Effective practices to extend shelf life

You can often safely store unopened cosmetics for a long time in a dark, cool place, such as a drawer or closet. However, once a product has been opened and used, oxidation begins and bacteria can spread.

To protect your cosmetics from going bad, follow these general tips:

• Wash your hands thoroughly before applying makeup to avoid contaminating it with bacteria.

• Use cotton swabs or makeup brushes — never fingers or hands — to apply makeup.

• Close jar and container lids tightly between uses.

• Keep makeup out of the bathroom. Bathrooms can become very humid — the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, mold or yeast.

• Take your makeup out of the car. It’ll spoil or melt from the heat and sunlight.

• Never share your makeup.

• Never use makeup if you’ve got an eye infection.

Know when to quit

Not all cosmetics have the same shelf life. Some formulas last longer than others. Follow these guidelines to maintain fresh makeup and a fresh face.

• Powder: It isn’t always easy to tell when you should pitch your powder. It generally won’t smell or change color or texture like cream, but powder can go bad.

  Even though powders are dry and bacteria can’t thrive without water, some formulas have trace amounts of water or hydrators, like aloe, jojoba or shea butter. And bacteria can be transferred from your face to your powder via a powder brush.

  To minimize this risk, always wash powder brushes regularly with an antibacterial brush cleaner. If the powder changes texture, becomes grainy, hard to blend or crumbles easily, toss it.

  Discard after: six months to two years

• Foundation: Whether water-based or oil-based, foundation becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. With age and exposure to light or heat, the consistency and texture of foundation also degrade drastically.

  Foundation may also develop a foul smell or become discolored over time. These are definite signs that your foundation has gone bad.

  Discard after: six months to one year

• Concealer: Often formulated with oil or hydrating agents such as jojoba or shea butter, concealers usually have a smooth, creamy texture for easy blending. When the texture changes, your concealer has overstayed its welcome. If it separates, dries out, is cakey or smells of mildew, pitch it.

  To extend concealer’s shelf life, prevent bacterial contamination and avoid breakouts, wash concealer brushes daily.

  Discard after: six months to one year

• Mascara: It’s one of the most volatile products in any beauty kit. If mascara smells or changes texture, throw it out.

  To avoid a bacterial invasion:

  • Never share mascara.
  • Close the tube tightly after each use.
  • Don’t moisten a dried-out tube with saliva or water.
  • Refrain from pumping the wand to pick up more color — this only forces air into the tube and dries out the mascara. Want a better way to evenly coat the wand? Swipe it in a circular motion slowly around the inside of the tube.

  Discard after: three to six months — or sooner if you’ve had an eye infection

• Eye liner: Like mascara, liquid or gel eye liner is vulnerable to bacteria and susceptible to drying out if not stored properly. Pencil eye liner normally lasts longer than its liquid counterparts, but won’t last forever.

  To prolong the pencil:

  • Sharpen it after every use.
  • Keep pencil sharpeners clean and bacteria-free by wiping them with rubbing alcohol at least once a week.
  • Cap your liner tightly between uses.

  Discard after: three months for liquid or gel liner; two years for pencil liner

• Eye shadow: Although eye shadow tends to last longer than other types of makeup, you should still watch for signs of wear. Toss eye shadow when pigments change or if you notice a waxy buildup.

  Some tips to maximize eye shadow life:

  • Invest in fewer colors.
  • Buy smaller sizes.
  • Close container lids tightly.
  • Apply eye shadow with a shadow brush or cotton swab rather than your fingers. When you use your fingers, oil and bacteria get transferred to the shadow.

  Discard after: six months for cream shadows; two years for powder shadows. The exception? If you add water to powder shadow for darker, more intense color, six months is the limit.

• Lip liner: Lip liner pencils share similar characteristics with eye liner pencils and require similar care.

  Here’s how to lengthen lip liner’s life:

  • Sharpen it and recap tightly after each use.
  • Store away from humidity or heat.
  • Never share lip pencils.

  Discard after: two years

• Lipstick: Luckily, lipstick has a fairly long shelf life. But it’ll go bad with time, especially if stored improperly. Because lipstick contains water, moisturizers and hydrators, it’s easily infiltrated by bacteria.

  Eventually, lipstick does dry out, which means it becomes harder to apply and lacks that shiny, lustrous look on your lips.

  Chuck lipstick when it becomes dry, waxy or smells different — rancid lipstick often begins to smell like crayons. Also, toss the tube if it was used while you had a cold sore — bacteria can live on lipstick’s surface and possibly cause another cold sore outbreak.

  Discard after: two years

Now that you know when to dump those old beauty products, get ready for some new favorites to bring out your best features!

See also:

Stop the Makeup Madness: Solutions for 7 Common Slip-Ups

3 Top Tips for Applying Makeup

Bridal Beauty Do’s and Don’ts