Keep It or Toss It! Makeup Products!

Ah yes the age old question (literally) when it comes to makeup.  When to keep it and when to straight up toss it! Now I know a lot of you out there (yes I'm talking to you!!) have a hard time letting go of that YSL mascara from the year two thousand and god knows when you bought it.  But come now, you got to admit wearing five year old mascara is not only bad for your eye hygiene but it down right gross and stupid.  The truth is, if, IF your mascara even still works after a year, then what you really have there is a bottle built up of bacteria.  Nothing like having the CDC living in your drawers, eh!?

So for the rest of your who are willing to work with your separation anxiety and toss out that nasty old makeup, here is a list about when to keep or when to toss!    

Mascara

Mascara has a shelf life of 4-6 months before it becomes a septic tank for your eyes.  Though mascara has preservatives in it to help it from going rouge, it doesn't change the fact that the wand is being exposed to air and then to your eye fluid which falls naturally on your lashes.  So while yes, technically you can keep mascara for longer, question is do you want to risk it?  I know some people spend $30 dollars and up on expensive mascara.  However no matter how you cut it, slice it or dice it, mascara is mascara and has the same formula the majority of the time.  So save your money and buy inexpensive mascara that you won't be hiding from yourself when it comes time to chuck it.   

Eyeshadow

Eyeshadow has a shelf life of anywhere between 2-4 years depending on the product.  The cheaper quality the eyeshadow is (not the brand) the quicker it goes bad.  So if your eyeshadow looks dirty, crumbles to easily or smells weird then toss it out in the incinerated ASAP.  Using old makeup on your eyes can cause you an eye infection due to bacteria build up.  So be wise, remember its your eyes.  Don't mess around with stuff that you know your own Barbie doll wouldn't want applied to her own fake plastic face.

Blush/Bronzer

Blush and bronzers can last up to two year as long as you keep it out of your hot, sweaty, moist, steaming bathroom and in a dry climate control space like your bedroom drawers.  Also, don't be nasty and clean your blush brushes at least once a week if not monthly.  Your makeup brushes touch your face and transfer oil and bacteria back into your products.  By not cleaning your brushes regularly you are just sweeping more nasty old facial oil and dirt on your face over and over again.  While makeup bacteria might seem invisible, it doesn't stop it from being there.  Remember makeup lies on your face for a better portion of the day.  So keeping proper hygiene is important for skincare.  The last thing you want is acne skin due to makeup related issues.

Eyeliner

Eyeliner comes in many different forms.  You can get it in either liquid, gel, kohl pencil and soft crayon like pencil.  Liquid and gel eyeliner dry up fast.  So anywhere between 3-5 months you may want to consider tossing it out or replacing it due to it no longer working.  Kohl pencils and soft (crayon) pencils last longer as long as you are constantly sharpening them.   You know once you reached the end with these pencils when you actually reach the end and have nothing left to sharpen.  However if you lost the caps on these pencils, then throw them out.  It is never a good idea to apply eyeliner to your eyes if the protective cap is missing and now the tip of the pencil eyeliner is touching everything and then being transported back to your eyes.  Don't be nasty and buy a new one.  Eyeliner is eyeliner so don't spend too much money on expensive ones when you can get the same thing at a drugstore.

Foundation/Concealer/Highlighter

 

When it comes to this category, a lot of people are hesitant to part with these products because lets be real a good bottle of non drug store foundation can go anywhere from $40-$100 dollars.  However with all that being said, a price tag should never be the deciding factor when it comes to your skincare hygiene.

Foundation, concealer and cream highlighters should be tossed anywhere between nine months to one year.  However if they start smelling funny, separating in the bottle or making you look orange, then you need to depart with it sooner.  When buying foundation, try to buy it with a pump.  It last longer, doesn't allow much air into the bottle and prevents you from sticking your fingers (which I know many of you don't wash your hands before applying your makeup) into the product in order to avoid bacteria built up.

Lipstick/Lipgloss

Lipstick and lipgloss have a 1-2 year shelf life before you need to toss it.  However with that being said, if it starts to smell funky, smear nasty on your lips or it melted in your purse from the hot summer Sunday; get real.  Toss it and buy a new one.  I know many of you like your YSL shades.  Hell so do I. But that doesn't justify it staying around in my drawer for 4 years.  YSL or not, bacteria breeds!

So there you have it.  Go through your drawers and toss whatever nasty products you know need to go!

Keep smiling!

Dayana