Declutter Your Old Lip Products with a Few Simple Questions
I’ve been holding on to my old makeup products for way too long.
Plus…
I’ve really been in the mood to organize my very teeny tiny vanity where I keep all my makeup. Just look at the photo below.
See…Tiny!
So I decided it was time to do some decluttering.
I figured I would start with all my lip products and eventually continue with the rest of my makeup. Once I’m done decluttering, it should be fairly easy to organize my vanity.
Okay, soooooo, I know we are supposed to get rid of makeup after a certain amount of time but, truth be told, I never follow any of those rules.
I’ve never had an issue, thankfully, with using makeup that was considered expired and seriously, who wants to get rid of their favorite tube of lipstick just because you’ve owned it for a long period of time? Not Me!
But Wait!!!!!!!!
Just because I haven’t been good about following all the rules doesn’t mean I’m suggesting you do the same. If you search online for makeup decluttering rules you’ll quickly find recommended expiration dates and some (scary) words like bacteria and infection!
I may just have to re-think this whole love affair thing I have with my old makeup products.
Anyway, if you are thinking about decluttering your makeup you may want to check out Realsimple.com’s makeup expiration guide. They give a nice, simple break down for how long we should keep around our beloved lip products along with every other type of makeup product we love to slap on our faces in the morning.
After reading up on expiration dates and everything else makeup/lip product declutter related (so fun) I decided to come up with a few questions I can ask myself to help declutter my lip products a bit easier. Hopefully, these questions can help you out as well.
1. Does it spark joy!
2. Does it smell bad?
3. Has the color or texture changed?
4. When was it last used?
5. Will you ever use it again?
6. Is there a similar shade in your collection?
Let’s talk about these questions.
First, does it spark joy? That’s coming from, you guessed it, the ever so popular KonMari Method. If you are into organization in any way then you may have heard of Marie Kondo and her popular book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.”
Basically, ask yourself if what your holding in your hand and considering to get rid of makes you happy. I think this is a great way to decide if something should or shouldn’t be tossed. If it makes you happy, answer the next few questions to help you decide if you should or shouldn’t keep it. If it doesn’t make you happy, then there’s (probably) no need to go any further. Just get rid of it.
Both number two and three popped up a lot while I was searching. I guess we can all agree that if it smells bad or if the color and/or texture has changed well then that’s a no brainer. The product has to go. Let’s face it, it’s kind of entered the….
“SUPER ICKY, YUCKY, GROSS ZONE”
I’m sure I read about that zone somewhere. It really does exist guys!!
Next, ask yourself when did you last use that tube of lipstick and will you ever use it again. If you haven’t used it in a long period of time, chances are you may never use it again. Or, you may find a few hidden gems (like I did) and decide that there’s a chance you may start using them again. If you do find a few hidden gems, I suggest storing them somewhere that you can remember to use them.
Give yourself a time frame (maybe 1 month) to use them. If you never reach for them during this time frame then I think it’s safe to say that it’s time to say goodbye.
Finally, do you have another lip product in your collection that has a similar shade? If the answer is yes then decide if you can keep one and live without the other. Use a mirror and apply the lipstick or swatch it on your arm to get a good idea what you are working with.
Below is a picture of a few supplies that may come in handy while you declutter:
A large mirror (so you have a good idea how the lipstick looks on you), tissue and/or wipes. I just had antibacterial wipes with me but you can also use makeup removing wipes of course.
Okay, now for the actual decluttering:
I started off with 37 lip products. I separated them by category: lipsticks, lipglosses, lip stains and whatever felt more like a lip balm I placed in a, well uh, lip balm category.
Then I got to work, following the questions above. Below is what I was left with:
Lipstick:
I started off with 19 lipsticks before decluttering. Most of them are from the drugstore. A handful were from Sephora.
After decluttering I managed to part with 9 lipsticks:
I’m keeping everything to the left of the pearls and tossing everything to the right:
Lipgloss:
I started with 7 lipglosses, all drugstore with the exception of one from Victoria Secret:
After decluttering I decided to keep only two! (Again, I will be keeping everything to the left of the pearls)
Lip Stain:
I started with 3 lip stains and ended up with 2, both are Covergirl. I love drugstore makeup!
Lip Balm:
I started with 8 lip balms…
After decluttering I’m left with 5.
I decided not to go into the actual names of each lip products. I figured that may be kind of boring. But if you are interested in any of the names please let me know and I’ll be happy to share that with you!
So now I’m left with 19 lip products. I guess that’s not too bad considering I started with 37.
Wow, I can’t believe I had 37 lip products!!!
