Do you throw out your makeup according to the “rules”? Do you toss mascara after 2-3 months? Do you get rid of lipgloss older than two years?
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
No, I don´t.
I´ll hold on to my makeup far longer than the guidelines suggest.
Powder products especially are in for the long term with me.
Mascara gets used every day and is bound to run out in the recommended time anyway.
Foundation gets usually ditched when I find something better, which is quite regularly, so I suppose I´m “good” here.
Lip products I toss when they smell bad, which can be anywhere from months to decades 😉
Powder products are forever to me, too! You can always spritz it with rubbing alcohol from time to time to sanitize it anyway.
No not at all. The mascara usually gets tossed within that time period but only because I’ve used it all up. Foundation is definitely a no as are lip products and powder products. This is probably a sign that I have too much makeup!
Definitely! It’s amazing how few of us listen to the guidelines like the gospel truth!
Definitely not, i’d be throwing out so much unused, viable product every month! My gelliner is way over 6 months old, my blushcremes are approaching two years but are barely half gone, and I haven’t even been using my stila tinted moisturizer…
LOL, me too, Anna!!
I try to keep the tools I used sanitized and clean so that I can hang onto stuff longer!
well, for me as well the only product I get rid of is mascara. And that is because I’ve used it up after 5 months. Everything else I hold on to for almost ever!! I don’t even use foundation everyday so I’ve had mine for 6 months now and it’s still half ful. I NEVER get rid of my eyeshadows…
Hey Sandy! Foundation is actually supposed to last 2-3 years after it’s been opened! I heard this from Aveda and MAC artists.
No because i find that by looking after my products (cleaning, making sure they’re stored properly etc) they last much longer. Also, some product shelf lifes vary from different brands, so there really is no set time. As long as people look after their products properly and treat them with respect and care, then they should last for a long time. However if a product is clearly dried out/changing consistency when it shouldn’t, then out it goes!
I do those things, too, so I can maximize the lasting power of my makeup 🙂
I keep to the rules with most of my makeup; the exception, powder eyeshadows and pigments. Bacteria seem to thrive in liquid and cream makeup, more so than powders. Also, like anything else, chemicals breakdown. Especially if you use alcohol to clean and sanitize.
Yep, bacteria is all about any warm or moist place! So powders and the like are generally quite safe, and even so, you can use an alcohol pad or spritz with rubbing alcohol to sanitize from time to time.
I wish all products had both a use-by date and a use x months after opening date. I couldn’t possibly remember when I bought a product.
When I do know a product might be getting old, I try to use it up (I can use a facial cream, for example, on other parts of my body). I don’t really like the idea of throwing products out; but I like the idea of using old products even less.
If you have a MAC collection, you can read the product codes on the labels to tell when a particular product was produced. The last number is the year it was produced, like, A45 is 2005, AA6 is 2006 etc. It’s very handy!! It’s how I keep track of the age of my MAC stuff.
For more on the codes, look here: http://mac.larahill.com/codes.htm
I believe other countries (EU comes to mind) actually force companies to put a symbol that indicates how long it can be kept. Even so, one downside is many products will start ticking down once you OPEN, not when you buy or it’s manufactured, so it’s still hard to keep track!
Not at all. I clean my brushes regularly and store my makeup in a good environment. The only thing I get rid of is mascara, but I end up using it in 2-3 months anyway. I also end up using up the things that would accumulate bacteria anyway.
Those are the same things I do, Shefali!
I’m with the majority. I keep my blushcremes in great condition so I won’t be getting rid of those anytime soon. Mascara tends to run out at around 3 months anyway. I don’t wear heaps of foundation but I do tend to replace them at the very latest after a year. Everything else, if it smells bad I throw away. I do hate throwing things out though but it has to be done…
It’s great to see that people are aware of the guidelines and take precautions in order to maximize their products!
No way! Makeup is too expensive to just toss by the guidelines! I toss if the smell or appearance is off. Also, since I have such a makeup stash, I may have a lipgloss and use it only once a month or so, since it’s not “contaminated” as much as someone who would use it every day, my thought is that it should last much longer. I have some powder blushes, eyeshadows and pigments I’ve had for years.
lol! Especially if you have a ton of it 😉
I rarely throw anything out. If it’s funky, yes. Otherwise, there’s always a use for it!
