Today’s beauty news is that:
-Half of women have cut back on spending on their make-up (apart from beauty bloggers that is ;)
-More than a third (35%) of women are hanging onto old make-up in a bid to save money (you can’t just throw them away, they’re like children)
-One in five women have caught the men in their life using their eye make-up (how hilariously irrelevant)
The College of Optometrists has revealed that 35% of women in the UK are hanging onto their make-up for longer in a bid to save money, but they warn that keeping hold of old eye make-up could potentially be putting women’s eye health at risk. 24% of women haven’t purchased any eye make-up for more than six months, this is worrying given that manufacturers recommend that mascara should be discarded after 3-6 months of use.
So here is the official low-down with some chat at the end. What do you think?
Powder-based products- 2 years but keep the brushes and applicators really clean.
Pencils- 2 years but they say to avoid using eyeliner in the waterline and inner part of the eye as it can block glands and cause styes.
Lipsticks, foundations, cream blush/shadows- 12-18 months as the liquid is a good environment for breeding scary old bacteria. Again wash brushes regularly.
Mascara- 3-6 months as it goes rank and dry after a few months anyway and bacteria can breed inside the tube.
Moi?
I tend to replace base products (powders, foundations, mascaras) pretty regularly anyway as they run out of start to become less effective. I wash those little pads and sponges that come with foundations and powders every two weeks or when I notice the oil build up. I also sharpen lip liners and eyeliners every time I use them to get a really sharp line. I definitely have powder based products that are YEARS old...they're fine to me.
Brush washing is really important, though, so I wash my own brushes once every two weeks, and use MAC brush cleaner inbetween and on my pro ones every time I use them on someone (with water then MAC cleaner). Lay brushes flat when you dry them, if you stand them up the water can run back into the brush, dissolve the glue and they’ll wear out much quicker, which will make you a sad panda.
Visit www.lookafteryoureyes.org for more information on eye health.
I have mascaras that I have had for over a year. I only throw them away when I don't want to use them anymore/find better mascaras/they dry up. I think this 6 month bit is just to ensure that people regularly come back for more (and therefore happily fill the company's pockets).
ReplyDeleteYour eye area will never ever have no bacteria on it, so from the first time you use your mascara and put the brush back in the tube, it will be contaminated. Bacteria doesn't take 6 month to breed in enough quantities to create an eye infection. It only takes days for that. So why 6 months and not 2? And why is it longer for eyeshadows? Surely applying it on with a brush, the brush gets bacteria on it, then you add more eyeshadow on the brush, it's a neverending circle. Plus you're more likely to rub your eyelid than your eyelashes, adding more bacteria if you have dirty hands.
I do think good hygiene is a must. One can never be too careful. But I don't go by what the manufacturers say. Same as I don't go by what the health people say either. Because they keep changing their minds, and their results are never 100% true, because if you compare a sample of the population for a trial, likelihood is that people have different health/lifestyle/family background that can influence the results. Let's say for the sake of it, the scare about microwaves (I don't go by the right facts I am just trying to explain my point more clearly). A certain percentage of people who use a microwave get cancer. To get that figure (simplified) they will get people that use a microwave, and people that don't use a microwave, and compare the rates of cancer. Will they take into account health history (is there a history of recurrent cancers in the family) or previous lifestyle (could one of the people that is using a microwave be a sun-bed addict?). That would definitely bias the results and therefore you can't make an objective judgment from trials. Sorry this was a sinister example but that's just what came to mind.
Working in a pharmacy, we see a lot of eye conditions. Are they really due to lack of makeup hygiene/using mascaras that are older than the 6 month deadline?
The only time I ever caught an eye infection, it was conjunctivitis from my baby boy. I don't think I was wearing makeup then (NB I would recommend that if you do have an eye infection you ditch all the makeup that will DEFINITELY be contaminated by bad nasty bacteria). The conjunctivitis went round and round my son's nursery. A doctor I worked with at the time caught it from her daughter, who was at the same nursery as my son. Do kids wear makeup? No. Eye infections are highly contagious, contact is a big culprit, as well as things like air conditioning.
I am not basically saying that you shouldn't ditch your makeup after the expiry date. But owning a lot of makeup, I feel that if I did that, I would spend a lot of money and get very little for it. I'd rather trust my instinct, and, feeling lucky that I am not prone to eye infections, continue using my products that are past their expiry date and ditch them when I do feel that they have gone off.
PS For the record I am not saying "do what I do". I don't want to be sued by someone who's caught an infection ! Just giving my point of view :)
Forgot to mention -- what worries me a lot more is the fact that manufacturers still don't seal their cosmetics... I made a blog post about it on here
ReplyDeletehttp://martiandelightsdicountmakeupcosmetics.blogspot.com/2010/01/beauty-bloggers-and-makeup-followers-i.html
If the manufacturers were really worried about us getting eye infections from makeup, surely they would make sure that all their products are hygienically sealed before putting them for sale in our shops. But they don't.
So really, between getting in contact with my own bacteria (I don't share my makeup so all the bugs on it are mine) and someone else's (by buying a product that someone could have tried before) I know which one I choose !
Mine either run out in a few months or they dry up and start to become flaky, so 3-6 months works for me with mascara. But i have to say I've come across a lot of people and models who've had conjunctivitis as a result of the make up artist using mascara that was contaminated.
ReplyDeleteI think its longer for eye shadows as bacteria grows more easily in liquids/moist areas.
I guess these things are just averages and the researchers have to generalize. I personally just use things until they stop working, become less effective, go off or run out, only on myself though. I keep my pro kit pretty darn fresh though!
xxx