Spring Cleaning: Make-Up Edition

It is still spring so it is not too late to clean your make-up drawer. This is necessary because not only will  it make your morning make-up routine go faster, but it will help ensure that you don't get a bad reaction to old make-up.

Let's start with products with sunscreen in them. They typically last one year, after that the sunscreen is not as effective. Thankfully cosmetic companies have smartened up and have started to put expiration dates. Some of these companies are Laura Mercier and Cover FX. Make sure that if you are going to buy a make-up product with sunscreen in it you look at the exp. date first, because the one year shelf life does not start when you buy it, but when it was made. For example you might buy a foundation from Cover FX in May 2012 but the expiration date might be June 2012, so don't buy it! Grab another one or ask someone working in the store when they are getting their next shipment.

Here is a general table of when make-up should be thrown away, according to Bobbi Brown in Beauty Rules (93).

-Foundation     12-18 months

-Concealer       1 year

-Powder           2 years

-Mascara          3 to 6 months

-Lipstick          12 to 18 months

-Lip or eye      1 year
pencil

-Eye Shadow  1 year

-Powder blush 2 years

-Cream blush   6 months to 1 year

-Moisturizer     12 to 18 months

-Eye Cream     1 year

-SPF lotion      1 year

I would love to say that I follow this timetable religiously but it is not true. I just don't have the money or heart to throw away things that I've only used a couple of times, even though I've had them for a while. The things that I am good about throwing away are mascaras and moisturizers. Old mascaras can give you an eye infection and old moisturizers can make you break out.

I have quite a large make-up collection, so it is impossible for me to remember when I bought anything, so what I do is put a piece of masking tape at the bottom of the product with the date of when I bought it.

-JJ