How long can you really keep make-up and beauty products?

SPRING is here, and it’s the season for tossing away the old, and the same could apply to your beauty products.

Spring is the season for tossing away the old and applying your freshest look yet. Picture: istock.

There’s nothing quite so lovely as the first hint of spring.

It’s a time of all things fresh and new and that includes our beauty routines — or it should do, anyway.

It’s also the season to ditch anything that’s past its prime.

Generally speaking, the quality of the product diminishes as the months pass: ingredients start to separate and textures become unpleasant.

All this can affect skin, as can bacteria, which will find its way into all products eventually and cause irritations.

Paula Begoun, founder of the skincare and beauty range Paula’s Choice, suggests the following guidelines:

Most lipstick should last a couple of years or more once opened.

6 MONTHS

Mascara: If used daily, mascara is good for three months. If used less often, toss it after six months or if its texture changes.

1 YEAR

Foundation

Liquids last roughly 12 months; cream-to-powder formulas roughly two years and powder foundations (loose or pressed) should last at least five years.

2 YEARS

Nail polish

Likely to be usable for two years. It’s time to ditch it if the colour separates and won’t stay mixed, even after shaking.

Perfume

If stored away from heat and light and not kept in the bathroom where temperatures fluctuate, perfume lasts two years before the scent alters.

Lipstick

Most should last a couple of years or more once opened. Chuck it after that time as this product can eventually breed bacteria.

2-5 YEARS

Powder, eyeshadow and blush

Unless they’ve been wet, that is. In which case you’ll need to bin them after six months.

It’s worth asking what the shelf life of your beauty products is? Picture: iStock

WHAT’S NEW THIS SEASON?

When spring rolls around, it’s time to lighten up, Revlon make-up director Melanie Burnicle says.

Try these simple steps.

●Wear: Give matte lips a spring 2016 touch with a bright, bold colour such as true red, fuchsia or even orange. Try: Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor in Love ($23.95, revlonanz.com)

●Apply: a cream blush to the apples of the cheeks. To find those, look in the mirror and smile as hard as you can. The highest point, that is the area of the cheek that pops the most, is the “apple”. Dab blush here and blend up and out. Contouring is still with us, but skip the tawny browns the Kardashians are fond of and, instead, reach for soft, pink caramels or even gentle peach shades, Burnicle says. Try: NYX Cosmetics Illuminator in Narcissistic ($17.95, priceline.com.au/nyx)

●Add: a hint of gold highlighter. “I apply it to the upper cheek bones and the T-zone,” Burnicle says. You can also apply it at the temples, along the collarbone, the décolletage or anywhere you want eyes to be drawn. Try: Revlon PhotoReady Insta-Fix Highlighting Stick in Gold Light ($29.95, Revlon anz.com).

Originally published as How long can you really keep make-up and beauty products?