Do you know when does your cosmetic expire? If you don’t then you could be wearing expired cosmetics and putting yourself in danger of getting different kind of infections from eye to skin infections.

Cosmetics do not tend to have expiry date. However, they are not required by law to have expiry date which can be complicated to understand when your cosmetics actually expires. Don’t get disheartened because I will be giving you expiry dates for cosmetics today. For your information, I will focus on both fashion and  beauty in this new column.

Foundations –Cream foundation -18 month and Liquid foundation (oil free) -12 months

Extra tip: If your water-based foundation dries out before it’s expiry date, add a few drops of alcohol-free toner and shake to mix it in.

Concealer – will last up to 12 months.

Cream & gel cleansers – 1 year. 

Pencil eye liner – will last up to 3 years.

Eye liner (liquid) – 3 to 6 months

Eyeshadow –  Powder eyeshadow – up to 3 years and Cream eyeshadow – 12 months

Extra tip: A dark eyeshadow can double as eyeliner and most of the makeup artists actually use them as eyeliner. Use a little damp super-flat eyeliner brush and dab in dark eyeshadow (black or brown) and apply it on your eyes.

Make-up Brushes – Wash every 2-3 months in a mild detergent. 

Make-up Sponges – Wash weekly and discard monthly. 

Lip liner – Up to 3 years.

Extra tip: Do not buy push-up lipliners as they’re expensive, tend to break and you never really know how much you have left until you run out.

Lipstick – 1 to 2 years, some say 4 years as well

Extra tip: If you store lipstick in the refrigerator, it will last longer.Another way to make lipstick last longer during the day is to apply lip liner first and afterwards lipstick.

Lipgloss – 18 months

Mascara – Mascara expires fastest so throw out after 4 months.

Extra tip: If you don’t want your mascara to expire faster than its fresh date, don’t pump the wand in and out as you’re only exposing the product to drying air.

Nail Polish – Up to 12 months

Blush – Powder blush – up to 2 years and Cream blush – 12 months

From the time you open it, the life and effectiveness of the product decreases and bacteria grows. Treat makeup products with care. Keep them in a dry, cool area and remember any cosmetic that changes texture, or smell, should be discarded immediately. Do take care of your make-up brushes. Don’t forget to clean them regularly. Till then Sayonara, Adios, bye and most importantly ‘Feri Bhetaula’.

Editor’s Note: Sarita Chamling Rai, a London-based fashion blogger is the author of this post who contributes to the weekly Fashion Friday segment on TexasNepal Blog. To read more of her blog posts please visit her personal blog at fashionbeautybug.com.