Fresh Start

There’s no time like a New Year (or decade, for that matter) for a fresh new look and the first place to start is with your makeup bag. Melli Carter gives us the best advice on keeping our kit fresh.

Ok, so I know it can be hard to throw out that Coty lipstick you bought in high school. I’m as sentimental as the next person. But, seriously, makeup does have a use-by date, and it’s best paying attention to it for all sorts of reasons.

Expired makeup can start to harbour bacteria and then there’s general performance and quality of the product, which can be lacking. Look for a symbol on your cosmetics jar, often an open lid with a number and the letter “M”. For example, 12M would mean that the product expires 12 months after you open it.

However, sometimes we don’t need the guidelines, as we can tell when our make-up is due for replacement. Here are my tips on what to replace, and when.

Mascara is a pretty obvious one. It simply just stops performing. Your lashes will be clumpy and the dreaded flaking will be present. A great way to know if your mascara is ‘turning’ is to listen out for the absence of a ‘POP’ noise. If your mascara is fresh, when you pull the wand from the tube you’ll hear a pop noise. Once it’s drying out and on the empty side, the noise simply disappears. If you’re finding your mascara is drying out too quickly, it could be that you are pumping the brush into the tube, pushing air into the tube which will cause the product to dry out long before it should. Instead, twirl the mascara wand in the tube to pick up extra product.

Timeline: Usually lasts 3-6 months.

Foundation can start to separate or even dry out. But you can always add a little of your moisturiser to your foundation to make it go further if you’re caught out with a nearly empty bottle.

Timeline: Usually lasts 12 months after opening.

Lipsticks that are ready to retire will often have a funky smell about them. Time to toss! Often lipsticks don’t last too well in the heat. Have you ever left a lipstick in the car in summer? Oh dear. The fridge is actually a great place to keep lippies that may have become a little too soft thanks to the summer heat. Also, if you find your eyeliners are also a little too soft in summer you can store them in the fridge as well. It also delays the aging process of the product.

Timeline: Lipsticks and lip glosses usually last 12 months.

Most people store their makeup in the worst possible place. The bathroom is humid and moist – it’s the perfect environment for bacteria to breed in your makeup. Try storing your makeup in your bedroom instead.

Now you’ve detoxed that bag it is time to start thinking about changing up your look. The way you did your make-up ten years ago may not be working for you now and the best thing about make-up and trying something new is that it washes off! So, if you try a new look and you’re not quite feeling it, it’s not like getting a drastic new haircut.

A new year is so full of new possibilities, it’s time to start loving what you see in the mirror .

When not creating addictive wearable shades and pretty packaging for her Cruelty Free Makeup Range, Melissa “Melli” Carter freelances as a makeup artist looking after some of Australia’s best-known faces in the TV and film industry. Her favourite thing to do is to share the ‘magic tricks’ she has collected over the last few decades with everyday women to bring out their confidence and natural beauty. Meet her at our exclusive Gorgeous Excuse events in 2020. Click here for more details.