Do you like this lipstick?
…I do.. I like it so much that I use it sparingly since it was a limited edition color and I know that there’s a chance I’ll never get it again. This also means that this lipstick is old! Like four or five years old, therefore it’s expired. But I don’t need to know how many years this lipstick has been around for me to know if it’s expired. I could tell the second I popped open that tube and I could smell it! Not an awful stench or anything..but it doesn’t smell like normal lipstick should, especially since MAC lipsticks have a noticable vanilla scent to them. Now that it’s expired it had this weird-stale-chemically smell.
Anyone remember these??
Or these?!
For some reason the scent reminded me of the cheap little lipsticks I used to use all the time as a kid. They didn’t smell bad by any means, but they definitely didn’t have a natural or sweet smell to them, and that’s what an expired lipstick reminds me of. Not only did I notice the scent right away when I opened it but since I was bold enough to still put that bad boy on and wear it all day, I could smell it even when I was wearing it!
So anyways that inspired me to write a post on if you’re questioning yourself on “How long is too long to keep your makeup?” One easy way to tell is to smell it! (Besides looking at the boxes the makeup comes in when you purchase it) is to smell it! Same goes for lip glosses, mascara, foundations, liners, etc. Then, I decided to do a quick google search on expired makeup because I get asked about this all the time and besides just knowing that hoarding makeup for years is kinda gross, all I know is you’re just not supposed to do it.
…But why?
Long story short, the info that stuck out the most to me is that in your makeup there are ingredients designed to do certain things to help the makeup wear the way you want it to, but only for so long. After awhile those ingredients break down into molecules that could end up doing whatever they want to do.. like give you a rash..or pink eye!! Liquids and creams can harbor a lot of bacteria as well, so imagine that mixing in with those rogue molecules who are plotting to hit you with a nasty break out!
Im guilty of using old makeup too and I’m sure this wont be the last time but at least now we’ve all been warned!!
*Lip Color: Chestnut Lipstick&Liner from MAC