Archived Post

Do you get every last bit out of your beauty products?


Do you get every last bit out of your beauty products? Will you scrape and squeeze? Will you cut tubes?

I’ll squeeze until I can’t get anything else out, but I definitely don’t go as far as cutting tubes or taking out stoppers. For me, when I reach the end of the product, it’s likely already past time to buy a new one anyway!

Thanks to Theresa for today’s question! Have a question idea? Submit yours here.

66 Comments

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!

Comments on this post are closed.
KaylaK Avatar

Yeah I try and get as much as I possibly can out of my products. But yeah I haven’t gone so far as to cutting things open or removing stoppers…although I may try it just to see how much more I’ll get out lol.

Jenny Avatar

I will squeeze and scrape and then cut the tube or un-stopper the stopper until I get every last bit of beauty product out. I will get my money’s worth out of a product that works 🙂

Jennifer Avatar

For the old “genie” bottle of UDPP, I have removed two stoppers (for two bottles). I have cut up tubes before, but now I don’t find it as worth it since I flatten the tubes anyway and the cut-up tubes are too much of a hassle to use.

Because of this, I prefer jars so I can get every last bit out without the hassle.

Xin Avatar

I will squeeze and scrape and then cut the tube for my skincare products and fundations. But for makeups like blushers and eyeshadows, I actually never hit the pan! Have too many of them, but still buying…

Heather Avatar

Yup! Im pretty ruthless with things like body lotions that I seem to go through so quickly.

If it’s a tube, I cut the middle section out and use the “bottom” as a “top” and usually am rewarded with another 2 weeks of use or so! (I hope that made sense.) With pump-tops, I remove the pump and turn the bottle upside-down to allow the product to collect in the lid. It is amazing how much is wasted otherwise!

With makeup, I de-pot all my lipsticks because there is usually just as much product in the turn-mechanism as there is “bullet” poking out! (Wow I hope people can figure out what I’m talking about) Glosses with an inserted applicator are probably the only thing where I throw away the last little bit because they get all yucky and contaminated towards the end of their lives anyways!

Ana G. Avatar

I totally relate! I do exactly the same thing!!It’s amazing the amount of product that most people waste. The only thing I don’t do is remove stoppers from mascaras since the “life” of these are only 6 months and I wear contacts so I use it till the end and then throw it away.

MJ Avatar

I do the same thing! I’m always scraping out the remaining lipstick from the turn mechanism. I usually just melt it down into an empty 5gm jar, then apply with a lipbrush. I cut tubes, scrape bottles, turn things upside down, etc. Even if I don’t particually like a product. I feel super guilty wasting anything, unelss it is rancid.

Miss J Avatar

I like this question! It’ll be interesting to see the answers. I squeeze and scrape, but I don’t cut tubes open or pull out stoppers. Once I can’t get product on the wand or squeeze any out then I toss, but if it’s a pot or a tube of lipstick then I’ll get every last little bit out! 🙂 If it’s a powder and it’s just the edges left then I will crush it in the compact for use as a loose product.

Kide Avatar

Yes, I usually cut all my tubes and take away stoppers. I recycle metals that are easily removable from the packaging. I also want to get all that I paid for out of my products.

Marta Avatar

I’ve never cut tubes but usually the stopper removal is justified! I refuse to buy anything from Rimmel since I got their concealer and the wand just WOULDNT reach any product, so eventually I took out the stopper and then the stuff would get everywhere and make a mess. Really, how difficult would have been to design a slightly better system? With UD’s PP, however, once removed everything was fine, as there wasn’t much product left and it was more solid. I really love PP new packaging, hooray for squeeze tubes!

Dinitchka Avatar

I’m very guilty of cutting tubes, taking out stoppers (those darn stoppers for powder/mineral products always gets taken out as soon as it is about empty), taking the metal stopper off perfume bottles, melting the last bit of eyeliner/shadow sticks/lipliner and finally digging out lipstick from a tube with a lip brush. Liquid products get stored upside down when they are about done.

With bath products, I store them upside down towards the end of life. Then I add hot water to shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap etc give it a shake up and then throw it away.

I’m all about getting my monies worth *LOL*

The only time I will not break open a product is if I am keeping it for my collection.

Esther Avatar

I do the same thing with bath products because I often forget to buy new bottles of stuff until it’s nearly gone, so I need to get a few more days out of it heheh

Fatima Avatar

Well right now I am doing Makeup-Out 2012 which is kind of Project 10 Pan a couple of years ago 🙂 and so I am trying to hit pan and finish as many products as I can but to be honest when I am almost done like if there is like 10-20% left I will dispose of it but with this little thing I am doing it feels so good to actually finish something 😉

CatherineM Avatar

There was only one product I really had problems with, it was a in a glass bottle with a pump. The problem was that there was still over a third in the bottle when the pump gave out – and that foundation was really expensive!!! I had to open it and get everything out with a spatula before depotting. I never bought that product again …

Nicole Avatar

depends how much i love the product and how expensive it is..
i usually squeeze until i can’t get anymore out. Sometimes if i really really love a product, i might cut it open.

