10 Ideas for Upcycling Your Beauty Containers

Transform your empties into something fabulous. It’s no secret that we’re head over heels obsessed with trying the latest beauty products. But with our passion comes a problem: what should we do with the empty perfume bottles, candle votives, and other finished containers? Make your vanity a little more gorgeous and save the earth by upcycling your beauty products. Here are 10 ways turn your empties into new items that are useful, eco-friendly, and fab. 1. Glue a figurine on top of a cream jar and spray paint it to create a decorative holder. 2. Repurpose the LUNA™ play as a brush cleaner. (Don’t pay for those pricey silicone brush cleaners! Just wet your device, apply brush cleanser, and glide your makeup brush through the LUNA play’s soft silicone bristles.) Pro Tip: You can also recycle your LUNA play! If you don’t want to keep it as a makeup brush cleaner, learn how you can give it a second life here. 3. Turn extra compacts into a wall mirror masterpiece. 4. Make an oil diffuser from a perfume bottle. 5. Clean an old liquid eyeliner brush to use as a nail art pen. 6. Turn a used candle into a makeup brush holder. 7. Clean a candle and use it as a flower vase. 8. Attach empty glass cosmetics jars to a wooden board and plant herbs to create a chic planter. 9. Say goodbye to purchasing body scrubs and reuse empty scrub containers to hold DIY beauty products. 10. Clean out an empty lipstick tube for a easy-to-tote bobby pin holder. Recycling Tips Not feeling crafty? Don’t throw your empties away! Instead, recycle them. Glass, tin, cardboard, and hard plastic (like your shampoos, conditioners, and body wash containers) can all be recycled. If you have a hard plastic item, simply give it a rinse and toss it in the blue recycling bin. It’s pretty cool that it takes only a few seconds to help save the environment. If you're a diehard fan of a specific beauty brand, check to see if the company has a recycling program. Some companies (like MAC Cosmetics and LUSH) reward their customers with a free product when they bring back empty containers. Return five black LUSH jars to receive a free face mask and at MAC, score a free lipstick when you bring back six MAC containers. Want to do more to help the planet? Learn about FOREO’s Save the Sea campaign here.