by Vanessa Carr

Created on: July 02, 2008

The rules for makeup shelf life are simple, but very important. If the rules are not followed correctly, then you might as well bring on the break-outs, styes, eye infections, adverse reactions, and more.I'm really not trying to scare you, but if someone would have told me this awhile ago I could've avoided many skin aggravations. The same goes for makeup brushes and applicators. Your momma was right when she said cleanliness is right up there with godliness, or as I like to say, goddessness. Makeup brushes and applicators can also easily become hosts for all sorts of bacteria that just loves to live in your pores and cause you mental anguish right before an important date, meeting, event, etc. Its completely understandable that one cannot always take the absolute best care of their cosmetics and tools 100% of the time. As long as an honest effort is made to keep your beauty products harm-free, the results will pay off in a very rewarding way. An excellent rule of thumb for all makeup is that if a product has changed texture, consistency, color, or just simply doesn't do its job the way it originally did anymore, then its time to dump it. For your sake and the sake of your skin, read on.

The rules for makeup shelf life are as follows:

1. Do not use the same tube of mascara for more that three months...
Mascara is not made to be a long term purchase, especially for something that sits right on top of the eyeballs that you rely on every second of everyday. A good way to tell when to trash the mascara is when it starts to smell really strong. Its almost a sort of chemical, petroleum smell and its not a faint scent. All or most mascaras have a little bit of a smell to them, so please don't go hurling your brand new Lancome' into the waste basket after reading this. After buying a new mascara, taking a whiff of it isn't a bad piece of advice either. Mascara can come to you already somewhat rotten. If the scent is strong or it just doesn't sit well with you, call or visit the store you purchased it from and ask a salesperson if that is normal. If you are still not satisfied, then by all means take it back and/or buy a new or different one. Its not worth the irritation to you or your possibly reddened and swollen eyeballs. You will know what I'm talking about when you experience this ungodly stench and believe me, you will not want to put that stinky stuff anywhere near your peepers!
Another way to tell when you need to head back to the beauty department is when your

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