When Does Makeup Expire?

  • Mascara: 2 to 4 months
  • Liquid eyeliner: 3 to 4 months
  • Eyeliner pencil: 3 to 24 months — regularly sharpening your eye pencils will extend their life
  • Cream eyeshadow: 3 to 12 months
  • Powder eyeshadow: 3 to 24 months — regularly cleaning application tools will extend the life of your cream and powder eyeshadows
  • Powder blush: 18 to 24 months
  • Cream blush: 12 to 24 months
  • Cream foundation and concealers: 12 to 24 months
  • Liquid foundation and concealers: 6 to 12 months
  • Lip gloss and lipstick: 6 to 24 months
  • Lipliner: 2+ years

Resources and additional reading:

How Long Should You Keep Makeup? | WebMD

How Long Should You Keep Products? | Birchbox

Does Your Makeup Have a Shelf Life? | Allure

Have Your Beauty Products Gone Bad? | Good Housekeeping

Generally speaking, if a product starts to smell weird or look “off,” toss it out. You’re better safe than sorry.

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