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How closely do you follow guidelines for shelf life?
How closely do you follow guidelines for shelf life? What products do you stay on top of? Which ones are you less worried about?
The only one I follow is mascara, which I toss after two to three months typically. Everything else I go by smell, texture, consistency, color, etc. Generally, I’m not concerned about powder products, but creams/liquids definitely have shorter life spans.
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I don’t at all! Guidelines are dumb. I’m not going to throw away things for no reason. I don’t understand why mascara needs to be thrown out every 3 months but you can use your (old packaging) UDPP for 6+ months and it’s okay. it’s the same exact thing! both products have a wand and both products are used directly onto you. it baffles me
As a biologist; anything liquid should follow guildlines more closely because most bacteria need a moist environment to thrive. However powder expiration dates are hogwash. Most powders already have bacteria before you open then due to air contact, and using clean brushes on them should not affect bacteria content that much. With powders, the culprit is usually oxidation (losing electrons causes change in the chemical structure of the product, which causes change in the function)… However that shouldn’t happen for awhile if stored in a cool dark place.
I do follow mascara guidelines, but only because I have enough eye/vision problems as it is and I don’t need to risk infections or irritations. Haha. But I generally use up a mascara within the 3 months anyway. Cream eyeshadows/primers I think are safe until they run out because I only apply them with clean fingers. And other liquids/creams (foundation/concealer/etc) I would go by smell/texture, but I’ve always used up products before they go bad. Powders I only toss if I don’t like them or something along those lines because they’re pretty safe as far as bacteria goes.
My sister and I were JUST talking about this Lol. I actually just started getting rid of mascara every couple of months…other than that I dont throw anything out. Ive paid good money for my products and im using them until they’re gone! I don’t see how eye shadows can go bad. Milk..understandable. Make-up ….no way lol
agreed!
I follow mascara guidelines because I can’t sanitize it and it goes near my lashline, but most of the time it smells off or dries up before the guideline anyway. I also toss out liquid liquid liner by the guideline most of the time. I never worry about powder products. With other creams, I go more by if the consistency or color has changed. I find smells change quickly after opening, and I doubt that means it has gone bad. If it smells totally rank then sure, but otherwise no worries.
Never. Given I buy many items as a collection and never use it.
I don’t follow any at all! I’ve had mascara for many, many months and they’re all still going strong. Everything else I use until i’m done with them. 🙂
I actually throw mascaras away before the six months they give. I follow them pretty well for liquid eyeliners but other than that not so much. Like Naked palette had six months on it. Ummm… nope
I ignore the guidelines. I throw something away when it stops working or I’ve used it up. This horrified the last makeup artist at the last counter I visited, but I figure, what can be growing in them apart from a load of staph. epidermidis which is already all over my face anyway? If you have clean hands there’s nothing to worry about imho.
Truthfully, I ignore them. If I didn’t, I’d be tossing most of my makeup (excluding foundation, mascara, blush, and eye pencils) only lightly used! Of course, if something doesn’t look or smell right, I do get rid of it. But that happens infrequently.
I only follow the guidelines for mascaras, because my eyes DO start itching otherwise! Other than that I pretty much hold onto the products till I think they have gone a bit weird, normally that only happens with liquid/creams though!
Probably not as strict as I should be! I definitely follow the rules with mascara (usually because I’m always using a sample mascara from Sephora or some other GWP) but I’m with Christine on the smell/texture test for the rest of my products. That reminds me….I have a couple of old lipsticks that just smell off…time to replace!
I don’t. I remember a time when there were no “expiration” dates, and the only guideline was to toss it if the smell or texture changed, in which case the product is pretty much unusable, anyway. I’ve always stored my makeup in a cool, dry place, so I rarely have that problem. I also always use a clean applicator for powders, foundation, creams, and lipstick.
Expiration dates on cosmetics was actually something that was imposed by the US government several years ago, which is why you rarely see them on products made in other places. I remeber when the idea of expiration dates started, and there was a debate even then about the validity. I have several items, including foundation, lipstick, powders, and pencils thaty are way past there expiration date, and they are perfectly fine; if they separate or get dry/sticky, I toss them, but if not, they stay. Having said that, I won’t even go into how long I’ve had some items, but I’ve never had an adverse reaction to any of them.
