I anticipate that 2020 is going to be a big year of decluttering beauty products for me as I continue to test the products I purchased last year. If you’re looking for inspiration to downsize your own makeup collection, please keep reading to see how I did with my mini beauty declutter.
Winter 2020 Makeup and Skincare Declutter
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Decluttered Cosmetics
Charlotte Tilbury – The Luxury Eyeshadow Palette in The Dolce Vita | $53.00, CF (discontinued)
Although I enjoy Charlotte Tilbury’s eyeshadow formula, I rarely reached for my Luxury Eyeshadow Palette in The Dolce Vita. That being said, this luxury quad was too pretty to waste. Therefore, I passed it on to someone else.
If I were to buy another Charlotte Tilbury quad in the future, I’d like to pick up the Bigger Brighter Eyes or Pillow Talk quads.
ColourPop Jelly Much Shadows | $8.00 each, CF – now discontinued
When I realized that all four of my Jelly Much Shadows went bad in less than a year I was upset with myself for letting them go to waste. However, I was equally upset that ColourPop released products this short of a shelf life.
Although the swatches of these shadows looked “decent” in my post ranking my single eyeshadow collection, the jellies were completely hard. In fact, I had to exert a lot of pressure to even swatch these on my arm. Despite the intense pigmentation, the product itself was a flakey mess.
Shades: Perfectly Wretched, Just Your Voice, Spindle, and Half Moon
Read my review of the ColourPop x Disney Villains Jelly Much Shadows from the Villains collaboration or check out this review on the ColourPop x Disney Midnight Masquerade Palette.
Essie Nail Polish in Birthday Suit
Sadly, this beautiful nude nail polish from Essie separated. Therefore, I put this aside to toss away.
Flower Beauty – Galaxy Glaze Holographic Lip Gloss in Halo | $9.99, CF
In the 1.5 years since receiving the Flower Beauty Galaxy Glaze Lip Gloss* I seldom reached for it. However, this formula is not bad by any means. Instead, the color itself is more ”out there” than I typically wear. See where this gloss landed in my ultimate lip gloss ranking.
L’OREAL Lash Paradise Mascara | $6.99
I haven’t 100% committed to giving away the Lash Paradise Mascara. Part of me wants to keep this mascara. In fact, I used to love it. However, I may decide to put this in a giveaway or give it to my sister.
Natasha Denona Mini Cheek Duos | $19.00 each, CF
Although I love many Natasha Denona products, the mini face duos let me down. Specifically, the highlighters in each duo let me down. Rather than providing a wet looking glow, they created a glittery mess. That being said, I enjoyed the blush and bronzer shades in each duo.
- Natasha Denona – Mini Blush & Glow ($19.00, CF)*
- Natasha Denona – Mini Bronze & Glow ($19.00, CF)*
- Natasha Denona – Mini Diamond & Glow ($19.00, CF)*
Peripera – Ink Velvet Lip Tint in Beauty Pink Rose |$13.99, CF
When I purchased the Ink Velvet Lip Tint in Beauty Pink Rose I assumed it would provide a soft, almost natural tint to the lips. However, I was mistaken. Instead, the formula is far more opaque and much brighter than I anticipated. In fact, in the year that I owned this product, I only worn it one time. Therefore, it was time to let this go.
Physician’s Formula Rose All Day Petal Glow in Soft Petal | $15.99, CF
To be fair, I still have the Soft Petal Highlighter from Physician’s Formula. However, this highlighter is currently on the chopping block and I’m actively looking to re-home it.
Too Faced – Diamond Light Powder | $36.00, CF
Originally, I felt excited to receive the Too Faced Diamond Light Powder in my January 2020 Boxycharm. As always, Too Faced’s design and presentation looked beautiful. That being said, the Diamond Light Powder failed to impress.
More specifically, the highlighter looked dull on the cheeks. For example, it wasn’t natural enough to look dewy or high shine enough to look glamorous. Moreover, as someone with a huge collection of glowing highlighters, I lack the space to store such a bulky product.
