Question: I love wearing makeup but for some reason, lately I have been breaking out.  For the most part I can say my skin has been pretty good to me. What can be the problem?

Answer:  Ms Michelle, there can be many possibilities! It can be hormonal problems as well as an allergic reaction. My first suggestion is to visit a Dermatologist. He or she can observe your skin to eliminate any underlying skin condition.

Another possibility could be your makeup! Sad to say but makeup does have an expiration date and can carry an unbelievable amount of bacteria including Staph and E.Coli. Don’t panic or feel bad, I’m guilty of keeping makeup longer than I’m suppose to as well. However we really have to make it our duty and do a little spring cleaning with our makeup for sanitary purposes.  Last month I actually threw out 90% of my makeup and will be re-purchasing everything again little by little! Sucks right but I had to do it.


So Michelle, Below is a guideline which can assist you with your makeup “spring cleaning”.

Liquid and Cream Foundation: 1 year
Powder- 2 years
Mascara- 3 months or dispose when it dry’s out
Lip and eye pencils- 3-6 months 
Lipstick and Lip-gloss- 1 year
Eye shadow- 2 years
Powder & Crème Blush- 2 years

A few more helpful tips

- When you go shopping for makeup, keep a journal.  You can easily make a note to self on when to dispose expired makeup.

- Beauty So clean is a sanitizing spray which is formulated to remove bacteria without affecting the surface of your makeup. Spray after every use

-  Cargo introduced their first time strip lip gloss. Cool Huh? The time strip becomes red when its time to dispose the lip gloss. To activate the time strip, insert it into the cap immediately after usage.

- Clean your brushes weekly with a mild detergent. Baby shampoo and Dish washing Soap works pretty good!

- Remember to keep your hands clean at all time. This is the easiest way to cross contaminate your makeup.