How to Marie Kondo Your Beauty Products

Step 1: Get rid of anything that doesnt bring you joy.

Kondo believes in organizing everything at once to avoid sliding back into bad habits and she has a very specific technique for paring down your belongings. She recommends gathering everything together by category and then holding each item in your hands one at a time. Dig deep and ask yourself if the product truly brings you joy. If not, out it goes. There is no room (literally) for guilt here and no compromisingyou can do it!

This does not mean that you must pare down your beauty collection to only the products that you use every single day. While you should be throwing out old and expired products periodically (more on that here), there is no need to deprive yourself of products that you maybe dont use often but still bring you joy to own.

Now, you may be thinking to yourself, my deodorant doesnt bring me joy but Im certainly not throwing it out! Kondo suggests changing your perspective on what represents joy in your life. Consider that your deodorant, body wash, or other grooming products make you smell lovely, and in that way you may begin to feel joy towards them. (And if you still dont feel joyful about your deodorant, perhaps its time to invest in a new one. May I suggest Arrows PROTECT Aluminum-Free Deodorant?)

Step 2: Display your products in a beautiful way

Now that youve gotten rid of superfluous products, its time to organize them. Kondo says, Makeup is to make yourself beautiful so its very important to store it in a beautiful way. I personally like the way lucite trays, like these ones from Isaac Jacobs, look on my vanity, but its most important to find a solution that speaks to you. Trays, or even antique mirrors or picture frames are all lovely options.

Just as important for your organization is keeping your products clean. So wipe off your foundation, clean your brushes often (a nifty tool like this makes that more fun!), and don't leave any spills.

Ultimately, a cleaner, less cluttered home, filled with only products that truly bring us joy, helps to make us all feel a little clearer and we think it will do the same for you. Heres to starting 2019 on that note!

P.S. You might be wondering why Birchboxa beauty companywould be advocating downsizing the number of beauty products you own. Its because Birchbox believes in helping you find the right products for youthe ones that bring you true joyand not wasting time on the other ones. We think delivering samples that are targeted to your beauty profile so you can try them in the privacy of your own home is the best way to do that. If youre ready to stop wasting time and money buying the wrong products, learn more here.

Translation provided by Luna Hirai

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