Saturday, January 10, 2009

Beauty On the Safe Side

Just as everything has a shelf life, so does make-up. With the New Year now is the perfect time to go through your make-up and see what has passed it's expiration date or what you are not using. Anything that has passed it's date needs to be tossed. And anything that you aren't using, go ahead and toss.
Foundation - You'll need to check the ingredients on this. Anything water-based will last about 12 months. Oil-based can last up to 18 months. It can separate or dry up and it is hard to use at this point.
Eyeshadow - Powders: It's good to replace every 2 years. Creams: It's good to replace 9-12. Check for when they start to dry out.
Eye liner - This should be replaced every 2 years. It needs to be sharpened regularly.
Concealer - Up to 12 months.
Lipstick - It's good to replace this every year as bacteria can collect and live on the stick. A change in the way it tastes or smells means to toss it!
Lip liner - This should be replaced every 2 years. It needs to be sharpened regularly.
Mascara - Up to 3 months. This is the product that will need to be tossed as soon as it dries out or at the 3 months mark.
Nail Polish - Up to 12 months or when it starts to get thick.
Powder - Up to 2 years.
Blush - Replace every 2 years. Cream blush needs to be replaced 9-12 months. Check for it being dried out.
Follow these precautions to protect yourself and the quality of your cosmetics:
*
Keep makeup containers tightly closed except when in use.
*Keep makeup out of sunlight; light can degrade preservatives.
*Don't use eye cosmetics if you have an eye infection, such as conjunctivitis, and throw away all products you were using when you first discovered the infection.
*Never add any liquid to bring the product back to its original consistency. Adding water or, even worse, saliva could introduce bacteria that could easily grow out of control.
*Never share.
*Throw makeup away if the color changes or an odor develops. Preservatives can degrade over time and may no longer be able to fight bacteria.
I'm going to go throw away my mascara right now--I know it's past the 3 month date. I'm also going to look at the rest of my make-up and toss what I'm not using or what's old. Are any of the big cosmetic companies having a promotion now?

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