When decluttering, don’t forget about your makeup!
It is important to regularly declutter and throw away makeup, not just to make space in your home but for your own health. Read this to find out exactly how to declutter your makeup. I’m going to set out here the recommended shelf life for beauty products.
Makeup is perishable so it can be harmful to your skin to use it after it has expired. Skin absorbs everything you put on it and using expired makeup is a bit like eating food that has gone off its best. While it not make you ill, it can cause problems like redness, rashes and allergic reactions and no-one wants that!
You will often be able to tell from the smell or texture of your beauty products when they have gone off, but not always. You should also check the back of your cosmetics product to see if it has a little symbol with the shelf life of that product on it (see the photo opposite for what this should look like). The number in or next to the small jar picture equates to the number of months after opening that the product expires. For example, it if shows “24” the product expires 2 years after opening. The number varies from product to product and not all makeup shows the expiry date. I have therefore put together this simple guide so you can see at glance when you should get rid of your makeup:
When to throw away makeup
- Nail polish: 2 years
- Powder foundation, face powder and powder eyeshadow: 2 years
- Lipstick, lip pencil, eyeliner pencil and eyebrow gel: 1 to 1.5 years
- Blusher, bronzer and face creams: 1 year
- Liquid foundation and concealer: 6 – 12 months
- Liquid eyeliner and lip gloss: 3 – 6 months
- Mascara and blending sponges: 3 months
Bonus tip: On the bottom or side of your makeup product, write with an indelible marker the date you opened it. This will mean you can work out later down the line if it has expired or not!
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