Nail stickers are one of my favorite modern inventions -- give me Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips, $8.99, over a bottle of actual polish any day. But there's one major problem: They dry out. If you've ever tried to apply old or open strips, then you know they just won't stick. Take a moment to clean out your stash -- and make a mental note to only buy them as you need them.
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Dull tweezers
One of my biggest beauty annoyances is struggling to tweeze a stray eyebrow hair with dull tweezers. After three failed attempts I'm about ready to throw the tweezers across the room in a fit of rage -- and I'm not being hyperbolic. That's why I highly recommend investing in Tweezerman Tweezers, $22. They sharpen your tweezers for free. (Seriously!) The only cost is shipping them to the sharpening facility (they'll cover the return shipping), and then it's like you have a brand new pair.
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Old mascaras
After you open a new mascara, cosmetic chemists and ophthalmologists give it about a 3-month lifespan. After that, it could get clumpy -- or worse, give you an eye infection. So if you're a mascara hoarder like me, January is the perfect time to get rid of all the mascaras you've accumulated over the year. If you can't remember when you bought it, it's got to go.
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Anything that's changed color, consistency, or smell
If it doesn't look or smell the way it did when you bought it, throw it away. Manicurists have tricks they use when it comes to clumpy nail polish (paint thinner) or runny lotion (adding Vaseline), but doctors agree that if something's questionable, you're better off ditching it. After all, if the sunscreen you think is from last summer is actually from three summers before, you're in for a wicked sunburn.
Now that you're geared up to clean out your makeup bag, how about the rest of your routine? Try these simple resolutions to start the year off right.
You've recovered from the holidays, and you've made your resolutions. And if you're holding on to concealers with cracked caps, leaking foundations, slimy shine serums, and expired sunscreens, it's time to make another vow for 2013: Overhaul your beauty product stash stat. (And not to worry, it's actually going to be a lot more fun than you think.)
In fact, there are few rainy-day activities that I find more gratifying than dumping my bins of beauty products out onto my living room floor and reorganizing them. I start by dividing them into categories (skin, makeup, hair, etc.), and then I make piles, separating what's new, what's not so new, and what definitely needs to be thrown away.
Getting rid of gunky old products is therapeutic -- and there's no better time than the beginning of a new year to take on the task. Not to mention that spring -- and all of the fun beauty trends that come with it -- is right around the corner, so you'll need to make room for more loot.
Here's my short list of what to toss -- from the unhygienic to the uncool.
