This is the beauty spring clean you owe to your routine

I’m a sucker for a spring clean. Nothing brings me joy quite like folding away winter jumpers and refreshing my wardrobe with colour. Though I’m not crazy about picking up the feather duster, there’s something cathartic about a deep clean. So if clearing out the refrigerator can make me feel so damn good, then what about spring cleaning the not-so obvious areas in life, like beauty habits? Out with the old, in with the new, a proper good product purge, if you like. Date-checking, brush scrubbing, and a cheeky deep cleanse facial. Hoarders, now’s the time to be brutal with the bin liners, and go full Marie Kondo on our beauty routine. Step away from the sock drawer… here’s how to spruce up your beauty stash for spring.

By Rachel Spedding

• 1 Check the dates (your face is begging you)

  It’s a sad reality that our favourite fixer-uppers have a shelf-life. Now’s the time to hunt out the lurkers in our makeup bag, ‘cause that stuff turns nasty. Water-based foundation and concealers can reserve a space on your face for up to 12 months, after that, our freshly cleansed skin is vulnerable to bacterial build up and breakouts… that we’ll probably conceal… let’s not allow that irony to catch us out. There’s good news – expiry dates are in action from the first use of a product, so it’s easier to track than that dodgy pint of milk on your fridge shelf. Air and moisture are the ‘spoiling’ culprits, so avoid pumping your mascara tube (which lasts 4-6 months FYI), and store your lippy in a cool, dry place for the two years it’s in action.
• 2 Pass the soap, pretty please

  Our makeup brushes are a dramatic little bunch, hoarding bacteria from your face ‘debris’ (e.g. oils, dust, dead skin cells), and coating it right back on with every use. That’s bad news all round, as germs will spread from skin to make up stash, spoiling products sooner and clogging up your pores – a brutal double whammy on your complexion.  Fans of coloured shadow, make sure to wash eye brushes between application to avoid a rogue shade corrupting the brown smokey eye you’ve so perfectly followed from a Youtube tutorial – been there, done that. Warm water and mild soap should do the trick (baby shampoo is a brush-cleaning blessing), hit play on RuPaul and start scrubbing under the tap, onto the palm of your hand until the water runs clear – squeeze out, reshape, and leave to dry. Hey, brushes are pricey, let’s nurture them like our first born and keep your skin spot-free.
• 3 Less mess, less stress

  No, you haven’t worn that jumper in three years, but maybe soon… That struggling to ‘get rid’ has probably stretched to your living space, but in the name of spring cleaning, it’s time to embrace the throw out. Stripping back a getting-ready station, and editing your makeup collection for a more calming set up is sure to help with the ‘zen’ feeling we crave in the morning. Though we’d gladly accept the challenge of justifying our 25-strong lipstick stash (six shades of red is essential, thank you), a minimal make up bag is a little less overwhelming when preening your pout at 7am. Makeup storage is for more than just the Scandi-style Instagram we’ll inevitably take of it, it’ll keep products in tip-top condition and easily accessible. A ‘daily face’ drawer is our saviour, reducing the need to think as hard first-thing in the morning… Less clutter, more calm – sold.
• 4 Skin deep-cleaning

  Spring’s arrival means a skincare shake up, from ingredients to prep for sunnier days, to lighter formulas for a fresh skin feel. Rid your bod of last season's skin with a thorough scrub down: we’ll be exfoliating weekly to up the smoothness, then following with a light moisturiser (thick creams can stay in winter with the roll necks). Time to get back into the SPF habit, and treat sunscreen like the strawberry sauce to a ‘99 – a.k.a essential. Gone are the days of chalky creams, SPF has seriously upped its game, so you can layer up the protection without that mask-like application. Last up, treat yourself to a facial for the ultimate spring clean for your skin. Detoxify, extract those pores, target dryness, or just embrace a little relaxation with a facial that suits your skin-type. With no vacuum cleaner required, this is our kind of spring clean.

  Up to 50% off spring beauty? Yes please.