Make-Up, Lotions, & Sundries by Meggin McIntosh, PhD

If you want to do something today that will help you feel better (and thereby more productive) then apply these ten tips to your make-up, lotions, and other personal sundries.  We will focus primarily on the first two (make-up & lotions) and it’s up to you to keep your progress going with other personal sundries.

1. Get out every single bottle, tube, or jar of lotion that you have.  Look in your vanity, your purse, under the sink, in your linen closet, in your suitcase if you travel frequently, and in your kitchen.  Just line up everything you found on a dining room or kitchen table.  You will need somewhere with a lot of room.Note:  If you are like most women, you will be stunned by the sheer number of containers you have amassed.
2. If you see bottles with little dabs in them, throw them away (recycle them).  This act alone is likely to reduce the quantity of containers by 10 – 30% at least.
3. If you have multiple samples from hotels, give them to a women’s shelter (or a school where students may use the facilities for their personal bathing due to their home situation) so that they can be put to good use.  You don’t need them.  If you travel a great deal (which is how you got so many tiny containers) then the next hotel you check into will also give you more.  Never fear.
4. Open lotions that look old and take a sniff.  If they smell rancid or “off” in any way, toss them.  Yuck!
5. If you have numerous partially-full bottles, combine them and then toss the empty bottles (see #2 above).
6. If you have lotions that you just don’t like the smell of – for whatever reason – give them away if they’ve never been opened or put them in your recycle bins.  Life is too short to wear lotion that isn’t a treat to your olfactory sense!Now, on to make-up.  (Note:  If you don’t wear any make-up, you can skip this next part and just focus on the first 6 tips).
7. Get out all of your make-up.  Check your bathroom, purse, drawers, suitcases, or anywhere else that you stash make-up (new or old).  Group it by type (e.g., foundations, powders, eyeshadows, mascaras, lipsticks, etc.)
8. Sniff anything liquid.  If there is even a hint of a foul odor, toss it immediately.  You don’t want anything on your face that has gone bad.  Ugh!
9. Throw away any and all eyeshadows where the bottom of the container is showing.  You know what I mean.  If you’ve used that much, it didn’t happen overnight and it’s time to get some new to replace it.
10. Get rid of all the little samples of eyeshadows, creams, foundations, brushes, applicators, or any other item that gets tossed in as “gift with purchase” or as part of the bagfull of goodies you get when you go to the make-up counter.

I promise that you will feel so much better when you don’t have to root around in your purse or make-up drawer trying to find the lipstick you actually want.  You will also love knowing that you aren’t going to catch anything from old, stinky, make-up and lotions.

And, here’s another bonus (gift with purchase!  HA!)  You will feel wealthier without all this make-up and lotion clutter.  Keeping all of that puts you in a poverty mindset and that is not where you want to be.

I’m a big fan of make-up and lotions and other nice feminine items.  I recently did exactly what I have written about here and it was an immense release and relief.  Try it and see what happens for you, too.  I’d love to know!!

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