How to organise your make-up in four simple steps

While the world — and life itself — seems a mess right now, your stash of beauty products doesn't have to be. Take control of the clutter by following these simple steps:

1. CLEAN OUT THE CLUTTER

The clutter here is any expired make-up, empties or any makeup or skincare that you haven't used in the past three to six months. Separate your products into items to "keep" and items to "trash".

Get rid of any products that have formulas that have split, such as old foundations, dried up or clumpy-like mascara or have a rancid smell. Don't even try to save them as expired products can carry bacteria which cause skin breakouts and eye infections. Liquid formulas are the most vulnerable to quick expiration followed by creams and then powders as they have less oil and liquid, which bacteria thrive in.

2. BE AN EXPIRY DATE READING MASTER

To be 100% sure when your respective products expire, look out for the icon of a tub with an open lid on any product packaging with a number and a capital M next to it, for example: 6M, 24M. This indicates the number of months, from the date of opening, that the brand recommends the product will be at its optimal efficacy.

As a rule of thumb, mascaras, liquid and gel eyeliners should be keep for three months, oil-free foundation, lipsticks and lip liners kept up to one year.

Cream blushes, eyeshadows and concealers should be in use for 12 to 18 months, 18 months for cream foundations while lip gloss, powder blushes, bronzer and eyeliner pencils should be kept between 18 months and two years.

3. ORGANISE

It's all well and good to have all your products sorted and knowing what to keep, but what now? Compartmentalise and label. Separate your products into sections, for example: lipsticks, skincare, foundation, palettes, masks or occasions such as Sunday facial, everyday makeup etc. to make everything easy to find.

4. BOX AND LABEL

If you have clear plastic organiser boxes, use those to pack your items into and still be able to see what's what. If not — use any old gift boxes as well as their lids to act as trays for smaller, shorter items like lipsticks. Stick some printed labels if you have a label maker or create makeshift paper labels, either printed or written, with a marker pen.