How old is your makeup?

Is your make-up past its sell by date? (Yes that is a thing!)

It's time to 'fess up - we're hoarders. If you love make-up then it's an inevitable fact that you hoard it.

How many times have you bought a product only to pop it into your make-up drawer or bag - never to see the light of day again? We've all been there. We've been sucked into buying the latest fad only to find out it's not quite as fabulous as we'd hoped. Or, we've forked out for that wonder product, you know the one - with the wonder product price tag to match?

Either way, it's extremely hard to throw away that £30 lipstick, or that hardly used foundation. But, what harm could we really be doing if we keep them past their sell by date? If our products are out of date they aren't just gathering dust, they're gathering nasty bacteria too! (EW!). 

Some products do keep longer than others. As a rule of thumb liquids have a much shorter lifespan - especially anything that goes near your eyes! 

Most products will have a little pot symbol on them (sometimes this is on the product itself and other times it can be found on the packaging). The little pot symbol contains a number and the letter 'M'. This handy little reference lets you know the lifespan of your product. For example, if it says '6M' then your product will need replacing in 6 months time - it couldn't be easier surely? 

Even with this nifty reference to remind us of our make-up hording sins, we still struggle to take that step and throw those ancient products away!

To help you in the quest for a healthier make-up collection, we've teamed up with the experts at House of Fraser to give you some fab advice on make-up and its sell by date.

Liquid Foundation

Keep for 6-12 months

Avoid moist environments like the bathroom and stay away from heat (no radiators near by, please), this can encourage the growth of bacteria. Any signs of the formula changing or colour separating, it's time to say bye-bye.

Concealer

Keep for 12-24 months

It's all about the care on this one. Like foundation, keep this in a cool place but also clean the brush each time you use it - you can drag this baby up to 2 years with extra precision.

Blusher

Keep for 2 years

This counts for all powdered products. They last longer as they don't catch moisture but you must make sure your brushes are clean in-between applications in order to avoid any bacteria from spreading. Once the product forms a greyish film or begins to solidify, bin it.

Mascara/Liquid Eyeliner

Keep for 3 months

Hands up... who changes their mascara every 3 months? Probably not many. Every time you remove the wand from its tube, airborne bacteria make their way onto the wand and brush head, which over time can end up in your eye causing infections - conjunctivitis isn't a strong look. Any bad smell or drying out means you need to just let it go.

Lipstick/Gloss

Keep for 12-18 months

You know these things might not be any good when the texture starts to change or they begin to let off a funny smell (that's the oily ingredients). You want to be kissable, not avoidable!

If you fancy having a make -up clear our and want to treat your self to some lovely new products, then head over to House of Fraser's Beauty Department here and enjoy their great offers!