HOW TO KNOW WHEN YOUR MAKEUP & SKINCARE EXPIRES
Still using that blush you bought for your senior prom 8 years ago? Although it might be the perfect shade of pink for your skin tone, it could be growing bacteria and causing breakouts. Gross! So how do you know when you should stop using your beauty products and toss them? There are two general rules to follow.
1. Locate the Period-After-Opening symbol- or PAO- on your product. This symbol will have a number and a letter on it. Something that says 6m mean 6 months. One that says 36m means 3 years. It will always indicate the time period by months. This is the period of time it is good AFTER you open it, not based on the purchase date.
2. The more moisture in the product and the closer it comes to your eyes or mouth, the shorter the lifespan of the product. If it doesn’t have a PAO symbol on it, check it out for any changes in texture, smell, or even the way it looks. When in doubt, throw it out! Products can trap bacteria which can create skin irritation, breakouts, eye infections, or even styes! And never, EVER share makeup products. This is the #1 way that bacteria is shared, causing major issues! Ain’t nobody got time for that!
We created a general rule cheat sheet, for your to see how long you can use products worry free!
Here are a couple more tips to help your products stay clean, last longer, and keep the bacteria growth down:
Use a sharpie to mark the date (month/year) you open a product. This way you have a better idea of how long something has been open and when it might be time to toss it and get a new one. Especially products that are used near the eyes and mouth.
Try not to store your makeup in your bathroom. The moisture and heat from when you take a shower can cause things to separate faster or even grow bacteria quicker.
Don’t share products. You would think this is a given, but even letting your bestie borrow your lipstick for a night out can spread germs and diseases.
Keep things out of the heat and in a dry and cool place. If you store anything in your car, the sun can cause things to melt or separate and it probably wont very well moving forward.
Clean your makeup brushes! Using brushes over and over again without cleaning them will continue to deposit bacteria from your skin into your products and vice versa in a never ending cycle! Clean your brushes at least once a week, and also give your products a spray of 70% Isopropyl alcohol to kill any bacteria that might be left over. 70% alcohol is batter than 99% because the formula has more water content, thus not evaporating as fast when it lands on your products, leading to more killing of bacteria.
