How to decide which beauty products to toss?

When just one section of your eye-shadow collection looks like this, it can be a huge task to keep tabs on the expiration dates of every item of makeup you own. 

Plus, how do you know when to really trust the expiration date, when obviously the makeup company's end-goal is for you to buy more makeup?

As it turns out-- your beauty supplies will often times tell you when their time has passed. As soon as you witness any of your makeup products starting to change; either by separating, or a change to the color, texture, or smell, it is a sign that the included ingredients are no longer working as intended, and your makeup needs to be sent to it's trashcan grave.

Depending on the item-- such as lipstick or nail-polish-- the worst thing that will happen is that you suffer through a momentary beauty goof. (A gloppy manicure or crumbly lip-stick never really hurt anybody.) However, when it comes to items like mascara or sunscreen, using products with past-prime ingredients can be much more harmful. (Introducing bacteria to the eye, or sunbathing without proper SPF protection, could prove to be way more detrimental.)

Read on to determine the proper way to handle the following, short-lived beauty products: 

• Nail polish: Unfortunately, those little colored bottles you spend ages selecting, last only about a year. Usually though, it is at around 9 months after opening that the ingredients begin to degrade, and from here on out the color and consistency will noticeably change. You will definitely notice when this starts to happen, the once smooth color us now sticky and tacky. Save yourself the trouble, and toss it as soon as you see this start to happen. 

• Mascara: Again, it's life-span seems to come and go way too quickly. Once a tube of mascara has been opened, on average you have about 3 months of usage. As soon as the formula starts to get clumpy or dry, the mascara has become a breeding ground for bacteria. If you happen to contract an eye-infection (pink-eye, etc.) discard the mascara you were currently using immediately. Reusing the same mascara applicator can cause recurrences.

• Face cream: Most creams are given about a year after opening before being deemed "expired". This is largely due to the idea that your fingers are constantly adding bacteria to the enclosed product, however-- before adding product to your face, I'm going to assume that most people's hands are clean.
  
  That being said, your face cream will let you know when it's time to get thrown away; an oily liquid may appear on the surface, the lotion might look or smell different, or it might feel different to the touch. Pay attention to these signs, and throw away the cream in question.
  
• Perfume: Each time you spritz a squirt of perfume, air is being introduced into the sealed bottle. Over time (roughly 2 years), the presence of oxygen will cause the formula to oxidize, and the strength of the scent will slightly diminish. However, aside from a weaker fragrance, no real harm will come from using older perfume.
  
• Sunscreen: After about 6 months, sunscreen usually begins to lose it effectiveness, however for up to a year after opening the bottle-- as long as the ingredients have not begun to separate, change smell or color-- the sunscreen can still be applied...just be sure to reapply often as the SPF effectiveness on the bottle may have started to decrease.

The net take-away: expiration dates on makeup can seem somewhat arbitrary... Trust your eyes, fingers, and nose to determine when one of your beloved makeup products has expired... for real.

Spring cleaning your make-up bag

For some reason unbeknownest to me, the Spring season has become infamous as the time of the year to properly clean-out everything. Along with the clothing/bedding switch and excessive cleaning that is most likely to be taking place at this time of year, it is also a great opportunity to tackle a more insidious, under-the-radar mess: your make-up drawer. 

Despite the fact that these products are constantly coming into contact with your face, most women hardly ever think about the cleanliness/shelf-life of these products. The following is a just quick check-list of things to consider as you go through beauty products: 

• Any lotion based make-up product with an SPF in it (such as a foundation) has an especially limited shelf-life. After about 6 months, the active sunscreen ingredients begin to break-down, so that although the make-up appears to work as usual, your skin is not receiving the same amount of sun protection that you intended. If you want to hold on to these products, please be sure to apply another form of sun protection first.
  
• Time to wash all make-up brushes-- including mascara wands. If the brushes (mascara wands included, if older than 3 months) have not been washed regularly, they are most likely bacteria receptacles. You can either use wash made specifically for make-up brushes, or a gentle shampoo, to cleanse the brushes. Once clean, allow to air-dry.
  
  
• Go through and inspect everything you use on a regular basis. If anything appears to have changed consistency, color, or smells strange-- toss it.
  
• During the normal wear-and-tear of being tossed into a drawer or bag, it is likely that loose debris from the multiple colors inside a compact will have shifted onto each other, and possibly coated the interior mirror. Use a tissue to clean the powders off the mirror, and use a butter-knife to gently scrape the discolored layers off to make your compact look like new again (and prevent bacteria from growing).
  
• For your collection of lipsticks and lip-gloss tubes, rubbing the surface with a paper-towel soaked in rubbing alcohol is a great way to clean and disinfect the areas that are coming into contact with your mouth.

Are there any make-up cleaning tips that you would like to share? If so, please do! We love hearing your feed-back! 

The life-saving, smile inducing lip balm...

Despite the variety of amazing smelling choices, such as Sweet Mint and Summer Fruit, Dr. Sobel recently hand-picked the lemon variety of EOS's lip balms for his brood of young daughters at home-- because unlike the others, Lemon Drop has an SPF 15.

His youngest daughter, Chloe, is 8, and came home from the school the next day, all atwitter because of her new lip-balm, and in fact--credits the lip-balm with saving her life. 

"Really Chloe," he asked her bemusedly,"The lip-balm saved your life?!"
"Yes Dad." This was serious. "On the playground, my lips were so dry. It. Saved. My. Life." 

And that's the thing about EOS. Aside from the fact that their packaging and marketing is the cutest thing ever, the product itself is really good, and can be appreciated by any age, or sex.

The ergonomically designed packaging fits easily in a pocket, keeps the lid in place, it cannot get twisted up too high and crushed in it's own cap, and since you don't need to stick your fingers in it-- you're not spreading germs everywhere. (An extra bonus when dealing with kids.)

