If you're obsessed with staying neat like us, there's almost nothing more immediately gratifying than cleaning something out. Here's some good news for you: It's likely high time you sort through your bathroom beauty items. Expired makeup and products do more harm than good, so saying goodbye might mean saying hello to clearer skin and healthier habits.
HuffPost Style turned to a few experts to get their takes on what beauty products to toss and when -- among them, Dr. Pamela Dalton, a member of Monell Chemical Senses Center, Dr. Amy Wechsler, renowned dermatologist, and makeup artist Kari Bauce. To get motivated, Bauce offered us some pretty wise words. "You wouldn't feed your family something that came out of a can in 2011, so why would you put something on your face that's been sitting in a cabinet for that long?"
A reminder: This isn't some phony attempt to get you to buy more makeup or products, but rather a callout to, as Bauce says, "use what you buy." Without further ado, here are the 14 products you will (most likely) need to throw out right now:
1. Mascara Expires after: Bauce says six to eight weeks; most say 3 months Throw out because: "When it starts to dry out," says Bauce. It's also because you could easily get pink eye from old mascara, or contract a serious infection. Adds Bauce: "If it is flaking onto your face or your eyes itch, throw it out."
2. Nail polish Expires after: One to two years Throw out because: In an interview with Fitness Magazine, Annette Soboleski, a nail technician for OPI Products Inc., said that once nail polish is opened, "some ingredients will evaporate, causing the nail polish to thicken and separate." Once it separates and starts to clump, throw it out.
3. Face masks Expires after: "One to two years, or if the consistency, dryness or color has changed," says Bauce. Throw out because: Over time, the masks can become irritating to your face as the chemicals and ingredients within them begin to break down.
4. Perfume Expires after: Your nose says it's gone bad Throw out because: "There really isn't any danger in using a perfume that may have changed character, [but] it's best to just let your nose be the judge of when it's time to throw it out!" says Dr. Dalton.
5. Concealer Expires after: 1 year Throw out because: While concealer generally expires within the year, it could get dry before that, too, says Bauce.
6. Facial wipes or medicated pads Expires after: The expiration date, typically two months Throw out because: They've probably dried out anyway.
7. Blush Expires after: Two to maybe three years, though Bauce notes that cream blush is more like emollient and you should toss it after about a year. Throw out because: "It just stops working after a while, which is what you'll find with powder products in time," says Bauce. "They get drier, they get flatter. It if starts to get a film over it, toss it, because that film is mold."
8. Eyeliner Expires after: Six months for liquid eyeliner, two years for pencil eyeliner Throw out because: Liquid eyeliner starts to gather bacteria over time, but pencils keep longer because you constantly sharpen it. A white or grey tip is a sign of mold, adds Bauce.