Decluttered Skincare
Korres – Pomegranate Tonic Lotion | $22.00, CF (Discontinued)
After finding tons of Korres skincare goodies at Marshalls, I went on a tiny skincare shopping spree. Although I’ve enjoyed much of what I’ve tried from the brand, my skin reacted poorly to the Pomegranate Tonic Lotion.
For example, I broke out wherever I applied the tonic lotion. Also, my skin felt a horrible burning sensation upon application. In fact, I wonder whether the product actually went bad before I purchased it. Therefore, I tossed this. My skin health is important to maintain.
Laneige – Lip Sleeping Mask | $20.00
I wanted to love the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask.* In fact, I tried my hardest to love the Lip Sleeping Mask. However, I do NOT love the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask.
This hyped up mask left my lips feeling chapped. Moreover, if I used it for two days in a row my lips started crack. After doing a bit of ingredient analysis, I found that this mask is meant to protect the lips but not really restore them.
Pixi Beauty – Skintreats H20 Skindrink Pure Hydration Gel | $22.00, CF
The Pixi Skintreats H20 Skindrink Hydration Gel* is an odd moisturizer. It feels much more like a silicone primer than it does a moisturizer. Although I was determined to use this moisturizer up, I gave up when the packaging broke.
Decluttered Samples
NARS Power Matte Lip Pigment Sample in Vain | Sample
Ultimately, I realized that I wasn’t going to reach for the NARS Power Matte Lip Pigment sample. Therefore, I gave this sample away to someone else.
Palmers Coconut Water Facial Scrub, Moisturizer, and Oil | Sample
Coconut is one of the WORST ingredients that a beauty brand can put into facial skincare for acne-prone skin. Simply put, coconut oil is a known comedogenic ingredient that clogs pores and causes acne. Therefore, I gave away these samples.
Taliah Waajid – Green Apple & Aloe Nutrition Shampoo
I passed this Taliah Waajid Green Apple & Aloe Nutrition sample along to a friend. I’ve talked about my potential scalp sensitivity to aloe in my Loma Haircare review.
Total Decluttered Products: 23
Value of Decluttered Products: $297.96
Final Thoughts on my Mini Beauty Declutter
My mini beauty declutter surprised me in the best way. Although decluttering can be satisfying, I don’t want to get rid of products just for the sake of getting rid of them. Moreover, last Fall I decluttered so many products that there was left less to get rid of this time. Ultimately, I want to USE UP most of my collection rather than throw it away.
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Want to learn more about Project Panning or how to use excel to create an inventory system? Check out these posts for more details Project Panning 101 and How to Create a Beauty Inventory System.
Have you tried any of these products before? What products did you use up this Winter? Please let me know in the comments below.
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I was eying that nail polish, LP! That is too bad about the separation! I think this is a good reminder that I need to look through my makeup more often for the things I never use and that might have gone bad. Great job!
Yeah it was def a bummer that this went bad. I need to scale back on the nail polish that I purchase since I don’t use it enough to justify owning a ton!
I was going to spend $20 for the Laneige lip mask but you make me reconsider it. I would rather buy something that works than a hyped-u product
I used the laneige lip mask to treat my chapped lips but things got worse. Guess some ingredients are not suitable for my lips.
Hey Anu, I tried clicking on your WordPress blog but the link is no longer available. I’m currently using Aquaphor. It does wonder to my lips but I keep seeing people raving about Laneige. I guess I’ll stick to what works for me. Don’t wanna waste money on high end product that won’t work
Sorry for the inconvenience. That’s because I migrated my website to a different hosting so it was taking some time to propagate. Well, I did see Aquaphor at many places but never tried it. I will try that. Thank you.
I experienced the same exact thing with mine, so I thought I was the only one! I would recommend checking out Jen Luvs Reviews 2-part series that covers what ingredients to look for in chapsticks, balms, and masks that make them effective at healing or protecting the lips. She even goes through and analyzes the ingredients of some major lip treatment products currently sold on the market.
