expiration of makeup
- Thread starter tinadudum
- Start date
MACATTAK
Well-known member
I basically keep everything until I use it up, except for mascara and foundation (I usually use it all before it expires anyway). Other than that I go by smell & color. If anything changes, of course it gets tossed. I use my makeup on clean skin & never share my makeup.
noahlowryfan
Well-known member
i just fully started wearing makeup just a few months ago so it is still good. no need to throw away.
CandyKisses1018
Well-known member
i deffy saw a pic of this girls train case and i was thinking omg she has so much make up! then i looked closely and it was all really really OLD makeup. (her picture caption said that her makeup case was updated)...ahem..didn't look updated to me.. it was just really gross.. her pallets were really dirty and mixed up..her lipsticks were all cut up.. nail polishes were runny.. you know how they get old and you cna just tell they are old and funky.. i dunno it was just gross.. i have old makeup that i havent even used yet.. i guess if you know how to take care of your make up then its ok.. but if you are collecting makeup and you have all your old funky makeup still from when you were 5.. i think its time for a REAL actual update.. hehe =)
aeni
Well-known member
Mascaras I throw away after 3 months for sure. I use theatrical creme foundations in my kit - but also have MAC Studio FX liquid foundation that's just...sitting there and waiting for me to try and like it. I've only opened them all once in the 4 months I've had them.
The cremes though I've had for years and I'm finally getting to use them up. Only when I noticed a consistency change that was caused either by heat or age, funny smell, mold (haven't had that yet - but I've heard about it!) I toss it.
4 of my lipsticks I've had for 2 years almost now and they're still fine.
Still using up all of my eyeshadows and blushes - they're 2-6 years old.
In general, all my makeup seems to have a long shelf life as long as they're kept away from moisture and heat and sanitized after you use them.
The cremes though I've had for years and I'm finally getting to use them up. Only when I noticed a consistency change that was caused either by heat or age, funny smell, mold (haven't had that yet - but I've heard about it!) I toss it.
4 of my lipsticks I've had for 2 years almost now and they're still fine.
Still using up all of my eyeshadows and blushes - they're 2-6 years old.
In general, all my makeup seems to have a long shelf life as long as they're kept away from moisture and heat and sanitized after you use them.
CantAffordMAC
Well-known member
I hardly ever use my mascara and so I throw it away every 2-3 months...because I'll use it like, for a month a lot, and then I wont use it until its clumpy so then I throw it out and buy another.
I just threw away some lip glosses/balms from 3-4 years ago. Most lip glosses are good for 3 years but if it was summer of 04...its time to throw it out. Its just time.
foundation, I use it up before it goes bad.
all my eyeshadows are still good. They have to be. I just bought some powder shadows (Fyrinnae) and have been using them wet and I'm having a hard time finding the best way to use them without getting water into the pot. But I've had my shadows for under 5 years and I hardly use half of them.
Am I the only one that thinks they should print "Use by XX/XX/2007" on makeup?? Like I know they have those little pictures/symbols telling you how many months they're good, but lets say you bought a mascara in December and used it twice. Then February rolls around and you want to use it again. And you know that mascara's only good for 3 months, and you figure its time to throw it out. I hate guessing! They should put expiration dates on makeup that goes by when you first open the makeup. Its not that hard. I don't want to find out my lipstick is rancid by putting it on my lips and tasting/smelling that.
I just threw away some lip glosses/balms from 3-4 years ago. Most lip glosses are good for 3 years but if it was summer of 04...its time to throw it out. Its just time.
foundation, I use it up before it goes bad.
all my eyeshadows are still good. They have to be. I just bought some powder shadows (Fyrinnae) and have been using them wet and I'm having a hard time finding the best way to use them without getting water into the pot. But I've had my shadows for under 5 years and I hardly use half of them.
Am I the only one that thinks they should print "Use by XX/XX/2007" on makeup?? Like I know they have those little pictures/symbols telling you how many months they're good, but lets say you bought a mascara in December and used it twice. Then February rolls around and you want to use it again. And you know that mascara's only good for 3 months, and you figure its time to throw it out. I hate guessing! They should put expiration dates on makeup that goes by when you first open the makeup. Its not that hard. I don't want to find out my lipstick is rancid by putting it on my lips and tasting/smelling that.
gigglegirl
Well-known member
Quote:
How are they going to make specific expiration dates for makeup that start when you first open it?? I have an unopened maybelline mascara someone suggested buying that's been sitting for a month here as I'm using my plush lash first.
