Over the last 2 years, my makeup collection has grown substantially, mostly because of this blog but also because I absolutely love all things beauty.  My friends and family often ask me, “doesn’t this stuff go bad?”, and the simple answer is YES. Old or expired makeup harbors bacteria and can clog pores or cause acne, yet a lot of makeup brands do not provide expiration dates so how do we ensure that we don’t use harmful products beyond their “best before date”?

Most of us have at least one drawer filled with cosmetics that we haven’t used in years or products that we have been neglecting. In fact, most of us ignore the recommended expiration guidelines below and keep products longer than we actually should. Using expired makeup won’t kill you but it is strongly encouraged that you toss products that start to dry out, look/smell funky, or have sitting around TOO long.

Below is a list of common makeup expiration dates which will help you determine whether to toss or keep the  products in your stash. Keep in mind that this is a general timeline for makeup shelf life and that the countdown to expiration only begins once the item is opened, and not when the product was purchased.

Concealer – 1 year
Foundation – 1.5 years
Powder – 2 years
Bronzer- 2 years
SPF lotion – 1 year
Eye cream – 1 year
Liquid/Gel Eye liner – 6 months
Pencil Eye liner – 1 year
Cream Eye shadow – 1 year
Powder Eye shadow – 1 year
Mascara – 3-6 months
Cream Blush  – 1 year
Powder Blush – 2 years
Lip liner – 1 year
Lip gloss – 2 years
Lipstick – 2 years
Nail polish- 2 years

Baby Shampoo works great to deep clean makeup brushes. For spot cleaning I use brush cleanser by MAC or Crown Brushes.