Beauty - Organization

Spring Cleaning: Makeup Bag

April 3, 2014

Happy Spring, gals! We are kicking off the season the right way by tackling some much-needed Spring cleaning. What better place to start than your makeup bag? It’s time to dig deep and throw away that glitter liquid eyeliner from that Halloween costume three years ago (you know the one) and restock your bag with some fresh supplies. I’ve put together a handy infographic for you to reference while you clean!

Spring Cleaning

Mascara: I know, I know. It seems a bit ridiculous to feel like you’re constantly throwing away and repurchasing tubes and tubes of mascara. But trust me – three months is more than enough time for some nasty bacteria to grow and wreak havoc on your precious peepers.

Eyeliner: Again, with a product that touches your eyes, you need to be diligent in keeping it fresh and sanitary. With pencil eyeliners you can be a little more lax, because it frequently gets sharpened and may be used less than your everyday mascara.

Foundation: As soon as your liquid foundation separates into viscous layers that can’t be shaken out, it’s time to chuck it. Most liquid and cream foundations have a shelf life of about one year.

Lipstick + Lipgloss: Lipgloss usually starts to get pretty funky and separate out after about a year. Lipstick lasts longer than lipgloss and you can comfortably use a tube for about a year and a half. However, as soon as your lipstick starts to smell funny or change consistency, you should get rid of it.

Nail polish: You know you have bottles in your nail polish collection from middle school. And unless you are still currently in middle school, throw them away. If nail polish is kept properly stored in a cool, dry place it can easily last two years. Once it starts getting thick or changing colors, though, you should toss it.

Blush + Powder: Kept dry, blush and powder compacts are extremely shelf stable and will easily last 2 years. It’s hard to tell when they’ve expired, so a good rule of thumb is to ditch your old compacts after a couple of years. Chances are you will have gone through most of it in that time anyway.

Perfume: A great fragrance will last you many years, so it’s a good investment. Fragrances that contain citrus are less shelf stable due to the acidity of the oils. Eau de parfum has a longer shelf life than Eau de toilette due to the higher concentration of fragrance. You’ll know when the color clouds and darkens and the scent changes that it’s time to throw away.

What are some of your Spring cleaning tips?

XO, J