Poll: What Do You Do With Expired Beauty Products?

Happy Wednesday, ladies! How’s the week treating you so far?

This week’s poll actually reveals something embarrassing about myself, so before you read on, here’s the question: what do you do with expired beauty products?

Poll Product Expiry Logos

Do you know that almost every skincare product comes with a certain use-by-date logo? Go check your moisturiser, eye cream, etc. It should contain a picture of a jar with a semi-opened lid, with a number next to the letter M, which stands for “Months”. This means that from the moment you open that jar, bottle, tube, etc, you should discard it after a certain number of months.

Now for me, I totally suck at throwing out expired products. It’s mainly because I buy so many different kinds of products, so the original ones hardly finish before its expiry date. And after spending a bomb on them, I just don’t have the heart to chuck ’em. I still use some of them even though it’s (and don’t you tell anyone about this) several months past its expiry date.

I know, I know, I shouldn’t be doing that. Especially when it comes to eye cream. Anything that goes near the eye should be thrown out if it’s past its expiry date. Which reminds me, it’s time to chuck the Clinique All About Eyes, even though I have a little of it left. Oh be still my heart.

Anyways, my total negligence on chucking expired products aside, a good way to know when the expiry date of a product is, stick a label onto the jar, tube, etc when you begin using it. Write down the date of opening of the product to use. This way, you’d be able to know when you should chuck it.

This goes for makeup as well. Some companies print the use-by logo on their makeup, but a lot don’t. Fabuless Beauty tell you the approximate shelf life of specific makeup products, and the way she labels her makeup. Of course, if your lippies are starting to smell funky, or your mascara weirdly goopy even before the expiry date, it’s time to use your common sense and throw those out.

What about you? Do you keep using expired beauty products? Even if it’s only a few months past its expiry date? Be honest now 😉

[polldaddy poll=”1139672″]

The poll closes in a month.

16 comments

Review: Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

In my trip to the US, I managed to score a lot of Smashbox products at Costco (imagine that!) and Sephora, thanks to Smashbox’s best of beauty kits. I had to be practical, of course; I can’t expect everything in the kits to be fantastic. A goodie I did find though, was the Photo Finish Foundation Primer.

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

Description:

Smashbox makeup artists use this product to create a perfect canvas for foundation application. The silky blend of vitamins and antioxidants does double-duty as a primer and a mattifier, while the unique formula helps to inhibit the destruction of collagen, and fills in fine lines. 

Ingredients: Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Isopropylparaben, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Carthamus Tinctorium (Safflower) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Cola Acuminata Seed Extract, Propylene Glycol, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, Water.

I’ve heard a lot of rave reviews about this primer. It even made it to the Best of Sephora list. To be honest, I was quite apprehensive about this product at first, due to the amount of silicone in the primer. It’s touch and go with silicone for me. It can either make or break my skin, depending on the other accompanying ingredients in the product. Just to be safe, I bought the 0.5oz travel-sized tube instead of the full-sized one.

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Travel Size

On the first touch, you can feel the silicone between your fingers. It dries up very quickly, leaving a protective layer over the skin. It feels just like The Body Shop’s Vitamin C Skin Boost. Some may find it odd. I certainly did.

The silicone-y feel is something I am still trying to get used to. I don’t know how to describe the texture; it’s creamy but not creamy? ‘Cos a few seconds after spreading it between your fingers, the substance kinda disappears. Hmm.

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Swatch

The primer felt really light on my skin, which was great. The best part was, it held my foundation on very well. I wasn’t even using the Light version of the primer, and yet I didn’t get an oily T-zone. My cheeks and forehead looked very smooth, even after a few hours.

I actually think this is even better than my Laura Mercier Foundation Primer. The latter gave me an oily T-zone after a while, when the Photo Finish didn’t. And better yet, it didn’t break me out after many uses. Whee!

All in all, I think this is a great primer. Especially for those who are okay with silicone in their makeup (look out for Cyclomethicone and Dimethicone in the ingredients list). Definitely works for those with oily skin. Worked for me anyway 🙂

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer is available at Sephora (1oz at USD36, and 0.5oz at USD16). It is also (finally!) available in Melbourne, at Zuza (Level 2, Melbourne Central, and Westfield Doncaster). I can’t remember the exact price of the primer, but I think it was AUD6x (overpriced, no?). I shall update with the price the next time I head to Zuza.

