Makeup Hygiene Tips

We’ve all been there; you dig into the outskirts of your makeup drawer, curious about what you may find, only to pull out the well-aged red wine-colored lipstick. Experiencing that "I remember you!" moment, you glide a sample layer on your lips. A quick lick of the lips leaves an awful melted crayon-like flavor on your tongue, a telltale sign that the product is expired. Makeup hygiene is often a forgotten chore when it comes to our personal stash, but it’s just as necessary! Un-hygienic makeup habits can transport nasty bacteria to our face or cause growth in the product itself, leading to breakouts and infections. Here are some simple hygienic tips to keep your collection clean and fresh!

Don’t Use Old Makeup! With the price we pay for a monthly makeup haul, it can be hard to let go of the aged stuff. Makeup companies are not required to provide expiration dates, however some choose to provide a guideline as a courtesy. When it comes to makeup exp. Dates "M" stands for month and "Y" stands for year, so if you see 5M that means the product is no longer good after 5 months of being opened. Here’s a general guideline on product expiration…

• Mascara lasts 2-3 months,
• foundation & concealer 6-12 months
• Lip Stick 2 years, or until dry
• Lip Gloss 1 year, or until sticky
• Any compact powder ie. Eye shadow, blush, etc, 2 years 

Clean your brushes! Makeup brushes can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Touching product to brush to skin and back again puts germs both on the product, your face, and the brush, which will begin to cultivate. Invest in a good brush cleaner, and aim to clean them once a week, or once a month for powder brushes. A great tool to have is a brush cleansing pad ($14, Sephora). The textured silicone is a surface to rub the brushes over, stripping them of product buildup. 

Wash your hands! It’s an obvious one, yet we still tend to forget now and again.  Our hands touch all products and face, therefore keeping them clean may be the most important rule of thumb. 

Sanitize Your Powders! Loose powder is exempt from this rule as it cannot be sanitized unless pressed. Eye shadows, bronzer, blush, and other pressed powders will thank you after a good sanitizing. Beauty So Clean cosmetic sanitizer mist & wipes ($25, beautysoclean.com) can be used to clean your powders, brushes, and makeup bag!

Clean Your Makeup Bag! The makeup bag can be a sneaky host to all sorts of germs and bacteria. Germs especially love a warm dark environment, making your makeup bag the perfect home for the microscopic bugs to set up camp. Keeping it fresh & clean can be as simple as a weekly wipe down with a sanitizing wipe.

Don’t Share Makeup Lending your gloss to the bestie may seem harmless, but everyone carries their own form of special germs. When they use your product and it makes its way back to you, an entirely new strain of germs has been introduced, and given an open invitation to cultivate! If sharing is a must, try to utilize disposable applicators ie. Disposable mascara spoolie, disposable gloss sticks, etc.

Wash Your Face! A fresh clean face is the perfect canvas for flawless makeup application. Clean your face morning and evening with a cleanser that is curated to your skin type. Dry skin should utilize a deep moisturizing cleanser, whereas oily skin may benefit from a cleanser with an exfoliating property to help remove oil buildup.