Cleaning out your cosmetics

Dirty or expired makeup can be a hotbed of bacteria and infection. Photo / Janna Dixon

Foundation, mascara, lipstick - they're all in Rachel Willmore's makeup bag.

But the 27-year-old Aucklander says her oldest product is a blusher brush bought three years ago.

Her lipstick came from Fashion Week two years ago, her mascara is replaced every six months, and she buys a new foundation every three months.

"It never really crosses my mind to buy new products all the time. I just use mascara until it runs out or dries up, and I guess to me it seems a lot to replace something every couple of months."

Willmore doesn't consider the health effects of old makeup but takes care when sharing products with friends - especially wiping the top of lip glosses to reduce the risk of coldsores.

But she wants more information about the cosmetics she's putting on her skin.

"It might be on the box, but that's not really any good because I throw them away.

"It definitely should be made clearer if it needs to be used within a certain amount of time."