On the Skincare and Makeup Front...

MY MAKEUP DRAWER MESS..

I am a skin care and makeup addict, and I'm not alone. The cosmetics industry is a huge money-maker in our country, and as with most $ businesses- it is also an industry that produces a lot of pollution and waste.

Women spend a lot of their disposable income on makeup. I am ashamed to admit that I am one of those women. When I look back at old bank statements, I see that a great deal of my income goes towards beauty products. When I look at the drawers full of makeup I have, I realize that much of what I have purchased isn't wearable (the wrong color), or practical (glitter eyeliner?), or even part of my daily routine (I have a drawer full of eyeliners- but I only wear eyeliner on special occasions).

So here are a few solutions that are part of my plan to end my makeup addiction and go for the green!!

1.) USE IT UP!! When I feel really passionate about something- I just want to be gung-ho about it. I want to throw away everything that's bad and just start fresh. But that's extremely wasteful, and it's really not green for my old makeup to end up in a landfill somewhere.

2.) EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS... There will be makeup products that you own that you will probably NEVER use because they weren't right to begin with (wrong color, impulse buy).

• If you only used the item once to "swatch" it- you can sell it on eBay. Just be fair in your asking price- no one is going to pay full price for something that your fingerprints are on. (Just don't sell mascara- unless you haven't used it at all)
  
• Have a makeup trading party- again for items that you only "swatched" - you can trade with friends. (Just don't trade anything that you can't wipe off or disinfect- ex. mascara)...
• Be creative- light pearlescent eyeshadow can be blended with moisturizer to make a "luminizer" to highlight your face, too-pink foundation or concealer can be used as a natural looking blush, too dark foundation can be mixed with too light for a "custom blend." If you don't like the consistency of a particular foundation- mix it with moisturizer to make "tinted moisturizer."
  
• Some companies, like MAC, allow you to trade in empty containers for a new product. (check out Back to Mac).
• Donate clean/semi clean items to your local middle school/highschool drama club...
  

3.) BE EFFICIENT: Perhaps the MOST important thing I'm going to do once I've truly used up my makeup and need to replace something- I will do research.

• Makeupalley is a great resource that offers reviews on a variety of skin care and cosmetic products. Find out the pros and cons about a product before you buy it.
  
• For foundation, concealer, and powder- don't buy anything that you can't test out first. Aveda and Tarte are great eco-friendly brands that you can try in-store before you buy. (Tarte is sold at Sephora).
  

4.) CLEAN UP- for whatever you can't sell, trade, or give away... if you truly know that you will never wear it, and you can't find a creative use for it... just throw it out. Recycle if you can. Cleaning clutter is always a last resort, but sometimes organizing and getting rid of what you truly won't use is the best way to help you to showcase the great products that you do have. What's better- a drawer full of junk or a drawer full of oganized items you might actually use?
Old cardboard jewelry boxes are a cheap, easy way to store those tiny samples and tools that seem to get lost in the abyss of your makeup drawer...



Here are some more resources:

A really great article about surviving 30 days without beauty products...
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/would-you-survive-30-days-without-beauty-products-562934


Article on the Shelf Life of Cosmetics:
http://www.natural-living-for-women.com/shelf-life.html