Lesson Learned

Growing up without a mother, there were a lot of lessons I had to learn the hard way - some profound, and some only skin-deep, like when to throw out your makeup.  In college I was relatively good about purging my makeup stash - I didn't wear much makeup, and what I did own (mainly eyeshadows and blush - this was the point in time at which every girl wore NARS "Orgasm") was often replaced or thrown out as I moved between tiny college apartments.  When I entered the real world (and when I finally built up a supply of "real person" beauty products) I stopped moving around so frequently and, subsequently, stopped cleaning out my makeup supply on a semi-regular basis.  Huge mistake.

This morning, in an effort to combat my cold-induced-stir-craziness, I decided to tackle my makeup supply.  I googled "makeup lifespan" to do some research and was shocked by what I found.  I knew some of my products were past their due-dates (don't worry - I hadn't used them in quite some time), but had no idea that some products had to be replaced so frequently!

Here is a summary of what I found - different sources had different opinions - hopefully you can put this to good use!

Mascara - 3-6 months - toss when it starts smelling funky or leaves more clumps than color

Liquid eyeliner - 6 months - toss sooner if it starts to thicken

Eyeliner pencils - 12-18 months - toss sooner if the tip starts oozing an oily substance or develops a white film (this happened to one of mine and it was more than obvious something was wrong)

Foundation and concealer - 12-18 months - keep them both out of heat and direct sunlight to extend their lives.  Toss if they seem oily or smell rubbery

Powder, blush, and eyeshadow - 12-24 months - keep them dry (don't store them in your bathroom) and toss if they develop a white crust or seem crumbly

Cream eyeshadows/blushes - 12-18 months - keep out of heat and direct sunlight and toss once it starts to thicken or smell funny

Liquid eyeliner - 6 months - toss if they dry up or start to thicken

Lipstick, lip gloss, and lip liner - 8-18 months - toss if it turns gooey, rubbery, or no longer applies to your lips (I don't wear much other than chapstick, but am assuming these would be obvious)

Makeup brushes - varies - natural hair brushes can last forever IF you clean them on a regular basis; synthetic brushes should be replaced on an annual basis or sooner if they start shedding

Two really important exceptions to the above rules: pink eye and cold sores.  If any of your products touch either of these, toss them IMMEDIATELY.  Cold sores and pink eye are both highly contagious and can live in your makeup.  I know it can be painful to toss out $100+ worth of makeup, but having pink eye twice (or more) would be far more painful and not just financially.

So what was the final count?  5 eyeshadow sets, 2 eyeshadows, 3 blushes, one powder compact, 3 mascaras, 1 liquid eyeliner, 2 pencil eyeliners, 1 liquid foundation, 1 lipstick, 3 gel eyeliners.  Final cost?  OUCH.  Let's just say I am re-evaluating the source of my cosmetics (i.e. Bloomingdales v. Target) for products I'm not using every day.