Product expiration dates
I recently posted this image on Instagram and had many responses form people admitting that they had gone through their makeup bag and thrown old products away! We are all guilty of holding on to that favourite product that the brand have decided to discontinue! (Argh I feel your pain- why is it always the product you love!)
The image below shows the expiration dates.
The long lasting effects
When makeup goes past its expiration date, the chemical compounds that create the product can begin to break down into other compounds that are not as friendly for your skin, especially if you have sensitive skin. The compounds that the breakdown creates can inflame your skin, causing irritation most commonly known as contact dermatitis. This can take the form of red patches, scaly skin, tiny blisters, rashes, swelling, hives and other unsightly, painful conditions. Repeated applications of expired products only make the reactions worse, and can lead to a chronic skin condition if the application continues.
Irritated skin is not the only reason to avoid expired products, however. As you can imagine, when you use makeup for an extended period of time, your brushes, applicators and palettes are collecting the microbes that naturally exist on your skin and around your eyes and mouth. To add to that, we often wind up letting friends borrow makeup without a second thought when getting ready for a night out or hitting the ladies’ room. This adds a completely new person’s – or even multiple people’s- microbes to the miasma forming inside your train case. The longer those microbes fester, the more likely they are to cause skin or eye infections, and even pinkeye.
How do I find the expiry dates?
Unfortunately finding that expiry date is not so easy. Makeup manufacturers are not required to publish expiration dates, so some products just don’t have them. Look for dates near the seams of your products. They can also be written in tiny print near the UPC bar code of a product, sometimes making the dates easy to miss. One more problem with finding makeup expiration dates is that high-end products often come with external packaging that features the expiration date, while the product’s main physical package does not also contain that info. Most people do not readily save the box or container their makeup was in.
If you can’t see the expiry dates then look out for Cracking, discoloration, texture changes and a change in smell, especially the new presence of a sour smell, mean it’s time to get rid of a makeup product for your own safety. Unfortunately, though, some products have a very short recommended shelf life because of their predisposition to collect bacteria.
Cleaning those brushes
Cleaning your brushes is easy. Many of my brides ask me the best way to clean their brushes. It does not take long and is just as important as keeping your makeup products in date.
Run the brush under warm water and use gentle shampoo, soap or fairy liquid. Massage this gently into the brush and then run under the warm water until there are no more bubbles. Then leave the brush to dry naturally.
You should be cleaning your brushes about once a month to stop the build-up of bacteria.