Ok, that’s it for now! Hope you enjoyed this and found some useful tips.
Thanks for stopping by! 😉
How To Clean Your Coffee Maker – So Your Coffee Starts Tasting Better Again!
Do you own a coffee maker? Probably. Most of us do.
I’m guessing it may need a cleaning since you’ve decided to read this. Either that or you’re really interested in cleaning topics (yay, we have something in common!)
My coffee machine is due for a cleaning. Actually, it’s past due. Please don’t judge me when you see the before picture below. I seriously considered not adding any before pictures because of how bad it looked! But that wouldn’t be much help to you (and I’m here to help you out!) when comparing the before and after photos, now would it.
Aside from needing a good cleaning, My coffee hasn’t been tasting as good as it usually does. That’s always a good sign that it’s time for a cleaning.
So what do I use when I need to clean my coffee maker? Vinegar!
Yep, vinegar, and don’t worry, your coffee won’t taste like vinegar once you are done 🙂
I have a drip coffee machine. They are fairly easy to clean. If you have another type of coffee maker, like a Keurig (I really want one of those!), I think you may also be able to clean it out with vinegar but please check the manufacturer’s website to be sure. As for now, I will only focus on how to clean a drip machine.
I learned how to clean a coffee maker with vinegar after watching a YouTube video from Brittany Vasseur. She creates amazing organization and cleaning videos! I’ve learned so much from her. Check her channel out on YouTube. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it just as much as I do.
The Mr. Coffee website also recommends using vinegar to clean their coffee makers and that’s the brand I own.
Here’s what you need:
White vinegar, water, a microfiber cloth, and a few cotton swabs
Start by filling your carafe with a solution of equal parts water and vinegar.
Pour your water/vinegar solution into your coffee maker just as you would when making coffee and run one cycle.
After that’s done pour out the liquid and run two more cycles with fresh water only (no vinegar!)
Discard the water after each cycle.
Wipe down the machine with your cloth. The heat from running the machine 3 times will have loosened everything enough so that you can easily wipe it clean.
Next, use the cotton swabs to get into all the tiny little areas that your cloth cannot get into.
Here’s a before and after photo of the inside:
Before:
After:
That’s it!
Your coffee maker is now ready to serve up some yummy tasting coffee again!
I really tend to get off topic, you may have already picked up on that if you’ve read any of my other posts. This time I figured I’d ramble a bit at the end that way I won’t feel bad if I go on too long. If you’re not interested that’s ok, I won’t be offended. Hope you have an awesome day (or night) and thanks for visiting my blog! So, do you own a Keurig? They seem to be very popular now. Like I mentioned above, I really want one. Funny, for a long time I had no interest in them. I worried that the coffee would have a processed taste to it, you know, not homemade. The whole concept of it just seemed odd to me. Coffee out of a little pod, huh? But I’ve seen them a few times on QVC and they really know how to make anyone fall in love with that machine (or anything else for that matter) It seems to make just about any drink under the sun. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice you name it the Keurig seems to be able to make it. Is it too good to be true? I’m wondering what’s the price to pay for this one-stop beverage shop machine. Are the pods going to run me into the poor house? I may just have to add it to my birthday or mother’s day or Christmas wish list to find out (so many opportunities for a gift, hehe) what’s your opinion on the Keurig? Do you own it and like it or can you do without it?
Thanks for stopping by and reading!
A Simple and Cheap Way to Organize Your Wrapping Paper
Are you looking for a simple way to organize all the wrapping paper you have left over after the holidays?
I was too, up until a week ago that is.
I’ve accumulated so much wrapping paper throughout the years, especially holiday paper. I never feel as if I have enough so I always end up buying extra. Plus, I just can’t resist grabbing some of those rolls that I’ve been finding in places like the dollar tree. They’ve really been stepping it up these last few years with their prints.
I took a look at what solutions I could find online for wrapping paper organization but I couldn’t find anything that would work for me.
I’ve tried a few of the popular solutions roaming through Pinterest and the web but none have really worked. Has anyone ever seen and tried the garment bag hack for organizing wrapping paper? Have you had any luck with that? I tried it, but sadly the rolls were just flopping all over the place when I raised the bag. Not my idea of organized.
Luckily I came up with an idea after a trip to the dollar tree. That store really gets the creative juices flowing!
It’s very simple…
And cheap!
We like simple and cheap, right?
Hang the wrapping paper on a hanger using clothespins!
