Stop making excuses and declutter your life! Not only will it make you feel better, but it’ll make your living space look better as well. When it comes to makeup, it can be easy to hoard and hold on to makeup for years. Every product we use has an expiration date on the label, but we always seem to disregard the fact. From foundation to mascara, we’re teaching you how to clean up and declutter your professional makeup kit and find out exactly when you should be replacing your makeup products.

At Chic Studios, LA makeup school, we preach and encourage good hygiene and sanitation. Each enrolled student will receive a makeup kit that comprises of makeup, brushes, and a five-piece skincare set from Bioderma. Along with that, we provide various disposable mascara wands, cotton rounds, and swabs, alcohol and brush cleaner bottles in order to keep makeup kits ready for the day! During the Basic Makeup 101 course, we emphasize how important it is to have a clean station for every gig. If you want to maintain a steady client base, always remember to make them comfortable and sanitize properly.

Mascara

Replace it every 3 months. Our eyes have very sensitive mucous membranes that are vulnerable to infection. Bacteria are prone to hide away in our mascara tubes so you should replace your mascara four times a year. In three months, your mascara will start to dry and turn cakey; that’s when you know it’s time for a new tube.

Chic Pro Tip: When applying mascara, be mindful to not pump the wand. This method will dry out your mascara faster, so instead twirl the wand inside the tube to decrease the amount of air that gets in.

Eyeshadow

Replace it every two years with powder shadows and one year for cream shadows. Just like powder bronzers and blushes, powder eyeshadows have a lifespan of two years. If you apply powder eyeshadows every day, be mindful of bacteria that could grow in your palette and result in an eye infection. Whether you’re using brushes on your eyes or a client’s, we suggest cleaning your brushes regularly in order to kill the bacteria. We highly recommend using Cinema Secrets Brush Cleaner which cleans, conditions and deodorizes brushes in one step. It’s coveted by makeup artists for its incomparable cleansing ability, quick drying time, and pleasant vanilla scent.

Eyeliner

Replace it every 3-6 months. The type of eyeliner you use will affect how long you should keep it in your makeup kit. With pencil and retractable eyeliners, they have a longer shelf life since they’re constantly being sharpened or worn down. With gel and liquid eyeliners, anything that’s applied with a brush, you should toss them after 6 months in order to avoid infection.

Foundation

Replace it once a year. Foundations can be the easiest to collect (you can never have too much), but in order to keep your skin radiant as ever, we suggest tossing it after a year. First, you should store your foundations in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Always remember to close the lid or tighten the cap so that bacteria won’t go into the bottle and ruin the formula causing it to dry out. How will you know if foundation should be tossed? If it starts to separate, change color, or consistency has changed, it’s time to throw it away!

Concealer

Replace it every 12-18 months. If you have concealer in a pan, it can last up to 18 months if you apply it with a regularly-washed brush or sponge. Just note that when you apply with your fingers, you’re more likely to transfer bacteria. If you have concealer in a tube with a wand you’ll only want to keep it in your makeup bag for a year before it starts to turn and then replace it.

Blush, Bronzer, and Highlight

Replace it every two years. Like we mentioned before with powder eyeshadows, these products have a longer lifespan since they contain ingredients that don’t contain oils and water. They have a longer shelf life due to their different ingredients. If your makeup starts to darken or turn another color, throw it out! Even though these products aren’t susceptible to bacteria build-up, you should always properly sanitize your brushes and always use clean brushes when applying makeup.

Lip Products

Replace it every 6 months to one year. With lipsticks, the preservatives are known to break down after a year. You’ll know it’s time to replace when the surface becomes hard and tiny bullets form at the tip. With lip products in a tube, like a gloss or liquid lipstick, their lifespan is shorter (6 months) due to the wand applicator. Just like a mascara tube, bacteria from the air and surroundings can cling to the applicator and eventually contaminate the formula.

Chic Pro Tip: If you’re feeling sick and don’t want to contaminate your lipstick, apply it with a cotton swab to prevent any bacteria from entering your products.

Makeup Brushes and Sponges

Replace it every one to five years. Brushes can have a varied lifetime depending on how high quality they are and how often you wash them. Quality brushes that you maintain really well can last for years! You should wash your brushes every day if you use them every day but if it’s once a week, you’ll still be fine. We mentioned with eyeshadow to use Cinema Secrets Brush Cleaner for quick cleaning, however you should deep clean your brushes using dishwasher soap and olive oil. When it comes to makeup sponges, you should replace these very often! They’re versatile to do your entire face makeup, but they’re super susceptible to bacteria. If you’re really diligent about cleaning your makeup sponges, then they can last up to a month. We suggest washing every time after use, however.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when cleaning out your makeup collection or kit:

1. When is the last time I used this? If you can’t remember, throw it out or give it away! Get rid of the clutter. If you can’t recall when you last used it, chances are you won’t be using it anytime soon.
2. What is the expiration date?
3. What in the world is this? Not every product has a printed expiration date, so let your common sense control when necessary. Eliminate products that look or smell different than when you purchased them.
4. Can I see myself using this again soon? If there’s a good chance you’ll never use it within the next year (or like, ever again) then give it to someone who will use it and free up some storage space.
5. Would I purchase this if I went to a store right now? Again, if the answer is “no,” toss it or give it away! You want to eliminate products that don’t reflect your current style or taste so that you have plenty of room for those that do!