Spring Cleaning Your Skin-Care Collection


Spring brings warmer weather, rainy days, and gorgeous new blooms—and a giant reminder that I need to get my shit mess in order. I live in a two-bedroom apartment with my husband (and cat and dog), and when we moved in a few years ago, our second bedroom was designated as our office-slash-workout area. These days, it’s a big ‘ol mess, filled with new products with no particular organization. I typically try to avoid the room at all costs, which isn’t helping.

What will, though, is the fact that my mother-in-law is coming to stay with us in less than a month, which gives me exactly…less than a month to sort through it all, purge any products that have expired, and donate as much as I can. Sounds easy enough, right? As a Virgo rising, yes, but as an Aquarius sun, no. Good thing I have no choice in the matter!

Here are some tips I plan to integrate into my Marie Kondo-inspired, beauty product clean out this weekend:

  1. Cut “Clean” Products: The schtick with “clean” products is that they aren’t made with preservatives, and without those, these products’ shelf lives are cut real short. If you’ve had them open for more than six months, it’s time to toss them. (This tip hurts my heart because I hate waste, but anything open and older than half a year may start to become unsafe to use.)
  2. Check Packaging Labels: Find the period after opening (PAO) symbol. This little badge tells you exactly when your product is no longer fresh once it has been opened. Anything with the six-month emblem is, unfortunately, no longer welcome in my stash, but products with the 12-month logo are still fair game.
  3. Keep the Staples: One of the most-used products in my everyday life is Aquaphor. And sometimes Vaseline. Lucky for me, these products take a very, very long time to kick it, so I’ll be holding onto these during (and after) my big clean.

Reader Question

How do I trick my husband into using sunscreen every day?

Keep it simple: My husband hates sticky face creams that take forever to blend, so offering a clear, undetectable option, like the silky-smooth Supergoop Unseen SPF 40, was an easy and effective alternative.

Have a burning skin-care question? Send one in.


Editor’s Pick

Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm blue and yellow jar on white background

BEST CLEANSING BALM: Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm

  • Removes stubborn eye makeup in a pinch
  • Contains soothing ingredients: olive and sea buckthorn oils
  • Fragrance-free and gentle enough for all skin types, including sensitive

Quick Tip

Document when you bought or opened a product. This could be something as simple as a quick jot in your Notes app, or super extra like an advanced Excel spreadsheet—whatever works best for you.


Book Club

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

This short story about a woman finding (and filtering through) husbands in her attic is cute, cheeky, and honestly kept me guessing at every page).



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