Last week I was hunting for my oyster card, pulling out bag after bag in a bid to put an end to payment of day travelcards. Amongst the spare change, plethora of pens and many receipts I managed to find an old, much loved lipstick. It was just a cheapie from Rimmel but was a bold corally-red that I remember buying to add a bit of pizazz to a boring outfit. I deduced it must be a couple of years old. Even though it way past its expiration date, and was actually missing the bottom piece to tell me the shade, it was worth keeping as it was a special edition product that I really loved.
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A couple of days later and I’m in the queue for passport control at Gatwick. My passport flicks open to my picture; a particularly dreadful photo taken over six years ago when my hair really needed a chop and I had popped on a bright lipstick to detract from the split ends. Oh dear. That made the lipstick six years old, not two! Where does time go? Rather reluctantly I have binned the gorgeous lippie as half a dozen years of bacteria and toxins didn’t seem particularly appealing.
Experts would tell us that we need to replace our mascara every three or four months and our lip products every year. Our makeup brushes require a good wash every few weeks but how many of us are doing this though? (Hangs head in shame as it’s definitely been several months).
Most of my make-up is stored in a dark, dry place in my dressing table drawers but I usually keep lip products in my bag. I probably have around seven lipsticks on the go at any one time so it can take quite a while to get though them but in the heat of the summer who knows what nasties are lurking on my Chanel lipstick?! Some make-up is so expensive that it seems crazy to throw it away before you’ve reached the bottom, though the concept of getting an eye infection from an old eyeshadow makes it easier.
The said lipstick is definitely my oldest makeup item but I easily have a few heading to the two year mark. What’s your oldest cosmetic? Can anyone beat my rather disgusting six year old lipstick?
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{Shelf Life}

Mascara – 3 months
Foundation – 6-12 months
Concealer – 1-2 years depending on formulation
Powder & Blusher – up to 2 years
Eyeshadow – 3 months
Eye liner – 3 months
Lipstick – 1 year
Brushes – Clean every few weeks

Source | allure.com

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