For clients I do, but for myself I don’t. Whenever I buy items I write the date I opened them on with permanent marker this way I don’t forget. I do this for cream products such as primers, or lipsticks, anything with a wand really. I especially follow the mascara rule, but then again I buy drugstore mascara. Also, MUA friends and I split our kits. We all get MAC discounts so we will buy ourselves 5 or so lipsticks a piece and then split each lipstick 5 ways which then generates 15 colors to mix and match. We figure out ways to split costs and still keep everything fresh and new.
The reason I’m so meticulous is because a friend of mine who is also an MUA buys products in bulk to save money..one of them being primers. I’ve seen first hand the reaction your skin can have. As a general rule I find that our sense of smell can tell us if something is way past it expiration date.
Mascara definitely, although mine always seems to be used up before the 3 month mark anyway. I don’t check the expiration dates on any other makeup really. My skincare products are limited to what I use every day so I don’t have stuff that’s just sitting there spoiling.
I only follow the guidelines for mascara. If I were to follow the “use by” guidelines for other cosmetics, I’d go broke trying to replenish discontinued items and the like. It’s not worth it! I simply do the periodic rubbing alcohol swab and it’s good to go.
I never go by the supposed expiration dates on cosmetics. Why would I throw away a perfectly good product that I used only a few times just because the FDA recently decided that I should? I honestly think most of the shelf life guidelines are a ploy to just get you to buy more products. I’ve had mascaras last over a year, and I have blushes, lipsticks/glosses, liners, shadows, etc. that I’ve literally had for 4-5 years and are totally fine. Of course, if the consistency or smell changed, I would toss it, but that’s only happened with maybe 1 foundation and a few lipglosses. But I find that cosmetics last wayyy longer than the FDA would have you believe. Keep your products sanitized — you can clean and sanitize everything (including mascara wands!) with sprays and wipes. Store them well (away from moisture and extreme temperatures), and you’ll be fine.
Mascara tends to dry up in a few months so that one is easier to follow. Some products start to break down (glosses and lipsticks) in a year. I keep my powder products longer than i should- i know some folks think they are safe but if you’ve ever done a culture on an eyeshadow after a few months of use – ugg. Yes, bacteria live everywhere! Lipsticks can be wiped down with alcohol. Probably doesn’t hurt to scrape a few layers off powder products and maybe 30 secs in the sun (UV kills bacteria) might help.
I don’t throw a product away unless it’s changed in some one (smell, texture, the like). I’m a mascara junkie and I cycle through several mascaras, so I tend to throw them away at the 6 month mark instead of three (unless it changes).
I admit I don’t. Even mascara – unless I really don’t like it anyways. I’m the only one using it and I barely use my mascaras once a week or once every two weeks so I don’t worry too much about it until it gets old and gunky or dried up.
I don’t get why people started saying mascara needs to be thrown out after 3 months. It says right there on the packaging (at leats on most of them) it lasts 6 months! to me seems like a way to makes us buy more. I never throw out my mascaras before the 6 months and never had any problems.
Other guidelines I don’t follow either. 3 years for a loose pigment? really? it’s finelly milled rocks and stones, how the heck does that go bad?
I pretty much do the same as you, and besides, mascara gets manky after being used for 2-3 months. I’m a bit obsessive about cleaning my makeup brushes, so that probably keeps powders and creams in a jar usable for longer. On the other hand, if I’m not that happy about a foundation or other shorter shelf life product, I have a good excuse to toss it and start again. I don’t buy a lot of skincare products, so they get used up quickly.
I don’t.
If the smell or texture hasn’t changed, it’s still good. MU companies keep telling us shorter and shorter shelflifes– couldn’t POSSIBLY be because they want to sell more product? I mean, really. Come on. Powders don’t go bad in six months, and lipsticks last for years. If your product goes bad in six months, I’m not going to buy from you again–that’d be a bad product, not a signal to replace it to be fleeced again.
