BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Cosmetics Cosmetics Shelf Life

I go through all my skin care, body care, and cosmetics twice a year. I just finished this a few days ago. I had to toss a few things, which gives me an excuse to try some new things. I will be scanning the Thanksgiving weekend flyers for sales on cosmetics! I need mascara, foundation, and eyeliner pencils. And I never need an excuse to buy lipstick, so I will most likely purchase a tube or two of that also.

Thinking about seasonal cosmetic changes prompted this article: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art18331.asp

Great article, Angie. Even when we know better, many of us simply forget how long we've been using our make-up.

Stay healthy,

Nancy Welker
BellaOnline Yoga Editor

Thanks!

It's something that is important to me, besides giving an excuse to shop. I hope I find time to restock my "war paint" in the next week or so.

I have a ton of stuff going on, not the least of which is an impromptu move to the other side of my apartment complex (icky cold showers here for the last 4 weeks!).

Yikes. I never thought about not storing my cosmetics in the bathroom. They are in a closed container (no worries about flushing toilets) but I did not consider the changing temperature.

(I am sorry to edit your content, but please keep the post on topic. Thanks.)

Angie-Cosmetics editor

Great Article!
I have a tendency to keep my makeup far too long. Sometimes I just can't bear to part with a favorite blush or foundation even though I know I should.

BB, your brushes CAN be kept longer if you take meticulous care in keeping the clean and store them correctly.

I hate tossing things too, but I have an absolute horror of infections and things, so I force myself to let things go.

If you go to a stage/theatrical makeup supplier, you can get a brush cleaner that is incredible. It is pretty much the same thing that professional hairdressers and barbers use to clean their combs and I wouldn;t be without mine. The brushes come out clean, sterilised and dry - all you have to do is to dip them in the bottle and swish them around for 30 seconds or so. Any debris falls to the bottom of the bottle and I have found that mine does the job for about 6 months before I have to replace it. No idea what it is called - I get it from a professional stage makeup artist here in Brisbane.

The MAC makeup consultant said that the shampoo used for keeping color treated blonde hair is also good for cleaning brushes. She said it is very mild (even better than baby shampoo) and helps condition the brushes so they don't get brittle as well.

That's a good idea. Multi-use products thrill me. If my hair was still blonde, I would definitely use the blonde shampoo, but will stick to baby shampoo while I am a brunette!

I have recently started to swipe the brushes over an anti-bacterial wipe after each use, just to keep them even cleaner.

I can't verify any scientific validity to this, but it's my personal feeling that my brushes are cleaner for each use by doing this.