Back-to-School Beauty: The Fall Makeup Purge
This fall, give your makeup bag a much needed purge with tips from makeup artist Jenny Patinkin. (Photo: Henry Leutwyler)
The changing seasons means its time to change up your makeup. But before your run to the store to stock up on rich moisturizers and vampy lipstick, take a minute to clean out that makeup bag too. I’ve become a bit of a makeup hoarder over the years, and while I’m not ready to totally “KonMari” my life, I have realized that my makeup bag could use a bit of a makeover. This is where Jenny Patinkin comes in. The Chicago-based makeup artist and founder of Lazy Perfection Beauty School is walking us through the steps for a proper makeup purge. If I can sort through my dozens of red lipsticks and hundreds of nail polish shades (really!), you can do it too. Read on for Patinkin’s tips for starting fresh this fall — and if you happen to be in Chicago, you can even enlist Patinkin to come over and help you get organized.
Get everything out of your bathroom
“Once you’ve been looking at things in the same place for a long period of time, it starts to become too much a part of the décor or a part of your bathroom,” says Patinkin. “By removing everything from the bathroom it automatically gives you more objectivity because you’re putting it in a less familiar environment, so you can see things more clearly.” Patinkin recommends dividing your products out by category and taking only what you are using everyday back into your bathroom. You’ll quickly discover what you are using on a regular basis.
Give yourself time
“After a few weeks, what you haven’t brought back into the bathroom can be thrown out,” she says. Patinkin points out that it’s important to give yourself time to cycle through different situations, from day and night to social and professional events. This will also help you to select makeup that works with the changing weather since this type of purge should occur twice a year, for the spring/summer and for the fall/winter seasons. “There are some beauty products that don’t really translate for different seasons unless you are somebody who is very experimental with your beauty look,” Patinkin points out. So take your summer shades, like that peachy lipstick, and store it until next year.
Keep texture in mind
“Almost every woman comes to me with variations of the same color,” she says. “They’ve got at least a dozen variations on the same lipstick, same thing with eye shadows, and with blushes.” When you’re dealing with multiple products of the same shade, use texture to narrow down what you keep in your arsenal. Patinkin says the most important thing to make sure the texture still works with your skin, keeping in mind that what worked on your eyes five years ago might not work now.
Factor in lifestyle
As a part of Patinkin’s purge service, she also offers application tips, where she says it’s important to factor in each client’s personal style and lifestyle. Do you have time in the morning to put on a full face of makeup? Do you have a job where it makes sense for you to be wearing bold makeup? “It really all has to work together, says Patinkin. “If you don’t have a block of time that you’re willing to spend putting on your makeup, then I am certainly not going to suggest you adopt a six-step eyeshadow process.”
Let go of the guilt
For many women, when it comes to having to get rid of beauty products, Patinkin has found that guilt is the biggest impediment. “You’ve spent money on the product or maybe you got a gift with purchase and now you don’t want to throw away something you haven’t used,” says Patinkin. “If something is unused and unopened, look into donating it to your local women’s shelter that accepts cosmetics.”
Related:
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