Right about now a large percentage of women are doing their spring cleaning, but how many are cleaning out their makeup bags? Every week on “What Not To Wear” I gaze in horror at the dirty and disgusting makeup bags of many of our contributors. If you are this woman (you are not alone) this is what you will see when looking into your makeup bag; a broken eye shadow, a nub of an eyeliner, dried out mascara, your favorite lipstick gouged deeply past the finished point from you sticking your lip brush in it, digging to salvage what’s left, a dirty q-tip covered in all kinds of nasty things, a hair band, dull cheap tweezers, a blush brush flattened and rubbed down to what feels like a rough brillo pad, and probably a dried piece of gum so hard you can snap it in half. Throw it all away and start over! This will give you a good excuse to buy new shades and formulas and also be a lot more sanitary. Old makeup and dirty tools can harbor bacteria causing breakouts. I have a basic guideline for the life of makeup and tools and when to throw them out; Foundation - 1 year, lipstick - 1 year, eyeliner - 1 year but keep sharpening them before each use, mascara - 3 months, powder - 2 years, shadows - 2 years, brushes - wash weekly, sponges - wash weekly and throw out monthly. There are some great tricks for recycling worn down -but not out- makeup. If you have favorite lipstick that has been whittled down before it’s due date, scoop out what’s deep inside the tube and place in a little plastic pillbox for a great lip compact. Dried and crusty mascara can be re-liquefied by running the sealed tube under hot water for 10 minutes. The best way to keep brushes clean, bacteria free and in shape is choose an instant drying brush cleaner. Just dip in your brushes and wipe off with a paper towel. You will want to clean your brushes more often because you won’t have the hassle of having to lay them out to dry taking up time and space.