What I like about it: Good primer for my oily skin, didn’t break me out, held my foundation on for hours without running.

What I did not like about it: Funny silicone-y texture takes a bit of getting used to.

12 comments

Beauty Tip of the Day

Beauty Tip NoteFind a moisturiser that does double duty.

Day formulas should contain a broad spectrum SPF of at least 15, and after that, you can pick your weapon: antioxidants, anti-aging, anti-acne, you name it. Some dermatologists favourites include glycolic acid (which boosts cell turnover), salicylic acid (to comba blemishes), vitamin C, E or green tea (potent antioxidants) and soy (which battles uneven skin tone).

1 comment

Review: Clinique Superfit Makeup (Oil-Free Formula)

I’ll be honest with you. I was never impressed by makeup by Clinique. Sure I drool over how pretty the holiday collections look, but at the end of the day, I never found the actual makeup appealing. The eyeshadows are sadly paltry in terms of colour payoff, and so are the blushes.

Still, I wouldn’t miss the chance of getting a freebie. So when there was a free sample of Clinique’s latest foundation, the newly enhanced Superfit Makeup, as an insert in one of the many magazines I read, I figured it was no harm checking out.

Clinique Superfit Makeup

Description:

Replaces our previous Superfit Makeup formula. 

Long-wearing, constant comfort makeup. Doesn’t streak or fade. Lightweight, oil-free formula allows skin to breathe; skin feels comfortable and looks fresh. Natural finish, moderate coverage.

Thank goodness for my freebie-hoarding nature, because ladies, I believe I have found my holy grail of all liquid foundations. MAC Studio Fix Fluid, step aside.

This is bloody amazing.

Clinique Superfit Makeup Sample

Clinique Superfit Makeup Opened Sample

Okay, so technically, I didn’t actually get the full-sized bottle. All you’re going to see here is a tiny, 5ml jar of the foundation which the sales assistant squirted into as a sample for me. But let’s not get into all the technicalities, eh? A review’s a review after all 🙂

This is great for oily skin. I have the worst, oiliest T-zone ever. With the MAC Studio Fix Fluid, mineral foundation, compact powder, etc, my nose still poses a slick problem (pun intended). However, with the Superfit Makeup, I get an oil-free nose for at least a couple of hours. And that, my friends, feels like an epiphany.

The texture of the foundation is very light, which again, is great for oily skin. The coverage is excellent despite the lightness of the liquid. As a finishing touch, I’d sweep some Makeup Forever Super Matte Loose Powder on, and I’m set for the next 6 hours without having to worry about a super oily face.

The foundation comes in 12 shades. I took Neutral, which blends on to my skin perfectly. According to the sales assistant, Neutral is a very popular shade, and runs out very often.

Clinique Superfit Makeup Shades

Clinique Superfit Makeup Swatch
Neutral

A snag about the Superfit Makeup though; it does not contain SPF. However, this does not bother me because 1) I always use a separate sunscreen prior to applying makeup, and 2) the foundation is light enough, that after applying a separate sunscreen, it does not feel heavy on my skin at all.

To my utter delight, I managed to snag another magazine insert (whee!), which allowed me another small jar of the foundation. This should last me a while. And after it’s finished, you can bet that I’m definitely going to purchase a full-sized bottle.

I’ve never tried Clinique’s other foundation formulae, but this is a great find. I’m still apprehensive about their other makeup products, but I would highly recommend the Superfit Makeup to anyone with oily skin.

Clinique’s Superfit Makeup is available at all Clinique counters at departmental stores and certain pharmacies. It’s sold at AUD38 at Australian airports, and AUD48 at David Jones and Myer stores. I don’t know what the retail price is in Malaysia, but I saw this at KLIA, and it was RM100.

What I like about it: Light formula, non greasy, great coverage, lasts a long while.

What I did not like about it: Does not contain SPF.

21 comments
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