Not even, my mascaras last 6 months-1 year. Foundations never lasted more than 4 months because I go through them pretty quickly, so I never actually knew what a bad foundation looked like. Eyeshadow lasts forever, but I have tossed away a palette that came with lipgloss when it collected bacteria in a few months.
Lipstick lasts a year until it goes bad, but I heard you are suppose to toss them away in 4-6 months too. I wonder how much of it is actually the company saying things last less than they do, so we will purchase more, more often.
I am always baffled by my friends who don’t wear make up everyday when they say things like “the last time I purchased a foundation was 2 years ago and this one isn’t even half way through” or “Oh, this palette was present in my quinceañera and I am 22 now, still using it!”
However, you review make up very often, is tossing them away also part of your “OMG I have space” process? =D (I love when I get to do that)
Only for mascara, sunscreen or face cream. I don’t “count” months since the mascara is open, but if I feel it’s older than 6 months or makes my eye all watery: in the trash it goes. As for sunscreen/face cream (that has suncreen) I throw them out about the date when it says so. I can’t “afford” not beeing fully protected from the sun.
I’ll still use a face cream or foundation that’s older, but I would just use an SPF with it (new, of course!), only because the protection may have lessened over time, not because it’s no good. Besides, mineral or physical sunscreens should be fine, as I don’t see how those would lose efficacy.
* I always use a regular sunscreen, anyway, as foundations typically don’t go high enough for my taste.
YES!!! I agree 100% and am so happy to hear your comments about sunscreen! I also agree with all other comments regarding not tossing perfectly good makeup that I saved a long time to be able to buy…some of which are limited edition items, older colors no longer available, or products I love too much to trash no good reason. But, you two are the first people to comment on sunscreen which I am thrilled to read (will make sense if you read my rambling comments about sunscreen and my ongoing battle with skin cancer). Great info Fiaspice and Amy…I just want to remind everyone to use your body sunscreen too even though this is a cosmetic posting…any excuse to throw in a reminder 🙂 Thanks!
I wish people would pay attention to make-up shelf life. It makes me shudder to think about those of you putting bacteria-laden products on your face and eyes. Like many have said already, liquids are the biggest culprits, especially those you use around the eye area.
I label all my makeup with the date I open it with a tiny marker so I know when to replace it.
I replace mascara every few months, remove the tip of my liner pencils every few months, wash and disinfect and thoroughly dry my brushes and beauty blenders after every use, replace glosses every 6 months, remove the tip of lipsticks every 6 months, etc. I also make sure to keep my make-up area very clean and wash my hands before applying anything to my face.
I urge you all to use good beauty hygiene!
Well, aside from going by FDA issued expiration guidelines, I practice the same habits as you, and I’ve never had an adverse reaction on any part of my face, including eyes. In fact, I’ve only had two incidents with my eyes, one before I ever used makeup, and another during a months long phase of wearing absolutely nothing on my face besides a brand new moisturizer, organic, by the way. Go figure!
Agreed Amy! I recently had an adverse reaction to an eye cream that was completely organic and only around 4-5 months old and that has never happened before. I had to throw half the product away!
I think if you practice good hygiene while using the products themselves, like using clean brushes, etc, the products should be fine for a long time. At least that’s been my experience over the years! 😉 The one thing I don’t mess around with is mascara. Though that product tends to change when its bad and I can’t use it anyway.
I rotate mascaras every few months, but like everyone else if it has “funny” smell or texture then its time for it to go. I know some people are horrified by this, however it can’t be any worse than testers as places like sephora or ulta that are used by multiple people who just “stick there finger” in products-regardless of how good they sanitize products you know its a breeding ground for bacteria.
With that being said, I’m the only person who uses my makeup, i use clean brushes/sponges and keep in controlled enviroment. It should be fine 🙂
I don’t follow the guidelines at all. Even mascara, if I have mascara left in the tube, I use it. I refuse to throw away perfectly good products (unless I don’t like them anymore). Sometimes with limited editions, you can’t even repurchase a product if you really like it. Also, products are discontinued to make room for new. In fact, if I purchase a limited edition, I may even buy a backup if I really love it. If you have a lot of lipsticks (or blush or eyeshadows or powder, whatever) and don’t wear any one down, how can you throw away a practically full product? So, I ignore these guidelines.
