As much as you love your makeup, skin care or beauty products, they don’t last forever! Using it after the expiration date may cause you to experience some kind of skin rash. In some cases, there have even been reports of severe acne due to usage of expired products.
So, how do you know when it is time to throw them away? We talked to a few people and here are a few basic things for you to look out for.
Pay attention to the packaging
If you take a look at their packaging, you will notice a tiny symbol or sign that will tell you how long they will last from the moment you have opened them. There is an open jar icon with specific number in it. If it shows “24M”, you have at least 24 months or a two-year time to use the product and it will be unsafe for you to keep using them beyond 24 months from the time you have unsealed the product.
However, the symbol or icon may not appear in all cosmetic or beauty products. Some of them will clearly state the expiry of “best before” date on the packaging.
Mascara and the liquid eyeliner have the shortest lifespan
True that! You should note that after three or four months, even you still feel that these products are doing just fine, you are still required to throw them away—especially given the fact that eyes are amongst the most sensitive facial areas!
A note to ‘foundie’ and ‘lippy’ lovers!
For those who love to collect base make-up products specifically the primers, liquid foundations and lipsticks, you are in luck since you can store them up to two years! Just a quick tip, opt for liquid foundations with tiny openings to prevent them to absorb to much oxygen. A noticeable sign as to when a new lipstick is due, is when they start to smell ‘waxy’ or ‘differently’, and you can feel a different texture as you apply them on your lips.
Beautiful nails have their own period
Do you really think those nail polish will last forever? Sorry, but no! You can only have them at their best for up to two years. When it fails to fix your nails due to its cracked texture (or change colour!), just simply say “Adios!” and replace them with new ones.
How about those powder-based make-ups?
This is the long list of your favourite powder-based cosmetic products: blusher, pressed powder, setting powder, eye shadow, and so on. For these products, most of the time, the lifespan is actually affected by how clean you keep the brushes. So, it’s not just about the products; pay attention to the tools too!
Purchase a high-quality brush shampoo and clean them at the very least least once a week (daily would be great!) to get rid of the bacteria. Or if you are a super-busy bee, do a quick cleanse by spraying the makeup-tools cleaner spray, but just don’t forget to deep-cleanse them with shampoo fortnightly.
A beauty-blender sponge should be replaced too!
It’s the same with the sponges! In an ideal condition, your beauty-blender or sponge must be replaced every other month. However, if you regularly cleanse them with the shampoo for make-up brushes and tools, their lifespan can be lengthened to three months. Whichever the case, once three months have passed, use new ones even though the current ones still ‘look’ and ‘feel’ ok.
Dry skin no more
Guilty as charged! I’m sure we all have not just one, but a range of body lotions – for different purpose, with different fragrance and/or formulas. Although a bottle of expired lotion is said to do harm to your skin (really?), but it will not perform its best, meaning that, they will become useless. Then what is the point of applying the lotion all over your body if it fails to hydrate or moisture your skin?
So, there you go, a few tips to keep your skin healthy whilst looking hot and smelling nice!
Love your skin. Take care of your body!
Photos: Ambar Simpang/pexels