As you stow away your winter sweaters, take time to spring clean your makeup and skincare stash, too. With a little TLC and conscious cosmetic selection, you can maintain a healthy glow well through spring and summer.

 

It’s time to say goodbye to chilly winter weather and hello to warm spring days. The new season calls for some much-needed spring cleaning. Just as you dust off your shelves and swap out your winter wardrobe, you also need to refresh your beauty routine for spring. Some actual cleaning is required— tossing expired products, decluttering your collection, and thoroughly washing your beauty tools. Breathe new life into your makeup and skincare regimens with lighter formulas, a healthy dose of SPF, and brighter color palettes so you can deliver flawless looks just in time for the sunny days ahead.

 

We asked celebrity makeup artist and Global Artistic Director at Laura Geller, Ashlee Glazer, to share a few tips and tricks on how we can spring clean our beauty routines.

 

1. Check expiration dates

 

GlamLash Dramatic Volumizing Mascara, $24, Laura Geller

 

Did you know that makeup and skincare products don’t actually last forever? To promote overall skin health, it’s a good idea to check the expiration dates a couple times a year. Glazer recommends swapping out mascaras, lip glosses, foundations, brow gels and sponges regularly, especially anything that is liquid or cream because they’re breeding grounds for bacteria. Expired products put you at risk of eye infections, lip sores, and skin irritation. Don’t forget about your daily moisturizer, face wash, and sunscreen as well.

 

If you aren’t sure whether to throw it out, check for an off-scent, oil separation, and texture separation, which are common signs for expired products.

 

2. Clean your beauty tools

 

 

Sonia Kashuk Makeup Brush Shampoo, $9, Target

 

Makeup brushes collect so much bacteria, especially after touching your face day in and day out. If you use your brushes on a daily basis, you should be washing them every week. Of course, this doesn’t usually make our weekly to-do list, but a special cleansing solution like Sonia Kashuk’s Makeup Brush Shampoo can make the chore much easier.

 

According to Glazer, you should also clean your sponges, brush canisters, compacts, makeup organizers, and cosmetic bags, in addition to your makeup brushes. Hair brushes, microdermabrasion brush heads, tweezers, eyelash curlers, loofahs, and razors are among other forgotten beauty tools you should add to your spring cleaning list. Just like makeup brushes, these tools pick up excess makeup and dirt from your face and body, and cleaning or replacing them can prevent the spread of germs and—better yet—can make your makeup look flawless.

 

3. Reorganize

 

 

Carson Multi-Use Shelf, $34, Urban Outfitters

 

While you’re going through your beauty collection, take the time to really narrow down what you do and don’t use. Toss the products you aren’t in love with or things that look straight up gross. Also check your beauty tools to make sure they’re still in top-notch shape—your straightener still heats to the highest temperature, your hair brushes are fully intact, your microdermabrasion devices still spin at top speed. Get familiar with what’s in your stash to prevent duplicate purchases so you can splurge on beauty buys you’ve been dying to try.

 

Once you’ve decluttered your collection, have fun reorganizing your most-used products with leftover jars, vintage trays, or any one of these stylish makeup storage solutions.

 

4. Incorporate SPF

 

 

Biossance Squalane + Mineral SPF 45, $39, Sephora

 

In a perfect world, you should be using SPF every morning to combat harmful, wrinkle-inducing UVA and UVB rays, but if you weren’t before, spring is the perfect excuse to introduce SPF into your beauty routine. Even on those cloudy days (the rays still peek through), “you should be applying SPF 30 to bare skin,” says Glazer. “Makeup and foundations that contain SPF are also great, but they usually expire quicker than those without and can oxidize a bit faster,” Glazer says.

 

Find a sunscreen that you really love, that doesn’t make you greasy, break out, or smell weird because, after all, you’ll be wearing it every day.

 

5. Exfoliate

 

 

Indie Lee CoQ-10 Toner, $32, Nordstrom; Indie Lee Coconut Citrus Scrub, $38, Nordstrom

 

Good exfoliation treatments are one of Glazer’s spring cleaning essentials to get that dewy, fresh-faced look that’s super in for this time of year. They get rid of dry, dead skin cells left over from winter, and restore your face and body to baby-soft status with gentle exfoliation. My favorite exfoliating duo is a toner and scrub combo once or twice a week, closely followed with a moisturizer. A toner helps get rid of leftover dirt, makeup, and impurities so that the face exfoliant or scrub can get right to removing the dead skin.

 

Exfoliating also creates the perfect base for self-tanners, evening out skin texture and opening up pores so you can get the most out of your faux sun-kissed glow. Be careful not to over-exfoliate, especially if you have rosacea or sensitive skin, as harsh scrubbing can lead to irritation and flare-ups.

 

6. Switch out your moisturizer

 

 

Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel, $52, Sephora

 

While you’re tossing out expired products and reorganizing your routine, stow away the winter products you won’t use until next year. Heavy creams and moisturizers are too rich for spring and can cause oil and breakouts when warmer temperatures hit. Thick lotions and full-coverage foundations shouldn’t take up prime space in your spring beauty shelfie. Switch to a lighter daily moisturizer that hydrates, but can still be worn under natural-looking BB cream for a fresh spring glow.

 

7. Brighten up your palette

 

 

Tarte Be A Mermaid & Makes Waves Eyeshadow Palette, $42, Sephora

 

Just as spring and summer call for different formulas to keep you looking fresh, they also require vibrant pops of color. Retire your vampy lipsticks and moody eyeshadows in favor of brighter springtime hues: ultra violets, pastel pinks, seafoam greens, marigold yellows, and bold reds.

 

“A great way to incorporate this trend into your routine is with eyeliner,” says Glazer. “Apply liner on the top of the lash line for a bold spring eye. I also love to incorporate gloss textures on the skin, eyes, and lips. This trend going into spring has been super popular in all colors and for every skin tone.”

 

That’s right—you can finally bring back your sunny bronzers, dewy highlighters, and shimmering lip glosses without judgement. Our favorite take on the trend is the glossy eyeshadow look all over Instagram, runways, and magazine spreads. Don’t be afraid to experiment with bright colors and glossy textures (a little goes a long way) for an unexpected look that’s refreshingly cool and so spring.