The virtues of editing your makeup bag

Piles of makeup from years of hoarding is not much use at all. Viva editor Fiona Hawtin suggests you make a clean sweep and go minimal:

MAKEUP

Whoever said you can never have too many eyeshadows has never tried finding that perfect shade of lilac from a pile of 30 nearly-but-not-quite variations on the dressing-table.

You know you've got too much makeup, skincare and haircare when the excess needs to be stashed in the kitchen, when it takes longer to find the right shampoo than it does to get a colour, and when you get a sore arm carting around your makeup bag.

While we don't want to preach about cleanliness being next to godliness, there is something to be said for being able to put on your makeup in 10 minutes flat without having to spend 15 minutes beforehand just rounding up your moisturiser.

It's time for a major tidy-up and throwout - and that means more than just giving the heave-ho to ancient dried-out mascara and broken remnants of pressed powder.

Think of it as beauty's equivalent to minimalism, where every piece must earn a place in your bathroom cupboard. It could even be good for your mental health. Physical de-cluttering can be a kind of therapy to help regain control over your life.

M. A. C senior artist Amber Dreadon says you don't need a lot of different eye colours - and that's from someone who works for a company who boasts one of the highest eyeshadow counts of all makeup ranges.

She even, shockingly, suggests: "It's not necessarily a bad thing if your favourite lipstick is discontinued. It's a good opportunity to change it.

"You should update seasonally. Too many people get stuck doing the same thing."

We tend to confuse need with want. And if you stop to notice, the colours you keep buying are more or less the same.

Lancome training manager Juliet Gardiner confesses: "I used to constantly buy eyeshadows. Even if I had five greens, if it was a slightly different shade I wanted to have it because I thought it would make a new me. It would maybe improve my life for the day when I wore it - and then I was on to a new colour the next day."

Napoleon's chief of education, Nicola Harry, suggests starting the seasonal edit by cleaning everything up to see what you have. And while you're being so virtuous, throw out anything broken or separated. If a lipstick doesn't have a point on it any more, throw it out.

"Do the sniff test. If something has a strong smell it's ready to go.

"Dry powders do have a longer life than moist products - which have a natural shelf-life of about six months once they've been opened.

"If you haven't worn something for six months, it's likely you're not going to again, so throw it out."

Taking your makeup along to a beauty counter for consultation may sound like a girlie swat thing to do, but the cost is usually redeemable against products at most counters, Gardiner says. It also makes good sense to pop along to makeup school (Napoleon does Sunday school, ph 0800 408 108) where a professional can rifle through your stuff. They'll be able to get a feel for what you like and where you're going wrong.

They can also confirm what you already know: you will never work your way through the accumulated 30-plus lipsticks, five mascaras, seven blushers, six foundations and umpteen eyeshadows.

The stay-at-homes

Eyeshadow

Gardiner and Harry are fans of the eyeshadow compact for convenience. But you have to be realistic about whether you're going to use at least three out of four shades, says Gardiner.

Get a beauty consultant to show you different ways to use the colours. Otherwise, handpick single colours.

Gardiner recommends a selection of six colours. Ascetics should be able to get away with three - a highlighter, mid-tone (which if brown may double up as a brow colour) and dark shade (black, charcoal or dark chocolate).

And consider Gardiner's observation: "Winters are always about smoky eyes, and summer is about bright, pretty colour." A seasonal indulgence of one colour keeps the basic wardrobe modern and costs less than impulsively buying a pair of boots.

Eye pencil

If you're clever you can use one to do a complete eye. "I'm partial to black, but charcoal or dark brown can be used on the inner rim, smudged into the crease, drawn over the lid and blended. Brown can be used lightly in the brow." Mascara Just one but get a new one every three months, Dreadon says. "People hold on to them for way too long."

Concealer

Vital, whether you opt for a traditional cream type for full coverage or an illuminator to lighten under the eyes and soften facial lines. Gardiner recommends taking these out with you for touch-ups rather than lugging foundation about.

Powder

Necessary for setting makeup and taking off the shine. It's your call on loose or pressed, but Gardiner favours pressed to take out and about.

Blusher

Or something that will do the job of giving you the colour you go when you're flushed. So, no wines or rusts.

Harry recommends a gel-based one for summer for a more natural look and a powder version for winter for a matt finish. Alternatively, use a bronzer.

Foundation

Need two. A lightweight variety in a warmer tone for summer and the other needs to be the same texture, but in a cooler tone, for winter.

You can mix them between seasons, Gardiner suggests.

Lips

Popular opinion has it that we need two lipsticks, a balm and a gloss. One lipstick should be a nude and the other needs to have more impact, Dreadon says.

