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Maple Tree: Top 5 Tips for a Beauty Spring Clean!

Time For Some Organising

Seeing as how it’s the last month of Spring I decided it was about time I did a proper spring clean of my stash and storage!

Had a lot of fun clearing everything out and re-arranging it all. There’s now finally space for some new products too.

So now onto my tips!





Clean Your Applicators!





It’s not just your skin which requires cleansing but anything which touches it regularly. There’s nothing so self-defeating as using a dirty make-up brush or sponge on a clean face. You’re just replenenshing the nasty bacteria!

I try to wash my applicators every other week.

Before Cleaning

I use Johnsons Baby Shampoo, though you can use oil cleansers that you’ve fallen out of love with as well. For those stubborn foundation brushes I find make up remover works a dream.

And after cleaning!

It’s really satisfying to see all the grime and muck come out of the brush. Especially the foundation! It’s surprising how much can be hidden away in the brush. If you suffer from acne this could be one of the reasons why.





2) Check Expiry Dates



This is something I have to admit I’m not so good at, especially when it comes to sheetmasks . While with other products I use them regularly so am, unlikely to reach expiry before finishing the product, sheetmasks are easy to hoard and forget about. Which is why I used this opportunity to properly go through my sheetmasks and check the dates!



Some places where you can locate the expiration dates

One thing to note is that Asian Products can either have the manufacturing date or the expiry date. The manufacturing date is 제조 and the expiration date in Korean is 까지 . So before you panic and throw out all your products check to see which date it is. For your European goods there’s a handy symbol, the M stands for months.





And I’m sure we all are guilty of keeping a bag/box of samples which we’ve never touched somewhere. Fish it out and be ruthless. Re-gift those samples you’re never going to use, or use those you’ve been sitting on! If they’ve set up a permanent habitat for more than 2 years, follow my next step.









3) Throw Out Old Products



This links to the above. If your product has expired throw it out. If it’s been sitting on your shelf for 3+ years, throw it out. Bacteria can grow and preservatives become less effective over time, so you could be damaging your skin without realising it!

This is particularly pertinent when it comes to eye make up. Many a recurring pink eye can be explained by re-use of old infected products. If it smells funky or become gloopy toss it out. The risk isn’t worth it!

All the products victim to the spring clean





Below is a handy bullet point summary of how long you should keep each product from opening. Below is a handy bullet point summary of how long you should keep each product from opening.

Make Up





Ø Cream/Liquid/Stick Foundation – 6 months to 1 year

Ø Powdered Blusher, Foundations and Bronzers – 2-3 years



Ø Cream Blusher – 6 months-1 year



Ø Mascara – 4-6 months

Ø Liquid/Pencil/Gel Eyeliner – 4-6 months

Ø Powder Eye Shadow – 2 years

Ø Cream Eye Shadows – 1 year

Ø Lipsticks – 2-3 years

Ø Nail polishes – 1-2 years





Skincare





Ø Konjac Sponge – 1-2 months

Ø Cleanser – 1 year

Ø Toner – 6 months to 1 year

Ø Actives (BHA or AHA) – 1 year

Ø Moisturiser – 6 months - 1 year

Ø Suncream – 1 year





4) Clean Out Your Storage



This is an easy one to overlook. If you keep your products, especially make up, in a bag or box empty it out. Give it a good clean, make sure there aren’t any old/expired products while you’re at it. You might even discover a hidden gem you’d forgotten about!

Not even half my collection out of storage!

5) Re-arrange Your Display





My favourite part of the whole experience! Now that you have gotten rid of the old and uninspiring it’s time to beautify your display.

This is the perfect time to switch out your winter heavy products for a lighter set! I tend to use less heavy creams and lighter colours in the spring/summer to match my mood.

You might have seen my rather basic bathroom display in my Beauty Blog Party Post ( Read Here

It’s sometimes hard to keep organised but when I can see everything it makes it less likely that I’ll forget it. Which means less waste and sad moments when I have to throw hardly used products out. ), now below is my bedroom side table!It’s sometimes hard to keep organised but when I can see everything it makes it less likely that I’ll forget it. Which means less waste and sad moments when I have to throw hardly used products out.

Are you ready to start Summer with a spring in your step! What are your tips for spring cleaning? Share them below.

Love Sophie





Labels: Cleaning, Cleanser, Discussion, Display, Hoard, Make Up, Sheetmasks, Tips