When it comes to pretty, shiny things, many of us are like magpies. It’s understandable: it demands a strong will to resist the relentless marketing everywhere we go and, in any case, the new liquid lipstick from your favourite beauty brand is gorgeous. But often we don’t need – or even really want – the things we hand over our hard-earned cash for, so it’s little surprise that a stockpile of unused bits and bobs soon starts to form. From that freebie anti-ageing eye cream you got for spending £30 in Boots to the kind cosmetics gift that didn’t quite suit your colouring, you probably aren’t using every item in your makeup bag. The familiar ‘New Year, New You’ spiel makes January seem the ideal time for a sort out, but instead of throwing out your unwanted goodies in a frantic bid to ‘clear your clutter, clear your mind’, why not do something more positive with them? Give and Makeup is a non-profit initiative that helps pass on your surplus makeup, clothing and more to the thousands of women who turn up at refuges with nothing after escaping domestic abuse. It was founded six years ago by skincare expert and blogger Caroline Hirons after research for a blogpost on everyday essentials led her to a page on Refuge’s website . “I read that the fewer things women take with them, the longer they have to get away, because the abuser is less likely to assume that she’s left,” she says. “Most of them only take their kids, their purse and maybe a change of underwear. I had a lightbulb moment. I had been sent so much stuff for the blog and I didn’t need it all, but these women did. I rung my friends up and said ‘Bitches, we’re doing this!'” Two women are murdered by a partner or ex-partner every week in the UK, with one in four experiencing domestic violence in their lifetime. Charities like Refuge and Women’s Aid protect those in need, helping them find somewhere safe to stay while they struggle to rebuild their lives.