Like the little bursts of sunshine they resemble, the Lemon Drop flavored EOS lip balms are the only ones of the EOS line-up with an SPF 15. At first hesitant at the idea of covering my own lips in a lemon scented balm (was nervous my mouth would smell like a kitchen cleaning product), the fragrance was much more delicate than expected; almost like the smell of a lemon-chiffon cake, and despite the sweetness it remains a product that a heterosexual male could also use...

...which is the perfect segue for Dr. Sobel to make another appearance in this little lip-balm story. A self-respected "man's man" that bicycles from the suburbs into the city on any day where the weather is permissible, and wakes up at 5am to work-out before coming to work, this is a lip balm that does in fact make me smile-- every time I walk by his office-- and see the sunny little yellow orb of EOS lip balm sitting prominently on his desk, right where he needs for it any life-threatening, dry-lip situations.

The time machine in your makeup bag...

 The woman below has changed nothing about her face, except her makeup. 

Just a few simple changes took her from looking middle-aged in the 1970s, to looking significantly younger in 2011.

The thing with makeup is, it can either be your best friend, or your worst enemy. Generally speaking, people use makeup to look better. (I'm not including the Marilyn Mansons and Lady Gagas of the world, whom use makeup more to shock, than flatter.) However, sometimes people with good intentions are unknowingly sabotaging themselves, so that their makeup application actually detracts from their looks instead of improving them. 

Take our featured model above, her makeup both ages her, and hides her inherent prettiness. Her overly thin brows, garish makeup colors, and bland foundation make her look way older than her true years. 

Eyebrows are a key component to your appearance, as they frame your facial features. (The rest of her makeup could have been beautifully done, and yet her overly plucked, drawn-in, wrong colored brows would have ruined the look of her entire face.) They are completely unflattering, and very unnatural looking. Even though the new brow was drawn-in thicker and darker, the more realistic shape softens her features, and nicely frames her pretty brown eyes. 

The lipstick color and the eyeshadow together give an overall clownish impression. If they were used independently of each other... it would still be bad. The particular shade of lipstick used draws attention to the yellowness of her teeth,  and makes her upper lip look noticeably thin and asymmetrical. The blue eyeshadow is much too loud for daytime, and seems haphazardly applied. A more natural looking lip and plum eye-color emphasize and flatter her features as opposed to overwhelming them. 

Her skin is in beautiful condition, but her uniformly applied foundation washes her out. (Aside from her brows, eyelids and lips, her face is devoid of any color.) A light pop of blush on her cheeks makes her skin look bright and glowing-- and immediately younger.

Feel free to experiment with your makeup routine in the privacy of your own home, you may be surprised to find that the more natural something looks, the better. (If you have any good before & afters, or tips, please feel to share!)

Secrets to looking younger with makeup

It's a double edged sword in every aspect of your appearance-- any change can improve your appearance, but there is also the risk that the change might end up detracting from your looks. 

While makeup can be your biggest ally when it comes to changing or improving your appearance, there are some common mistakes you should avoid so as to prevent yourself from inadvertently making yourself look older.

Consider the model pictured to the left. Obviously she is a beautiful girl-- and yet her makeup application significantly ages her. 

To avoid some common aging makeup pitfalls, follow the tips below to enhance, and preserve your natural beauty.

Makeup techniques to avoid:

Harsh, dark eye makeup: As witnessed on Sharon Stone at the 2011 Oscars, there comes a time in every woman's life where thick, black eyeliner ages you, and makes eyes seem tiny-- the exact opposite effect desired. (In fact, looking at this picture more closely, Sharon Stone might be a poster child woman for all of the antigaging makeup "Don'ts".)

Thick foundation: When the foundation is visibly caked into your pores, it gives an overall impression of unhealthiness. It's ok to utilize makeup in an attempt to make the skin look uniform, but a lighter touch, and lighter formula of makeup, will make skin look more natural and healthy. (Extra bad if you can see the makeup sitting on top of fine facial hairs.) 

Thick lipliner: Similar to the heavily applied dark eyeliner, defining your lips is supposed to make them look larger, even though the opposite is what occurs. In addition, this is an outdated look, and any fine wrinkles around the mouth, or thinning of the lips, will be more apparent.

Blue eyeshadow: Unless you are very careful, blue eyeshadow can quickly send a message of "bad makeup." Neutral colors, such as copper, champagne, and peach, are much more flattering for maturing skin. 

Glitter: Makeups with subtle shimmer are fine for daily use, however try to avoid makeups (usually eyeshadows) that have a more distinct glitter component. The heavier glitter particles are prone to settling into fine lines and wrinkles, making them more obvious. 

Anti-aging Makeup tips to try: 

Let Mascara define your eyes: Properly defined eye-lashes are a more natural looking way of making your eyes pop. (Eyeliner is fine, as long as the color and usage are appropriate.)  Makeup artist Cindy Joseph offers the following application advice; "With mascara, you don't want to apply in a rush. Do one good coat, keeping the lashes perfectly combed so they are separated. A second coat will make them look longer and thicker." 

Go for dewy skin, as opposed to matte: Multitasking makeup that lends color and moisture can help make the skin look younger. Fresh, dewy looking skin is much more natural looking than matte, cakey looking foundation. 

Shimmery makeup can be used for multiple purposes: Shimmery creams and powders can be used for eye-shadows, liners, lip color, and high-lighters. A soft champagne color can be applied right underneath the brow-bone, in the inner corners of your eyes, and along your clavicle. The light will reflect off all of these areas, for a subtly eye-catching effect.

Bet you can't guess the 1st step to this fashion-forward look!

It's interesting that such a high-fashion makeup look can begin with a simple, everyday product: