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Throwing away a lipstick that looks great on you and goes with all your favorite outfits, or a high-end mascara that you saved for months to buy, can be difficult.
However, if you can’t remember exactly when you bought your favorite cosmetics and the expiration and manufacturing dates are already completely erased, no matter how much you love them, it is best that you throw them away immediately.
Cosmetic products (makeup for eyes, lips and face) can get contaminated easily since they trap bacteria that can cause skin irritation, breakouts, and eye infections.
Additionally, using expired powder and blush makeup can cause skin rashes, bumps, and burning, itchy sensations.
Expired eye makeup, on the other hand, can lead to swelling, itchiness, and redness of the eyes.
How Often Should You Replace Your Makeup?
Although you still haven’t used up your favorite lipstick, blush, and mascara yet, you have to shop for their replacement and other makeup accessories in KSA online based on the following recommendations by health and beauty experts:
1. Eye Makeup
Since the eyes are the most sensitive parts of your face, you have to take special care of them all the time.
Taking care of your eyes includes being careful about the eye makeup you use.
Mascaras and gel eyeliners contain water, making them prone to developing bacteria. Applying and dipping them back frequently makes them even more susceptible to microbial contamination.
To ensure your eye makeup won’t cause you any health problems, you will do well to replace your mascara and gel eyeliner every three months.
Additionally, if you don’t hear a popping sound when you open and pull out the mascara wand, it means that a lot of air has already gotten into the tube and the product is dried out and old.
If you insist on using your old or dry mascara, you will end up having clumpy and flaking eyelashes. Moreover, you may end up irritating your eyes.
As such, take note of when you bought your eye makeup and replace them every three months.
2. Powder Makeup
Powder foundations, blushes, and bronzers are three of the few cosmetic products that you can keep for a long time. This is because they do not contain water and are thus less likely to have bacteria.
Due to this reason, you can use them for nine to 12 months.
However, be on the lookout for any changes in how your powder makeup looks. If you see flecking or discoloration on the top of the powder, scrape it off with a knife.
These speckles are usually a buildup of oil, so they won’t harm or irritate your skin even if you leave a few particles behind.
3. Cream Makeup
Unlike their powder counterparts, cream foundations, concealers, and blushes contain water, making them more susceptible to bacterial growth.
Because of this, beauty and health experts recommend replacing them every nine months.
You need to replace them earlier than nine months or more frequently if you keep having breakouts. Additionally, replace them if you notice a change in their texture.
You can prolong the quality of your cream cosmetic products by keeping them out of direct sunlight and using cotton swabs instead of your finger when dipping into the tub.
4. Liquid Concealer
You can use your liquid concealer for a year and a half as long as you keep them clean and well-sealed. As such, wipe the container clean every now and then.
Also, screw on the lid of the concealer’s pot or pan and tightly after use to save it from spoiling before the year is up.
You can also prolong the quality of your concealer by using the brush to get a dab of the product, putting this on the back of your hands, and applying this on your face with a clean finger.
You will know if your concealer has gone bad when it cracks or turns tough and develops an elastic-like texture. Also, if the product separates, looks oily, and smells rancid, throw it away immediately.
5. Lipstick and Lip Gloss
No matter how much you love your lipsticks and lip gloss, you have to replace them 12 to 18 months after first using them.
However, you need to change them earlier if you are prone to angular cheilitis or perleche, a disease characterized by sores, irritation, cracking, or crusting in the corners of the mouth. This condition is usually caused by bacteria or fungi.
If you have this condition, you will do well to get rid of the lipstick and lip gloss you use since they might contain the bacteria or fungus that caused your infection. Using them again may cause reinfection.
This is also the same reason why health experts recommend throwing away the lip makeup you used when you had severe flu or cold sore.
6. Makeup Sponges
Since your makeup sponges touch your face more than once every day, they harbor plenty of substances that can irritate your skin.
These irritants include bacteria, dirt, dead skin, and oil.
If you don’t clean or replace your dirty sponges, you are also putting these unhealthy and nasty substances on your face every time you use them.
To keep bacteria and dirt away from your skin, make it a habit to wash and replace your sponges regularly. Wash them with warm water and scrub them gently with a bar of soap. Make sure you rinse a sponge properly and dry it well before using it again.
And even if you wash your sponges frequently, replace them every three months.
7. Makeup Brushes
Like sponges, brushes also touch your face daily without being washed after every use. As such, you also have to replace them frequently.
Unfortunately, there is no hard rule for replacing makeup brushes since they are made of different materials and, therefore, have various lifespans, which can range from a year or more.
However, you need a new brush if there is a change in the fullness and softness of the bristles and they look dirty and worn.
To clean your makeup brushes, wash the bristles with a brush cleaner or other gentle solution. After rinsing, towel-dry them and leave them on a clean surface where they can air dry.
Make sure you position your brushes on a downward angle towards the bristle so that no water runs back into the handle and damages it.
To make sure you don’t forget to replace your cosmetic products, when opening a new makeup item, write the date you started using it on its bottom with a fine-tip permanent marker.
Another option is to write this info on masking tape and stick it on the product.
Also, be on the lookout for signs that your makeup has already gone bad or the accessory is dirty and worn. Don’t hesitate to replace them to continue looking your best without irritating your skin.