To Recycle or Not to Recycle?

[kellygurl]

I've been reading through the forums, and I am not sure this question has been asked before, but I have been wondering this for a while. Economic times are rough, and I enjoy the "Shop you Stash" posts so I thought this would be interesting to get your feedback. I know a lot of you ladies are MAC Addicts just like myself, and with that said I was wondering what you do with your collection as far as discarding products that "expire." I've read multiple articles explaining that certain products have timely expiration dates, but it takes time to build a collection. For example, I have eyeshadows, lipsticks, etc. that I have had for a while. I may have used them a couple of times and therefore could have gone "bad' over the years, but I am not for throwing them away and/or recycling them with the Back to MAC program (because they are still "NEW"). So, my question is, "What do you do with your old unused products? Throw away or keep?"

 

[MACATTAK]

As long as they haven't changed color, texture, or smell I keep them. The only exception to this (for me) is mascara. I get rid of it after 3 months. If any of the above has happened to them, then I B2M them.

 

[malaviKat]

I have actually wondered about this myself. I'm not totally convinced that people throw stuff away when it's past the expiration date. I know that I have stuff in my collection that I've had for years - they still work well, the colour and smell isn't off etc.

I suppose for me, the biggest things to be fanatical about are mascaras/eyeliners and foundations. Eyeliners, by and large, can be sanitized and I don't share my makeup so I see no problem in keeping them. Mascaras are a bit more tricky, but if you've ever seen a mascara that's gone off, you probably know what you shouldn't stick in your eye. (I tend to adhere to the timeline for mascaras).

As for foundation, if the formula suddenly feels off or if it starts smelling as though it's gone rancid then by all means, I'd B2M it. In truth though, I've never had any of this happen to me.

I've seen "gurus" on YouTube using products that haven't been on the shelf in years. Discontinued paints, for example, that are prone to expiration. I think as long as you aren't stupid about it, there's probably no reason to chuck or recycle everything once the expiration date hits.

I've always been fanatical about keeping my products sanitary and now I'm even more so. I don't use lipgloss or lipstick on lips that have just eaten, I don't use compacts if I'm completely sweaty etc etc. and I'm constantly cleaning out my collection with alcohol.

In short... I think it's a waste of money to throw stuff away!

 

[TISH1124]

Yeah I am OCD about Mascara it gets chunked at 3 months....I don't share mu either so I really keep my stuff clean....Lipsticks are good past shelf life as long as they are not rancid....I always use a clean brush with foundations ,,,,,But if consistency changes or it smells it is time to chunk it...Working for a cosmetic mfg really made me learn what is good and what is not...I used to throw everything away

I would never share lipsticks, glosses etc.....Period.....Makes my stomach

 

[gildedangel]

I think that it depends on the product. Mascara and foundation I follow the expiration very closely because I don't want an eye infection or breakouts. Otherwise as long as it doesn't smell bad or change color and texture, it should still be fine to use. Although it is not a bad idea to re-sanitize an old product before you use it, like dipping your lipstick in alcohol to disinfect. HTH!

 

[poppysmum]

If your products are unused and unopened, chances are they're fine. I find that the powder products last a lot longer than the creamy ones. I have eyeshadows I've had for years and years and they're totally fine.

 

[LMD84]

the only mac item that i have had go off was a 4-5 year old litle vi lustreglass. it only had a little left but smelled like crayons! so i used it for a back to mac.

my oldest powder product is teal pigment which is about 5 years old. but that is absolutely fine. as long as nothing smells weird or starts to look different i'm happy to keep using it.

oh but like others i chuck my mascaras regularly just in case!

 

[kellygurl]

I totally agree with all over you! I feel that it would be a waste of makeup and money to throw anything away unless it went bad. I was just wondering what everyone else thoughts were on this. Thank you all!

 

[BunnyBunnyBunny]

My oldest items are some really old quads from 2001 and 2002, and the Playboy Lipstick and Glitter Cream. In these cases, even if they went bad I'd want to keep them just for the novelty!