Do you throw away old makeup?

[Hopeislost]

I've never been much of a makeup wearer, I've never worn foundation for instance. But I used to wear it on nights out etc. I still have the makeup that I wore on my wedding day 3 years ago! I haven't worn makeup at all in well over a year now. Do I really need to throw it all away? Do people really throw away makeup if it's not finished by 18 months?

Depends on a few things. How sensitive is your skin? Is it cream or powder? Would you use these on anyone but yourself?

I am pretty relaxed with powder products as they don't harbour bacteria like creams, it's just me using them, and I'm not especially sensitive. I don't clear out regularly but I have a strict one in one out policy on cosmetics to stop myself buying far too much, so I don't have loads. Just be very careful with 'wet' products you would use around your eyes, mascara, cream eyeshadow, liquid liner... best to throw those, you don't want to risk an eye infection.

I’ve still got my eyeshadow from my wedding 19 years ago!
Foundation, lipstick or mascara is a bit different, as I can see how that would go off.
I use lipsticks until they smell off though, which is far longer than it recommends.

I very rarely get rid of makeup. The one thing id be most careful of is mascara but i use mascara up fairly regularly anyways.

i dont unless it smells or the texture has went funny

I've just had a major clear out of my makeup as I haven't worn any of it for over a year now thanks to lockdown.

I have kept most of my eyeshadow palettes but have binned mascara, eyeliner, foundation and concealer. Haven't gone through my lipsticks yet but will keep most of the solid ones and will bin the liquid ones.

Only mascara everything else I keep, I'll have a clear out once every now and then, as I collect a lot of make up, if I come across something I haven't worn in a couple of years I tend to throw it away only to make more space than worrying about shelf life, if I've paid a lot of money on it or it's a limited addition piece I'll keep it to admire it.

I just binned an eyeshadow quad I'd had for 11 years and used about a dozen times. I took the 3 shadows I may use out of my Naked pallet and binned the rest which was either empty or I wont touch. I binned a few half empty blushes I've had for years and wont use. Other than that I have one of each thing that I use and dont let myself buy two of the same type of product anymore. Lip products are the exception, I have 6 at the moment but they all smell ok. I dont chuck things at 12-18 months but go by smell or texture. It's so tempted to get sucked back into buying more but I'm trying to resist as its money in the bin!

I'm 49 and have still got and wear on special occasions a lipstick I bought when I was 17! It's such an amazing colour and obviously long discontinued.

@fairydustandpixies Oh wow, that's really cool!

I don't. Recently had a clearout of my stash, unused stuff I took to work and let people help themselves to it, stuff I'd used (or not used) that smelt iffy went in the bin*, and all the used stuff that smelt fine went in a box for my niece to play with (when I finally get to visit her!)

*Mostly lipliner and eyeliner pencils, some of which I've had for YEARS, I think it was about 150 in the end. 😭 Also a lot of lipsticks had to go, Barry M lipsticks are the worst for going off.) But it's made me feel better, and as I've recently lost my job I can't buy anything else for a while!

I have some make up that I have had for years. The only thing that has ever ‘gone off’ was a touché eclat. It was very noticeable when it went manky - the brush had a green tinge and the smell wasn’t right.

OP, I still have most of the make-up I wore on my wedding day ten years ago and it's absolutely fine! Mascara needs to be chucked after a while but everything else has always lasted fine IME

I throw away mascara after about six months, because I don’t want to take any chances with my eyes. But that’s the only thing I’m strict about.

I threw out a few lipsticks just a few days ago because I could tell they weren’t right anymore.

I keep eyeshadows forever - many of mine are at least 6 years old by now.

I don’t unless they smell a bit odd or the texture isn’t right and it’s irreparable. I have the eyeshadow I wore on my wedding day from 19 years ago, and a lot of make up is over 10 years older as I used to collect it and I have quite the stash. Before I moved about 3 years ago I had a clear out. Mostly dodgy lip glosses and the odd dead eyeliner. I set myself a challenge during lockdown to use all the stuff I don’t like enough to wear out (either due to colour or not be right for my skin), and have managed to work through a few products already. Mascara is the one exception, it goes around 6 months, although it’s usually used up by then anyway.

