The Most Important Thing You Don’t Know About Mascara

We specialize in (and know you love) clean makeup. But what about keeping it clean with your makeup bag? Today, we’re revisiting some of our favorite tips that will keep your stash in top shape. This is especially important when it comes to — you guessed it — mascara, which should be replaced every 3 months.

The Basics of Makeup Expiration

Faces get better with age, but your beauty products most certainly do not, and they have legally regulated expiration dates for a very good reason. (And it isn’t so companies can sell you more makeup). Over time all products can change color, texture and consistency — especially products that are good for you, like the ones with added antioxidants, and that lack scary chemical stabilizers. Products can also start to smell. If any of these things happen, toss them immediately.

So how do you know what to expect and how to avoid being wasteful (and when to replace your lipgloss before it turns orange)? Take a product, flip it over and you’re likely to see a little drawing of an open pot and a number, like “6M.” That means that 6 months from the day you opened that product, you should be replacing it.

Protect Your Eyes — They’re Delicate!

In general, the highest turnover items in your bag should be the ones you put around your eyes. First off, sharing is not caring when it comes to eyeliners, mascaras, eye brushes and shadows. You’re basically asking for an eye infection, so if you gave your girlfriend a swipe of mascara last night, dump the tube stat. Also, it’s that time of year when you’re probably about to whip out last summer’s waterproof mascara. Don’t. Eyelashes may be flirty and gorgeous but evolutionarily, they’re actually present to trap dirt, not a significant other. So… if you’re brushing over your lashes with a wand, returning it to the tube and storing it for a year? Yikes. There’s a reason we recommend a 3 month cycle for mascara Auto Delivery.

Need Help Remembering?

If you’re not sure when you purchased the mascara you’re using now, well, we can’t blame you. That’s why we recommend purchasing mascara using the Auto Delivery feature on the product page. Every 3 months (or however often you choose), you’ll receive an email reminder that your order is about to ship (free, and with samples, by the way). About to leave town? Just shift the delivery date. Just ran out of concealer? Add it to your Auto Delivery order once still ships free. So go forth, keep it clean and leave the remembering to us!

Get super lush lashes with our richly pigmented mineral-based mascaras. 

• Share this article
• Tweet this article