Knowing When It's Time to Break Up (With Your Makeup, That is)

A few posts ago,I wrote an article about some of the the dangers of using expired makeup items. Yet, knowing that information does little good if you are still unsure of which products in your collection are expired and which might be getting close to that. I have compiled a list of when common types of makeup are apt to need to be discarded and additional signs of things to look for to tell when your favorite product might be nearing the end of its life.

*** Note: All expiration timeframes apply to items that have been opened.

Liquid Foundation and Concealer: Most research suggests that liquid foundations and concealers expire in 12 months as a standard rule. These being liquid and constantly exposed to air when opened, are very likely to harbor bacteria. If the product is contained in a pump bottle, which lessens the formula’s exposure to air, or if it in a glass bottle as opposed to a plastic one, it may have a better chance of lasting a bit longer than this—a couple of months at the most. Keep in mind, all types of foundations and concealers, but especially liquid formulas, are prone to having their shades shift to a more orangish version of their hue due to oxygen exposure and will start to harden and apply more patchily too. These are signs to call it quits.

Powders and Powder Blushes, Bronzers, and Highlighters: 24 months-- 36 months. Both in my experience and from what I’ve seen is the general consensus, these products are among the longest-living members of our beauty collections. These products, being powders and free of moisture, are generally good for up to two or three years. If the formula starts to become harder to pick up on your brush or begins to have an altered smell, especially if it is a moldy smell, let it go, even if before this time.

Powder Eyeshadow: 36 months max- Brands and beauty professionals have conflicting views as to how long one can safely keep their eyeshadow. Some say a year, some say two, some say up to three. Others say six months, no more. It really depends on the individual formula here. Being a powder product, these should last a long time like the powdered face products, but since shadows are used around the eye, a little extra precaution should be taken in estimating its shelf life. When you notice the colors starting to alter when applied to the eye- usually, it will be more faded but it may also leave an unintentional pink-red or orange stain on the eye—then it is definitely time to consider saying goodbye. Again, if it starts to smell moldy or weird in any way, get rid of it.

Cream Blushes ,Bronzers, Highlighters/Cream-to-Powder Foundation and Brow Pomades, Cream Eyeshadows ,and Gel Eyeliners: 4-10 months - The face products belonging to this group will last anywhere from 6-10 months. The eye and brow products last a little less-- about 4-6. In most cases, the longevity you get within this range is dependent on how well you seal the product to keep it from drying out and away from any stray water or excess air that would interfere with the its preservative system and shorten its efficacy and safety.

Mascaras, Liquid Liners, and Eye Pencils: Around 4 months- The standard rule for mascara used to be unequivocally: throw it out every three months on the dot. Nowadays, some companies, touting updated and more stable and effective preservative systems suggest that 4 months to 6 months is safe. With this being a liquid product being exposed to the moist eye area, which is very sensitive and that can be irritation and infection-prone. I personally do not keep mascaras more than 4 months. When a mascara starts to flake more often or begins to smell like ink when it did not before, it means it’s time to toss it. Liquid liner and twist-up eye pencils have similar guidelines , although they err to the longer side of the shelf life than mascaras do. One exception to this is, however, if you have an eye pencil that you sharpen, you can keep that easily for at least a year because you're doing away with the part that becomes moist from being near the eye or potentially exposed to bacteria every time you sharpen it.

Bullet Lipstick and Lipliner: 12-36 months- Creamier lipsticks are more vulnerable than matte ones because of more emollient ingredients and water content within the formula. But in general, you have a few years with lipsticks as long as the formula is not drying out or becoming unpleasant to use. These changes in texture could also be signs of a lipstick declining, and if it ever starts to smell like waxy crayons or plastic wrap, this means it has definitely gone off. Most lipliners will also fall under these standards. but just as with eye pencils, if you have a lipliner that you sharpen before using, it will have a slightly longer shelf life.

Liquid Lipstick and Lipgloss: 6-12months —These products are liquid in nature and, therefore, do not last long. In the case of a liquid lipstick, because of the alcohol in their formulas, they can be especially prone to drying out and becoming unusable. It may not be fair to say that they become unsafe to use, but you certainly will not get as good of an application as you used to after about 6 months, and often, the formula will become very drying and, in my experience, sometimes even painful to use on the lips at this point and could cause damage to the skin on the lips. Glosses are less precarious, but because these kinds of products usually having applicators redipped in them after being used on the mouth, they are likely to still hold on to some bacteria and go bad within about a year of use.

That wraps up this two-part series on makeup expiration and general guidelines on keeping your collection of products safe to use and performing the best. Of course, if you suspect you should let go of an item before I, or anything else, says it may go off, trust your instincts to keep your makeup safe, pristine, and ultimately all the lovelier in your beauty-loving life ahead!