I Gave Away Over 500 Beauty Products When I Moved—37 I Couldn’t Part With

I’m convinced that moving is one of life’s most exhausting and stress-inducing activities—especially when you’re moving cross-country. It requires weeks of preparation, endless organization, and a lot of money spent on moving companies, boxes, and bubble wrap. Now that I’m on the other side of that experience, I’m sure of two things. First, you should always donate those old pairs of jeans you don’t wear anymore because they’ll just collect dust in your closet. Second, the only way you’ll know which beauty products are truly your favorite is if you’re forced to cut your collection in half. 

I’m a beauty editor, so my beauty product collection was big (read: massive). After two years of skincare, makeup, and hair product testing, I had over 500 products in drawers, cabinets, and boxes before I moved. Obviously, there was no way I’d be able to use up all 500 before I moved, and I didn’t want them to go to waste, so I embarked on an ambitious mission; I set out to donate every single beauty product I felt I could go without. And I did. When I was done, I was left with 37 core items. Ahead, see (and shop) them all.