dazzle 'n' sparkle

It’s the saddest thing when we have to part ways with our makeup products, and whether we admit it or not, many of us are still using old lipsticks, powders and beauty blenders. It’s hard to let go of foundations and shadows when they’re perfectly formulated for your skin color and type, but there comes a time when our favorite makeup is no longer safe to use. Every product has a specific expiry date, ranging between 3 months to 2 years, according to this infographic provided by Destination Femme. Once your makeup reaches that mark, you really should be getting rid of it, though it seems like such a waste to throw out your beauty haul when you’ve spent a good amount of money on it. Instead of tossing out all your expired products, have a look at what you are throwing out and see if they can be re-purposed into something else. 

Here are a few ideas to get you started: 

1) Empty an old compact and use it as a case for solid perfume 

It’s one thing to throw out expired liquids, creams and powders; it’s another thing to get rid of the beautiful packaging they come in. Rather than buying containers for your DIY solid perfume projects, use old compacts that can fit into your makeup case. This tutorial from The Krazy Coupon Lady also makes use of any last bits of perfume you have, making your favorite scents last much longer. 

2) Mix unique nail polish colors with old eye shadows 

Powder shadows generally last up to two years. Once they’ve passed their expiration date, consider using them as a colorant for new polishes. With this nifty tutorial from Beautylish, you can easily blend your own polishes instead of buying new colors. Mineral shadows are better to work with due to its fine pigment texture and ability to mix well with clear polish. 

3) Paint with your makeup 

In a Teen Vogue series hosted on The Scene, host Claudia Sulewski teams up with makeup guru Kandee Johnson to put their art skills to the test with expired makeup as their medium. Using a white canvas and an array of expired eyeshadows, liners and foundations, the two ladies are able to create their own masterpieces with conventional materials, so if you don’t feel like breaking your old makeup apart, use it as a substitute for paint. 

4) Turn your powders into paint 

The consistency of foundation and nail polish, especially expired products, can be difficult to work with for painting projects. What you can do instead is use your powdered products to dye liquid glue to mix your own paints. The blogger behind Blah to TADA! used her colored glues to make animal print note cards, which you can also copy or create your own designs. 

How have you re-purposed your old makeup? 

Disclaimer: This is a guest post