You might be wondering if the makeup products you've had lying around for a while can be used again? Here's a guide on how you can sort through and refresh your makeup. With reduced bacteria, dirt, and old makeup, your skin will become healthier, have fewer blemishes, and glow. Your skin will thank you!
Mascara
✅ Save
If your mascara has been dry since last winter, the waxes may have solidified. Some waxes melt around 35 degrees, so try placing the mascara in a warm water bath for 5 minutes. Then stir around with the mascara brush.
❌ Throw away
If the mascara is still dry despite the warm bath, it's best to throw it away. Adding various substances to your dry mascara is not recommended. It's simply old and probably full of bacteria. Buy a new one. If the mascara isn't dry, smell it. If it smells bad, throw it away!
Pressed powder makeup ✅ Save
Oils from your skin can sometimes stick to your pressed powder. Fat from your face is transferred through makeup brushes, makeup sponges, and similar tools. This can create a tough and hard surface on your makeup that blocks and prevents you from picking up the makeup with your brush. Carefully scrape away this surface with, for example, a small smooth knife. Now you should be able to use your makeup again.
Oils that have stuck to pressed powder.
Tip! Wash your brush after each use to avoid this. You can also try wiping your brush on a tissue between re-applications. Make sure to wait until your face cream or oil has been absorbed by the skin or wipe off excess oil on the skin with a tissue before applying your powder makeup.
Throw away
Most pressed powders like eyeshadow, blush, and various types of powder contain oils. Oils can go rancid over the years. Therefore, smell your makeup to see if it has a sharp, acrid, and rancid odor. Throw it away if this is the case, as rancid oils damage the skin barrier.
Lip makeup ✅ Save
Does the applicator for your lip gloss feel grimy? Maybe lipstick has stuck to it or it just looks unclean? Wipe off and wash the applicator with mild soap. Then rinse off soap residue thoroughly. It's important to let the applicator dry properly (until the next day) so you don't get water into your product. Put plastic wrap over your lip gloss tube to protect the product while waiting for the applicator to dry.
Lipstick can look grimy on the surface. Dead skin cells and bacteria may have stuck there, or it may have dried out or oxidized since you last used it. Wipe off the lipstick with paper or swipe the lipstick several times on regular clean copy paper if it looks really grimy. This way you'll get rid of the ugly surface.
Throw away
Smell your lip makeup whether it's liquid or solid. Remember that you ingest your lip makeup, so always throw it away if it smells rancid, acrid, or bad.
Liquid makeup ✅ Save
Does your foundation feel a bit dry or thick so it crumbles or cracks on the skin? Try mixing a dab of foundation with a drop of any face oil.
Throw away
Guess. Yep! Smell it. You know what applies.
Unsure?
If the makeup smells bad, old, or completely different, it's crystal clear that it should be thrown away. But sometimes it smells exactly as usual despite you having had the product for a long time. Makeup has an expiration date or open jar marking (use within x months after opening). Go by that, and if you can't find any date:
Throw away if you've used the product on and off for several years.
Keep if you've used the product pretty much every day since you bought it.
Throw away if there's only a little left, for example liquid makeup in a tube or bottle. Little makeup left means a lot of air, and there's a high risk that your product has oxidized if it has also been sitting untouched for a while.
Keep if your loose mineral makeup is liquid- and oil-free. Pure minerals last for incredibly many years, especially if you tap out the makeup into the lid and don't dip fingers or brushes directly into the product.
Keep your water-free cream makeup that usually contains a lot of coconut oil, waxes, or shea butter. It usually lasts longer than the stated date.
How to clean your makeup
Makeup brushes
If you don't usually wash your makeup brushes after each use, now is the time. Deep clean your makeup brushes and other applicators. Your skin will feel better and your makeup will last longer. Clean your brushes with mild soap and water. The best soap to clean with is mild, natural soaps. It makes the whole washing routine easier and more enjoyable.
Soap and polish
Soap and water
Time to wash those makeup lids! All dirty lids, especially for mineral makeup, need freshening up now and then. Now is a perfect opportunity. Wash with soap and water. Then dry thoroughly. If the makeup is stuck very hard, you'll need to scrub with coconut oil and a little baking soda to get it to come loose. Then wash away oil residue with soap and water. Dry off. Done!
Mineral makeup can stick really hard. Here scrubbing with coconut oil and baking soda was required.
Wipe
We all know how sticky it can get around a powder compact, on the edges of your cream makeup in jars, on bottle necks, etc. Wipe off with soap and water or coconut oil. Only wipe the packaging without getting soap and water into the makeup. Use a tissue or soft paper to wipe off the actual makeup product.
The edges were easily cleaned with soap and water.
Polish
Makeup gets unsightly fingerprints and other grime on the outside of the packaging. Even skincare and hygiene products that are left out get sad limescale stains and maybe even toothpaste splatters on them. With an effective polish, it becomes both easy and fun to keep containers and bottles clean!
Smooth makeup containers easily get sticky. Especially if you use face oil.
Ekotipset has a great recipe for an eco-friendly window cleaner that works perfectly for polishing makeup containers, bottles, and other bathroom items.
Mix
1⅔ cups water
⅓ cup 24% vinegar
5 drops mild and eco-friendly dish soap
or
1¼ cups water
¾ cup 2% vinegar
5 drops mild and eco-friendly dish soap
Pour into a spray bottle and polish away! Since you're already at it, polish mirrors, shower glass, faucets, bathtubs, and windows. Works best with a clean microfiber cloth. Enjoy sparkling clean surfaces and bottles!
