Skin Care Tip of the Week *When does makeup expire?*

Tuesday, January 3, 2012


I am more than guilty of keeping those few favorite eyeshadows and lip glosses longer than I should. I hate parting with awesome makeup...BUT keeping makeup after it has gone bad can cause all sorts of skin problems like acne and irritation.

Since not all makeup companies print an expiration date on their products I have included a guideline that will help you know when its time to toss your makeup.

Foundation- liquid foundation is a breading ground for bacteria, so once opened it should be used within 6 months. If you notice the smell start to change at any time toss it. This is usually the first sign that it has gone bad.

Mineral Powder- mineral powder is awesome! Since it contains no water or oil it has a much longer shelf life than foundation. As long as you don't get any water into your powder it can last up to two years.

Eyeliner- since eyeliner is constantly in contact with your sensitive eye area, bacteria is more likely to be present. If you are using a liquid eyeliner toss after 3-4 months. If you are using a pencil eyeliner and are diligent about keeping it sharpened (this removes some of the bacteria by keeping it fresh) you can keep it up to 5-6 months. Using an eyeliner once it has gone bad is a great way to get a not so fun eye infection.

Blush- if you are using a mineral based blush it can also last up to two years. Make sure you keep your blush brush (say that 10 times fast) dry. If water gets on your brush you risk getting bacteria into the blush which will shorten the shelf life.

Mascara- every time you dip the wand into the tube and onto your lashes..and back into the tube you are adding bacteria. To help limit the amount of air and bacteria into your mascara (and extend its shelf life) avoid pumping the wand in and out of the tube. Instead swirl the wand around the tube without adding extra air. It is really important to change mascara every 3 months.

Lip gloss- needs to be tossed after about 18 months.

Its also a good idea to clean your makeup brushes regularly to avoid spreading bacteria into your makeup.

36 comments:

Lindsay said...

Good tips. I really need to be better about this!

Michelle said...

Good to know!

Chunny said...

Thank you for sharing. I should keep this in mind.


http://sassychunny.blogspot.com/

Sarah Roads said...

Ugghh, I need to go clean out my makeup now. I feel dirty : )

Gentri said...

Thank you! I've always wondered!

CALLIE said...

Great to know!! Thanks girl

simplyvonne said...

great tips!! gosh now I need to go wash my brushes!!!!

Jennifer of JennySue Makeup said...

this is such important information!! i can't tell you how many clients i go to work with and look through their makeup and ask them how old some of it is, and it's over 2-3 years old- ick! and they wonder why it's not performing well for them??!
i write on all of my products with a black sharpie marker the date i opened it to keep me on track! great post!!

Unknown said...

I so needed to read this! I am so bad about going through and tossing old makeup. I guess this gives me an excuse to hit sephora though :)

Erin McFarland said...

alright, it's official. practically ALL my makeup needs a-tossin'! i'm a little embarrassed to say I've had some it since I got married...almost 10 years ago! ha! thanks for the tips Lindsay

Lindsay said...

So, I kind of didn't want to read this post, since it would just reiterate how bad I am. :) I need to go through my make-up ASAP. Do you know when eyeshadow expires?? Maybe I missed that in your post. Thanks for the great tip Linds!

sherri lynn said...

This is so good to know! I'm glad I use mineral powder and blush so that it lasts a little longer!

Unknown said...

Wow thank you for the tip. It's time to toss some of my "stuff" I also feel they are already dry and doesn't work at all. Thanks for the visit and Happy New Year!

Hilliary Meisner said...

These are great tips! I think I need to go through and clean out my make up drawer! I hope 2012 is off to a wonderful start for you!

Anisha said...

This is so helpful... I always wondered when to actually get rid of my make up.

Traci said...

Thanks for the tips! I just cleaned out my makeup drawer & I had a lot of questions about what was good & what wasn't.

Becca said...

Thank you for these tips! I am looking forward to learning how to clean my makeup brushes correctly

Ashley said...

Great tips. Thanks for this post! It's good to know I already follow some of these guidelines but I'm thankful to know the rest :)

Alexa said...

Oh God Lindsay. I am a walking petri dish. Ugh...I did not know that about the mascara. Guess I'm heading to CVS today. Ha. Thank you for saving my skin. It thanks you.

Katie Smith said...

Thank you for this!!

Unknown said...

Great tips! Thank you :)

alicia said...

all great to know - thank you for sharing!

My-cliffnotes said...

Love these tips, thank you. And apparently I need to throw a few things out. I hardly ever use eyeliner or eye shadow so I have stuff thats like a year old in there. What if you've only used it like twice?

xx

PS how are you feeling, and how's baby 2

Anna Elder said...

This is so good to know, but honestly it bums me out. I need to not buy so much eyeshadow at one time. I also suck at cleaning my brushes. I'm trying to be better, I swear. I DO, however, go through mascara in about 5-6 weeks. That's the one major thing I stay on top of. Pink eye is the worst.

Unknown said...

This is a VERY good post... I need to pay more attention to this. I do get bummed when I have to throw a favorite out if I'm not quite done with it!

Anonymous said...

I saw on good morning america to put your chapstick in the freezer that also cleans it apparently.

But it does remind me that I have to get all new makeup as well - thought of that today.

Sam W. said...

i am SO guilty of this. mascara i try to be good about, but it feels silly "wasting" my makeup...however i have no problem throwing out old milk.

Regina of Live Delightfully said...

Very interesting! I never knew some of this! Thanks for the tips!

Hanna said...

ack.......I didn't want to know that as all my make up is like 3 years old......I don't wear it that often but I like to buy the nice stuff soooo?????????????? YIKES to me. here we come eye infections..

Christina said...

I love your tips, these are so great to know!
xo

Cara said...

Thank you so much for sharing this, the mascara expiration date was the only one I really knew about. I definitely have some things I should go clear out of my makeup drawer. Can't wait to get your cleanser recipe!

ashlyn | nicole said...

thank you thank you thank you.
you have helped answer many questions that i have about my makeup. i will def be going through everything that i have and throw out the old stuff!

Jennifer @ Delightfully Noted said...

I'm so bad about this! Actually, one of my goals this week was to get all new makeup!

jessica // union shore said...

thank you!! i'm so bad at cleaning out my makeup bag, so this was a good reminder! :)

Anonymous said...
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Unknown said...

Since not all makeup companies print an expiration date on their products this arrticle has included a guideline that will help you know when its time to toss your makeup
mineral make up
organic salon

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