Not at all-not even mascara. But you cant keep mascara forever anyway because it dries out. Bacteria is everywhere. There is no such thing as bacteria-free makeup. That said, I am a germaphobe and if something smells not-quite-right I wont hesistate to chuck it. I also never use my brushes or makeup on someone else. And I never touch my makeup or face with anything less that perfectly clean hands.
I only use one or two mascaras at a time, so by the end of the third month they’re almost out, so I do follow this rule. I notice lipgloss starts to look bad and doesn’t perform as well after a year, so I tend to get rid of them after a year (if they make it that long). Powder products seem to last forever and I’ll hang on to all my powder products until they look like they need replaced.
Like a lot of others, I toss mascara at 3-6 months, just as much because it’s gotten dried up or finished as because of bacteria concerns. Other than that, paying attention to smells and texture is the way to go!
I purge my makeup every year, but that doesn’t mean I immediately throw out oldies but goodies that have expired except for mascara, liq foundation, concealer, and liq liner. If I haven’t used a product for a year then I’ll think about it but there are some products that just takes longer than their expiry date to use up which I still keep in my collection because I really like them, then there are those limited edition or discontinued products that I just can’t part with because of sentimental reasons.
I use mascara almost daily and mine runs out every 4-5 months – so I just replace it then. With everything else, I just ignore it unless it looks or smells off (with the exception of a ootted cream highlighter I just chucked after having it for over a year). I wash my brushes weekly in hot soapy water, wash my hands compulsively, sharpen my eyeliner after lining the waterline and keep everything stored in a cool, dark place, so I’m not too worried. I don’t use enough makeup to justify buying a whole new stash every few months. I hardly even make a dent in most of my stuff in that time, since my only constants are concealer, powder and mascara. Sorry, but I’m not rolling in money. I practice good hygiene and I think my approach is reasonable.
*potted. Not sure what ooted means.
I dont at all except mascara. I clean my brushes frequently. Who’s to say how long a product has been sitting in the store before you purchased it anyway, I’d like to think not long but you just never know. I can remember purchasing a lipstick from a highend brand and once I got it home it didnt look to good so again, you just never really know.
Toss when I go through things and don’t use something anymore – or it’s changed consistency – or it smells funny – changed color. I will buy a new body spf each year however if I have not used up my most recent tube when summer starts. the sfp breaks down over time and I need all the protection I can get.
Like most here, I follow mascara guidelines quite religiously, but only because I have to. After about three months, they’re done. They’re dry and flake really bad, plus they usually smell which I can’t stand. Lipgloss is another that I follow guidelines on because they turn so soon. They usually get goopy and change consistency and the color alters a bit. Plus they are hard to sanitize. Mac lip glosses tend to last me the longest, but my favorite, NYX, turn so soon!! As far as other products, I don’t bother to keep track of dates. Once the product alters in color, changes consistency and/or smell, then I will throw them out. I have eyeshadows in my collection for over three years and they still perform well. I always use a clean brush to apply, so that may have something to do with it. A lot of products are pretty easy to clean and sanitize, if needed, so the expiration dates don’t concern me much. 😉
mascara and cream eye products….the second they start to change consistency, I toss them out.
I don’t. If it smells ok and looks ok it get used.
I go by consistency and smell.
Generally if it still looks and smells okay I don’t worry about it.
Only mascara, I replace them every 3 months. In the past, before I became addicted to mu, I used to get eye infections because I used them up. Haven’t got any more eye problems since I follow the 3 month rule.
I generally dont. I throw it out the minute it starts smelling bad or changes consistency.
not really…same as all the above- smells ok and applies like it should; it gets used…
not at all. only if something is drying out or smells different.
Mascara I throw it out around 3 months. Blush, lipstick, only when they begin to smell off and don’t apply well.
Only for mascara and lipgloss
Almost all my make up is less than 2 years old. Go through mascara pretty quick so haven’t really thought about it.