Veronica Avatar

Somewhat. It depends on how expensive the product was. I won’t go the absolute extremes to get stuff out, but when it comes to well-loved eyeshadows or blushes, I’ve been known to scrape the edges of the pan if I have to.

Wenjing Avatar

i’ll try everyway known to human kind in order to get every drop, every grain or whatever out and finish my makeup totally. 😀

Sunny Avatar

I definitely squeeze as hard as I can, but don’t go as far as to cutting the tubes. When it comes to lotions with a pump, I would use the tube to get as much product out as possible at the end. But still I wouldn’t cut anything. I would be a little apprehensive about how clean the scissors/knives are, and how hygienic you can keep the product once the tube is cut open.

Mariella Avatar

I have no problem cutting the crimp off tubes of face cream. The products I use are pricey and it’s amazing how much is left in a tube once you think you’ve got every last bit out. I just cut the crimped end off a tube of Clarins day cream and there’s a least a week’s worth of product still inside. I close it up with a bulldog clamp thingy and use a spatula to remove every last bit. Same with their eye cream – I get my husband to remove the top pump contraption and there’s a good 2 weeks of eye cream still inside. Beauty products are not cheap so I have no problem with doing this though I’ve never gone so far as to slice open the old style genie tube of Urban Decay Primer Potion – that just looks too dangerous.

Yazmin Avatar

I do! i usally stand my foundation contaners upside down in a bowl or cup of hot water to get er last drop out, and i use my fix+ to get the last few grains of msf’s out of the pan! sprisingle i havent yet finished up a product that isnt a foudation/setting powder

Maggie Avatar

I definitely get out what I can, but once things like powder blushes, eyeshadows, and pressed powder I toss once they’ve broken. However I do use Urban Decay Primer Potion and since there is so much product left once I’m “done.”

Theresa Avatar

I’m having a total fangirl moment right now, that’s my question! 😀

I cut tubes all the time to get products out, especially foundation. I’ve got at least ten more uses out of a foundation that I would have thrown away otherwise. And of course, back when UDPP’s packaging was much worse, I’d depot those. I’m happy now they’ve changed to a tube packaging.

brenda Avatar

I don’t cut tubes unless it’s something i desperately need and can’t get more of. I do take stoppers or pumps out because there is always so mych left in the bottom. I feel like i paid good money for the product so i want to the most out of it!

(sorry for any sp errors – my babe’s on my lap and sge’s squirmy!)

A Avatar

I do cut tubes and/or remove stoppers if I feel like there’s some amount of product left inside that I can’t get by simply squeezing/pumping. This usually allows me to use the product for another week or so! You’d be surprised how inefficient packaging can be sometimes.

Laurel Avatar

I do the same and squeeze/scrape as much as I can with tubes and jars. The only thing I’ve ever done more for is the old UDPP but I didn’t cut it because I didn’t want plastic particles in it, so I put it in the microwave and then put it in a jar. I would never cut something open for the same reason I didn’t cut UDPP-I don’t want plastic particles in my product and by the time I would need to cut it open it has probably gone rancid anyway

Valerie DeMerchant Avatar

good question! I guess it depends on the products! But I do usually try to squeeze out the expensive ones that I know I can’t buy right away!

Lee Avatar

Usually but by the time you’re down to the dregs, the products usually dried up anyway. I’ve got this little pea sized dab of Fluidline left in a jar but I was just noticing this morning that it’s getting dried out and harder to apply.

Safyre Avatar

I will absolutely squeeze out what I can and take the stoppers out of things (granted they don’t smell like they’ve gone bad) and I have a little jar where I collect tidbits of face stuff that breaks or I have little bits when I’ve hit pan that I scrape out (because powders tend to last for years) but that’s where it stops. I’ve never cut anything open because I know for a fact that I’m a clumsy person and hospital bills are going to cost me a lot more than replacing the product would.

Krista Avatar

Yes! Hahaha, I’m so guilty of cutting tubes, taking out stoppers, scrapping every last bit of product and destroying every bit of packaging just to finish everything if I REALLY love the product or if it’s a bit expensive, otherwise, I can get by with a new one.

Marina Avatar

For things like UDPP (in the genie bottle, which I actually prefer because it didn’t dry out so fast for me), I learned to take the stopper out instead of hacking and sawing the thing open. Even on the little mini bottles you can get A TON of product! A mini of UDPP can last me up to three months if I take the stopper out!

