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How do you keep track of when your beauty products expire?
How do you keep track of when your beauty products expire? Share!
I don’t keep track with dates and a spreadsheet myself. I try to start by using them with disposable/recyclable/separate applicators to minimize contamination (e.g. for glosses, cream blushes, etc.) without double-dipping. I try to keep only a couple of mascaras open at a time, and any mascaras that are old get tossed after a few months. Otherwise, I look for changes in smell, color, consistency, etc.
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I don’t!! I pretty much just chuck it when it goes funny. I too avoid contamination by not double dipping, using clean/disposable tools.
I have so much on the go, I would never get through it all before it ‘expires’, and have never had problems.
Ahahahaha, keep track of expirations. You’re funny, Christine.
But in all serious, I generally don’t worry about tossing anything powder based unless it starts to show signs of serious wear. Mascara gets tossed every six months or when it starts to get dry. I don’t generally worry about lip products unless they’re getting stiff – except for lipglosses, which I’ll generally toss after two years if I haven’t finished it yet.
Hi Christine! Where do you get your applicators for glosses and such?
I used to get ’em off Amazon – they’re bamboo lipgloss applicators (so they were more eco-friendly). You can get disposable ones for a few bucks right now on Amazon, but the bamboo ones are a pain to get. If you’re just one person at home most of the time, I’d just use a lip brush – invest in maybe a metal palette so you can use a clean lip brush to get multiple swipes of product onto the palette before applying to your lips!
Sally Beauty carries them if you don’t mind disposables. I keep them on hand for when friends want me to do their makeup.
ELF or eyes lips face offers them online! 12 of them for 3$
http://www.eyeslipsface.com/makeup/tools/applicators
I have created my own rules, when it comes to cream products. I usually remember, when I bought it. Somethimes I write the date on the package with a waterproof pen. This works pretty good for me.
If the consistency smells different or changes, I will toss it away. I exchange my mascara every 3 month to avoid eye infections. Apart from that I try not to buy and open too many liquid/cream products to prevent that they go bad.
I own eyeshadows for over 10 years now and I don’t see any changes. This keeps me happy.
I don’t. Sorry if that offends. The only things I keep track of are products with SPF. I’ll keep a lipstick for 20 years if I like the color.
I don’t.
I go by look, feel and smell. If a product looks good, the texture is fine and it doesn’t smell differently or strange I think it’s OK to use it.
I do a yearly check up on all my makeup when I swatch everything to see if it’s still OK to use. I have really old eye shadows and I have never had any problems from using them. I also have a few very old lipsticks that are still as good as new.
Some of my makeup is 5-10 years old and there’s nothing wrong with it.
Mascaras on the other hand isn’t used for years, only for a few months as they change over time. The same with gel eyeliners that tend to get dry. Anyone have any advise how to stop that from happening? The lids are always tightly shut, so it’s not that.
I’m with you!
I’m just getting thru some of my Mac Fluidline gel liners, after 2 yrs. I keep mine stored: tightly closed, upside-down & out of direct light & have no issues with consistency change. Cheaper brands however, I have noticed dry out quicker.
I’ll try to keep them upside down.
I asked as I have a Laura Mercier gel liner that is drying out now. About a 5th left of it. It’s really good and very longlasting.
Going now to turn it.
Thanks for the tip!
Skincare products are the one area where I actually use up product. I do not need to keep expiration dates as my skincare products have BBD’s stamped on them and I buy from reputable sources. I do not stockpile skincare or sun protection for this very reason. Makeup, I toss routinely, particularly mascara, liquid eyeliner which I use so infrequently it gets tossed well before I’ve used much. Frankly, I do not worry about it too much about other beauty items, particularly powder products so if it looks weird, smells weird, or I see texture changes or something visibly drying out, it gets the boot. I run a goat dairy farm, and there are far bigger issues with things there to keep me on my toes regarding bacteria, cleanliness, disease, etc.. basically things that could negatively impact our business, our animal’s health, and also our health. So I don’t think a bit of makeup slightly off is going to set me into panic mode…not even close.
I try. When it comes to skin care I definitely do. With some make-up products though… 🙂
I write the opening dates on the products and check them all every few months to see if they are within date. Things like mascaras I just try to use up and you can usually tell when those need to be chucked.
I don’t really keep track. If a product is over a year old and I don’t really use it, I might theow it away. Otherwise, I usually throw them away when they formula, smell or something like that changes. I have not found that after the expiration time, products get worse really?
I tried an app for that, but I don’t have that many products, I can just remember.
