When you take a peek into your makeup bag, what do you see? How many beauty products to you own that have been in there since you bought them; never mind that you may have purchased them five years ago. And why did you buy that purple eye shadow? That’s right, just in case you ever had an occasion where purple eye shadow would be perfect. Thus, five years later that occasion has yet to arrive.

First you must realize that makeup and other beauty products, just like any other skin care product or food item, has a shelf life. Before you start pondering why you should throw out old makeup and shop for new items on the basis of time, consider for a moment the amount you use particular products. Take that purple eye color for example. You bought it because it may have come in handy. People have a hard time throwing items away when they think they might use them.

This is exactly how clutter can accumulate. First comb through your items and instead of mulling over when you may be able to use something in the future, consider its past history. If you have not used a particular beauty product in the last year, you are very unlikely to use it in the coming year. Avoid thinking of what ifs because that will only make you save an unnecessary color. The time has come for out with the old, in with the new!

Right, so now you have chucked products you will not be using. There are still probably a few beauty products in there that you use a lot, but are quite old. While there is no solid rule on when something is beyond its shelf life, you should keep a few guidelines in mind. Generally, makeup is formulated to have a shelf life of around one to three years. However, you must also consider the packaging, what the product is made of, and what sort of conditions you are storing your beauty products in. Perhaps you own a foundation that comes in a clear, plastic container and you allow sun to shine on it every time you open your window. Not the best choice.

Exposure to air can assist in drying your foundation as well as letting in bacteria as it is. Storing it in a place where the sun can hit it will not only fade some of the color, but can also help provide a warm spot for bacteria to grow (it will already be moist in there; humid and moist tend to be fantastic breeding grounds for bacteria).

Though it is not necessary to store all your beauty products in the refrigerator, try to at least keep them somewhere the temperature is low and out of the reach of sunlight or other heat sources. Likewise, try to find products that come in containers that are not clear. Powders and products that are already dry like eye color are different; liquids are more susceptible to problems such as heat and air, which mean their shelf life is relatively shorter. A few years at most.

When it comes to powders, eye colors, and eye liners, they can be kept for longer periods of time. A few more years than most liquids, but there is always the possibility of bacteria hanging out in the product, so you would do well to toss out any items that are over four years old.

The trick after throwing away a specific beauty product or color is trying to find a replacement; especially if you truly loved that item. In some cases, because color options are so varied, by shopping around at various places, you could find a replacement fairly quickly. At other times, perhaps your favorite color of nail polish just could not be saved and now you struggle to find that color again. It may be sad and difficult, but trust that it was for the best. Better to lack a color than to deal with a potential heath hazard.