Kim and Aggie would not be proud...

For those of you have never watched the iconic ‘How Clean is Your House’ Kim and Aggie are cleaning queens who for many seasons horrified us by showing us Britain’s most disgusting homes and putting them to rights. I was watching a re-run the other day and as they were discussing ‘best before’ dates whilst cleaning out a particularly gruesome kitchen cupboard I got to thinking; are we all as strict with our makeup as we are with our food?

I’ll be the first to put my hands up and say no. Part of me is a bit of a cynic and believes that some of the BBF dates are a marketing ploy to get us to buy more. Whilst I’m scrupulous about chucking out liquid or cream products after the recommended time powders will sit around until I’m done with them. I think I’d draw the line at 5 years for an eyeshadow or blush but 1 year? Why? It’s a dry product. My brushes are cleaned with a product that disinfects. I sanitise my hands before touching anything in my collection. Everything is kept in a completely dry environment. If I notice a change in texture or smell, whatever the product, it goes in the bin immediately. 

Mascara is a bit of a touchy subject for some. For some reason unbeknown to me people have decided that after 3 months witchcraft occurs and the product turns to poison. Where did this three month rule come from? All of the tubes I currently own have use by period of at least 6 month. My Rimmel Sexy Curves states 1 year! Of course if my mascara gets dry, flaky, clumpy or smelly before  the use by is up it goes in the bin. I’ve noticed that traditional bristle style wands tend to go off faster than the newer rubber styles. And of course if you’re prone to eye infections chuck them out more often. My point is I just advocate a bit of commonsense. If it seems like it’s gone off, chuck it. If not it’s probably ok. I won’t throw out a perfectly good mascara just because 90 days are up. 

Lip gloss is something that I’m a bit more fastidious about. I try and use them up within 18 months. After that I’ll probably just chuck them. I think It’s because of the applicators and the fact they touch your lips. Lipsticks I usually bin after around 2 years or as soon as they start to get that plasticine smell.

So there, I’ve confessed. I’m a bit of a mucky pup. I’m sure I’m not alone in this though. I’ve seen so many collection videos and countless hauls so I’m sure there are plenty of other makeup addicts out there with more makeup than they can realistically use up within a year or so. Let me know in the comments if you’re as bad (or worse!) than me or if you stick to the use by labels fastidiously x