The need to collect lipstick seems to have been handed down to us from Eve. Fight it. We only ever wear one shade, two shades at most. And keep the lipgloss clear. That way, you can use it over the top of your lipstick for maximum versatility.

We can also do away with lip-pencils, thus eliminating the potential Footballers Wives syndrome of darker outline, lighter infill, especially as lines are deliberately not-so-perfect at the moment, Dreadon says. A lip-brush is compulsory to make lipstick stay on longer.

Makeup for the bag

Once the war paint's been expertly applied, most of it should stay in place for a reasonable time, so there's no point carting foundation about.

A lipstick is permissible, but Gardiner has an even better idea: load a retractable lip-brush with colour and you'll have enough for touch-ups throughout the day.

Lipgloss, powder or bronzing powder (that can double as blusher), an illuminating pen and eyedrops can be fitted into a tiny makeup bag that won't put your back out each time you pick it up. Even better, double up on these items and leave one at the house and one permanently in the makeup bag.

In a perfect world, they'll all be from the one range as they tend to work in synergy.

Once opened they have a shelf-life of about five months, depending on how much air they are exposed to. It's more about hygiene than products going off.

SKIN CARE

Cleanser

Your choice whether you want a foaming type or milk. Indulgently, Gardiner says it's not excessive to have two - one for the shower and one for the basin. Clarins training and area manager Dianna Hayes says these should be renewed about five times a year, so at least you still get the thrill of shopping.

Eye makeup remover

Optional, unless you use a lot of eye makeup or waterproof mascara. Then it's a necessary because it will stop as it'll stop you rubbing the delicate eye area as much as you would with an ordinary cleanser.

Toner

Makeup companies insist they're integral. Hayes thinks part of the reason some woman are hesitant to use them is because they have a reputation for being drying.

Not so if you choose a gentle, alcohol-free variety. Toner rebalances skin to the correct pH, removes the last traces of cleanser and prepares skin for moisturiser, says Hayes.

But Gardiner, an advocate of toner, is also pragmatic. If you know you're too lazy to use one, don't buy it. Instead, opt for a cleanser with built-in toner.

Day protection

Most women are obsessed with finding the perfect moisturiser, which could be why we end up with so many.

Fortunately, this is one thing we're allowed to have more than one of "depending on how our skin is feeling, taking into account the time of year, humidity, climate and season, the activity were doing or the working environment", Hayes says.

At least one should have added sun protection. Don't even try going without it.

Seek professional help to find the best for your skin type. It helps to give as much information as you can about your skin to the beauty consultant or therapist, so this way you'll avoid buying mistakes.

Night cream

Don't think your day cream will do. Gardiner says they're more active - promoting radiance, lifing, firming and preventing creasing so skin looks its best during the day.

Night creams are more about regenerating, nourishing and replenishing skin.

They are generally heavier and as "skin is at full rest between 1 and 3am, it means skin can absorb products most effectively at that time".

Eye cream

Again, one for day and one for night is acceptable. However, Gardiner says you can get away with one as long as it has a lightweight gel consistency that's not too heavy for day wear.

Optional extras

This is where we go crazy. Be strong and don't buy into all the latest miracle products. But the odd occasional indulgence is perfectly understandable.

Serums are hot favourites with many as they offer instant gratification.

Gardiner says you should work out your priorities rather than trying to do it all and layering-on far too many products.

For example, if you are concerned about your throat, by all means invest in something specifically for that, or a good night cream that targets the neck as well as the face.

Exfoliator

A weekly essential. Pick one. It is hard to stay strong as this is a growth area right now with traditional exfoliators and the newfangled micro-dermabrasion kits and glycolic-based peels. Oh, go on, have two. They're such fun.

Mask

Just one, to cope with your main skin concern. Use once a week.

HAIRCARE

Shampoo

L'Oreal Professionnel's technical manger Kellie Howe says we tend to either buy on emotion, or think our hair gets "used to" to a particular shampoo. "We end up with 50 gazillion half-empty bottles in the bathroom."

One shampoo should be all we need, especially if it comes with UV protectants. Get your hairdresser to recommend one. What's more, our hair doesn't get "used to" something. It's just that the condition has improved and so the shampoo is only maintaining the condition. Ask your hairdresser to reassess your needs every second or third haircut - that's assuming you get it cut every six weeks.

Conditioner

The same goes for conditioner. Try to keep within the same family, where technology has made the products compatible.

Treatment

An intensive mask should be used once a week.

Styling

Your choice of poison, from mousse to gel. Make sure it has a built-in heat protectant. Plus spray or fixant to keep the finished style looking its best.

Finishing

Again, one only is needed. A pomade, wax or paste gives separation. A serum gives gloss and quality to hair.