The One Thing You Never Noticed About Beauty Products

Check your labels, fam.

Getting new beauty products is a lot like gaining a lot of new babies to love without having to go through labor.

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And the best damn feeling in the world is covering your body* with new makeup.

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*Don't listen to people who tell you there's such a thing as "too much makeup."

But while we're focused on the freaking beautiful children we've just adopted...

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We're not paying attention to this lil' symbol on the label.

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!!!!!!!!

If you use a product past its expiration date, the product either becomes ineffective (*cough* sunscreen *cough*) or it can possibly cause a bacterial infection.

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If, for example, mascara expires in six months and you've been using it for longer, you've been consistently putting bacteria from your eyes into a tube of dried out, expired product, and that bacteria can grow inside that tube, which you then redeposit onto your eyes. PLUS, expired, dry mascara causes flakes, which is never cute.

TL;DR: Throw out your products when they expire.

Every beauty product should have the jar and number symbol on its packaging — whether it's on the product itself or on the disposable packing it comes in.

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Make sure you look for the symbol before you throw out the plastic and/or paper packaging.

The countdown begins the day you open the makeup — not the day you buy it.

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So if you buy makeup and don't open it for another month, start counting from the day you begin using the product, not from the day you buy it.

And here's the easiest way to make sure you never use expired products again.

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BOOM.

Stay in the know, peeps!

PBS