Makeup Expiration Dates: Should I Save or Toss?

Hey Beauty Bees,

When I was doing my makeup yesterday I noticed that certain products have been in my collection for a very long time. It got me to thinking about if they were expired or not. While I went through each type of product I saw a lot of different expiry lengths and jotted them down. Below is a chart of the average expiry date for each product type when it came to my particular collection.

I realized that there was quite a few products that were indeed well past their shelf life. I also noticed that all of the products still looked in very good condition.

With a makeup collection of my size, it is near impossible to be able to use all my products up before the expiration date. Some of the "expired products" were only used once or twice or even just swatched. How could I possibly throw them out, especially when a lot of those products are high-end and cost a lot of money. 

When I noticed my Urban Decay Naked palette was "expired" I needed to put my foot down. I have not hit pan on any of the colors yet and there are even a couple that I have not even used. After much intense research I have come up with a set of rules that will help me decide weather or not I will save an "expired" product or toss it. Unless a product is dried out (cream based or mascaras), changed in color or texture, has a funky scent, or causes infections/break outs, I will continue to use it.

I also found some really great tips to extend the life of our makeup:

DO:

• DO wash your hands before using products
• DO tighten/secure the cap after each use
• DO toss out eye products after you've had an eye infection

DON’T:

• DON'T store products in direct sunlight 
• DON'T share your products with others
• DON'T add water or saliva to thin out or re-moisten products
• DON’T forget to clean the cap or lid if you drop it on the floor.

These tips can really help extend makeup life, but it is inevitable on keeping products in pristine condition forever. However, you can sanitize/disinfect them if need be. I use a little rubbing alcohol on shadows, blushes and even lipsticks to get rid of any bacteria that may be on them. Also, keeping all eye and lip pencils sharpened not only ensures precise application, but also removes the top layer which may be dirty.

You can follow the date on the package or you can take special care of your makeup to decide on the expiry date. Just make sure you are keeping an eye out for any changes that could harm yourself. Makeup, unfortunately, is not made to last forever so we need to be careful on when and how long we use it for. You may be in love with that one shade of Limited Edition MAC lipstick, but when its time to toss you need to just let go. 

Take a peek into your own collection and see what needs to be tossed or what can be saved!