So many of my clients keep their makeup around for way to long. Recently, a client of mine revealed a huge stash of makeup that she has been piling up for over 6 years. Wow!
As someone who loves beauty products, I could really sympathize with her. It is so fun to try new products but it is also important to know what products you have. Because her cupboard was such a mess, she wasted money buying duplicates of things she already had but couldn’t find. The clutter forced her to use only a handful of products that she kept front and center, the rest were all piled on top of each other or buried in old makeup bags.
My greatest concern with her messy cupboard was not how many products she had (we will get to that in another post), but how long she had them for. It was important for me to help her get organized and to her her understand how important it is to do monthly maintenance to avoid piling up products that could become hazardous to her health. Makeup is made with a variety of ingredients, most of which go bad after 6 to 12 months. It also becomes full of bacteria after it touches our eyes, lips, and faces over and over. Yuck!
It is important to sort through your makeup bags every month to get rid of the products you are no longer using and toss liners, mascaras, and shadows that could be full of bacteria. Make a mental note of my little makeup schedule and tips…
- Mascara : Every 3 months.
- Eyeliner: 1 year unless you use it with water, then it should be tossed after 6 months. Be sure to sharpen your pencils after each use to keep them clean.
- Foundation: If you use your fingers to apply it every 6 months, if you use a sponge every 12 months. Remember to wash your sponge out each week and replace it every three weeks.
- Cleansers & Moisturizers: Most of these products contain fatty acids which means they should be thrown out after 6 months.
- Nail Polish: Every 12 months, remember to store it in a cool dry spot. The best place is actually the fridge.
- Blush: Every 6 months.
- Makeup Brushes need to be washed every 2-3 months.
- Concealer: Up to a year.
- Eyeshadow and Pressed Powder: 2 years.
- Lipstick: 2 years if stored in a cool place.
- When in doubt sniff it out! If you don’t remember how old something is try smelling it, if it smells funky you know it is time to replace it.
- The clock on your makeup begins when you open it. A fun tip I suggest is to keep a sharpie in your makeup drawer so you can write the date you started using on the bottom.
6 comments :
Thanks for the reminders! I try to stay up to date, but I could be better. It's good to have this information on hand.
I'm much better about this now too, but it's hard to part with make-up since it's so expensive. My clutter is under my bathroom sink, with loads of bottles of hair products that I tried, but didn't really like. Any suggestions for those??? Thanks for the great blog, Amanda!
I know, makeup is so expensive these days. I've learned that less is more and I try to get as many little sample bags as I can so I can try new products that way.
Guilty, guilty!
I don't own much, but what I do have, I keep for quite a while… Let's just say, we moved here from England 6 years ago and it's pretty easy for me to point to make-up I owned before that point. But at least my 6 year old nail polishes live in the fridge
Thanks for a great reminder. I'm hosting We're Organized Wednesday until Saturday and would love for you to join the party. There's a great giveaway too. Hope to see you there.
Thanks for linking to We're Organized Wednesday. I hope you're having a great weekend!