With the exception of products containing sunscreen, which come with a printed expiry date, I don’t pay much attention to the expiry of products. I recently opened something new (an eye shadow, perhaps) that showed it was only good for 6 months. SIX MONTHS???? Who are they kidding? Who ever finished an eye shadow in 6 months? I have eye shadows that I’ve been using for six years and they are still fine! OTOH, I once got an Estee Lauder eye shadow trio that went bad really, REALLY fast and I’ve never had that happen before or since. First the mirror on the compact started to go funny – discoloured and cloudy – and then the eye shadows started to smell. I tossed the whole thing even though I’d only had it a short time. And that’s pretty much my guideline. If the texture changes, a product starts to separate or smell bad, then I will toss it. But really – finishing an entire eye shadow in six months? Maybe I only owned 2 or 3 eye shadows, I might get close to finishing them but with the amount of shadow, blush, powder, etc. that I have, I don’t pay any attention at all to those “6 months” or “12 months” indicators on the labels. I think that’s got more to do with the companies trying to protect themselves from litigation than anything else.
I do the same like you, never used a list or something like that. But I try to rotate the products I have daily so they dont get wasted.
Not really. I’ve never had much go bad on me and with the exception of mascara I almost never throw things away. I sanitise products regularly and I’m the only person who uses them so I’d have to really notice a change in something before I tossed it.
When it’s daylight savings time, I change the batteries in my
Smoke detectors, change my toothbrush head, and toss my
Mascara and eye makeup. It’s not worth the risk to your
Eyes to use old makeup.
Hi Klee,
You are soooooo right! I had a nasty eye infection many years ago that was traced back to a contaminated eye product. I still have a small scar on my lower waterline because of the depth of the infection. Hanging on to mascara, cream and liquid liner, etc. “forever” is false economy as anyone who has ever had an eye infection can tell you.
And thanks for mentioning this. I’m getting rid of all my old cream products I’ve used.
That’s actually a great way to keep track. Set a date where you have to change stuff anyway and just toss out makeup too. I like that idea.
This is a great idea! My eyes are so sensitive, I’m quite diligent about tossing old eye makeup. I hear people who have eyeshadows for years and years. No thanks!
If it looks or smells bad I throw it out. I recycle eye products quicker, I use one or two liquid eyeliners and mascaras at a time.
I have way too much makeup to actually keep a chart or anything lol. Plus I’m way too lazy for that. I just look for changes in smell and texture. Mascara is the only beauty product I’ve had expire on me before and it was pretty easy to tell
I don’t keep track. I toss stuff when it’s nasty or I know its been around too long.
My collection isn’t so huge but I was keeping a spreadsheet as some point, though that has fallen away, lol. Mascaras I can always remember because I don’t have that many open at a time. The big thing is lip products which I try it remember by double checking the spreadsheet but some of my newer products are not on there.
Everything is by feel and smell. Which is probably why I have an 8 year old lipstick (which is just as lovely as the day I bought it, good job MAC). Mascaras go fairly quickly though, and I prefer to get the smaller sizes as I feel the big ones tend to dry out and go to waste after a couple months.
This is an important question and I feel like there’s little discussion about the life span of makeup. I write the date of purchase on my mascaras because they can be breeding grounds for bacteria. I do the same for concealer and eyeliner (Anything that’s close to my eyes I pay special attention to).
I keep powder products no more than two years, I toss cream and liquid products after a year, and I give mascara the boot every 2-3 months. Although I have a large makeup collection, it is well edited and up to date. I do; however, have a stash of old and well-loved products that I keep for color reference or because the packaging was extraordinary (like Guerlain’s silver 6 color palettes from several years ago) and not because I still wear them. Obviously, the better hygiene you practice when using cosmetics, the longer they’re likely to last before their quality begins to deteriorate.
I don’t keep any track of how long I’ve had a product for. I just keep my eyes peeled for changes in the formula, scent, color, or texture. I keep mascaras for a few months at a time or will throw it away if it dries up and becomes too difficult to use.
Honestly… I don’t. Like most of the ladies here, I just watch out for funky smells and odd appearances. My MAC Russian Red lasted me for 3 years without showing negative signs in terms of appearance and wear!
P.S. I’m so glad I’m not alone on not being meticulous about product expiry dates!
I don’t really keep track. If a product starts to smell or seperate or seem generally gross I get rid of it.
I ditch mascara every 3-4 months, and that’s the only product I keep track of. The rest I just watch for changes in color, smell, consistency, etc. that look like spoilage.
