How long can make up be kept?

The only thing I really follow the rules with is mascara. But by the time it needs to be thrown out anyways its almost always time to buy a new one anyway.

Everything else I keep. Unless it changes color, texture or starts to smell then in my eyes its okay

I hear ya TinyD..Unless the smell or texture has changed,I keep it forever..I have some shadows that are ancient yet still very usable..I do however replace my mascara every 3-4 months

Originally Posted by Tinydancer

I keep my makeup until the bitter end. The only things that I'm a real stickler about is my mascara, I buy new mascara every 6 weeks or so. I also clean my brushes/sponges once a week if not more, depending what colors I'm using. Very rearly does my makeup turn rancid. Also, if I throw out any makeup *which is a very rare occasion* its because I didn't like it.

A good tip given to me by my dermo.An ideal breeding ground for bacteria is a moist enviroment..So watch all your liquid items(mascara,lipgloss,lipstick,creme shadows etc)as these are the first to go.

Originally Posted by maiho

Seems like everyone agree that eyeshadows are meant to be kept until its not usable anymore. Yah mascaras should be thrown away often. It's not worth the risk of using old mascara since they go very close to your eyes.

Oooohhh, this one... I have a couple of lipsticks from Lancome so long they no longer match the new shade with the same name...let's see, Brun Rose since 1994, Avon since 1998, Merle Norman since 1999, & that includes shadows; Garden Botanika blush & lip liners since 1994 also... I don't use color much compared to skincare... I've kept stuff covered, capped, bagged, cool &/or in the dark. Did give away lots of stuff I used to get when I worked in malls bec. I don't use it up in time. Fanie skincare have natural bactericidal ingredients & don't go bad even when they separate, in fact, Karie Hayden reminds me to always stir up the creams & shake the lotions before using to blend ingredients together & add some Misty Spray to thin them when they get too thick. Using powder foundation works best for me since I live in sunscreen. Tried all sorts of stick foundations, concealers & liquids... I break out too much from stuff I can't spell, pronounce or absorb. Neutrogena's SPF 45 Dry Touch works well & when I need more moisture due to forced a/c or heat I take a foundation or a concealer brush & mix Fanie's Orange or Dreme cream with #1 & #2 bare mineral powder in the palm of my hand & apply it with the brush, & blend from the center outward, patting in any lines with my fingers.

i agree with the information in Bobbi's book about the makeup EXCEPT the burhses. I feel that you need to clean them more often then she listed. I wash my brushes every night, but that is just because I use it on other people's faces most of the time. So even when I do my makeup I am in that habit.

Here are some makeup maintenance tips that I use. I ususally use mild shampoo and sometimes I put a little conditioner on it to keep it pliable......if you have good brushes then they are made out of natural hair, and the conditioner keeps it flexible which will ensure better blending.

Now about the mascara....you should dump it after 3 months OR if you have a cold. When you are sick your body dumps toxins out of your body through your tears too....and you can get it in your mascara. So if you dump it when you are sick you keep it from getting germs in your mascara that can cause you to get eith pink eye or an infection that can even cause you to loose your eye.

With "powder products" like eyeshadow....you can enlongate it's life span by taking off the top layer with a tissue. Some makeup artists scrap the top of their powder products with a makeup spatula. I usually cut some of the lipstick off, and put in in a lipstick case and work from that, instead of the tube. But to lengthen the life of my lipstick (an keep germs at bay) I usually use a lipbrush, and get a good amount on my brush before I use it so I don't have to "double dip"....but then I occassionally spray my lipsticks with alcohol and wipe them "just in case".

Candace Corey
Makeup & Hair Artist
www.candacecorey.com/makeupworkshop

I agree about the brushes - I use Fanie's white oak bark gel cleanser or the sweet birch body cleanser for min, depending on how much makeup I've played with, 1x/week works for me. The same for shadows, lipsticks... your web site is most impressive.

I have 3 full sets of brushes plus additional extra brushes for like eyes and lips. It makes it easy to always have a clean brush when I'm doing a very busy project like a fashion shows and don't have a lot of time to stop and clean. When I am doing a photo shoot or TV show, I have more time to clean between people so I use a spray cleaner, but still go home and wash my brushes.

 

 

 

 

Ditto! I was buying ELF mascaras ($1) but found myself throwing those out within a month so I stopped (waste of money) and went back to a my $3 mascara from Rimmel.

 

Nail polishes can last years if kept in a cool, dark place. I have polishes that are still good from over 10 years ago. Unfortunately those polishes are not "Big 3 Free" so I don't use them but I've kept them to color match.

 

As for sponges, those can last a long time if properly cleaned - especially if you're using higher end ones. Wash daily and then wring out the water. Squeeze dry with a terry cloth then place in a bowl of alcohol. Let the clean sponges absorb the alcohol then wring out the excess alcohol and let dry then store in a zip-loc bag when dry. They keep for a very long time, dump when falling apart.

 

five minutes~

Rules are nonsense to me. If it smells and looks fine, and has been used with caution (e.g. not with fingers, but clean brushes when it comes to eyeshadows), I'll use it. Mascaras don't last more than 6 months anyway, so you just know when it's time to get rid of them. Foundations also can't last more than a year, and it's only normal. They start getting smelly and not blend well if they're too old.

 

But eyeshadows and lipsticks... two years? Give me a break. I have so many I can't possibly finish them in two years. I've thrown away old shadows because they just didn't work that well anymore (they had lost their pigment), but I've had some MAC shadows for more than two years and they work perfectly! I would be crazy to throw them away just because of a rule that is just too general to apply to all kinds of textures or brands. Same goes with lipsticks.

my mom has some Avon makeup that is 15 years old and it still good, and she still uses it. and my mom has Mary Kay that is 35 years old and it is brand new in original packaging

You can keep unopened mascaras fresh by keeping them in the fridge/freezer to stop bacteria growth. If it works on food, it works for mascara. However you do have to thaw them ;)

Until it stops working, smells bad, changes color, molding, irritates your eyes, etc.

 

Some of my makeup has expiration dates. I think for eyeshadows... until 2014... so between 3-4 years.

 

I am most worried about eyeliners and mascara  - they can irritate my eyes...a few times I ended up with a pink eye.

 

ALTHOUGH, I used one eyeliner for 8 years. it's still working and doesn't irritate my eye too much.

 

I have soooooooooooo many eye shadows and have spent so much money on them , i couldn't throw them away just because someone said so! lol I don't use all of them but I love having different eye shadows laying around... The only things I probably do throw out are the usuals like foundation, powder, mascara, eyeliners... i don't wear lipstick so i hardly have any of those...