If your makeup drawer looks anything like Tip Diva’s once did, you’ve probably got half-empty bottles, broken compacts, products you never use and things you didn’t even know you have. Well, it’s time to clean that up, and here’s some tips on how to do so:

1. Toss Out Expired Makeup - Here is a good makeup shelf-life guide. Yes, it’s time to throw out that bright blue eyeshadow from 1987! And always smell your makeup - some types, especially cheaper brands, get rancid quickly.
2. Use Collected Hotel Tolietries For Homeless Wash-Up Kits - Tip Diva is guilty of ransacking her hotel rooms for mini-versions of good shampoos, conditioners, lotions and soap. However, when she arrives home, she realizes that she continues to use the full-size versions she already has, and the hotel bottles pile up. She realized that she probably would never use them - so she gives them to someone who will by making wash-up kits for the homeless. Here’s what you’ll need for each kit: a bottle of shampoo; a bottle of conditioner; a bottle of lotion; a bar of soap (get on sale or at your local dollar store); a comb (dollar store); a washcloth (dollar store); a toothbrush (dollar store); and toothpaste (buy on sale at your regular supermarket due to concerns with dollar store toothpaste). Put this in a Ziplock bag and donate to your local homeless shelter - they are always grateful for donations like these.
3. Donate Unused Makeup To Dress For Success - Dress For Success is a non-profit organization that collects professional-related clothes and accessories for women in need to wear to job interviews (suits, bags, shoes, and more). The company also accepts unopened costmetics suitable for the workplace.
4. Condense Half-Filled Body Sprays Into Smaller Bottles - Tip Diva has lots of body sprays - mostly from Bath & Body Works, which seems to be the default gift when someone doesn’t know what to buy you. After a few months, the bottles are partially empty, which doesn’t look too nice. Tip Diva bought 4 oz. spray bottles at Discount School Supply, and condensed her body sprays in these bottles. She even mixed some new scents. If you affix a pretty label to the spray bottles, they could be given as gifts in a basket, along with scented soaps and candles. The smaller bottles allow the body sprays to be easily stored and carried around in your purse.
5. Mix Almost-Empty Bottles Of Nail Polish - Don’t you just hate it when you have a bottle of nail polish that doesn’t have enough polish to fill the brush fully? Tip Diva has come up with many a funky color by mixing almost-empty bottles of nail polish. If you have white or black polish on hand, you can use it to lighten or darken your creation.
6. Turn Broken Blushes And Eyeshadows Into New Cosmetics - Find an empty lip gloss container or another container of a similar size, and mix a little bit of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) in with the broken powder. Using this method, blushes could be turned into a lip gloss, or eyeshadows into a creamy eyeshadow.
7. Make Your Own Body Scrub - Stop buying body scrub and instead use lotion you already have. Make a paste by adding white sugar to the lotion, and use it as a scrub in the shower. Your exfoliated skin will feel smooth, not sticky. NOTE: It is important you rinse your shower floor after using the scrub, as the sugar and lotion may make it a little slippery!
8. If You Use Makeup Often, Consider Compacts - Most cosmetics companies offer their makeup in compacts, with multiple colors or types of makeup in one handy case, therefore reducing having lots of singular powders or lip gloss. Tip Diva’s favorite compact is Sephora’s Blockbuster Kit (you can get 4 percent cash back on Sephora through Ebates). But compacts aren’t always that expensive - you can find them in your local drugstore, too.
9. Buy Multi-Purpose Makeup - There are cream blushes that double as lipstick; bronzers that could be used for the eyes, lips and cheeks; moisturizers that act as a light foundation; and more.
10. Organize Your Makeup In Stackable Plastic Boxes - Organize your brushes and makeup by type or color group in plastic, click-top boxes, which stack neatly together and keep moisture, dust and other outside elements away from your makeup.

How do you organize your makeup?

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