Jacqqqqq Avatar

i rarely ever cut open products since it really takes me a long long time before i use up something but there’s just 1 thing I really wanna cut open – my touche eclat!!! i only use it for about 4-5 mth before it ran dry. but i’m pretty sure there are some of those good stuff stuck inside!

Victoria Avatar

I usually do but I RARELY use up products except mascara (which I repurchase every 3 months) and UDPP (which I did use to take the stopper out of). I am nearing completion on my first ever eyeshadow with pan. It maybe be the tiniest eyeshadow from a quad ever but it’s ok because I am almost done with an eyeshadow which has never happened before!! 😀

Ashleigh Avatar

If I love a product and it was expensive, I will cut it open if it’s in a tube, or i’ll scrape it out. Usually I get at least another week or 2 out of a product, which is genereally how long it takes to get my butt to the mall to buy a new one :p

Wavy Cats Avatar

Tube cutter/stopper remover here. I’ve gotten as much as two more weeks of use or more (UDPP) our products that way. If you pay for say 3 oz. of product, you should get to use 3 oz. of product. I use stuff from the bottom of the cut tube first, then scrunch the sides of the top portion and stick it into the bottom portion. That way the product stays fresh.

Aman Avatar

My products last me for so long (1-2 years) that once I do get to the last bits, I’m happy to throw them out! After a while, some products do go bad so it’s not always worth the hassle of scraping out the last bits.

If a powder product starts to crumble, I usually throw it out. Otherwise I get powder dust everywhere, which will require more time to clean than the remaining product is worth.

Danielle Avatar

My tubes of mascara I don’t go crazy over. Otherwise I push my $ to the max when it comes to products. With my skin care the packaging is really user friendly, the tops screw off so it’s easy to get all the product out once it’s near the end. I also turn my bottles of moisturizers upside down so that I don’t have to fight with it. With my other makeup I use brushes so once I get down to the very ends I dig out the rest lol!

Naomi aka naomixmakeup Avatar

Only on UDPP, which I have removed the stopper from. I have so many though (all the little ones from palettes as well as my full size) i don’t think i’ll run out anytime soon! Other than that, it depends if the product is LE, although if it has pretty packaging I just couldn’t live wiht myself if I ruined it.

GlowMyWay Avatar

I stop short of cutting and chopping to get at it, too. But this has got me thinking, because I recently ran out of a gloss I adored that they stopped making years ago, and maybe I could’ve gotten more out of it if I removed the stopper. But it would have to be something like that – running out of a product I haven’t replaced yet. Because usually, I find another product I like even better by the time I run out of anything.

Elizabeth Turner Avatar

I only remove stoppers and cut bottles open for something like UDPP because there is so much more left in the bottle and Its something I use everyday, so I want to use it all up before I buy more.

And to be honest, its kind of fun to cut the bottles open…lol

April Avatar

For me it depends upon the product & how much I had to pay for it. Now if it’s an expensive face cream or something like that…you bet I’m gonna scrape, cut, pull or whatever to get every last bit of stuff out of there if it’s an amazing product & it cost me buckoo bucks! But if it’s something that I buy on a regular basis, or it’s so-so, easy to come by or didn’t cost me an arm & a leg then no I won’t go through leaps & bounds to get every last drop out of the container it came in.

haleii Avatar

i have the sephora balck colorflip palette and they dont make it anymore i love this one color and i have a tiny corner of it left and ive been trying to savor it by finding another one similar but there is nothing exact and im so upset cus its the pretiest color

haleii Avatar

when you get to the end of a mac lipstick and its flat you can scrape out the rest of the bottoom. its like a whole new lipstick in pot form

TygerKitty Avatar

I think the only thing I cut open is my too faced face primer… it’s somewhat expensive and I wear it every single day so it’s nice to get all of it out. Especially since there’s usually a good few extra days in the tube that I couldn’t squeeze out!

Connie Avatar

I will definitely attempt to use every bit of product remaining before I toss it out, assuming it’s still fresh. It’s absolutely amazing how much product can still cling to walls of a tube even though it may seem empty.

Cupcake888 Avatar

I try to get every last bit of the expensive skincare products by putting them upside down and remove the pump to get the products out. But I usually quickly lost interest when I have to work so hard to get the products out!

Makesup products… come to think of it, I’ve never finished using any makeup products before I throw them away. :O I loosely adhere to the expiration date, and have too many items to see anything through.

Beck Avatar

yes I cut tubes open because i have noticed sometimes there is A LOT of product left inside that cannot be squeezed out. Even when you thinks it’s empty you may have many more applications.

Makeup fan Avatar

Nope!! I got into makeup in 2010 but since I started collecting and putting on makeup, I never actually finished any foundation or concealer. The only thing I finish are moisturisers and I usually just squeeze out till nothing comes out. I won’t go to the extend of cutting because I find it too troublesome.

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!