When Do You Throw Out Your Make Up?

Did you know that make-up has a shelf life and can go bad as well? Here are some tips to help you determine what to keep and what needs to go:

Tip 1: The first step is to get rid of anything you don’t use. If you use it less than once a month and it’s not for special occasions, dump it.

Tip 2: Opened mascara or eyeliner that is more than six months old? Throw it out. Liquid eye products gather a lot of bacteria which can lead to eye irritation or even infections.

Tip 3: Any old makeup sponges should go to the trash. After a week of use, they start to grow bacteria. Unless you’ve been sanitizing them every few days, using them can lead to breakouts and contact dermatitis. Yuck!

Tip 4: Open lipsticks, lip glosses or lip liners should go if they’re more than a year old.

Tip 5: Nail polish separates and will break down after about a year, so anything you’ve got sitting around that’s approaching or past that date has to go.

Tip 6: Powders — whether pressed or loose — stay good for about two years. So eye shadows, mineral makeup, etc. have a pretty long shelf life. If you’re not crazy about the colour, or don’t wear it at least once a month, consider getting rid of it though. The likelihood that you’ll want to wear it or get any use out of it before it goes bad is low and it will just be taking up space.

Tip 7: Makeup that’s been sitting out in a sunny spot breaks down faster, so if you’ve got stuff that’s been exposed to light or lots of hot days and it’s more than a few months old, you may want to trash it.

Tip 8: Makeup that you thought was trendy a year ago and isn’t something you love for the way it looks on you, should go — it won’t be back in style before the expiration date.

Tip 9: Liquid foundation lasts anywhere from one to two years depending on the formulation. If you’ve got older foundation you don’t use all the time, throwing it out is probably a good idea.