Spring Clean Your Makeup

Ladies, it;s time to throw out your old, funky looking, smelly makeup that has been sitting for months and years in your makeup bag, the glove compartment of your car, your cabinets or where ever you stash your makeup.  Liquid and cream products are a breeding ground for all sorts of bacteria which can be hazardous to your health.  If you start to see the ingredients in your liquid foundations or glosses start to separate and or if your products start to smell funny, then it is more than likely rancid and needs to be tossed out.

 If your cream products such as lipsticks and cream blush start to dry out, mold and develop a film then that is a definite indicator to through it away. Powder products, such as eye shadows, powder foundations, bronzers and blushes can last a lot longer than liquid and cream products, however they don't last forever and will expire over time.  If you see your powders begin to form a hard crusty layer on the top of the product or your makeup brush is not picking up the product easily and the color payoff is not as it use to be, it is time to replace that product. Below is a list of products and when they are expected to expire.

Makeup Life Span:Mascara -  2-3 months
Liquid foundation & Concealer - 1 year
Tinted moisturizer - 1 year
Lip gloss - 1 year
Eye, lip & brow pencils - 3 years
Lip sticks - 2 years
Powder foundation, eye shadow , bronzer, blush - 3 years
Liquid eye liner - 3-6 months

How to tell when a product expires before you buy it.On every makeup container, there will be a symbol of what looks to be like an open jar with a number and the letter (M) which stands for month, so as you see in the picture to the left, that product would last twelve months ( one year).

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How often do you clean your makeup brushes? Are they causing harm to your health?  Makeup brushes accumulate cosmetics particles as well as dead skin cells and oils creating a perfect environment for bacteria. Which then can be transferred back into your cosmetics, speeding up the expiry process. Dirty brushes can also lead to skin irritations such as acne, black & White heads, dryness, etc.  If you use your brushes on a regular basis, I recommend giving them a deep clean at least two times a month and a light cleaning with a spray on disinfectant brush cleanser once a week.  I like to use rubbing alcohol on my brushes once a week, it gets rid of access product and disinfects, plus it's cheap and can be found at any drug store/pharmacies.