When to Throw Away Old Makeup + Makeup Expiration

We all know that our makeup has a shelf life, but I am willing to bet that 95% of us (myself included) tend to ignore those expiration dates. After years of collecting lipsticks and concealers I had to finally ask myself the question, “How long do I have before I need to throw this makeup away?”

After doing some research, I compiled the most commonly accepted makeup expiration dates along with some helpful tips for making smart makeup purchases in the future.

STEP 1: Group  your current makeup collection

First before you do anything else, pull out ALL of your makeup and organize your products by category (i.e. face, eyes, lips – or if you have a ton of products get even more granular: foundations, powders, eyeshadows, eyeliners, etc.).

STEP 2: Clean your makeup storage solution(s)

Once everything is grouped out in the open then take a minute to clean your makeup drawer or organizer or medicine cabinet (wherever you’re storing all of your products).

STEP 3: Clean your makeup brushes

Take one more minute to clean your makeup brushes.  

STEP 4: Throw away old makeup products

Get a trash bag ready and use the below as your guide.

Makeup Expiration Guide:

EYES

• mascara – 3 months
• liquid eyeliner – 6 months
• eyeliner pencil – 1 year
• cream eyeshadow – 1 year
• powder eyeshadow – 2 years

LIPS

• lip gloss – 1 year
• lip liner – 2 years
• lipstick – 2 years

FACE

• cream/liquid foundation – 1 year
• concealer – 1 year
• face powder – 2 years
• cream blush – 1 year
• powder blush – 2 years