Article by BR Amelia
What do you do with your used up beauty products? If you're really good you might toss them in to your recycling bin, but if you're like most of us, those empty bottles, pots and palettes are destined for the landfill.
Upcycling might be the latest buzz word (along with 'life hacks') but it's been around for decades. I remember my Nanna telling me about the war and post-war years, when the economy was stunted and people simply had to make do. From unraveling too-small sweaters and using the yarn to knit hats or gloves, to reusing the bath water to water the veggie patch, war time households learned the hidden value of many a used-up thing.
Well for the sake of the environment (and your beauty karma), we've come up with some ideas to reusing, repurposing or upcycling your beauty stash!
1. Create household storage from lotion bottles.
Make It & Love It blogger Ashley Johnston has rocked our world with her upcycled lotion bottles. This hanging laundry room storage system is simple, eco friendly and pretty darn cute.
2. Store broken powders in your old makeup palette.
If you're a 'dropper' then chances are you've cracked and smashed more than a few powder products.
Clean out empty moulded palettes and use them to store broken chunks of blushes, powder foundations, bronzers, and eye shadows. Bonus: This trick helps keep your cosmetics area clutter-free.
3. Contain the clutter.
Reuse body butter tubs, candle jars and tins and declutter your room. Store hair pins, pills, cotton buds and whatever other fiddly things you have lying around.
4. Refill empty containers. Keep a hold of 'handy' product packaging like glass bottles, pumps or deluxe samples and re-fill them with homemade products or for travelling.
5. Make statement jewellery.
2nd Funniest Thing blogger Marta used a plastic bottle to create this chevron necklace.
6. Reuse net body scrubbers as household cleaning tools.
You're supposed to replace plastic loofahs at least every two months for hygiene reasons. But have you ever unravelled one? That's a lorra plastic to just throw away - they're great for stubborn surface stains and for hard to reach spots.
7. Use glass foundation jars as single stem vases.
Simple. Classy. Frugal.
8. Overrun with fancy soaps?
Use them to freshen drawers and wardrobes until you're ready to use them.
9. Use cleaned out toothpaste tubes for cake decorating.
Ok, I'm not entirely convinced by this, but people do do it! Snip the end off, wash well, fill with icing, and off you go...
10. Check out if your favourite brand has a recycling program.
Some brands like MAC offer a free product for customers that return empty packaging. Check out Back To MAC or Lush's 5 pot recycle program.
11. Turn a lotion bottle in to a cellphone charging caddy.
Make It & Love It blogger Ashley Johnston has done it again. No more tripping up over wires while your phone is on charge!
12. Too many nail polishes to use?
Use them to paint bobby pins in the season's must have colours. Cheap and cheerful!
13. Is your eyeshadow too sparkly, glittery or bright for your liking?
Mix it with clear nail polish and rock your own unique shade!
14. Use a disposable razor to gently remove clothing bobbles.
Go easy or you might end up with a hole and wishing bobbles were your problem!
15. Collect the mirrors from your used compacts to create your own bit of wall art.
Check out Thistle Wood Farms for some inspiration on this!
Omg I love number 15 - that is super cool. I love the idea of repurposing products. Some very good ideas here, thanks for sharing this.