I've never heard of throwing away mascara and never have.

The only thing I've had go off was powder which sort of congealed. Everything else I keep and use!

No

Mascara can spoil and can cause eye infections. Most people who wear a lot of make up would use up a tube before it becomes an issue. But I don’t wear make up every day so I do keep an eye on how long mine’s been open.

Only mascara,eyeliner(gel or liquid),concealer and foundation and lippy (after a few years)

I do, apart from eyeshadow I throw stuff away that I haven’t worn in a year. Although I’m generally the kind of person who throws stuff away if I haven’t used it in a while.

I bin mascara after a few months; although it's the only thing I use most days so I usually run out before that time

All other items I just base it on what the item looks/smells like. I don't use foundation though so no liquid items

I throw it away when it’s gone funny. Mascara dries up and goes clumpy so I bin it every year or so. Foundation separates after 5-6 years. Lipstick lasts maybe 10-15 years and still looks fine. Eyeshadow lasts forever. I haven’t worn anything except mascara for the past year so my makeup is all fairly old.

I usually hang on to it for longer than I ought to. But I keep buying replacements. Over the past year I forced myself to use up some old foundation which was taking up space in my cabinet.

No unless it looks funny etc - or mascara. My foundation is in a pump dispenser so lower risk of contamination etc

I do throw mascara away after a fairly short while, as eyes are obviously somewhere I don't want bacteria getting in. It doesn't last anyway as it clogs up. I threw away some bb cream which was years old recently, as thought it was time. Powders, like setting powder or blusher etc, I'm less fussed about. Some of them are quite old! I don't know how old, but old.

I don't wear makeup very much anymore either, and it seems silly to get rid of it and replace it all for the sake of a fictional night out which may not happen now for months. At the same time, I hate having too much clutter, so I'm not that keen to hang on to things I'm not using and then, what IF I get to go on a night out soon?! I did streamline my make up bag a while ago, but I still haven't really used it. Maybe I need a 2 minute make up routine so I actually use it 🤔

There's no real science behind any of the recommendations about how long to keep make up - beauty manufacturers make them up.

The minute a product or applicator comes into contact with your skin or lashes, it will become highly contaminated with bacteria. Depending the type of product, bacteria will find it more or less easy to multiple once in it. In general, they prefer moist environments, so a mascara or lip balm will harbour more bacteria than an eye pencil, but every product will be contaminated. OTOH, most bacteria that live on humans cannot survive for long in other environments - they can often multiply for a while, but will then die off. This is even more true of viruses.

So, scientifically, using a product like a mascara every day for 6 months then chucking it makes no sense, if you're worried about infections from bacteria picked up from the skin/lashes. You would probably be better using it every 3-4 days - giving time for bacteria in it to die between uses.

It's more complicated than that, though, because make up can also become contaminated with other types of bacteria and moulds from the general environment, and these can potentially live indefinitely in the products - unlike (most) bacteria picked up from the body. The products most likely to be contaminated with environmental bacteria and moulds are products that are in direct contact with the air - so a foundation in a sealed bottle with a pump is low risk, a mascara is lowish risk, a palette of eye make up is high risk.

But..all these risks are relative. Do you touch your face during the day? Your hands (unless just thoroughly washed) are infinitely more contaminated than any make up product.

Personally, I do chuck out mascara every few months because, having used it daily, I know the bacteria load will be very high. Other than that, I take my chances and don't chuck anything else away on grounds of age. I would be more cautious if I were immunosuppressed but, for anyone else, the risks are pretty tiny.

I think as well, if you struggle with something like rosacea, as I do, where even the doctors don't seem to fully understand why topical antibacterial gel like Rosex can resolve redness, you may want to be more cautious with stuff which goes on your face.