Collecting makeup is something very frequent for many people. The problem is that sometimes we have an excess of makeup and we are not able to use all our stash. Most of the products can be used after the recommended PAO but, for that, we need to keep them clean and safe. In this post, I am going to give you some tips to extend makeup life that works for me.
Tips to extend makeup life
Keep track of the date you open each product
You can do that by writing the date you open the product on the packaging with a permanent marker, using a pen and a notebook, an excel sheet or an app.
Why should you do that? If you know when you opened the product you know when you need to be extra careful with changes of texture, smell, and other properties to be sure that the product is in good condition to use. Remember to check the PAO on the packaging.
Repair broken products
You know how frustrating is to receive a product and realise that it is broken. Or when your favourite blush falls and the powder breaks. You do not need to dispose of this broken product; you can repair it using some alcohol and give them an extra opportunity.
Do not add liquid over powder products
That includes any type of liquid like setting spray, water or any other liquid. It is common to mix eyeshadows with setting spray to increase their pigmentation. That is something I do frequently. But I never add the setting spray directly over the pan eyeshadow. Instead of doing that, I can scrap a bit of powder on the back of my hand or in an empty mixing palette and mix the product there. Alternatively, you can pick the powder with the brush and add the setting spray over the brush.
Store liquid eyeliner in a horizontal position
If you store liquid eyeliner with the tip facing up, it can dry very quickly. Storing them with the tip facing down can be even worse, as they can deliver an excess of ink on your eye when you apply which can completely spoil your makeup.
Wash your brushes and sponges frequently
And allow them to dry with the bristles facing down. That is something obvious. You do not want to touch your makeup with a brush or sponge full of bacteria.
You should let them dry with the bristle facing down to avoid water coming in contact with the bristle and handle union. That may unglue those parts and break the brush.
Close your products firmly to extend makeup life
It is very easy to leave products open or not fully closed when we are late and doing the makeup in a short time. However, it is important to make sure all your products are firmly closed. This will avoid air going into the products and accelerate the drying process. This small tip will increase a lot your makeup shelf-life.
Never touch your face with the product directly
You will extend makeup shelf-life if you deposit the product on the back of your hand and take it from there with a brush or sponge instead of touching your face with the applicator straight away. That not only avoid microorganism contamination but also avoid the mixture with the product we already applied on the skin. Some mixtures are not compatible and may reduce product shelf-life.
Apply makeup over clean skin
That is common sense (which is the less common of the senses….). Dirty skin will favour the transfer of dirt and bacteria from one area of the skin to another and from your skin to the product through the brush.
Depot your makeup when possible to extend makeup life
That will make it easier to see all the makeup you have. Sometimes packaging is big and it is not easy to see all the makeup stored. For example, if you have tons of single eyeshadows you should go through each one to choose the one you want to use. However, if you depot them and store them in a magnetic empty palette you will have all of them in a single place and will see them all in a single look. That decrease the possibility of forgetting a product in the back of your draw.
Store your products far from hot or cold sources
The extreme temperature may decrease your makeup shelf-life. We normally store makeup in the bathroom, but this is not the ideal place. Bathrooms are continuously subject to temperature changes and humidity is high. If possible, avoid storing makeup in the bathroom.
Extra tip to extend makeup life
Always wash your hands if you are going to apply a product with your fingers.
During the makeup process, we normally touch our face and get rests of foundation, concealer, and other products on our fingers. When you introduce that finger in another product you are going to mix the products and contaminate the product you are touching. That may possibly change the colour of the product and reduce its life.
These are a few tips I learned over time (and as a result of damaging lots of products) to increase my makeup shelf-life. I hope you find them useful and start doing them if you are not already doing them.
Do you know any other tips to extend makeup life? Let me know in the comments.
Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
