At what point will you throw away and item with product still inside it?

I read an awesome Bobbi Brown article a few days ago about cleaning up your stash so it inspired me to clean up mine. Well I had some brown cream shadows that still had product in them, had no smell, and still looked nice. Then I thought I had purchased them in 2003!!!!! They are at least seven years old! Needless to say they were tossed!

How long is too long to hold on to something?

You're supposed to throw things away? LOL

Seriously though, I throw things away if I haven't used it in a long time and didn't like it in the first place. If it's something like a shadow or powder I'll try and find a way to use it up. I just tossed out a ton of mascaras that I bought and didn't like and it's all become clumpy. I only have three good mascaras (excluding my Urban Decay Big Fatty Colored Mascaras).

I know you're supposed to throw stuff away but I never do.

I threw away some lip stains last week and I felt so guilty doing it. Like the damn things would be mad at me. But no matter how many times I gave them a "second chance" (and third, and fourth, and fifth, etc, etc) I would curse them out every time and scrub my lips off because it would look so horrid.

In addition, I threw out a couple of old lip glosses that I had when I sold Mary Kay AGES ago... mainly because I had newer, better ones that I liked that were the same shades.

I know a few eye liners that most likely will be the next to go, but they are only a year old, so maybe I'll try one more try with them.  Last few times I used them, they smudged terrible.

Hmmmm, I've dumped a bad husband quicker than I've dumped a bad mascara!!!!  

I know I am suppose to throw the things that I dun use but I just can't....but eventually i have to.

Every year I go through my makeup and toss what never gets used, I normally throw away 90% of it, and then I go buy more! 

I toss things that have been around for a while and I know I won't be using them.  They'd just stick around and take up space I already don't have. LOL

Originally Posted by Bonnie Krupa /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I know you're supposed to throw stuff away but I never do.

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Same here.. I do toss something when it gets super funky, but I always feel guilty about it, and get the "I paid like $10 for that" blues.. it's like throwing away money. 

2 years max. 

For me, if I clean my make up well and often I feel like it will last a long time. I usually go through my make up every few months and throw away things that I bought and they just weren't what I expected.

I would never throw away my more expensive products, like MAC no matter the age....my first Mac product was a clear lipglass from my aunt, it's like 10 years old, lol...I do throw away old drugstore products after a few years

Originally Posted by KitaRei /img/forum/go_quote.gif





Same here.. I do toss something when it gets super funky, but I always feel guilty about it, and get the "I paid like $10 for that" blues.. it's like throwing away money. 

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Yeah same here..  If it smells nasty or looks like it's growing something I'll toss it otherwise....nope lol

The only product I think I have ever thrown away was one of those huge MAC face and body foundations, and only because it had separated to hell and smelled 'off' after living in Indonesia for 3 years. Bought it in Canada and took it there. Retard. Never wore it there because it was so bloody hot. The heat and humidity there murdered it, right in the bottle, even though it was stuffed under a bunch of stuff in a suitcase. Even my beautiful leather jackets grew literal MUSHROOMS there *bleh*

I have my brushes from MAC which are around 15+ years old, and even some of the shadows I bought *with* them at the time which I still have never used up. I still use them from time to time, actually, just not enough to actually use them up. I've hit pan on one and might get a replacement (it's in one of their palettes) but will never toss anything out which I will still use. I'd rather give it to somebody. I had over 175 pigments or so at one point, which I knew damn well I would never in this lifetime use up, so I gave half of them (half of each) to a friend, which she ended up using for art work, etc LOL

I really don't understand why you would throw them out after 3 years if they looked, applied and smelled fine. That's the other thing. If they still apply fine, why would you toss them?? *gahh* Next time ship them all to me LMAO I'll give them a new home!

I mean 7 years old...gah....if they still applied fine, why toss? Of course Bobby Brown is gonna tell you to heave everything out! The biatch SELLS cosmetics! LOL She's on crack if she thinks I'm tossing my Shimmer Bricks which are already over 3 years old. I hardly put a dent in them and actually don't even like them, but for the $40+ US I spent for them while on a stoned-on-valium-international-flight, hell NO I am not throwing them out! Word of advice: keep your credit cards hidden if you are on drugs on a long flight. The urge to whip them out after perusing those in-flight mags selling everything from blow up dolls to Chanel No.5 can be absolutely brutal....I have woken up from many a flight with bags of stuff I didn't even remember buying.

FYI, I am not a prescription drug addict ;-) I take valium on long flights because I am scared sh*tless of flying and also smoke. Freaking out on a flight and not  being allowed to smoke to calm my nerves has put me over the edge before, so I now ask my doctor for legal drugs so I can self-medicate. As soon as they bring the drink cart around, I down 2 valium with half a glass of wine and sleep til I hit Hong Kong or whatever other airport we happen to change planes at. Hell, I often don't even remember spending hours in the airport in that condition, but I obviously have a good time, because I always land with bags full of stuff LMAO

Face Products: 1 year.
Eye shadows: 2-3 years.
Eye Liners/Mascara: 3-6 months depending. 

Whether it has product in it or not, I'm a germaphobe. It would FREAK. ME. OUT. to use something from 2003. Lol.

I throw out mascara and eyeliner after six months, foundations go quick enough that I don't need to worry about throwing them out haha, and eyeshadows, I just got into so I haven't needed to throw them out, but I would imagine that if they're still fine and I take care of them there's no reason to throw them out.