Your Make-Up Bag’s Expiry Date: When To Chuck And When To Keep

It is life’s burning question for the modern woman… when does my make-up go out of date?

We have all been victim to a smelly lip-gloss or dried-up mascara. Typical that we would first catch the whiff or just notice our all-of-a-sudden bare-looking lashes just before a night out… How do we know in advance when our make-up will run out? We know you need to be beauty collection organised, that’s why we have the insider tips for you on the best before dates for your cosmetic bag must-haves…

The Base: How often your foundation needs to be replaced depends on the base of the product. A water-based foundation can dry out quickly and will need to be replaces every 12 months. An oil-based foundation, however, will last up to 18 months in your makeup bag. If your water-based foundation dries out before its expiration date, simply add a few drops of alcohol-free toner and shake to mix it in. Good to go!

Covering It Up: Again, your concealer’s expiry date depends on the basis of the product. A stick concealer can hang around for 18 months in top condition. However, a liquid concealer will only last you a year. Store both your foundations and concealers in a cool area, as heat and humidity can cause the ingredients to melt and separate.

Perfect Pout: Oooh, everyone can tell when their lipstick or gloss has passed its best-before date, did you catch a whiff of that?! It’s most definitely a distinct smell, you’ll catch it straightaway. Experts say lipstick and lip gloss will last up to two years. This is the same for lip pencils. However, if you notice the funny whiff, dump them straightaway.

Bronzed Beauty: Your powder bronzer will last up to two years, of course if you’re a pale-faced Irish girl like myself, your bronzer could be well used up by then!

Blushing Cheeks: Discard your cream blushes after a year. Like its bronzing counterpart, your powder blusher will last up to two years.

Long Lashes: Mascara is the one to look out for, no pun intended here. Mascara is the one makeup bacteria will breed in, due to its wet nature and the addition of dry air to the tube with every application. Keep your lash-elongator for three months, tops.

The look of despair... where to start?!

Smelling Gorgeous: Perfume lasts about two years. If you resist the temptation to display the bottle and stick it in a drawer, it’ll keep for longer.

The Basis Of All Beauty: Wash your brushes every two to three months to keep them in top shape. Use a mild detergent and gently rinse and soak the brushes. Leave to dry naturally. Wash your sponges weekly and discard monthly.

Cleansing It: Your gel cleanser should last a year on the bathroom shelf, if it hasn’t been used before that!

Dramatic Lining: If you keep your eye-liner pointed and remember to sharpen before each application, your pencil should last you up to three years.

Polished Up: Your nail varnish should last up to twelve months, depending on how many times you use it. If your polish starts to dry up, add a little polish remover to the bottle and shake, you’ll be guaranteed another few uses from it.

Dark Shadows: Your eye-shadows should last you up to three years… sounds like we get value for money here! If you’ve had any eye infection of any sort however, you’ll need to throw out all the eye makeup and applicators you used from the time you developed the infection.

Lining Lips: Like your eye-liner, you can easily keep your lip-liner in top shape with regular sharpening. Skip the push-up liners, they’re expensive, tend to be quite fragile and you can never tell how much you have left in them. Experts say there is no need to spend money on expensive lip-liners, there is no secret to greatness for this product.

Cue: a makeup bag clean-out! Check out what’s top for your makeup bag this season here…