7 Things You Have to Check in Your Make up Bag ...

Ever noticed that your old favorite lipstick suddenly starts to dry your lips out? Keep wearing it, and they’ll soon be blistered, irritated and very dry. A key sign that your lipstick is going old is when it starts to change colour slightly, or feels a bit scratchy when you apply it. High quality lipsticks should last around 9 months as a minimum, so keep an eye on yours after then.

After four months, your mascara will start to look dry and crusty. This is partly caused by micro organisms sucking the moisture out. Then you’ll start to get eye infections and red, itchy eyes. To avoid this, try to buy a new mascara every four months, and don’t pump your mascara, as this pushes germs back into the tube.

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72% of women never wash their make up brushes, meaning all your oil, skin cells, make up and any dust or reminents from inside your make up bag coat the top, and cover your skin everytime you use them. Uncleaned make up brushes can harbour some really horrible germs, including herpes, ringworm and impetigo... wash them once a week with baby shampoo, and you’ll really lengthen their life.

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Once your foundationbecomes watery and seperates, its time to throw it away. The preservatives in it have broken down at this stage, and it becomes the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Foundation also has use by dates, so check this to make sure you don’t use it after, as this can lead to horrible skin rashes.

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If you useconcealer to cover spots, make sure you wipe the end of your brush with a tissue and wash it as soon as possible. If you don’t, you’ll spread the spot germs around your face, which could make you break out and gives them chance to breed in your concealer.

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If you’ve got an eye infection, don’t useeye liner, eye shadow or mascara. The germs spread super fast, and contaminating your make up will guarantee you get the infection back! It’s also proven to slow down recovery, so keep your eyes clear and rock thenatural lookinstead.

If you have a cold sore, avoid using lipstick or lipgloss, to avoid spreading bacteria and speed up healing. Regularly sharpen your lip pencils and clean your lip brushes every week. This keeps them clean and healthy. Replace them every 18 months for best results.

I was shocked to discover what could be hiding in my make up bag, and have to admit that I can’t remember how old some of my make up is. It’s not worth risking, though, so I’ll be investing in some more, and writing down when I got it and when it needs to be replaced. I don’t want to catch anything! And remember that sharingmake up is a bad idea too. Have you got a tip for make up bag hygiene? Please let me know!

Top Photo Credit: Teo-T