Makeup Expiration Dates

If you were like me and have your Bonnie Bell Bronzer and Wet n Wild hot pink lipstick still in your makeup bag from the 80’s then this article is for you!

We are all guilty of hoarding makeup at some point in our lives. Not only is makeup expensive, but we rarely use enough of it to be throwing it out so often.

“Come on… I only used my Maybelline electric blue eye shadow ONCE…do I really have to throw it out? Sure I wore it to my high school graduation 15 years ago but come on…..”

Also, many products and colors become discontinued and when we find a favourite it’s hard to part with it no matter how old it is!

Truthfully though, keeping old makeup around is a breeding ground for bacteria. Basically as soon as you take that little brush out that it comes with and apply it to your skin/lashes, then re-apply, that’s IT! The clock starts ticking down!

Mascara: 3 Months (liquids are worse for being bacteria prone)
Eye-liner: 6 Months (though pencil liners can last 1 Year)
Foundation: 6-12 Months (toss if it starts to separate or toss sooner if you have acne-prone skin)
Lip-gloss: 1 Year
Concealer: 1 Year (powder concealers can last longer)
Nail polish : 2 Years (if it starts to separate, toss it)
Lipstick: 2 Years
Powders: 2 Years
Eye-shadows: 2 Years

But there ARE things that we can do to help you get the most out of the life-span of your products:

When buying a new powder, such as eye-shadows, blushes, or bronzers, DO NOT use the little brushes that come with it. Instead use your own makeup brushes and clean them after every use (clean using a makeup brush cleanser or a diluted wash of baby shampoo and water). Or use disposable brushes found at any drugstore or beauty store.
Use disposable brushes for mascara. Most drugstores or beauty stores will sell small disposable mascara wands. When buying a new mascara, you can use these disposable wands instead from the very first application and keep tossing them after every use. That way you are never re-contaminating the mascara. Although, I personally don’t use this tip as most mascara wands are designed specifically to apply the product in a certain way, but this is still a good tip especially for those with extremely sensitive eyes.
Use a lip brush. When buying a new lipstick, instead of applying it straight from the tube, use a lip brush and clean it after every use. Or scrape a small amount of the lipstick and place on a flat surface like a lid or small painter’s pallet and apply with a brush from there. Scraping off a small amount can also lead to a cool idea of combining lipstick shades to create your own custom color!
Buy a sanitizing spray. New to the market are makeup sanitizing sprays. These sprays can be used by spraying onto products, eye-shadows, powders, even lipsticks, before applying. These kill the surface bacteria. However, you can easily create your own sanitizing spray by using at least 91% Rubbing Alcohol (has to be at least 91% otherwise it will discolor product) in a small spray bottle and lightly mist! In fact, I learned this secret from one of the major beauty stores, as it’s how they sanitize all of their products on the shelf!

Tags: Bronzer, Concealer, Eye Shadow, Eye-Liner, Foundation, Lip-Gloss, Lipstick, Mascara, Nail Polish

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The Perfume Expert The Perfume Expert is an online Perfume Blog, Beauty Blog and Skincare Blog all rolled into one so you can stay looking good, smelling nice and feeling great all in one place! Written by an expert you can trust, I provide you with Perfume reviews, Best Perfumes, Beauty reviews and Makeup trends that are all written with passion and an eye for excellence.