Your beauty bag might seem like a collection of products designed to make you look and feel your best, but lurking inside could be some hidden dangers. From expired products to potentially harmful tools, it’s important to know what might be causing harm to your skin or sabotaging your beauty routine. Here are 20 things in your beauty bag that you should reconsider using—and what to do about them.
1. Expired Products
Makeup and skincare are expensive, so when you spend your hard-earned cash on an item, you want to use every last drop. But keeping expired products in your beauty bag is a big no-no. Over time, cosmetics lose their effectiveness and can also begin to harbor bacteria that can make your face irritated and cause infections, breakouts, and allergies. Always check the expiration dates and replace old products regularly—even if they were expensive, it’s not worth it.
2. Toxic Ingredients
Many beauty products contain ingredients like parabens, sulfates, and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, and you might not even know it. These ingredients crop up in a lot of different products and can be harmful to your health. Prolonged exposure to these chemicals can lead to skin irritation, hormone disruption, and other health issues. Be sure to read the ingredients on every beauty product you buy, and always try to shop for clean beauty first.
3. Clumpy Mascara
Mascara that has become clumpy and dry should be tossed immediately. Not only does it make your lashes look unappealing, but old mascara can have harmful bacteria growing inside the tube, increasing the risk of eye infections. Though it seems costly, you need to replace your mascara every three months to keep your eyes safe and your lashes looking flawless.
4. Dirty Makeup Brushes
Washing makeup brushes is a huge chore that no one ever really finds fun. But using dirty makeup brushes is one of the easiest ways to transfer bacteria to your skin, leading to breakouts and skin infections. Regularly wash your brushes with a gentle cleanser to keep them clean and your skin clear. If you’re finding you randomly have a ton of skin irritation, your dirty, grimy makeup brushes are to blame.
5. Dry Powders
Powder products like foundation, blush, and eyeshadow can become dry and cakey over time, making them difficult to apply and causing your makeup to look patchy. This is particularly true if they’re expired. If your powders are drying out, it’s time to replace them with fresh ones that glide on smoothly. Dry powders will not only make your makeup look bad, but they’re also not good for your skin.
6. Sharp Eyeliner Pencils
Have you ever sharpened an eyeliner pencil and dragged it across your eyes only for it to scratch you? If you haven’t, be thankful. An eyeliner pencil that hasn’t been sharpened recently can be a real hazard to your eyes. Using a dull pencil can lead to uneven lines and even accidental scratches on your delicate eye area. Always keep your eyeliner pencils sharp for a precise application and to avoid any eye injuries.
7. Gua Sha Tools
While gua sha tools can be great for facial massage and lymphatic drainage, using them incorrectly can damage the skin on your face and neck as well as cause bruising if you’re not careful. If you’re not trained in proper technique, it’s best to use these tools with caution or consult a professional for guidance to avoid harming yourself.
8. Overused Lip Balms
Lip balms are the one thing that feels laborious to replace. But using the same lip balm for too long, especially if it’s been exposed to air and heat, can make it less effective and potentially introduce bacteria to your lips. Next time you’re in a pharmacy, be sure to top up your lip balm if yours has gotten old and greasy.
9. Worn-Out Beauty Blenders
Beauty blenders that have been used for too long and not washed properly can become breeding grounds for bacteria. These sponges should be cleaned after every use and replaced every few months to ensure they’re not transferring bacteria to your skin. If you don’t, every time you put it on your skin, you’re potentially pressing hundreds of grimy bacteria across your face.
10. Old Sunscreen
Just like makeup and skincare, sunscreen can also expire over time. Sunscreen loses its effectiveness after a certain period, meaning it might not protect your skin from UV rays as well as it should. Always check the expiration date and replace your sunscreen regularly to keep your skin protected. If you continue to wear expired sunscreen, you could be exposing your skin to harmful UV rays, which could lead to a myriad of skin issues.
11. Dirty Tweezers
Tweezers need to be cleaned regularly. If you neglect to wipe down your tweezers after every use, you could be transferring bacteria to your skin, causing infections or irritation. This is especially true if you’re using them to pluck hairs or remove splinters. Clean your tweezers with alcohol every time you use them for ultimate cleanliness.
12. Harsh Facial Scrubs
Exfoliating is great, but using harsh facial scrubs with large, rough particles can cause painful micro-tears in your skin, leading to irritation and breakouts. Avoid almond scrubs and other larger exfoliants if you want to protect your skin from irritation. Instead, opt for gentle exfoliants that will gently scrub the skin without tearing it or disrupting the barrier.
13. Lash Glue
We all have old lash glue that floats around our makeup bags, but did you know that using old eyelash glue could have serious effects on your health? Not only does eyelash glue lose its stickiness and effectiveness over time, but old glue can cause irritation or even allergic reactions. Always be careful what you put on and around your eyes—the skin is the most sensitive part of the face.
14. Expired Eye Creams
Eye creams are great. They keep our eyes plump, moisturized, and fresh. However, some of us are often keeping our jars of eye cream longer than we should, leading to a loss of effectiveness and potential irritation. Since the skin around your eyes is delicate, using expired products can do more harm than good. Always check expiration dates and replace your eye creams when they expire.
15. Broken Lipsticks
Bleeding lipstick is a bad look. It happens when lipstick spreads (or feathers) beyond the natural outline of your lips, creating a smudged, uneven, messy appearance. When your lipstick slips, it can settle into the fine lines and wrinkles around your mouth, making them more noticeable. Eating, drinking, not applying lip liner, or using old or broken lipstick that has lost its consistency can cause your lipstick to smudge.