Also, I tried clicking the blog link tied to your WordPress gravitar profile but I receive a message that the link is no longer available.
Thank you I will check her videos today. I think this might be helpful for me as I am allergic to certain ingredients. I am fighting with Angular cheilitis for the past 2 years now since I shifted to the US. So I should check with the ingredients I use in my creams and balms.
Have you heard of the YouTuber, Jen Luvs Reviews? She has a 2-part video series where she covers what makes lip balms effective for healing or protecting lips. Also, she discusses how various popular lip balms compare to one another and the effectiveness of their ingredients!
Listening to it right now. Thanks for the referral as I didn’t know her before. I like that she time stamped her videos and also went into detail about the ingredients
I actually cleared my makeup collection inspired by you yesterday, nothing major because I tend to do one every few months but this one was your fault 😉
Ahhh I’m so happy to hear that lol! This time around, my decluttering wasn’t very major either. I love being organized and decluttering but I don’t like getting rid of things just to get rid of them – ya know?
Exactly! I put away some things I don’t use anymore because they are expired but I keep for sentimental value.
LMAO same – I still have my original UD Naked Palette which I purchased in 2020. Its on display on my vanity but way too old for my eyes.
I purchased it when it came out 8-9 years ago. I also still have my first expensive lipstick which is by Chanel and that’s even older. It was a red and I never wore it out
lol my first lipstick overall was a red and I could never figure out why I liked the color but not on myself! Glad I know about undertones now lol 😂 🤣
Hahaha mine was a Chanel red super bold and shiny. I wore it once and a mad whistled to me. It made me feel so self conscious I never wore it out again 😂 but I was also quite young
I haven’t tried any of the products you mentioned yet. I would have thought the Too Faced product would have been better considering I always hear makeup gurus raving about Too Faced. Glad you were able to get rid of some products!
I think that the mascara I purchased was likely already super old – I used to love the original Better Than Sex Mascara though!
Really helpful post, and one that I hope inspires me to have a similar clear out! I’m really trying to make an effort not to spend so much on items I don’t need, especially now I’m spending so much time at home…
//teandtwosugars.blogspot.com xx
I find decluttering makeup so therapeutic! It’s great how much you were able to get rid of/give away because it helps you concentrate on the products you really use. Besides the Lip Sleeping Mask, I’ve not tried any of the products on your list. I have one of the Jelly Much Shadows but I’m yet to use it lol. It sounds like you’re doing a great job with sorting out all of your makeup collection
I’m always so impressed with how thoroughly your decisions are and how you can declutter things from brands such as Natasha Denona and Charlotte Tilbury. For some reason, I have a weakness for brands like that and I just can’t get myself to declutter anything. I found out I still have the ABH x Nicole Guerriero highlighter palette which I don’t like at all and I’m not even sure how I kept it for so long lol. Probably nostalgia and then I forgot I even had it oops.
Ah, I’ve always been interested in thosd jelly shadows by Colourpop… such a shame how quickly they turned hard! I also remember wanting that Too Faced highlighter from Boxycharm. Dang. Too bad it wasn’t any good.
Crazy about the Korres lotion. I’ve heard people say stores like Marshalls *will* sell expired products sometimes… yikes. I hope that wasn’t the case! & this is the first time I’m reading bad things about the Laneige lip mask, everyone’s been hyping it up lately, I don’t know if I wanna try it anymore now lol.
I never use anything with coconut because I hate the scent but it’s SO good to know how bad it is for your face! Phew!
I’ve def seen people put returned cosmetics (that were clearly used) back on the shelves. And it is super hard to know about the expiry date because they’re obviously getting older releases. Korres completely revamped its entire line, so I def think the products musth have been on the older side!
Whaaat?! You’ve seen people put used & returned cosmetics back onto the shelf. You’ve got to be kidding me! 😭 that’s truly terrifying!