To toss or not to toss..

[me_jelly]

Alright girls and boys, how many of you actually toss various makeup products in your collection when they have reached their "recommended" shelf-life? If so, which products?

I'm especially curious about those with really large collections - I don't know about you, but some of those recommended shelf-lifes sounds pretty crazy to me - I can't imagine throwing out my gazillion beloved lippies out every 2 years or so!

I do throw out mascaras if they are already 6 months old and getting a little dry/clumpy (hate eye infections) but for everything else, besides my regular sanitization rounds, I don't throw them out until they look/smell funky lol.

 

[BunnyBunnyBunny]

NEVER throw any MAC's away. Almost everything but the liner pencils, wipes, and blotfilms are Back 2 MAC'able!

 

[Esperanza]

As a mua I have a lot of products and unfortunately, when you haven't been working for some time, your makeup become irremediably out of date. I use to have scruples about tossing my stuff but it's an hygiene matter so there's no question about it anymore! And doing that keeps me from spending too much money on things I already have or (re)buying stuff I never use.

I toss anything that has a funny or musty odor, everything that's runny and any liquid product that's separated (like that beautiful Clinique Color Surge Impossibly Glossy lipgloss... eeeek, I tossed it this morning, it looks like it has some butter in it, al greasy.... so gross!). About the expiration dates, I respect those for mascaras and foundations. And to keep my stuff a little bit more longer, I put them in the fridge (in the vegetable tray) when the weather is too hot.

 

[sigwing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Esperanza I toss anything that has a funny or musty odor, everything that's runny and any liquid product that's separated (like that beautiful Clinique Color Surge Impossibly Glossy lipgloss... eeeek, I tossed it this morning, it looks like it has some butter in it, al greasy.... so gross!).

Other than that problem, or, obviously, mascaras, I never throw away eyeshadows & haven't had a problem ever I think years ago a friend's daughter had a little itching when she used a Revlon quad I gave her that was years-old, some frosty colors in a really old quad. Also things that have not been stored well (like in some storage in a hot area or something) I wouldn't trust, either. I have a ton of lipsticks, too, and cheap ones get a smell about them, or their consistency changes, so that's an issue there.

But don't go crazy throwing things away just because of a date!

 

[ledonatella]

The only things I ever really toss are mascara's and lipglosses or lipsticks, anything creamy I guess. I just got rid of probably 25 lipglosses (no Mac though!, I save those for collecting purposes) and it didn't even make a dent in my lipgloss collection, so sad.......

 

[goodbyexxkitty]

I throw away stuff if the smell or texture of it changes. I think I have a mascara that should be thrown away, I'm still using it haha.

 

[MACATTAK]

I only throw away things that look/smell funny as well. Everything else is for my use only, so I'm not worried about contamination, plus I only put makeup on a clean face. It's worked well so far.

 

[hunnybun]

these responses were reassuring. there's another post on here under FAQ that said the recommended shelf life for e/s is 2-3 yrs. i almost cried. good to know i'm not committing a horrible crime against hygiene by not tossing my beloved LE shadows!!

 

[Cruella]

I only toss mascara after 3 months, no matter what. Lipglosses (non-MAC) when they get too sticky to apply well. Lipsticks, e/s & blushes I keep until forever

 

[MACa6325xi]

I used to keep everything. I'm ashamed to say. I had MAC blushes eyeshadows from 10 years ago and the MA at my MAC counter said I needed to get rid of those items. I got rid of most of them and did B2M. Nevertheless, I still have a couple of those items and I will get rid of those also. I only keep the blushes, eyeshadows and foundation. I'm still using the same Studiofix I bought in 2000. I will get rid of that soon.

 

[Beauty Mark]

I don't collect makeup because of the shelf life issue.

With the exception of mascara, I pitch whenever the product stops behaving as it did when I purchased it. That means color, scent, texture.

Generally speaking, powders like eyeshadow, can last for what seems like forever. Creamy and liquid formulas, not so much, but I can get a few years' use normally.