A beauty routine is an excellent thing to have. When you have one, you develop a signature style and have a go-to look that you can recreate in minutes. That being said, you can also get into a habit and it's easy to get stuck in a beauty rut. You tend to reach for the same products and reuse them without sensing that your beauty routine has maybe become more foe than friend. Your skin tone, type and texture are ever changing, so how do you know that your beauty routine is still the right fit for you?

The key is to take stock of your beauty products every once in a while and see if you need an overhaul to better address your needs. Here are some ways you can make that happen: 

1. Clean Up: Toss out old expired makeup. Expired makeup loses its efficiency and you don't want to take any health chances with old mascara. If you aren't sure if it is expired or not, check out our handy dandy guide. This is also a prime opportunity to clean your brushes, ladies! Cleaning brushes is a pain, but they accumulate bacteria which in turn cause acne (not so fun). Here's a quickie DIY brush dryer. If you have broken powders that you aren't quite ready to toss out yet, you can repair them quite easily, too.

2. Focus on Skincare, Not Covering Up: Many ladies tend to skimp on the skincare and instead invest in foundations, concealers and powders to make up for it, but beautiful skin makes a world of difference. When your skin is hydrated, your makeup looks even better. Be sure to remove all makeup before bed and use cleansing masks to treat your skin. 

Here are few products we suggest: 


1. GlamGlow Super-Mud Clearing Treatment (C$69.00)

2. Vichy ProEven Brightening Cleansing Lotion (C$19.95)

3. Clairsonic Opal Skin Infusion System (C$215.00)

4. Be.better Pure Argan Oil Moisturizer (C$16.99)

5. Darphin Ideal Resource Micro Refining Smoothing Fluid (C$105.00)

6. Giovanni D:tox System Purifying Facial Cleanser, Purifying Facial Scrub, Replenishing Facial Moisturizer, Purifying Facial Mask (C$12.75, each)

3. Proper Application: Are you concealing properly? I tend to take concealing to a whole new level by using it as a secondary foundation. Note: concealer is not foundation. 

Conceal only where needed for a natural look. Use two tones of concealer (one darker and one lighter) to help blend raised bumps and lighten dark spots. Check out our full concealing guide here. Most of the time, you don't realize that you actually aren't applying certain products properly. For more tips, try this dewy foundation technique and be sure to read about common beauty mistakes!

4. Separate Your Supplies and Get Organized: Chicks, get it together. I don't know about you, but I've kind of had it with digging through boxes to find my stuff in the morning. Instead, why not build yourself an easy DIY battle station? 

Once you've got the perfect place to apply makeup and you've tossed out all your old makeup, it's time to separate your supplies into needed basics and everything else. Have a small bag of everyday makeup that is fast and easy for rushed mornings. Then look at the rest of your makeup. Anything that you haven't used in the past 6 months, toss. Chances are, you wouldn't have used it again and you won't miss it. 

It's also a good idea have a small travel pouch with items that you use mostly when you're on the go. Look through your makeup to see what you use and what you don't. It's a good way to figure out what to buy in the future and what to avoid. A great tip is to keep track of your beauty 'empties'; this way you won't buy multiples of the same product. 


(image via beautyeditor.ca) 
 
5. Keep it Fresh: You should to update your makeup collection periodically to be sure that you stick to modern trends. No one wants to be the lady who was still into blue shadows and big hair in 2000. Old colours and trends date you. Don't be afraid to try something new, you may love it! Case in point, the teal bottom lash liner at Stella McCartney from the Spring 2013 shows (above). So go ahead and shop your stash. Some of those forgotten products are gems!

Got any beauty overhaul tips to share? Let us know in the comments!