Expire? They expire? (Only joking). I don’t. Make-up only gets thrown up if I suddenly realise it’s a colour I’m never going to wear again, if I’ve finished it (very, very, very rarely do I finish anything) or if I’ve broken it! Mascara gets thrown out when dry. And that’s it. I have so much make up (drawers and drawers full), some only gets worn once or twice a year. I couldn’t possibly throw it out after two or three uses. I’m not actually so sure make-up does have to be used by a certain time: I think it’s just a safety net for the manufacturers. I’m the only one who uses my make-up, so I’m really not worried.
I don’t. I just toss it when it smells funky or vibes funny.
I just do the good old sniff test, and keep track of anything that starts to look funny. I actually haven’t had anything go ‘bad’ yet, aside from one mascara (and WHOA, could you ever smell that it was bad, *shudder*). Otherwise a couple of things just lost their scent, but still applied the same.
I’m so happy that this topic is up for discussion! I’ve recently been OBSESSED with tossing out products that have expired in my collection. I have a very large collection, and I’m in college. I only take half, or the products that I’m currently using, with me each semester. So, a lot of my makeup tends to get neglected. After this last spring semester, I went through everything to see what has gone bad. I noticed that I still had things that I bought in my freshman year…of HIGH SCHOOL! (I’m going into my senior year of college) So those things were definitely tossed. The only other things that were thrown out were a few lipsticks, glosses, and eyeliners that either separated, smelled bad, or were just plain old lol. I kept all of my powder products though, as I didn’t see anything wrong with them. EXCEPT, my UD Naked 1 palette that I bought my junior or senior year of high school. Some of the shadows changed in color. Buck in particular has turned gray…and the shadow is usually a warm medium brown. Naked has done the same too, just not as much. I’ve been contemplating tossing it, but I’m not sure if I should, or just not use the colors that have changed. Any suggestions?
So for me… I would probably toss it, because I haven’t seen a powder eyeshadow change color on me personally! All I can think is that oils from your lid to your brush to the powder have caused changes over time, but you’d probably see the surface harden a bit, too.
Thanks so much Christine! You’re probably right. I’m going to toss and re-buy it.
Thanks for posting my question, Christine! Good idea re: disposable tools. Glad to know I’m not the only one who uses common sense above all else to determine when to chuck beauty items! I agree that mascaras and other such eye products are most important to rid of after a reasonable period of time in an attempt to avoid eye infection. I recently got rid of some items that I’ve had for years and knew I’d never use again. I have rarely had a product change smell or consistency on me! I appreciate the manufacturers that post suggested expiration dates on their products but agree with some who feel those dates aren’t always reasonable.
Thank you for submitting it! 🙂
When I open a new product, I look for the expiration date and write it on a yellow dot sticker and stick it to the container. If there is no expiration date, I write the date I opened it on a green dot sticker and do the same thing.
I tend to only worry about foundation, and I usually use that up. My lipsticks are fine and there is no way I’m tossing any nail polish. All my good eyeshadows are newer, so I’m not too worried. You can usually tell when something has seen better days. I will say the one product I go through a lot of is mascara and that is only because I have to buy 15 at a time for some reason and a few get neglected.
The only thing I really try to keep track of is mascara. I’ll write the day I opened a mascara on a piece of painter’s tape and wrap it around the tube. Other than that, I just kind of wing it. I read that keeping opened foundation in the refrigerator helps them keep longer. Christine (or anyone else), do you have any advice on that?
I don’t really do it myself, but I know there are some readers who do. I know that Dustin Hunter (on YouTube) has a fair amount in a fridge (I believe he has a fridge just for makeup…).
Oh, ok, thanks. So I wonder how that works, then – do you have to take it out ahead of time to let it “thaw” before using it?
If it’s just the refrigerator, you shouldn’t have to thaw it!
Well, mascaras I simply toss if it was open 6 months ago and I am quite diligent with my skincare, foundations and concealers. I try to remember when I started a product (the month of at least the season I do manage to remember). Then I just from time to time look at the picture of a little jar on the bottles/tubes and see whether it is nearing its expiration.
Lipsticks are a different story. I understand all the contamination issue, etc., but I still give them at least 2 years until I start thinking about tossing them. That’s of course, if they do not bad, which has never happened (knock on wood).
Powder products, eyeliners, eye shadows and such I just do not worry about.
To be honest, I keep careful track of how old my mascaras, lash primers, lids primers, and eyeliners are, but for everything else, I keep using it until it starts to look/taste/smell odd.
For the items I *do* faithfully replace after a certain time (generally about three months; I don’t wear makeup every day), I take a Sharpie-style permanent marker and write the date I first opened the product right on the tube. That way, I can know at a glance how long it’s been in use.
Of course, if a product gets contaminated somehow(like a mascara that recently got a loooong hair hopelessly snarled in the brush) before the three months is up, I’ll replace it immediately.