The Vegas Voice 9-20

Expired Make-Up
By: Linda Bateman-Gomez / Timeless Beauty
Spending so much time indoors these days
has led to a lot of spring, summer, and now
fall cleaning! In deciding to tackle my makeup
drawers (yes, plural) I quickly realized I had a lot of makeup that was
too old to use.
Just like food, make-up does expire. While some may just not work as
well (or smell) others can be harmful.
Mascara is a big culprit; I did not realize it has a short shelf life of
about 3 months. I figured 6 months to a year because it starts to dry
out and not be as easy to apply over time, but it turns out I have lots of
“bad” ones sitting in the drawer.
The biggest concern with mascara, and of course other eye makeup,
is bacteria build-up which can cause eye infections like pink eye. Eye
liner, shadow, and anything that you generally re-use consistently falls
into this category. For the cost, it is always worth replacing with a fresh
one.
Another item to take inventory of is your lip products. Lipsticks and
glosses can be a breeding ground for bacteria and hold cold and flu
viruses.
One of the bigger reasons to never share them - even small things
like a cold sore (unknowingly) can be potentially shared or spread on
your products.
There are suggestions for “cleaning” lipstick by sticking the exposed
portion of the tube in alcohol but anything like gloss that you use an
applicator for would just need to be tossed. While the shelf life for lip
products may be one year, if there is any concern, better to get rid of
them sooner.
Other products like foundations, blush, nail polish, etc. do not carry
the same health risks, but they may smell funny, the color may turn, or
they may not work as well. They tend to have a shelf life ranging from
1-3 years.
Some good news: while perfume tends to be one of the pricier items
we spend money on, it also has the longest shelf life, 8-10 years. Just
make sure to keep it out of direct sunlight and keep it cool!
Linda Bateman-Gomez has an international beauty company
based in Las Vegas that specializes in cosmetics and other beauty
products. Contact Linda at TimelessBeauty2020@gmail.com or
through her website www.fullips.com.
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