Make up

Does your makeup bag need a refresh?

For many women, the makeup items that are in their day to day cosmetics bag are the ones that are their favourites and are used on a daily basis but how often do they tip out the contents and sort through the ones that are out of date or not as good as they should be and start again?

It is tempting to hang on to items of makeup that we like long past when they should have been binned especially if it is something that we no longer can bet hold of, but the facts are that these old items can be full of germs and bacteria that can cause illness and skin problems. If the makeup has been opened and used it can contain harmful bacteria. This can make your skin more likely to break out, become irritated or even introduce infections. Liquid makeup, especially, is prone to becoming a home for growing bacteria over time. Eye makeup can potentially introduce serious infections in the eyes. Items that have been unopened will probably just not work as well or may be dried up. It is certainly worth every few months going through the cosmetics bag and throwing out any makeup that has been opened and used for any longer than twelve months. If in doubt have a look at the packaging and there will be a symbol of an open jar with a number and the letter m for months after it. This shows the number of months a product should be used after opening for example a 3m indicates that the product should be thrown out three months after opening. Old makeup can be recycled and many recycling centres have a place where items can be placed.

Once the cosmetics bag is empty and washed you may want to invest in some new makeup. Most women only use about four items regularly that is foundation, lipstick, eye liner and mascara. For an evening out they may use a wider range of products but generally these four items are the most commonly found in makeup bags. There may also be different cosmetic tools in the bag such as tweezers, eyebrow brushes and eyelash curlers. These items should be washed regularly to keep them clean and germ-free. Having a well organised cosmetics bag can be a real advantage if you are going out to work early and want to be able to simply pick up your bag knowing that everything you need is there ready for you to apply your makeup and start your day.