Many make up products can be used on or around the eyes: eyeliner, mascara and mascara primer, eye shadows, brow products, and creams/serums for under your eyes. They have all been developed and designed for use on the delicate eye area, but there are a few rules to ensure your eye health isn’t compromised.
Throw products away after the expiry date
It can be tempting to keep make up if there is a lot of product left in it. However, it’s important to adhere to the expiry date included on the pack. This is displayed as the number of months you should keep the product for.
With everyday use, mascara should be replaced every three months. If you only use it occasionally, it should be six months.
Liquid eyeliner will be good to use for around three months, but pencil eyeliner can last up to three years. This is due to the wet environment of the liquid that can harbour bacteria in liquid versions.
Don’t share makeup or brushes
It can be tempting to grab your friend's mascara if you haven’t brought your own. It’s not recommended though, as there’s the uncertainty of the types of bacteria the product has been exposed to. There’s also a risk that they may have used the item if they’ve had some type of eye infection.
Wash your tools
It’s important to keep the brushes you use to apply your make up clean. Depending on how much you use them, you should clean them gently from once a week (heavy/professional use) to once a month. Lots of retailers sell specialist brush cleaners, or you can even use washing up liquid, which will gently wash away make up and any bacteria that has formed.
Don’t apply travelling
It’s a bit of a cliché to apply your make up when you’re on the bus/car/train, but when you’re rushed for time in the morning it’s easy to do. If you hit a pothole or experience some other turbulence, you could end up causing your eye some damage by scratching your cornea. It’s, therefore, best to avoid applying eye make up during the commute.
Eye infections – don’t use at all
If you are experiencing any irritation or infection in your eyes at all, it’s safest to avoid using make up until it clears up. This means you won’t transfer the bacteria to your make up to then place back onto your eye once it’s gone.
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