LOL! I don’t know if I’ve ever had a product go funky on me, come to think of it!
Yes and no. I’ll definitely throw out old mascara, but my foundation and lipgloss are always gone before it gets old, and everything else for the most part I’m not gonna throw out just because it’s old. I’d probably be more likely to throw it out just because I don’t care anymore.
That’s great that you use it up before it goes old! 😀
For the most part, no. The only rule I follow is for mascara, because I do find after 3 months it just doesn’t work as good as it used to. As for lipgloss, I keep them as long as they haven’t changed colors or smells.
Yep, mascara seems to be the one rule we all follow 😀
If the product smells, is dried out, or the consistency is significantly different, than yes I will toss it. But if its still good, then I don’t find it necessary to throw it away.
I agree, if it’s changed in those ways, it’s definitely going to be tossed!
It all goes back to what actually happened to my makeup. I still have and use my Anna Sui mascara even after 3 years because it still does the job without causing any side effects. I tossed things that smelled funny and taste regardless of time, though. One exception is my elizabeth arden lip gloss in cranberry because it was already tasted strange when i bought it.
Hey Pia!
Sounds like what I do. If it goes bad, then it’s out, but if it seems all good, it stays!
I totally agree with both of you, Pia and Christine. 🙂 I didn’t toss any makeup yet because I only recently got into makeup, but I don’t see any reason to toss it away if it still works well. <3
Eee..I’m soo bad about this. Usually I end up using mascara before the 3 month mark. I should really keep better tabs on when I should throw things away, but I love to keep everything in my caboodle.
You know, you’re not alone though – a lot of us don’t throw anything but mascara away at the deadline!
I toss my mascara after 3 months because it’s fairly inexpensive to replace. For everything else, nope! My foundation gets used up quickly and I could never part with any of my beloved eye products. Like most here I stop using something if it smells/tastes funky. So far its only happened once.
Foundation actually is supposed to be around for 2-3 years according to artists I’ve spoken to!
i toss out mascara after two months … i like to try new formulas more than anything so i dont mind adhereing to that guideline but as for the rest .. if it smells fine and goes on fine than why not keep it???
Exactly, LOL. I’m with you, Emily!
I do with mascara…and If I bought a liquid foundation I will trash it..because I have no luck w/ those :/
Liquid foundation should actually last 2-3 years according to artists I’ve spoken with!
I’ve never had mascara go funny, I just throw it away when it’s dried up. I throw away eyeshadows that are old, lipglosses that are old, and powders that are old. But usually all that happens is that I stop using them.. and that’s why they get old lol So I don’t mind tossing them and getting new ones. Products that you don’t have to dip into, like with pumps/tubes or something.. last soooo much better so I don’t have to toss them.. so far I’ve been lucky that my types of foundation have come in tubes/pumps.. now I have Studio Fix Fluid, Mineralize Satinfinish & the MAC full cover.. and unfortunately, only the Mineralize one comes in a pump bottle. So I hope they don’t go bad! Christine, have you ever had MAC liquid foundation go bad or change colour over time?
You can buy a pump for your MAC foundations separately. I just bought one for my Studio Fix.
Yeah, mine only gets dried up, but I’ve never had anything get funky really.
I’ve actually recently had a mac liquid foundation go bad on me, I’ve had it for 2 years and one day i decided to wear it, and i noticed it kind of smelt like a skunk, not a very pretty smell…
no. i can hardly remember when i bought certain items! i am trying to use up some of my older lipglosses though, so they won’t “go bad” before i can use them up. i’ve never actually used up any lip products though…because i lose them before then. =)
LOL, that’s one of my biggest problems, too!! I buy too much, how can I possibly remember when?!
No but I should.
There are certain reasons why you should, but there are some things you can do to prolong the life, too.
only mascara. 🙂 and like everyone else on here, i tend to use it up after 3 months anyway. i should probably throw out some of my lipglosses, but i can’t do it! they still smell/taste okay, so too bad! don’t powders and powder eye shadows last a long time?
