by Wispen Lee

Created on: February 09, 2008   Last Updated: February 10, 2008

The New Year has arrived with aplomb and you're finding reasons to buy new beauty products to enhance your stash. Its time that you clear away some of your older beauty products, but you aren't quite sure which ones should go first. Beauty products don't exactly have expiry dates, so you may not have a good idea how long to keep a certain product. Well, it is time to start evaluating the products that you own because it is past due time some of them were cleared away.

Toothbrushes:

While trips to the dentist should come at least once every six months, your trusty toothbrush should be changed far more often, once every four months that is. Toothbrushes tend to get frayed and ragged after around four month of use, so after four months of using your toothbrush, its high time that you get around to changing it. After all, frayed toothbrushes aren't much use in removing plague or stain.

Lip Balm:

Keeping that sexy pout require the help of your luscious lip balm, but the constant application of lip balm daily leads to a slow build up of bacteria. Ideally, lip balm should be thrown out after a year of being used or kept around. So if you're looking for an excuse to look for a new shade of shimmer to line your lips, it time to clear out that lip balm.

Mascara:

In the same way mascara begin to clump after being left on the lashes for too long, keeping your mascara around in it container, with periodic exposure to air when you apply the mascara, also results in clumping in the container. Three months is a good time to evaluate the texture of the mascara, and throw it out if it has gotten too clumpy. For those who have a bad habit of constantly pumping the wand up and down, there is reason to stop. The pumping of the wand introduces more air into the mascara, leading to it clumping more easily. So by not pumping the wand so often when applying mascara, you can extend the use life of the mascara by another month or so.

Foundation:

Different types of foundation can be used for different lengths of time. Generally, oil based foundations can last up to 18 months, while water-based foundations can only last for a year. Its likely that before that time period is up, the foundation would lose its consistency, but that doesn't mean that it cannot be used anymore. For oil-based foundations, if the oil separates before its use-by date, just shake up the foundation. For water-based foundations, if the foundation dries up too quickly, then just add a few drops of alcohol-free toner and mix it up for best effect.

Sunscreen:

Exposing the sunscreen on your arm to sun is a good thing, but exposing the sunscreen still in a bottle to sun and heat can be fatal to your new bottle of sunscreen. While sunscreen that is kept in a cool dry place can remain effective for up to three years, sun screen that has been left in a heated environment, like exposed to the sun at the back of your car can only be effective for up to three months. The heat causes the active ingredients in the sunscreen to break down, causing the sunscreen to turn rancid, separate and have a sour odor. So the next time you're bringing that expensive bottle of sunscreen with you to the beach, slather it on and hide it under the car seat or make sure its shielded from the most of sun by being in your tote bag.

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