Four Products That Don’t Last as Long as You Think.

Who can’t resist the newest contouring kit or the mascara that promises to give you 10 times the volume? Beauty product trends feed the soul but that also probably means you have a ton of products in your bathroom that have been sitting there for way too long.

The secret hoarder in all of us has a hard time parting ways with the piling products in our makeup bag but it’s time to get over it! Spring clean your cosmetic collection and get rid of those products that could potentially be endangering your health.

Here are a few products that need to be replaced more often than you think.

Did you know the shelf life for mascara is only about three months? Mascara tubes are dark, and wet places are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. The more air that gets inside, the quicker the product will expire.

Here are a few tips to help keep your mascara fresh; do NOT pump the wand! Pumping the wand pushes air into the tube and helps bacteria grow faster. Also, make sure you close the lip tight. To avoid clumping, run the tube under hot water for a few minutes prior to using but when you notice lots of clumping (more than normal), it’s usually time to toss it!

Finding a perfectly-matched foundation is the golden ticket to a flawless look but don’t let the fact that you finally found your one true color to cloud the fact that it might be past its prime.

When you start to see a separation in the bottle or tiger stripes along the sides, your makeup is ready for the trash and you need a new one…ASAP!

Grunge might look good on the runway but it does not translate well onto your makeup brushes. Grungy bacteria is hard to see and even harder to get rid of! Having an unexplained breakout? Your makeup brushes could be the answer. Most dermatologists suggest you wash makeup brushes twice a month and if it’s been months since your brushes saw soap and water then you might be better off ditching them and starting new.

While there are many options for cleaning your brushes, you don’t have to break the bank! Try using an anti-bacterial soap and some baby shampoo for an affordable way to gently clean the brushes.

Here are a few FYB staff picks for affordable cleanser options: Clinique Makeup Brush Cleanser ($15, Clinique.com), Cinema Secrets ($8, Sephora), ULTA Professional Brush & Sponge Cleaner ($10, Ulta).

Nail polish is considered the Twinkie of the beauty world. It won’t go bad from bacteria but can host a different kind of danger. Take a good look at your nail-polish collection and get rid of any brands that contain formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate. These ingredients have been shown to cause cancer and reproductive complications. That should be enough information to make you toss those toxins!