What I started to do as I was concerned about the whole "now when did I open this??" I have started writing on the item somewhere (ie on the plush lash i wrote on the bottom with the sticker in pen. Still there so far---also wrote on my JLO Live perfume I just bought that says 30M) it at least gives me a good idea for the critical stuff like mascara. You could tape a little sticker or something to help you keep track on your items when you opened/started using something.
Originally Posted by CantAffordMAC
I And you know that mascara's only good for 3 months, and you figure its time to throw it out. I hate guessing! They should put expiration dates on makeup that goes by when you first open the makeup. |
How are they going to make specific expiration dates for makeup that start when you first open it?? I have an unopened maybelline mascara someone suggested buying that's been sitting for a month here as I'm using my plush lash first.
What I started to do as I was concerned about the whole "now when did I open this??" I have started writing on the item somewhere (ie on the plush lash i wrote on the bottom with the sticker in pen. Still there so far---also wrote on my JLO Live perfume I just bought that says 30M) it at least gives me a good idea for the critical stuff like mascara. You could tape a little sticker or something to help you keep track on your items when you opened/started using something.
aeni
Well-known member
Quote:
Maybe the wand goes to crap afterwards. You can just totally clean them of any gunk with alcohol (this doesn't sanitize it for kit use).
| Originally Posted by tinadudum
Still asking about expiration dates to MA's and I keep getting such ranges!!! The last guy I spoke with says mascara should be tossed after about 6 weeks... He was a Laura Mercier person and swore by this... |
Maybe the wand goes to crap afterwards. You can just totally clean them of any gunk with alcohol (this doesn't sanitize it for kit use).
CantAffordMAC
Well-known member
Quote:
I know I thought about this. I'm saying: okay they process milk and pasteurize it and all that. And they print an expiration date on it. Even if you never opened the milk, if it has an old date on it, its bad so throw it out. Assuming that most people use cosmetics as soon as they buy them (I don't do this either, esp. with mascara I wait a little while) well assuming that you are going to open it asap, they could have an expiration date for that. You bought it Friday December 7th, well that batch that they made goes bad March 7th (depending on how you count the months I say december to january, january to february, etc). If you didn't open it yet then you use your best judgement?
I dunno. Your idea is better...I'm just too lazy
. Hey, I shouldn't have to put my own dates on cosmetics, I pay them to do that for me lol.
| Originally Posted by gigglegirl
How are they going to make specific expiration dates for makeup that start when you first open it?? I have an unopened maybelline mascara someone suggested buying that's been sitting for a month here as I'm using my plush lash first. What I started to do as I was concerned about the whole "now when did I open this??" I have started writing on the item somewhere (ie on the plush lash i wrote on the bottom with the sticker in pen. Still there so far---also wrote on my JLO Live perfume I just bought that says 30M) it at least gives me a good idea for the critical stuff like mascara. You could tape a little sticker or something to help you keep track on your items when you opened/started using something. |
I know I thought about this. I'm saying: okay they process milk and pasteurize it and all that. And they print an expiration date on it. Even if you never opened the milk, if it has an old date on it, its bad so throw it out. Assuming that most people use cosmetics as soon as they buy them (I don't do this either, esp. with mascara I wait a little while) well assuming that you are going to open it asap, they could have an expiration date for that. You bought it Friday December 7th, well that batch that they made goes bad March 7th (depending on how you count the months I say december to january, january to february, etc). If you didn't open it yet then you use your best judgement?
I dunno. Your idea is better...I'm just too lazy
tinadudum
Member
I was told by one of the counter gals that start the expiration rate once open, that;s when the bacteria actually gets in there. she also said that there are so many mascaras in the stockroom, that it takes months to get them on the sales floor... who knows, but all of you have great reccomendations and common sense and good judgment always takes precedent !!!
SquirrelQueen
Well-known member
Quote:
For how long do you think the tinted lip conditioners are good? They don't smell bad or anything but I've got some of the Disney TLC lip conditioners that I've only used a couple of times and I'm wondering if they're still good.
