I did a little clean out lately, and took a quick look at my makeup kit. I thought, I’m always buying little bits, I must be up to date, right? Well, don’t judge me, but the products in the picture above I brought with me from Australia. When I moved here. In 2009! Gross.
I haven’t actually worn any of these products in years, they were at the bottom and forgotten about. And as of right now, they’ve found a home in my garbage bin. But it made me wonder, how long do you guys keep your makeup? What’s the oldest thing in your make up bag? And do you know your beauty shelf lives? Read on for my own little research…
First of all, PAO numbers.
These are the number and the letter “m” meaning month on the back or bottom of your beauty and makeup containers. As seen above. That means from when you open it, you have that many months to use the product. But in case you’re not sure, here’s a good rule of thumb for all your makeup products.
- Lipstick: 2 years
- Lipgloss: 1 year
- Mascara: 5 months
- Foundation: 1 year
- Eyeshadow: 6 months – 2 years
- Concealer: 1 year
- Blush: 2 years
- Pencils (eyeliners, lip liners, brow etc): 2 years
- Liquid liner: 6 months – 1 year
- Nail polish: 2 years
Cleanser, toner and moisturiser you can keep for about a year.
These are a good rule of thumb, but honestly, I can’t see myself throwing some of these things out that soon. The trick is to not exposed them to too much air and sunlight. Put the caps and lids on securely. And with lip sticks, wipe the top with a tissue every now and then to keep them fresh.
CravenWild 
I’m rubbish at chucking out make-up! Things like foundation and mascara I normally use quickly anyway, but lipstick I don’t wear that often, so I like to treat myself to a posh one now and then and I just couldn’t bring myself to throw out my Chanel lippies after 2 years 😂
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I know exactly what you mean! Some of these I thought the shelf life was crazy short, like that can’t be right…
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Lol, I keep my stuff way longer. But I totally wipe the top of my lipstick to keep it fresh. I recently threw out an eyeshadow I used onstage in high school! I’d kept it for sentimental reasons, but I was like, Enough is Enough!
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Ha ha! It’s hard to throw out makeup though! Especially if it looks good on you. Seems wasteful.
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I should really do this with my make up 😂
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Always good to have a clean out. Then you have an excuse to get new things… 💄
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