Let’s jump into this, with lots of pictures to guide you. Because let’s face it, we’d rather look at a bunch of pictures as opposed to read and read and read. That gets boring no matter how witty and funny someone can be. Not that I’m witty. Or funny. But I try my best to crack a joke here and there. Is “or funny” even a proper sentence? Probably not. Oh well. Sorry, I tend to get off topic very easily. Please excuse me.
Here are all the supplies you will need:
A hanger, clothespins and of course the star of the show, all your wrapping paper rolls in need of a home.
I used a slim, non-slip hanger because I already have those at home but you can use any hanger that the pins can easily clip onto.
FYI: The dollar tree has large packs of clothespins. I love that store!
Clip all the wrapping paper onto your hanger using the clothespins.
You may want to hang up the hanger somewhere while your clipping the rolls on. This will just make it easier. I used a pull-up bar we have in the kitchen entrance and got up on a small step stool to easily reach the hanger. You can also try hanging it up in a closet or a shower rod.
Be sure to clip the rolls up high enough that it’s over the hanger and far into the clothespin. That’s so that the clothespins have a good grip on the rolls and they don’t fall off.
I actually pushed them up even higher after taking this photo because one roll fell off. After pushing them up as far as they could go I haven’t had any of them fall off 🙂
That roll actually fell off right as I was about to take the photo below. I was kind of upset about it and it may be a bit noticeable by my face (that barely has a smile!, lol) I knew there was no way I could recommend something that didn’t work. But after I fought back the tears that were trying to break through, I went to play inspector gadget and see if I could figure out what went wrong. Luckily it was a simple fix!
One Last Tip: Make sure to clip the clothespin in a way that the rounded opening is right on the hanger. That also helps secure the wrapping paper onto the hanger.
I managed to get eight rolls on the hanger but there was still space for about 1 to 2 more rolls if I just pushed everything closer together.
So there you have it. Organized Wrapping Paper!
Once you are done you can hang it up in a closet which is what I will be doing or on the back of a door using a door hook.
Good To Know: Most of my wrapping paper is from the dollar tree and target. They are not very heavy at all and most have been used up at least halfway through. If you have rolls with endless amounts of wrapping paper then this may not work for you because the rolls may be too heavy. If you decide to still give it a try I would recommend using two clips per roll.
One thing that is is important to mention is how to keep the rolls from unrolling.
A few options would be twine, mini rubber bands, and twisty ties.
I used twine, like the one I used in my post “Small Linen Closet Organization“. I just gave it a double knot on each roll. No issues with wrinkled wrapping paper so far.
I have a bag of mini rubber bands that would have worked great but they are actually really tiny and I have a precious little soon to be 1-year-old baby that’s crawling everywhere these days so I don’t want to chance her getting a hold of one of them and trying to give them a taste. Just thought I should mention that in case you have little ones crawling around the house too 🙂
I found mini rubber bands, if you’re interested, at the dollar store (not dollar tree) for $1.29. You can find them in the section with all the hair accessories.
I did leave a few rolls with rubber bands on for a couple of days to see if the wrapping paper would wrinkle and none of them did.
I couldn’t find twisty ties at any dollar store/tree which I found odd. But if you have any laying around (like in a junk drawer) you can just tie two to three together to make them long enough to wrap around the rolls. I did see them on Amazon for about seven dollars but they were a pack of about 100. That’s a bit much for this project unless you have the largest and coolest wrapping paper collection ever. Then by all means, check out Amazon for twisty ties.
That’s it! Hope you found this blog post useful. Comment below if you decide to give it a try and let me know how it turned out.
This is not a sponsored post
How to Decorate for Christmas With Items You Already Have
I love shopping for Christmas decorations, but they can get costly if you’re not careful.
I try to pick up as much as I can from places like the dollar store. But you know what’s even more affordable than the dollar store?
Making use of what you already have at home!
So I decided to share a few simple and easy ways to decorate for Christmas that won’t cost you any money.
Here’s a look at what I did:
First, you can use a large serving bowl as a base to create a beautiful centerpiece:
A dish towel with festive colors, like this one, works great under any centerpiece (or use a scarf as a runner, a pillowcase neatly folded down, or a fabric napkin):
Make use of any ornaments that are not being used for the tree to create that beautiful centerpiece:
(In case your wondering, yes that’s me taking the photo in the large silver balls in the center. Lol! 😄 I couldn’t figure out where to position myself to avoid that)
Put it all together to form your centerpiece:
(There I am again in those silver balls 😂)
Next, repurpose a throw or blanket as a tree skirt:
So there you have it! A few ways to make use of items you probably already have on hand to decorate for Christmas. Hope you try some of these tips in your home today!
