Wednesday Tip: Keep Track of Product Expirations

You’re finally cleaning out under the bathroom sink (yay, you!) and you come across a bunch of old makeup, lotions, and other products. Should you keep or toss them? The first question is, “will I use them in the very near future?” If not, go ahead and throw them away. The next question, the tricky one, is “How old is this thing?” You probably have no idea, so from here on out, try this trick:

Keep a Sharpie easily accessible wherever you store your makeup and such. When you get new stuff, write the month and the year on the product.

Here are the general guidelines for how long to keep makeup and such. Rule of thumb: powders last longer than liquids, and be careful with anything that goes near your eyes.
3-4 months: mascara and liquid eyeliner
1 year: liquid eye shadow (only if you’re using clean applicators), liquid foundation (oil based lasts 18 months), cream blush, lotions in tubs, nail polish, sunscreen
2 years: pressed powders, eye shadows, lotions with a pump, eyeliner (sharpen every time to remove the top layer and clean the sharpener regularly), lipstick and pencil lip liner