Your New Year beauty clear-out – what to ditch, what to keep
Why wait for spring for a good clean and a clear-out? This has always seemed like the perfect time of year to say farewell to the old, and make space for some of the new beauty finds that will cross our desks (and sometimes make the leap to our bathroom shelves or make-up bags), in 2026.
While we’re pretty allergic to New Year’s Resolutions generally – drop a dress size, start running three times a week, take up Esperanto (all of which are pretty much doomed to have been ditched by mid-Jan), it is definitely within our power to have a bit of a de-junk on the beauty front, making it simpler to find things while ditching products that are definitely past their use-by date, metaphorically or in real terms.
Start by cleaning up your make-up kit. Towards the end of each year, as everything seems to accelerate, finding time to clean your tools seems impossible. So, we point you in the direction of ISOCLEAN a range (described as ‘the make-up artist’s secret weapon’), which has become our go-to for keeping everything fresh and pristine. Specialists in cleansing products for our make-up tools, there are several options, from the spritzable ISOCLEAN Makeup Sanitizer, to the Makeup Brush Cleaner with Detachable Dip Tray/£17 for 275ml, which we tend to opt for – a good swish of brushes in this specialist formula dissolves absolutely all gunk and make-up that’s embedded in the bristles, making for the best ‘fresh start’ for a New Year. (Ideally, you’ll repeat the procedure weekly. In reality? Even Team BB, who should know better, only get round to this every few months.)
Alternatively, you can use just a little gentle shampoo, activated by water, on the bristles; swirl against the side of the sink till the water runs clean. Then leave them to dry with their ends over-hanging the edge of the counter.
And what of your make-up bag itself? Some are washable – in which case, do that now. But if not? We think we’ve found the make-up bag of dreams, which is the Caroline Gardner Monochrome Flower Flatlay Bag/£26.50 (below). So, so cleverly, it zips right open to reveal two sections, in which you can see all your make-up at a glance. For anyone who tends to do her make-up in bed (all too tempting at this time of year), this has been transformative in terms of avoiding make-up spills on the bedlinen. It’s now available in several different designs.
Throw out skincare that’s been knocking around for – well, years. Never mind de-cluttering your shelf; beauty products do actually go ‘off’ and lose effectiveness. Beyond that, there’s a risk of bacterial infections or breakouts. Use your nose: does anything smell ‘off’? And your eyes: anything which has separated really needs to go. In general, if it’s been open for six months, bin it.
Be sure, though, to recycle packaging wherever you can – glass jars and plastic containers can be cleaned and put in with your other recyclables (I put mine through the dishwasher first). It’s usually only pumps that present a recycling problem, but more and more brands are now offering refills. A great many woman that we know spend a small fortune chopping and changing beauty products, leaving jars and tubes to languish on the shelf; before you know it, you can have several hundred quid ‘tied up’ in skincare.
Remember: nothing works unless you actually use it, and it’s day-in-night-out dedication that delivers results – using products the way beauty brands designed them to be used, which is from first dip to last scrape. For eco reasons and for results, use products up.
Dispose of last year’s suncare. Sun protection really isn’t cheap – so this can really hurt. But not as much as sunburn hurts. SPFs should never be ‘over-wintered’, but bought afresh each season to ensure optimum protection, which can diminish when you over-winter it.
Reorganise what you have. Harness some New Year throw-the-windows-open energy to take an honest look at what’s left, and maybe figure out how to display it more attractively. Group like with like. (It’s easier to see what you have that way.) Put the products that you really do use each morning and night front and centre. Find pretty containers: upcycled candle jars, pretty vintage teacups, trays and acrylic beauty organisers, for brushes, Q-Tips etc. In Jo’s case, she keeps the rest of beauty stash – products that I use less often (dry shampoos, face masks, nail polish remover) in a glass-fronted cabinet, as all too easily out of sight can be out of mind.
So, there you go. Bet you’ll feel lighter, for doing this – and will have room for some fab, fresh finds.
Caroline Gardner Make-up bag/£26.50 - buy here
ISOCLEAN Makeup Sanitizer/from £8 for 110ml – buy here
ISOCLEAN Brush Cleaner with Detachable Dip Tray/£12 for 165ml - buy here
