could meet up. Regards Sue H xx
ReplyDeleteOh I was devastated too, and I was there for 3 weeks. Hung out in the cafe but no luck! Next time, eh
DeleteDo you know I'm not sure about this one! I think anything for the eyes I would dump other than eye pencil. I would have kept all the pencils for sure. I've never had make up stored that long! The lipsticks maybe would be ok, I've had some of mine over six years and still use those.
ReplyDeleteLaurie xx
Thanks for giving it some thought, Laurie. With eye pencils I have that sharpener issue. My stash is down to bad combo of in-work make-up buying/freebies, using less make up in retirement and it getting sort of forgotten about due to big building jobs 7 and 5 years ago. I wore a lipstick yesterday, so I'm just going to have to start wearing it again. And blusher, there's a good few those too, and just when make up has been pared down. Thanks for your input and also thanks for your heads up on Essex temperatures, TP adjusted his capsule accordingly and is very grateful.
DeletePhew, this was long reply! Hugs, x.