Makeup recycling.

When I was a bit younger, and even skinter, I ran out of my favourite foundation. Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum. You know the one in the squeezy blue plastic tube? No matter how much I shook and squeezed that tube, it was done. Nothing would come out. 

I was obviously distraught over this and it was like a fortnight before payday. I was sitting, exasperated over my predicament in my friend Tammy's car when she said something very wise and utterly profound. 

'Uhhhh Kirstie? Just cut the tube open'

Yeah. 

I had never even considered this as an option. But low and behold, I cut the tube in half with some nail scissors and I swear it was SO full of product that it lasted it me even beyond payday. 

It really made me think about how much product I was wasting everytime I threw out a foundation that I thought was 'empty'. 

A lot of the foundations I use now are in glass bottles and I rarely actually make it to the end of one before I move on to another. So I haven't done this for a while. 

But tonight, I needed sonething to keep me busy. So I engaged in a little project. 

You know the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer that I and the rest of the blogging world never shut up about? Well, like any other hoarder...I have stockpiles of 'nearly empty' tubes of this Holy Grail product, because while they look ready for the bin, I know there's life left in them that I 'just might need' one day when I unexpectedly finish one properly. 

Tonight, I made myself a huge compact of concealer out of tubes that most people would have considered fit for the bin. 

These are the bits and pieces I used to get the product out. I used a knife and some little nail scissors to open the tubes. An old empty Dior container I cleaned out. Some makeup brushes to transfer the concealer into it. And a load of baby wipes because it got a little messy at points. 

So this tube is an example. Look how empty it appears? When you pump the applicator around, nothing comes out of this anymore. 

But look, when you cut this open....

Lots of lovely product remains inside. Just outwith the applicators grasp. 

From this one seemingly empty tube, I got this much concealer out. 

That is ridiculous. That's like half a tube! 

I know I sound kind of sad. Because, these are like five pounds. But it's my five pounds. That I worked for. And I'd rather the product I spent it on ends up on my face than in the bin. 

So here are the results of my little project. A compact literally packed full of a HG product I use daily and cannot live without. All of which I would easily have binned, thinking the tubes were just taking up space. 

It took me around 20 minutes. 

I'm quite pleased with myself to be honest. 

Kirstie. 

Xxxx