28 January Mission - Day 27

Just like food, make up has a shelf life. And it's not a marketing ploy by the cosmetics companies either, otherwise they wouldn't bother putting any preservatives at all in their stuff ;o) Most makeup contains some form of oil, and in time, all oils go rancid - yuck! And that's without all the bacteria transferred to makeup from your skin and applicators - some of them ae the good bacteria that protect your skin, of course, but in excess they can do some harm to your makeup. And some bacteria are the ones that cause spots and break outs - do you really want to be putting them back on your skin?

A few rules of thumb to help you decide what to keep and what to bin:

• if it smells funny - or worse, tastes funny (lipsticks and lip balms) it's  gone off and should be trashed
  
• if it has changed texture - foundations, creams, nail polishes etc -  it's past it's best and should be thrown away. I don't care if you can't get that colour anymore! There's probably a reason for that - it's no longer the fashion, and you'll look dated if you wear it :o)
• if you can't remember when you bought it - it's probably longer than the recommended shelf life
• if you remember wearing this item five years ago - throw it out!
• if you haven't used the item in the last year, it should probably go, too.

Here are some basic guidelines for the shelf life of cosmetics:

• Cream or Compact Foundation: 18 months
• Liquid foundation: 1 year
• Concealer: 12-18 months
• Powder: 2 years
• Blush and Bronzer: 2 years
• Cream Blush: 12-18 months
• Powder Eyeshadow: 2 years
• Cream  Eyeshadow: 12-18 months
• Pencil Eyeliner: 2 years
• Liquid eyeliner: 3-6 months
• Mascara: 3 months (eyes are a breeding ground for bacteria, and also eyes are quite susceptible to infections. Always throw your mascara out if you've had an attack of conjunctivitis, for example)
• Lipstick: 2 years
• Lip liner: 2 years
• Lip gloss: 18-24 months
• Nail polish: 1 year

Some toiletries and makeup have little icons of an open jar or bottle on them, and a number afterwards - this is the expected shelf life after opening. Pay attention to them!

Toiletries and cosmetics from "natural" suppliers such as Lush have a much shorter shelf life, as they don't have so many preservatives in them (if any). I know Lush have Best Before dates on their stuff, and I haven't yet had any problems with exceeding them, but ...

Other things you might like to do:

• buy a new toothbrush, or change the head on your electric one
• wash your make up bag, or replace it
• wash your make up brushes and sponges
• replace your bath sponges/scrubs