By – Josephine Agbonkhese 

We totally understand you want that favourite lipstick, mascara or powder on which you invested so much money to serve a very long, long time. But do you know keeping old products past their prime can expose you to harmful toxins, causing serious health problems as a result?

Find here, a comprehensive guide on when to thrash and replace your beauty products— from powder to concealer, mascara to lipstick and brush.

Foundation and Concealer

The lifecycle of your foundation or concealer will depend on its ingredients.  Water-based will last up to 12 months while oil-based foundations can survive 18 months due to the preservative nature of oil.

When to thrash:

It’s time to throw out your liquid concealer if it separates, appears oily, and/or smells rancid.

Also, if oil rises to the top and consistency thickens, resulting in an uneven, streaky and inconsistent finish, then it must go to the bin. 

Blusher, bronzer and Face powder

Yes, make-up expiry dates apply to powder and the recommended time to keep it is 18 months. Powder products don’t contain water, so it’s harder to make bacteria grow. 

When to thrash:

The moment you begin noticing a hard rim on your powder. This is due to minerals in your blush, bronzer or powder mixing with oils from your skin overtime. This is the oil which clings to the bristles of your brush and transfer to your products during application.

Mascara

Wet environments such as mascaras harbour bacteria. So, consider thrashing every three months if you use it daily, or every six months if used occasionally. Also, bacteria which naturally exist on our eyelashes, transfer germs from our eyes to our wands and into the mascara tube.

When to thrash:

If it smells funky, then it’s gone bad. But the best tip is to thrash it after three to six months. This is safer for you in the long run even though it might appear tough.

Makeup brushes

Natural hair brushes—the ones you use for powdered products—can last almost a lifetime, if taken care of. Wash them once a week with gentle soap and warm water. Synthetic brushes, used for creams, last only about a year and need to be cleaned at least twice a week with an alcohol-based cleaner.

When to thrash:

Trash once they start shedding, become rigid, or stop applying colour evenly.

Eyeliner 

Eyeliners can last anywhere from three months to three years, depending on formula.

Even the most expensive liquid eyeliner in the world will have the same bacteria-prone formula and packaging as mascara; whereas a pencil eyeliner will have greater lasting power because as you sharpen them, you remove bacteria that you pick up from using it on your eyes.

When to thrash:

If a white film that can’t be sharpened off develops on your eyeliner, replace it with a brand new one.

Lipstick and lipgloss 

Lipstick doesn’t hold much bacteria, so it can last between 12 –18 months. Although lipstick and gloss are packed with preservatives such as parabens, essential oils and vitamins to ward off germs, these naturally start to break down after a year.

When to thrash:

No matter how much money you’ve invested in them, please trash as soon as you notice any beading of moisture, funky smells or chalky texture.