What's Growing In There?

Have you ever wondered about all of those little palettes of color, and if they are really too old to be useable any longer? I know that it hurts to throw away makeup that hasn't been used up, but for safety's sake, I think that you should give it a little thought. According to the FDA... here is the rule of thumb.

"Cosmetic products are generally formulated and tested for a shelf life of 1- 3 years under normal storage conditions, depending on a product's composition, packaging, preservation, and other factors.
There are no regulations or requirements under current law that require cosmetic manufacturers to print expiration dates on the labels of cosmetic products. Consumers should be aware that expiration dates are simply "rules of thumb," and that a product's safety may expire long before the expiration date if the product has not been properly stored. Cosmetics that have been improperly stored, for example exposed to high temperatures or sunlight or opened and examined by consumers prior to final sale, may deteriorate substantially, before the expiration date. On the other hand, products stored under ideal conditions may be acceptable long after the expiration date has been reached."

Personally, I don't keep my cosmetics even close to that amount of time. Even properly stored, contaminants will get "into" the product... especially eye makeup. Think about what you are using to dip into the product each time... I keep my eye makeup no longer than three months and then buy something new. I'm usually tired of the color by that time anyway. And, so that you aren't tempted to use it again... toss it out. That way you have space for the new products.

Then give a rule of thumb of how long makeup can be stored.

• Lipstick: 1 year
• Eye Makeup : 3 months
• Blush: 6 months
• Nail Polish: 2 years if stored properly