Product Questions
How long can I keep makeup? Is it possible to have makeup go bad?
This is soooooooo important! I have heard a variety of answers to this question, and in truth I tend to ere on the conservative side when it comes to this. So often I meet clients who complain that their skin is breaking out, and they just can't figure out why. As we do a little detective work and we have ruled out the obvious culprits (diet, stress, cell phones, hair products, recent move, and other lifestyle factors), we will come to the dreaded question, "How old is your foundation?". It is generally at this point that a kind of "kid with his hand in the cookie jar" expression will come over my clients face. This is promptly followed by "2 and a half years; but I don't wear it that often!".
So lets break down how long you really can hold onto your cosmetics.
- creams and liquids (i.e. foundation, concealer, skincare, cream blush, cream eye shadows, lip color, gloss)- No longer than one year to 18 months. And that is in the most ideal of scenarios. Meaning that you have kept the product out of direct sunlight, have closed the lid tightly every time you have used it, and never exposed it to extreme temperatures (like leaving it in your car).
- pressed powders (i.e. eye shadows, blushes/bronzers, pressed setting powder)- Two years tops! You may even notice before then, that the product no longer glides as it used to, or doesn't seem to have the same "pop" or potency as it once had. IIf that is the case, throw it out.
- mascara- This is the one that almost always seems to shock my clients. You really should replace your mascara every other month. Even if you almost never wear it. The second you open your mascara and bring that wand to your eye, you are exposing the wand to bacteria and then inserting it into an opaque tube filled with a moist substance. Basically your tube has turned into the worlds prettiest petri dish. I don't know about you, but I don't want anything that is touching my eye growing bacteria for more than two months. If you have a hard time remembering, put a little sticker with the date on it, that's what I do
- brushes- Here is the good news. If you invest in good brushes and take proper care of them (and by proper care I mean properly washing them a minimum of every other week. If you don't know how to wash your brushes, next time you are in one of our stores, ask us to show you) , you will have many of them for years. I have some brushes that are over ten years old. So if you ever wondered if good brushes make a difference, it is a resounding YES!!!
- important things to remember- *If a product has been sitting in a hot car, it probably has gone bad.* A lot of times "natural" products have substantially shorter shelf lives. Most of them really cannot be kept for longer than 6 months (even if you refrigerate them), so do not stock up if you cannot use it up in time.*If it smells funny, toss it. *If your eyes or skin itch when you apply a certain product that never bothered you before, it has either gone bad, or you may have developed an allergy to it. However it is most often the prior .*If you have an eye infection like pink eye, throw out your mascara and any creamy products that could have been exposed. Wash your brushes thoroughly with an antibacterial cleanser. And don't wear makeup until the doctor gives you the OK. Otherwise you will keep reinfecting yourself.
I hope this clarifies things. And remember, if you aren't sure, ASK!!
