Out of date make-up and health hazards

I must confess that I am very bad about throwing out my old make up. Probably for four reasons:-

It may have cost quite a lot to purchase in the first place
It may have become an old friend and has now been discontinued
I bought it on impulse and even though it does not suit me I still hang on to it.
My inner critic thinks it is just a marketing ploy to get me to buy more stuff.

However I am beginning to think that there is some truth in it. Recently my daughter got a bad eye infection which she reckoned was due to an old eye pencil she was using. So I decided to get tough and riffle through my rather bursting at the seams make-up box. I use one of those handy tool boxes. You can buy them in any hardware store. They are very cheap and have lots of those lovely little compartments which are so useful for keeping all your bits and pieces tidy.

You can find similar ones on Artists tool box on Amazon

I quite fancy these Coloured boxes on ebay

Some frequently asked questions and answers on the subject here, and if you are in doubt about the expiry date of your make up you can Check expiry date at cosmetic.net here . They do not seem to cover all brands but do include most of the major ones.

An article and video I came across in the Huffington Post Article and video in Huffington Post

If you are in the UK have a great Bank Holiday week-end and may the sun continue to shine. Off to clear out my make-up box. See you next week.

Thank you for reading. I really love to hear from you and appreciate the time you take to leave comments.

Fashion and Style, Beauty tips, Lifestyle

Chicatanyage

I write a fashion and beauty blog for women over 50 with the aim of inspiring mature women to continue to enjoy and have fun with their fashion choices. I have spent most of my working life in some way connected to fashion. I started my career in Fashion PR and then trained as an Image Consultant when my children were young. I subsequently worked in the corporate world running seminars, doing private coaching and speaking at conferences. I started my blog in 2009 as I wanted to share my years of experience working in the world of fashion. I truly believe we can continue to have confidence in the way we present ourselves. Our style may evolve with time and changing lifestyles, yet with a little knowledge and inspiration, we can all continue to have fun with fashion. As women of a certain age we are a growing demographic let us prove that we can also be a chic one.

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View Comments

A Well Styled Life says:

3rd May 2013 at 15:50

This is a wonderful reminder for us. Out if date sunscreen can be ineffective as well as nasty. I found out of date, organic sunscreen yesterday on my shelf and the smell was "off". Being organic it had no preservatives. Since I use organic cosmetics, I better check those too!
Have a great weekend.
Mary Ann at classic•casual•home says:

5th May 2013 at 00:48

I had not thought of this...but I'm sure that I have make up that needs tossing. Thanks!
Mary Beth says:

5th May 2013 at 05:06

Oh, thank you so much for the tip about using the tool box for organizing make-up! My daughter and I were both looking for such boxes but couldn't find them in the make-up section of Target or similar stores. Now we know where to look!

I tend to hold on to make-up too long as well. It's small and doesn't take up much room. But every once in awhile a good toss-out is so therapeutic.