Give and Makeup: Donating Excess Beauty Products

It's a new year and time for a clear out. Is this your thinking right now? It certainly has been mine. It doesn't take long to accumulate too many beauty products. I guess you could say 'too many' is a subjective term, but when you only have one face, I guess owning as many blushers as I do is slightly excessive! My stash has built up a lot over about six years; before then I never earned enough, nor had the interest in trying such a wide range of products. Then I made up for lost time... 
Perhaps this also rings true for you? Maybe you also have a few too many products hanging around and want to do something about it? If, like me, you are also planning to move in the near future, you are also feeling a bit overwhelmed at having to pack up a huge collection of 'stuff'. Don't get me wrong, there are items I use everyday and items that I treasure; however there are also so many bits and bobs that I don't love or need- so why hang onto them? As a Glossybox subscriber for 3 years, I have a box full of sample sizes and items that I just won't use. These add to the general sense that I'm unwillingly becoming a hoarder!
So it seems like a no-brainer for me to donate the products I no longer want to a good cause. This is where I remembered Give and Makeup, a cause created by well-known skincare guru, Caroline Hirons. The initiative accepts donations of beauty products and toiletries and donates them to women who have had to go into a shelter after suffering abuse from a partner. These women (and often their children) don't have time to pack these items when they flee their homes and therefore our donations can help them to feel slightly more 'normal' at a terrifying time in their lives.
I came across escentual.com's page with the address below to send donations and wanted to share this idea with anyone who is also feeling they need to have a clear-out. There is a list of items they will accept on the link above.

This is going to be 'phase one' in my clear out mission! I also intend to do another examination of my cosmetics collection in a few weeks' time and gift some products to my friends- perhaps even a giveaway? 

If you would be interested, please let me know in the comments below.