Thanks!
| Originally Posted by CantAffordMAC
I hardly ever use my mascara and so I throw it away every 2-3 months...because I'll use it like, for a month a lot, and then I wont use it until its clumpy so then I throw it out and buy another. I just threw away some lip glosses/balms from 3-4 years ago. Most lip glosses are good for 3 years but if it was summer of 04...its time to throw it out. Its just time. foundation, I use it up before it goes bad. |
For how long do you think the tinted lip conditioners are good? They don't smell bad or anything but I've got some of the Disney TLC lip conditioners that I've only used a couple of times and I'm wondering if they're still good.
Thanks!
wolfsong
Well-known member
If they don’t smell or have any other signs of reduction of quality/bacteria growth, then they should be okay. People have lipsticks from like 5 years ago that they still use - its about how you take care of it (sterilize it after use/use with sterile hands and equipment - washing your hands then touching things around your bathroom/in your makeup case etc leads to contamination), and how often you use it (bacteria from the air getting into it), as well as the preservatives in the makeup giving up the ghost (is that what the 'x months before you should chuck it' thing is about? That’s what I always thought anyway - like with food and drink).
You should always be more careful with 'wet' products though, and especially so with those that go near your eyes - in this case, expiration dates should be followed (eyeliners included).
If you want to foil eyeshadow (or use dry eye products wet), but don’t want to get moisture into the product's pot (and thus allowing bacteria to grow in it), then you can use a sterile empty sample pot. You can buy them really cheaply, and just tap a bit of product in the lid of the products container, then tap this product into the empty sample pot (or its lid). The double tap thing stops you from accidentally tipping half the jar into the sample pot/onto the floor. Pure Luxe has sample pots from 30 cents, and sifters at 10 cents (fits both 2g & 5g pots and will prevent accidentally tipping eyeshadow everywhere) with cheap shipping.
This will also work with empty palettes or dishes from art shops (though a bit more expense than sample pots). Just remember to clean after, and sterilize before use.
You should always be more careful with 'wet' products though, and especially so with those that go near your eyes - in this case, expiration dates should be followed (eyeliners included).
If you want to foil eyeshadow (or use dry eye products wet), but don’t want to get moisture into the product's pot (and thus allowing bacteria to grow in it), then you can use a sterile empty sample pot. You can buy them really cheaply, and just tap a bit of product in the lid of the products container, then tap this product into the empty sample pot (or its lid). The double tap thing stops you from accidentally tipping half the jar into the sample pot/onto the floor. Pure Luxe has sample pots from 30 cents, and sifters at 10 cents (fits both 2g & 5g pots and will prevent accidentally tipping eyeshadow everywhere) with cheap shipping.
This will also work with empty palettes or dishes from art shops (though a bit more expense than sample pots). Just remember to clean after, and sterilize before use.
ginger9
Well-known member
I generally just go by smell, appearance (consistency) and not so much the recommended expiration dates. Not that I am accusing the manufacturers but I think they will error on the side of early expiration date. For one they can avoid being liable (should anyone complain) and it benefits their bottom line in terms of revenue.
I keep my makeup very clean and I put makeup that I don't use very often in a ziplock bag inside my mini-fridge and I find it keeps everything really fresh. I notice especially with my nail polish since after a while they tend to separate but in the fridge they keep very well. The key is to make sure there's no condensation so I keep it in a separate drawer and seal it well in plastic.
I keep my makeup very clean and I put makeup that I don't use very often in a ziplock bag inside my mini-fridge and I find it keeps everything really fresh. I notice especially with my nail polish since after a while they tend to separate but in the fridge they keep very well. The key is to make sure there's no condensation so I keep it in a separate drawer and seal it well in plastic.
mustardgirl
Well-known member
Just a quick question to add to this thread (although someone mentioned the unopened mascara so my situation is similar): If the product hasn't been opened at all nor the seal has been broken, is it okay to keep the product longer than its original expiration date? I have an unopened mascara also that I haven't used yet because I got it as a gift but I wanted to finish using my MAC plushlash first. But if it's going to go bad before I can use it, I might as well open it now (like how someone before mentioned the milk/food example). I guess this question could apply to all unopened makeup though so I'd like to know :X
