A client of mine recently pulled out an eyeliner from her makeup bag that had to have been at least 4 years old, "Is this even worth keeping?", she asked, making me wonder what other surprises she had lying around in her vanity drawer. Makeup can sometimes be one of the hardest things for women to part with. Whether you bought it on sale, have an emotional connection to it, or have tendencies of being a beauty product hoarder, most of the time it's difficult knowing when to keep something and when to throw it out.

 When it comes to expiration dates , most companies will list a  date on the product itself usually found on the box or bottle , ranging anywhere from 6-24 months. Not everyone sees this, making it hard to keep track of how long you should hang onto something. So what is the best way to decipher between things we should keep, and products that should be pitched in the garbage? Here are my top three tell-tale signs your makeup has expired:

The Texture Has Changed: Have you ever gone to use a foundation or liquid makeup and noticed that is completely separated, or the texture has changed? A great way to discern whether or not a product has gone bad is simply by looking at its texture. What once was smooth and silky, is now thick, gooey, or really thin and runny. This will happen most with liquid products, and if your makeup shows any of these signs, it's definitely a green light to toss in the garbage.

It Smells Funky: If your makeup has a strange odor to it, it's a tell-tale sign that it's way past its expiration date and needs to be thrown out.

Smell is least likely to happen with eyeshadows or powder products, and most likely to happen with liquid or cream products such as lipsticks. If your lip glosses get a strong alcohol smell, or waxy smelling fragrance like a box of crayons, you definitely need to get rid of them! Smells are commonly caused by ingredients going rancid, making it the last thing that you want to put on your face. 

Your Skin Reacts: If you have been using certain products for a while, and all of a sudden your skin starts reacting to them, definitely take inventory of what might be causing the reaction. To have sensitive skin and react to something is much different than reacting to a product that is past its expiration date. If you are someone who has fairly sensitive skin, you can gauge a reaction quickly within the first 24 hours of using it. Reactions from products that have gone bad usually occur months after, sometimes making it confusing to know exactly what you're reacting to.

Makeup Artist Tip: In some cases you might not know what product is making you react, and it is best to use the process of elimination. Start eliminating products from your routine and see if the reaction goes away. For instance, if you have an itchy eye reaction, slowly eliminate each product you use on your eyes and take note of when the itching has stopped entirely. This is the easiest in discerning what is making you react helping you discontinue its use altogether. If you get a severe reaction to something, schedule an appointment with your dermatologist immediately to solve the problem quickly and effectively.

A good makeup refresh is always a great idea! Knowing these simply and effective tips can help you weed out what you don't need, making room for what you do need, more makeup of course!