5 ways to keep your MAKEUP Minimal

The rise of cosmetic industry soared in the past few years and it is still climbing to be the number one sought after business nowadays. It's challenging maintaining minimal cosmetics when we are smothered by ads every day  from different brands and social media influencer promises "life changing" once we purchase.

Maintaining cosmetic kits with only the basics are hard to keep. Recently, I partially lost my discipline I purchased lip colors that I initially intended. Before I only have 2 lip colors - one light and one dark. However, it started to grow in the past few weeks. I know most of you probably have at least 8 or more in your collection. I was about to hit "add to cart" button again the other day when I realized I needed to step back to look at my makeup kit. There, I found items that I barely used some eye shadow, tints and lip colors. At first, I thought of keeping until I can think of how I can recycle it, but I know that will never happen. What else to do? Discard it immediately otherwise it'll stay on the counter or paper bag for weeks, months or even years. So, here are ways I would like to share with you that helped me to keep my cosmetics minimal especially makeup.

5 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR COSMETICS MINIMAL-

(1) DON'T COLLECT - makeups have expiration like food, though it may not say "Best Before" it is a good habit of checking there labels on the bottom that indicates their specific shelf life either manufacturer's date or commonly seen as by number of months, i.e. "12M" or "6M" which means it needs to be discarded after 6 or 12 months after opening. It will lessen the clutter and keeping good hygiene. Don't think of it as a waste cause it's still half full or the packaging is too pretty if you won't be recycling it in the next 2 days it has to go otherwise you will never ever going to have time to do it which will end up in your drawer with the rest of "sayang" that needs to be disposed.

(2) BUY IN SMALLER SIZES - most cosmetics come in different sizes this is the best way to try it out first before purchasing the regular or full size. The photo above is an eye shadow palette I bought years ago. I loved the colors and pigments, it was such a good buy, but I am lazy to wear makeup every day moreover putting on an eye shadow. It ended stuck in my drawer just like all other cosmetics that I barely used. I felt I wasted money and of course the item - in the first place I knew I would rarely use it. To prevent such tragedy to happen, I learned to purchase "de luxe" sizes especially for tints, lipsticks or even a concealer and singles for eye shadows I got shades that are great for everyday use and for a specific event. There's no purpose getting all sixteen shades unless you're a Makeup artist.

(3) CHOOSE SHADES WISELY - we can all agree that when we "swatch" lipsticks we die to try it on and bring it home. We get excited whenever there are new brands coming up with a new line, new formula, new packaging, new, new, new.... it's Endless. This is a lesson I learned recently, as much as we want to get the entire collection there are shades that do us favor. Even though your goal is to showcase different colors, each day in a week you'll still end up with the most flattering one. No matter how many times or much we swipe it on our lips we do not get the same compliment for every color. Consult a professional like a Makeup Artist they can recommend shades and formulation that suits you. Purchase shades that flatters you that can be used for formal events or night outs and every day. Just like what my friend says, "MLBB" - My lips but better.

(4) QUALITY over QUANTITY - the demand for cosmetics made the competition in the industry tougher, people want to get their hands on it however it depends on the price. Few online brands sprouted like mushrooms with more affordable prices since they do not have a lot to maintain with their operations unlike retail stores. Some cheap products I bought that failed me tremendously are eyeliners, promising me longer lasting, no smudging, easy to apply etc and of course cheaper than other brands that I am used to. So why not? Plunge into the depth of sale items. The idea should be we buy it because we need it and love it not because it was on sale or it was cheap.

Most affordable makeups do not have the same quality as the real deal, we might be spending few hundreds more for the quality but at least we know it's worth it. Purchase few good ones from the brands you truly adore and use it every day. This will help you minimize collecting cosmetics that you barely use. It maybe 1 vs. 3? But what will you do with all 3? When you can have 1 that proved it's quality.

(5) ORGANIZE - If you love makeups - keep it. Living minimally is not depriving your love for things rather it is living mindfully wherein you take only that adds value in your life. Keep all the cosmetics you love and organize them. It is best to keep them by categories in a drawer that has segregation box. Labels each with their expiration or you can make a checklist if you want to be extra. Most of the makeups on the photos are already thrown out today. Keeping them has no purpose but clutter. If you have a huge collection, set a time to go through it and identify the type and brands that works for you.

I hope these 5 ways somehow helped you to downsize your cosmetic kits. If you have any minimal recommendations, please share it I would love to hear your experiences and thoughts about it.