Expiration dates for MAC products?

Sweexy985

Well-known member
I've been wondering...what are the shelf lives of the products? I'm guessing you could probably use a shadow longer than say, a foundation. Usually as a rule, I change my foundation out every year or so. Is that about right? I'll be honest, I still have shadows I purchased in 2003 and I still wear them and they still look cute! I know lip products are probably the first to go bad, with that being a product for the mouth and all, esp the liquid ones (lipglass, lustres, gellees, etc) Does anyone know? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 

erine1881

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sweexy985
I've been wondering...what are the shelf lives of the products? I'm guessing you could probably use a shadow longer than say, a foundation. Usually as a rule, I change my foundation out every year or so. Is that about right? I'll be honest, I still have shadows I purchased in 2003 and I still wear them and they still look cute! I know lip products are probably the first to go bad, with that being a product for the mouth and all, esp the liquid ones (lipglass, lustres, gellees, etc) Does anyone know? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

all cosmetic products list the shelf-life (once opened) on the box or packaging. if there is no date printed, then they don't expire. some powder products, such as shadows and blushes, don't exprire (mac's atleast). other mac products that don't expire are lipglass ,lipstick, shadestick, and fluidline, tendertones, brow pencils, MSFN and others.

mascara is 6 months
prep & prime face is 6 months
prep & prime spf 50 is 24 months
fast response is 6 months
blot powder is 24 months

you also have to take into account how you store them. if after using them you store them in hot, sunny places, they will go bad faster. store them in a dry, cool, dark space to prolong their life. but for a general guideline, go by the number on the box.
 

InRetospeck

Well-known member
foundation... liquid, cream... one year, you are pushing it at two years.mascara I disagree... 3 months at the mosts.powders... 3 years.
 

InRetospeck

Well-known member
oh, lipsticks, lipglass ect... one year. I know I have broken this rule many times. But, If you you are a professional you should keep your kit professional.

Any foundations with mineral oil... none are made by MAC... but they have a shelf life of two years. hope this helps.
 

starr

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by erine1881
some powder products, such as shadows and blushes, don't exprire (mac's atleast). other mac products that don't expire are lipglass ,lipstick, shadestick, and fluidline, tendertones, brow pencils, MSFN and others.

blot powder is 24 months


thanks for this! now i know i can hoard lots of eyeshadows/blushes without having to worry about them expiring
smiles.gif
 

erine1881

Well-known member
im just listing what it says on the boxes. and i did say that it was a general guideline. some products last fewer/longer than the date. as long as you don't introduce water into shadows, or the texture/color/scent doesn't change, the date on the box is a guideline.
 

HoneyLicious

Well-known member
what about pigments? i recently bought platinum pigment sample and it has a strong smell compared to other pigments i have.. was wondering if it was a bad product??
 

purrtykitty

Well-known member
I always go by smell and color change. If it smells a little funky or the color looks off, I'd toss it to be safe.
 

Ambonee

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by HoneyLicious
what about pigments? i recently bought platinum pigment sample and it has a strong smell compared to other pigments i have.. was wondering if it was a bad product??

Quote:
Originally Posted by purrtykitty
I always go by smell and color change. If it smells a little funky or the color looks off, I'd toss it to be safe.

Don't toss it just yet! It's a metal pigment (smells a little like a toolbox? lol) so it's going to have that faint smell of metal. If you buy it brand new at a MAC store it will still have this smell it doesn't mean it's bad, it's just the type of pigment it is
smiles.gif


I agree though, with normal products, I usually go by smell and texture. I have shadows from 1997 and they are still perfect! But they have not been exposed to water and have been kept in a cool dry place for storage. Same with lippies, I have some that are really old and they smell fine and go on fine, but I don't put my lipstick on after I eat until I clean around my mouth, if I feel any type of bacteria/nasty-ness (aka my 3 year old sister steals my lipstick daily from my purse...) went on the lipstick, I dip it in alcohol and disinfect it.

I paid a lot for this make-up and I want it to last! And for the most part it has
winks.gif
I've had a few things go bad (it took a LONG time) and I just B2M'ed it.
 

erine1881

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by HoneyLicious
what about pigments? i recently bought platinum pigment sample and it has a strong smell compared to other pigments i have.. was wondering if it was a bad product??

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ambonee
Don't toss it just yet! It's a metal pigment (smells a little like a toolbox? lol) so it's going to have that faint smell of metal. If you buy it brand new at a MAC store it will still have this smell it doesn't mean it's bad, it's just the type of pigment it is
smiles.gif


its not that its a metal pigment (copper, gold, and rose gold don't have this smell). silver and platinum are the only metal pigments (only pigments period) that are flammable. so whatever is in them that makes them flammable is what makes them smell. it smells more like crayons to me. straight up crayola.
 

Ambonee

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by erine1881
its not that its a metal pigment (copper, gold, and rose gold don't have this smell). silver and platinum are the only metal pigments (only pigments period) that are flammable. so whatever is in them that makes them flammable is what makes them smell. it smells more like crayons to me. straight up crayola.

Really? My copper smells like metal when it's on my skin. I hate it! lol. I haven't opened Gold and Rose Gold in forever so I don't recall those, but my Copper definitely smells like a toolbox lol, especially once on the skin.
winks.gif



Edited: I just ran and checked
winks.gif
All of my metal pigments smell like metal once on my skin, but I can smell the metal in the Platinum pigment just from opening the jar. The others have a very faint smell until on my skin, then the metal smell in them is very apparent. With *my personal* pigments, Platinum and Rose Gold are the strongest smelling.
smiles.gif
 

erine1881

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ambonee
Really? My copper smells like metal when it's on my skin. I hate it! lol. I haven't opened Gold and Rose Gold in forever so I don't recall those, but my copper definitely smells like a toolbox lol, especially once on the skin.
winks.gif


thats weird. i just swatched all the metal colors, and its just platinum and silver, the only flammable ones, and they smell like crayons, not metal or a toolbox. you and i must have different sniffers.
lol.gif
 

Ambonee

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by erine1881
thats weird. i just swatched all the metal colors, and its just platinum and silver, the only flammable ones, and they smell like crayons, not metal or a toolbox. you and i must have different sniffers.
lol.gif


Hmmmm, that's so weird! lol. I agree! I think we just have different sniffers
th_LMAO.gif
 

SMMY

Well-known member
Maybe it is a biochemical reaction once it's applied on your skin? If there's metal in the pigments and you have salts on your skin from perspiration, it could be a red-ox reaction.
 

n_c

Well-known member
I noticed one of my blushes that has the date printed 2005...might have expired. Everytime i use it it breaks me out and i thought oh ok maybe I just developed a allergic reaction or something. So I tested another blush same brand and finish (mac) and i had no reaction....maybe they do expire?
 

erine1881

Well-known member
Quote:
Originally Posted by n_c
I noticed one of my blushes that has the date printed 2005...might have expired. Everytime i use it it breaks me out and i thought oh ok maybe I just developed a allergic reaction or something. So I tested another blush same brand and finish (mac) and i had no reaction....maybe they do expire?

mac's blushes don't expire. they do, however, change the formula every once in a while, so, you may have had a reaction to an older formula.
 

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