We hate to break it to you, but makeup brushes, sadly, don't last forever. Like many of our favorite beauty essentials, they eventually lose their original luster and stop working as well as they once did. So how long do makeup brushes last, then? And how do you know when to throw away makeup brushes and get a new bouquet of bristles? Keep reading to discover the top signs your old makeup brushes are ready to meet the bin.
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What Is the Life of Makeup Brushes?
Depending on the quality and the care you show them, makeup brushes can last anywhere from a year to a decade. However, many need replacement every three to five years.
Routinely cleaning your makeup brushes can help them last longer, so aim for once-weekly washing to keep them in tip-top shape. You can also gently wash makeup brushes after every use if you prefer, but weekly cleaning is considered excellent makeup hygiene!
How Do You Know When to Throw out Makeup Brushes?
If you've kept up with cleaning your makeup brushes but are still dealing with the following issues, then it's officially time to replace them.
1. They Look Frazzled
Makeup brushes can lose their shape over time, which ultimately impacts performance. Think wayward bedhead bristles, dents, bends, and beyond. Deformed brushes often occur when they're not washed, dried, or stored properly.
2. Bristles Are Falling Out
In addition to looking unkempt, old makeup brushes can start to experience bristle shedding. You may notice that the brush looks thinner than it once did, or even see bristles in the bottom of your makeup bag or on your face after using the brush.
3. The Bristles Are Super Stiff
New brushes are luxuriously fluffy and soft. With consistent usage, though, bristles can start to feel stiff and uncomfortable against your skin. No sense in using makeup brushes that make you say, 'ouch!'
4. The Handle Has Seen Better Days
Brush heads aren't the only part of a makeup brush susceptible to expiration. Handles can also start to fall apart or look and feel really worn. If the brush isn't comfortable to hold or doesn't stay together, it's time to say au revoir.
5. Your Makeup Doesn't Apply Nicely Anymore
Sometimes it's tricky to know when to throw away makeup brushes since they often lose their luster slowly over a stretch of time. If you notice that your brush doesn't deposit your foundation, concealer, blush, or eyeshadow as well as it once did, that could indicate it's past its prime.
Pro Tip: Sometimes this occurs when there's product buildup, so give your makeup brush a good deep clean, lay it flat to dry, and try it again to see if that makes a difference.
6. They Smell Not-So-Great
If anything in your makeup bag smells off'including your makeup brushes'it's best to part ways. Stinky makeup brushes indicate mildew, mold, or bacteria growth. Your skin says, 'No thanks!' to that.
7. They're Breaking Out
Sometimes makeup brushes can harbor dirt, grime, or bacteria without smelling bad. If you notice an increase in skin irritation or breakouts after using your brushes, pay attention.
Here's when you should typically replace your essential beauty products, according to Henry.
"We're putting things near our eyes, near our mouths where we have the mucosa that can more readily absorb these things. And those are areas where you can get an infection quite readily. So it's about your overall health and safety."
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"We're putting this on our face; this is delicate skin. If [the product] is compromised in any way you can get an infection," she warns.
Using expired beauty products could dry out or irritate your skin because the concentration can change, Henry says.
If you think it's harmless to use beauty products without knowing their expiration dates, it's not, says Dr. Michelle Henry , founder of Skin & Aesthetic Surgery of Manhattan and clinical instructor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College .
All skincare and makeup products have them. It might be tempting to keep using an expired product, especially because of just how much they can cost, but experts would advise against that practice.
For many skincare and makeup products it's pretty easy to use them up, but there are some like moisturizers, mascara and blush that take more time to get through. And for those, there's something important to keep in mind: expiration dates.
Not all products of the same type share the same formula, so you should always look for the expiration dates on their containers. Typically, they're labeled as six months or one year, which begins after you've opened the product.
Henry suggests labeling your products with the date of when you first opened and used them. "When products are unopened, they have a longer shelf life," she says. "Most things are made to last at least two years when they're unopened."
"Anything that's water-based is going to have a higher propensity for growing bacteria and those sorts of things that can make continued use dangerous," Henry says. Cleansers are often water-based and should be tossed no longer than a year after they've been opened.
Toners may need to be replaced even sooner, at six months to a year, because they are more "heavily water-based" than cleansers, Henry says.
There's potential for bacterial growth in certain serums and for efficacy reasons, you may need to toss them sooner. "Depending on the serum, it might be closer to six months, especially if it's something like an antioxidant like vitamin C that might not be as stable," Henry says.
"Every time you open it, it's getting oxygenated."
For moisturizers, Henry recommends replacing them every six months to a year, especially depending on how they're packaged.
"If it's a pot [and] you're putting your finger into it, it's coming into contact with more bacteria on a daily basis," she says.
Moisturizers with airless pumps are growing in popularity because they "improve the stability of the product. It doesn't break down as readily [and] is less likely to get contaminated with bacteria from daily use."
Sunscreens are very similar to moisturizers and should be replaced within six months to a year once opened. "If you're seeing it separate, then it's probably time to get a new sunscreen," Henry says, which can happen sooner than the expiration date because sunscreens typically break down from excess heat.
Foundations and concealers "also abide by six months to one year," Henry says. They're similar to creams with water content and preservatives that can last for that length of time.
"People use their mascara way too long. We often see rashes and can see infections from that," she says. Henry strongly urges you to replace your mascara within four to six months.
It's best to replace your lip glosses and lipsticks about six months to one year after your first use. "Lip gloss is going be [a] shorter [length] than lipstick, because the formulations are sometimes more water-based," she says.
Powder-based products typically have a longer shelf life, Henry says. You can find comfort in knowing that if you've had your blush or eyeshadow palette for less than two years, then it's in pretty good shape.
Though makeup brushes and beauty blenders don't have expiration dates, they should be cleaned pretty frequently. Cleaning them after each use is a bit ambitious, so Henry recommends that you "replace or clean and sterilize [them] at least weekly."
Don't forget to do the same for your loofahs, Buf-Puf or other products that you use for applying skincare products.
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