Sounds like we’re all in the same boat!
actually i really don’t know how long i should keep my products.. is there a guideline i can go by?
Hey San,
BellaSugar had a good article about it: http://bellasugar.com/1124422
I get rid of mascara pretty frequently, but other than that I haven’t thrown out much. I think my oldest lipglass is from 2003 and it still smells fine. When things eventually go bad, I will throw them out.
Yeah, if it actually goes bad, I’ll toss it. No pre-emptive strikes for me, though!
Nope. I’m horrible. I can never bear to throw out any of my cosmetics unless it has fungus on it or totally run out or completely shattered. It’s the whole collecting-of-makeup thing. Even though that tube of diorshow mascara is all dried up, I’m still gonna keep it cuz I won’t get a new one. Just part of the collection. lol
lol, I know exactly what you mean!
Definitely not. At least, not for all products. I do follow the ‘rules’ with liquid eyeliner and mascara though. Those things collect the most bacteria and the start to smell rancid when they’re in their last days anyway–that’s how I know when to toss them. But I’m generally done the product before it goes bad anyway. I use liquid foundation and by the time I’m finished the bottle, it hasn’t gone bad so I don’t worry about that either. Lip products… meh. If they smell bad, I’ll toss them. If not, I keep them. I’ve never had a MAC lip product go bad on me yet; it’s usually only drugstore lip products that I’ve had to toss. Weird!
But as for eye shadows, nope. I keep them until I’ve gone through them. You’d also have to pry a pigment out of my cold, dead hand before I’d trash it. Sorry, but when I spend $23, I’m keeping it ’til it’s DONE. 😛 Besides, I can’t really see pigments going ‘bad.’ They’re not bacteria-ridden (I don’t put my brush in the bottle).
I keep my liquid liner, only because I so seldomly use it, I hate the idea that I’d be paying $14 for 2 uses, lol.
I only stick with the mascara rule – four months tops and it’s thrown out. That said, I haven’t spent more than $12 on a mascara, so I don’t feel bad about it.
I don’t use sunscreen or products that include sunscreen after the expiry date either.
Apart from that, I only dispose of cosmetics that smell funny or have changed in terms of consistency and color. I noticed that powder products can last a very long time (5+ years) and lipsticks do too, if stored properly in a refrigerator.
Certain products (ex: some lipsticks by Estee Lauder and Stila) smell funky after a few months and I chuck them and never buy them again. It’s funny that I have some Revlon lipsticks (stored in the fridge, of course) that have lasted more than 10 years and still look/smell like new products.
Does most of makeup last longer in the fridge?
Lipstick – All lipsticks should be stored in the fridge unless they are used up within six months, IMO. You’ll be surprised how long they last!
Nail polish – I store them all in the fridge and they don’t turn goopy or change color at all.
Cream blush – a couple of back-ups were stored in the fridge and they are still in pretty good condition.
I have not stored liquid/cream foundation in the fridge because I use the items up rather quickly in comparison to color cosmetics.
Even if you don’t store make up in the fridge, keep them in a cool, dark place – away from sunlight.
It should, Valerie! I can’t tell you how much longer, but it does prolong the lifetime.
Ok good, but since I can’t actually leave my makeup others places other than my room or the fridge because of younger siblings what should I do? I want to maximize my makeups lifetime.
Keep it out of the bathroom and away from sunlight. Find a cool place in the house 🙂
I think when I have colored mascara, I might let it stay around longer, only for the fact that I so seldomly use it.
Refrigerator is a great idea!
NO NOT AT ALL,WOT A SILLY QUESTION !! LOLZ
Zzainy
lol, Zainy!
I don’t do it according to the rules. xD If things start turning crap, then it goes with with my unused makeup that I use if I leave my good makeup somewhere…
I don’t because when it comes time I’m debating whether I really want to throw that expensive lipgloss I can’t find anymore away and the answer is always no. So unless it’s smelling funny or something like that, it stays.
I know what you mean, Brenda. It’s hard to give up expensive stuff!