Cosmetics use by date.

[ClaredeBear]

I use some of my cosmetics pretty infrequently so they last a long time and often past the date which is often 6 months (but often far too small for me to see!). How strict are you about throwing things out? My mother had cosmetic items for years that never seemed to go off.

You can usually tell if they’ve gone off by a change, lipsticks smell rancid, foundations seperate. Powder things never really go off. If the surface of a powder or blusher looks shiny you can scrape the top layer off with the edge of a spoon or knife & they are fine underneath. I’ve ones that are years old. Some brands are far worse than others I’ve found. Clinique lipsticks smell vile but Revlon, Max Factor & Estée Lauder are ok for years. One of the worst culprits is Margaret Dabbs, smells rancid in less than a year , so price is no guarantee

I'm not a big make up wearer and I keep them forever! I'm always a bit suspicious of use by dates on things like cosmetics, particularly given how expensive everything is... I don't think I've ever had a lipstick go off, I've had foundation go weird and mascara dry up through years of neglect.

Ones that last longer tend to be full of harsh and sometimes toxic preservatives and parabens so you can’t win!
Personally i chuck mascaras, lip glosses and balms regularly but keep powders for years.

Thanks for the feedback. I'd started to think it was just me as a friend throws cosmetics away once the manufacturer says they're expired. I can't afford to keep replacing my stuff so often.

The only lipsticks I have are freebies from Clinique. I've not noticed anything wrong with them no matter how old.

My Clinique Black Honey lipstick may be around 15 years old, probably more. It's still fine. My Bobbi Brown wedding lipstick went off years ago.
I always keep my makeup and brushes clean and throw out mascaras after 6 months.

I'm quite relaxed about use by dates EXCEPT eye products like mascara. I only keep them max 6 months because you dont want bacteria near your eyes.

Eyeliner is ok because you can just sharpen that. The rest- fine, no probs

powders or pencils I keep forever. Mascara is changed regularly. Face creams and serums usually start smelling funny or separate when they'e gone off, but I'm sure I keep them way past the date on the bottle.