A No-Nonsense Guide to Makeup Shelf Life

A No-Nonsense Guide to Makeup Shelf Life

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We might be in the habit of buying and stocking on cosmetics, but amidst all that collection, we are unaware that all of our makeup has a shelf life. In fact, chances are that the mascara you applied today had expired a couple of months ago. 

I posted a guide on my Facebook page that showed the usual makeup products that every person owns and what their average shelf life is. I am posting the same guide here too: 


Of course these are not the only products that have a shelf life. Other beauty products such as moisturizers and even nail polishes have expiration dates. All these products usually don't have an expiration date specified on their packaging like food products do, but they in fact go bad just like an expired milk would, and there are signs through which you can know when its time to toss away a certain makeup product. 

First is to go through my 'Makeup Expiration Guide' posted above as well as on my page as it shows the shelf life of each makeup product. For instance, if you have had your liquid foundation since 3 years, you know now that it's time to let go of it.

Second, unlike food companies, it's not a standard procedure for cosmetic companies to specify an expiration date on their products. However, some do mention these dates by printing the date, month and year on a product's packaging while some have a symbol of a jar with an open lid and it will have the expiration date written inside it. It's possible that you might have paid attention to this symbol before:
             It's a cute little symbol isn't it? Now let's decipher it:
The open lid of this jar implies that the countdown to the product's expiration will start from the day you open it. The number and the letter 'M' mean that it will expire in 12 months from the day you open it. Another letter that appears on this symbol is 'Y' which denotes to 'year'. 

Therefore, do check whether an expiration date has been printed on the product's packaging, bottle, jar etc in either the jar symbol or in dates such as this:
     It will show the Batch No, Manufacture Date and the Expiration Date.
Third, if the expiration date has not been printed, then there are obvious signs through you which you can figure out when it is time to stop using and throw away a makeup product. Get your trash can ready:

  • So as you now know that a mascara will expire in 3 months and the tell-tale sign to that is when it starts getting clumpy and smells funky. Ew, get rid of it!
  • A liquid liner that has started to become dry, clumpy and smells weird, it should be thrown away immediately. Don't mess with your eyes people!
  • If a liquid foundation has changed its color, has been separated into layers or became dry, it is time to replace it with a new one.
  • An expired eye shadow will be flaky, really dry and will have a change in its smell.
  • Does your lip gloss feel extra sticky? Yep, it has expired.
  • A lipstick lasts for 2 years and when it starts getting dry and has changed its texture, it's way past its prime and should be tossed away.

While an expired mascara wont make you blind, it wont be a sensible thing to keep using it and risk problems such as eye infections or any skin problems. Always keep in mind that makeup has a shelf life, look for these telling signs to know when your makeup has gone bad, get rid of it and buy new one. Remember, makeup and beauty products are an investment!

Hope my guide helped you in any way and if you have any queries or concerns, let me know through posting comments. Take good care of yourselves! X

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Graduate of a renowned makeup academy in London, Tooba Shah works as a freelance makeup artist in Karachi, Pakistan. She takes skin care very seriously, appreciates people who are meticulous about their beauty regimes and is a strict follower of skin care regime herself. Numerous people ask for her beauty and makeup advice on a daily basis and this blog is a result of that.

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