How Long Should Make-up Last?

Monday, September 10, 2012 Unknown 3 Comments

There's not a day that I am not asked , “How Long Should I Keep My Make-up For?”

After reading my school notes,extensive internet searches, google, the infamous Wiki and from past experiences - I created and simplified this list.
 If there are any corrections, PLEASE let me know! That last thing I want to do is give out unreliable information.
Un-open Make-up Most items have a shelf life from one to three years. Check the box, it will have an image with a number ( 12M or 24M) that will determine the products life line.  The best thing to do is to look at the expiration date. Products with SPF tend to expire a lot earlier so take that into consideration. Once the product is opened, these guidelines should apply.

First off, if it has a distinct odour or has changed colour THROW IT OUT! If you have memories of wearing that shade when you were dating in high school and now married with 2 kids, clearly you need to trash that. We will let your pictures take you down memory lane, not your old make-up. 
Make-up, especially cream products should always stay at room temperature. Don't change the temperature of your make-up, it will cut its product life in half. I.E. storing it in your bathroom then leaving it out in your car for a few days in hot weather, then returning it back in your bathroom .

Mineral Make-up
Mineral makeup is made with pure minerals, it won't change colour because it doesn't have the binders, fillers and general strange chemicals that comprise other/some makeup brands. So in the long run, this can actually be a lot cheaper to replace.
Always read the box, labels or ask a professional that was assisting you with your purchase. 

Natural Organic Make-up
Natural organic Make-up do not have all the fillers and ingredients in regular make-up that is designed for the product to last longer.  This being said, Natural Organic Make-up will need to be thrown out sooner.  Always read the box, labels or ask a professional that was assisting you with your purchase.

The Basics - Regular Make-up
  • · Powder Eye Shadow: “non bacteria-friendly” should last about 2 years or a little longer
  • · Cream Eye Shadow: approx 8-16 months
  • · Liquid Eyeliner: approx 3-6 months (reason: brush is constantly dipped in and out of the container causing bacteria to grow)
  • · Pencil Eye Crayon: approx 1.5 - 2 years
  • · Under Eye Concealer/Correction Pen or Brush: approx 3-6 months (reason: brush is constantly dipped in and out of the container causing bacteria to grow)
  • · Mascara: approx 3 months (Tip: When taking out your brush, try avoiding pumping your brush in and out numerous of times. This will add air to your mascara which will cause it to dry faster and shorten your mascara life)
  • · Powder Blush / Bronzer: “non bacteria-friendly”2 years or a little longer...
  • · Cream Blush: approx 12-18 months
  • · Lipsticks: approx 1.5 years
  • · Lip-gloss with brush applicator: approx 6-9 months (reason: brush is constantly dipped in and out of the container causing bacteria to grow)
  • · Lip-gloss in tube: approx 8-14 months
  • · Pencil Lip Liners: approx 2 years
  • · Cream Lip Liners: approx 8-14 months
  • · Cream Foundations: approx 8-14 months
  • · Liquid Foundations: approx 8-14 months
  • · Loose Powder or Face Powder: “non bacteria-friendly” approx 2 years or a longer
  • · Concealers: approx 8-14 months

Tip:
If you want to try to keep or use your make-up products to its full product lifes potential, you can follow some of these simple hygienic rules to keep it lasting longer.

Cream products can be contaminated when using your fingers, or a used/dirty brush. Creams will collect and will grow bacteria and will shorten your products life. Try using a clean sponge or brush when applying. Avoid double dipping; it defeats the purpose of using a clean applicator. If you find this time consuming or costly, scrape a small amount of product with a spatula and use it directly from there. You can double dip as many times as you like because you will throw out the unused product.

Powders are “non bacteria-friendly” because it is a powder,  it's dry and bacteria can not grow in it. That’s why you will notice most powder products seem to last a lot longer.
Some powders can exceed the 2 years but do follow the signs when they go bad - for instance, when powders become cakey looking or when change it starts to change colour.

I recently have been using this in my kit after each client, its a great investment if you want to keep your make-up clean and hygiene friendly. It will clean powders, creams, etc. Hopefully this will extend my products shelf life.

Beauty So CleanBeautySoClean is clinically proven to effectively remove bacteria from all makeup products in 10 seconds

If I have missed anything, let me know.

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3 comments:

great post! i'll stick to these rules...at least I have a year on most of the items!

Anonymous said...

Very Helpful!

Anonymous said...

thanks for the tips...

May Nguyen