The Shelf Life Of Makeup : Shelf lives of typical beauty products

Every woman we know has a pile of makeup in her drawer that she "sometimes" uses. Beauty products do have a shelf life, however, and chances are that blue eyeshadow with the glimmery bits that you bought a couple years ago has long expired. Here's a quick guide on the shelf lives of typical beauty products.

# Concealer Up to 12 months.

# Powder 2 years.

# Cream & gel cleansers 1 year.

# Pencil eye liner Should be sharpened regularly. Will last up to 3 years.

# Eyeshadow Will also last up to 3 years. Extra tip: A dark eyeshadow can double as eyeliner, in fact, most makeup artists swear by eyeshadow used as eyeliner.

# Brushes Wash every 2-3 months in a mild detergent.

# Sponges Wash weekly and discard monthly.

# Foundation Check the ingredients: A water-based foundation will last up to 12 months, oil-based will last up to 18 months.

# Lip liner Up to 3 years. Extra tip: Skip the push-up lip liners. They're expensive, tend to break and you never really know how much you have left until you run out.

# Lipstick Some experts say 1-2 years. Others say up to 4 years. What everyone agrees on is that if it smells rancid, throw it out, it's spoiled. Extra tip: If you store lipstick in the refrigerator, it will last longer.

# Mascara This product expires the fastest: Throw out after 4 months. Extra tip: If you don't want your mascara to expire faster than its fresh date, don't pump the wand in and out.

# Nail Polish Up to 12 months, depending on the quality.