Thanks to holiday gifts and beauty product subscription services, my winter make up inventory was overflowing. I had more primers, eye shadows, lip glosses, and moisturizers than I could use in one season. Unfortunately, most make up has a shelf life of 3 months to 18 months. My resolution: to spring clean my make up stash! Here are 5 easy tips for a clean, organized make up solution.
1. Toss the products that have expired. Gone are the high school days of using the same compact for 2+ years. To keep adult skin looking youthful and glowing, it’s important to use products that are quality and clean.
| PRODUCT | ExPIREs IN… |
|---|---|
| Mascara | One year |
| Foundation | One Year |
| Concealer | 12-18 months |
| Powder | 18 months |
| Blush/bronzer | 18 months |
| Cream blush | 12-18 months |
| Eye shadow | 18 months |
| Eyeliner | 18 months |
| Liquid eyeliner | Six months |
| Eyeliner | 18 months |
| Liquid eyeliner | Six months |
| Lipstick/lip gloss | 18 months |
| Lip liner | One year |
| Nail polish | One year |
| Makeup sponges | Wash after each use, then throw away after a month. |
2. Sort the remaining make up into categories, such as Face, Hair, Skin Care, Foundation, Eyes, and Lips. This will give you a sense of how much inventory you have in each category. A good opportunity to gift that never been used 3rd jar of eye cream to your BFF or mom!
3. Invest in a organization system. You can DIY a system out of shoe boxes or spend a little cash to get a crisp looking make up station from Container Store. Make sure there is enough space for each one of your make up categories.
4. Grab a black permanent marker, and going forward, put the month and year of all your beauty purchases. For example, every time you get a new eye shadow pod, mark Month/Year, so that you know you should love it within 18 months.
5. What happens if you dare use your products after the suggested toss out date? You run the risk of covering your face with breakout-causing bacteria. Follow these rules to minimize the amount of bacteria you are smearing on your face!
– Sharpen your eye and lip pencils to remove the bacteria on the outer layers. Don’t forget to clean your sharpeners, which can be done with diluted bleach or make up remover.
– Use disposable applicators or wash your brushes every few weeks. Normal dish detergent will get your brushes super clean. Just make sure to thoroughly dry them.
– Wipe down your makeup bag and makeup drawers with diluted bleach and makeup remover.
– Just like the girl at the make up counter, you should wipe down your lipstick with tissue and ammonia, or shave off the top of it with a blade.
– If you lose your lids or caps, unfortunately you should throw out that product. Dust from the environment does have bacteria, such as micrococcus and bacillus.
