A quick and easy hack
for keeping your makeup & skincare fresh.
Let’s face it, all the good stuff has an expiration date: fruit, bread, ice cream (though who lets it go that long??). And you know, life? The only things that don’t have expiration dates are the things that are so fake and processed that they can last forever (I’m looking at you, cream-filled yellow doughy treats).
It’s the same story with your favorite makeup and skincare!
Now, hopefully, you love your haul so much that you use it all up before it expires. If you don’t, there’s probably one of three (four) things happening:
- You bought the wrong product that doesn’t work for you, your skin type, your complexion, your routine, whatever. Either you haven’t gotten around to throwing it out or you’re holding out hope that it might work for you one day.
- You don’t know how to use what you bought in the easiest, most time-friendly way possible, and therefore you just don’t use it.
- You may have too many options, and so you lean on your old favorites.
- Or, you know, a pandemic happened and you don’t leave your house anymore.
Check back later for all the reasons why you should take care of your skin and put your makeup on anyway in the case of number four. That’s not what I’m talking about in this post.
So how do you know when your product expires?
Here’s where things get a little tricky. But I have a solution!
Step one, you’ve got to find the expiration timeframe. It almost always looks like a little open jar with a number on it. It’s probably on the bottom or the back of the container. If you’re trying to find it on a tube of mascara, you might have to break out the magnifying glass.
If you’re having trouble finding it, keep reading for some common expectations when it comes to different types of products.
Step two, you have to know when you opened or bought the product.
Yikes. I’m going to bet that you didn’t write that down.
This is where the hack comes in!
Quick Tip
Still talking about mascara here: if it has become hard to use, overly clumpy or flaky, or feels like you really have to work to coat the wand… Throw. It. Out. I can almost guarantee it’s expired!
Life Hack to the Rescue
When you go and replace your beloved product, find the expiration date on the package – I promise it’s easier if you have the packaging it came in. Then, put a reminder somewhere you’ll see it to re-order a couple weeks before your product expires! You can ask Siri, Cortana, or Alexa to remind you on a certain date, add an appointment to your favorite calendar app or in your planner, or whatever works for your style of planning. #LifeHack
As a fail-safe, when you have a go-to product consultant, you can ask her to help you remember to reorder – either the next time a killer sale happens, or by the time your product expires! #ShamelessPlug
Give yourself a break by setting up a backup way to remember a teensy detail like when your mascara expires, because you don’t have enough to remember already! That way even if you don’t use it all that often, when you do want to use it again, you’ll know it’s still fresh and good to go. No one wants to get some yucky eye gunk because they’re using expired mascara!
If my post has reminded you that you need to throw out that old tube of mascara and you’re looking for your new go-to – let me know! I’d be happy to hook you up with a new favorite.
Quick Reference Guide to Expiration Dates
You can do a web search for standard expiration dates on products, and for the most part, they’re going to be pretty spot on. However, Younique products are based in natural ingredients, and those obviously have a shorter shelf life than processed ingredients and chemicals. Here are some of the expiration dates of my favorite products that you can use as a starter guide.
