I have this dreadful habit and hope my admitting it will mean you won’t judge me too harshly. When I am depressed (that being clinically depressed, as opposed to just feeling really sad), I am seized by the desire to buy lots of pretty things. Topping that list would be lipgloss.

It’s easier not to feel quite so guilty about splurging on bath products because they do get used up. I’ll have bath fizzes, solid bubble bath bars, and powders in sachets stashed in my beloved bath box, threatening to spill over, but in a month or two they’re gone. That’s fine — at least that which is bought is consumed rather than wasted.

Alas, not so with lipgloss, or even eyeshadow. In some ways, I wish I could be a bit more like my mother. She will actually finish lipstick tubes and has only five or so that are used regularly and used evenly. Then, when one is finished, she’ll go out and repurchase the same shade.

In my personal opinion, wearing the same colour palette for the last twenty or so years is not always flattering and she would do well to consider different colours for various types of light (daytime or nighttime), and occasions — but that’s another issue to be discussed later. At least she is making very good use of what she has.

I need to start doing the same. Either I can choose to have a lot of lipgloss, and use it more often, or cut down on buying the damn stuff. I’ve chosen to do the latter. So, I’ve devised some guidelines to help me get rid of items that haven’t even been used, and banish those I no longer use.

I regret that moment when I jokingly adopted the following phrase throughout some of my worst depressive episodes: “A girl (or girl at heart, regardless of age or gender, let’s be inclusive, shall we?) can never have too much lipgloss.”

Um, yes, she can. It pains me to admit it, but it’s true. Onto the guidelines for culling the lipgloss and eyeshadow collection.

1. Does the colour suit me?

Yeah, it looked hot on your friend Gwendolynne or on that sexy glam rock god in that new band, but are my skintone, hair, and eye colour anything like theirs? Sadly no. So, if it makes me look like I’ve been painted for my casket viewing, it’s very likely I’ll end up neglecting it (unless I happen to need that particular look, and I seriously doubt that will be the case, especially as I plan to be cremated). No usage = not necessary to own.