# How long do you keep makeup?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-you-keep-makeup/756053>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 30, 2016, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-you-keep-makeup/756053 "2016-05-30T03:03:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-you-keep-makeup/756053/1 "2016-05-30T03:03:50Z")

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Background: I am on a major household purge of random detritus that has hung around here far too long. Tonight’s project is the master bathroom.

I practically never wear eyeshadow or lipstick. I have some that’s…well, let’s just say significantly older than how long any source I’ve ever read says you should keep it. (Somehow I got out of the habit.) But it looks fine (and some of them were samples or gifts that weren’t used, or used maybe a couple of times).

Keep, or toss? How long do you guys actually keep that stuff?

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**Author:** ![pidgeon92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@pidgeon92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pidgeon92)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-you-keep-makeup/756053/2 "2016-05-30T03:30:34Z")

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Conventional wisdom says 6 months. Personally, I think used can be kept up to two years unless it’s getting funky (and most of it does start getting clumpy or sticky). If the stuff is brand new, I think it can be kept a couple of years longer unless it’s funky.

Me, I just tossed all of mine the other day. I suspect it was 6 or 7 years old.

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**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-you-keep-makeup/756053/3 "2016-05-30T03:42:52Z")

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I use up my favorite mascara, eye liners and lipsticks regularly so they don’t get old. I have a couple of blushes that are maybe a year or two old, because I rarely wear blush.

I have some other stuff that is close to 10 years old, probably. Mostly it’s stuff I rarely wear, but every once in a great while I want gold or silver eye shadow for some fancy event so I have hung onto those. I should probably throw them out and get new ones.