Wondering whether you should be throwing out that favourite discontinued lippie lurking in the back of your drawer? Cosmetic guidelines have always been quite stringent with regards to shelf life…
Judy regretted not throwing that old cream foundation away…
Do you follow the guides?
Have a look… (red denotes how long it takes me to dump stuff)
- Oil-Free Foundation: 1 year (if it looks/smells and feels ok, I’ll still use it)
- Cream or Compact Foundation: 18 months (12 months… I have a “thing” about cream compacts)
- Concealer: 12-18 months (if it looks/smells and feels like new, I’ll still use it unless it’s in a compact…)
- Powder: 2 years (indefinitely)
- Blush and Bronzer: 2 years (indefinitely)
- Cream Blush: 12-18 months (12 months… it’s the whole compact thing again)
- Powder Eye shadow: 2 years (indefinitely)
- Cream Eye shadow: 12-18 months (compact? 12 months)
- Eyeliner: 2 years (gels – till they inevitably dry out, pencils – indefinitely)
- Liquid eyeliner: 3-6 months (um, till they run out?)
- Mascara: 3 months (till they run out or become unworkable – yes, cardinal sin I know!)
- Lipstick: 2 years (till they get that funky crayon smell)
- Lip liner: 2 years (indefinitely)
- Lip gloss: 18-24 months (yeah, probably no more than 2 years)
- Nail Color: 1 year (till they become unworkable)
I think that a little common sense goes a very long way in situations like this. If you live in a warmer climate, your cosmetics aren’t going to last as long. If you buy mostly natural products containing less preservatives, you’re going to want to have a clear out more often. If you share your cosmetics with your sister or best friend, then I’d be far more vigilant. If anyone touches mine… they die. I say trust your nose!
The oldest item in my collection is this 6 year old Bobbi Brown Palette:
My eyeliner obsession started with my Bobbi Brown Shimmering Eye Kohl palette which I bought back in 2004… I’ve dropped it twice (as you can tell – sob)
Tell me about your oldest cosmetic item? What is it and why do you still have it?
