Of course, safety first: if something has separated or smells odd, or if it’s a powder product that has become waxy, it has got go. Even if it seems unchanged, remember the hard and fast rule of SPF – 12 months after opening, no matter how much is left, it’s time for a fresh one or it may not protect you as intended. Anything you use near the eyes is going to have a shorter shelf life, so it’s a good idea not to have 47 mascaras on the go. Maybe have two at a time, like one for a more subtle daytime look and then a more dramatic night time option, or waterproof and regular versions, but there’s really no need for more than that, as they’ll all expire at the same rate and so end up in the bin at the same time.
Make sure you’re getting the most out of every product, quite literally. This applies more to skincare rather than makeup, but you would honestly not believe how much product is still left in any given tube of moisturiser or cleanser, even when a superhuman squeeze is no longer able to eke any out. Snizz any plastic tubes open just below their tops, and use a clean teaspoon to scrape the (truly astounding) amount of product out. Then pop your leftovers in a tiny plastic tub with a snap-on lid which all chemists and grocery stores stock, like the type you use for toting salad dressing. I often find so much product is left in the ‘empty’ tube that I need two of these containers.
My most important piece of advice? Please don’t save things for best. Of course you have your everyday products and then special occasion ones, be it tools to create a more glamorous makeup look or the ‘a ginormous spot has erupted and I need this to neutralise it immediately’ arsenal of sometimes-skincare, but really, do use what you’ve got. Life is too short not to use the lovely things, for starters, and, practically speaking, products sadly just do not just keep on keeping on. I do understand the impulse to save special items, but learned the hard way a long time ago, as a childhood adopter of hoarding-the-pretty, that eventually throwing out a too-adored-to-use product because it has disintegrated is so much worse, psychologically and environmentally speaking, than actually enjoying the damn thing.