New Beauty Habits for Spring

The chances are you’ve hoarded at least a couple of items over the last year or so, waiting for the perfect moment to use them. But one thing the last twelve months has shown us is that that perfect moment is still yet to come and if we keep on hoarding, we’re probably going to run out of some much-needed space as well as hard-earned money.

Hopefully you’ve managed to put to good use all of those toiletries and pampering products that relatives insist on giving as gifts every Christmas – no hate, I love a good beauty product in my stocking – but you may find that the new lipstick you bought last year hasn’t seen much wearable opportunity in lockdown and that new eyeshadow palette you bought specifically for its warm, autumn colours has just been gathering dust. There isn’t anything wrong with keeping hold of your key items, but if you tend to buy seasonal makeup and it hasn’t been used, this could be the time to make a cent or two from unloading your unwanted hoards, giving yourself some extra money to buy some new products just in time for spring.

While you’re on a bit of a clear out mission, it’s really important to take this next step pretty seriously. All products, whether makeup, lotions or serums have an expiry and once they are open, this expiry date gets shortened significantly. All beauty products come with a little symbol, usually of an open pot with a number next to it, and this signifies how many months the product is good for once it’s been opened.

So, you might be wondering what the big deal is, after all it’s not like you consume makeup, how can it be bad for you? Well, a lot goes into most makeup products and like everything, over time these ingredients can go bad. Three things happen when you keep opened makeup for a long time:

1. The ingredients stop working properly. Usually the chemical ‘makeup’ in makeup, is formulated to do a certain job, like foundation is supposed to give even coverage through pigmented ingredients. After a while the ingredients, mostly containing certain oils start to separate or congeal and it will end up looking clumpy on the skin, giving you less than great coverage and even looking darker than it did when you bought it. If it starts getting really old, makeup can develop a certain smell that you really don’t want anywhere near your face so for this reason alone, it is worth getting rid of your old foundations, eye makeup and mascaras.

   
   



2. Old makeup can harbour bacteria. As much as you try to keep your makeup products looking shiny and new, there is always bacteria lurking that the eye simply cannot see. The reason for this being that even though the bottle or tub itself doesn’t make contact with your face, the product inside it does indirectly every single time you use it. Think about how you transfer makeup to your face, whether it be your fingers, a sponge or blender, or a makeup brush, it can be hard to avoid dipping your brush into the product more than once. Brushes, as we know can harbour bacteria and although it’s not something we want to think about, there can be dead skin cells hiding away between the bristles. This then goes back into the pot of makeup and then back onto the face. When you do this enough, and then close the lid on your makeup it can become a breeding ground for all kinds of things that once you know about, will make you think twice about keeping old makeup!

   
   



3. Skin irritation is a big effect of old makeup. Due to the bacteria and ageing of the product, you may find that older makeup causes you to break out in spots and blemishes or even causes minor irritations that are still annoying to get rid of, and that is best case scenario. Worst case scenario is developing an infection in or near the eye or on the face that needs medical attention to get rid of. The best thing to do is replenish your makeup stocks regularly, and always follow the advice from the manufacturer.

   
   

Makeup brushes and beauty blenders don’t come cheap these days, so if anything, they should be looked after just so you get your money’s worth. But just the same as the reasons for getting rid of old makeup, brushes need the same treatment if they have seen better days and cleaning is just causing more damage than good.

While brushes and sponges can harbour bacteria which is then transferred into your makeup and then to the face, as they sit there, over time this can cause irritation to the skin without you even realising it until it’s too late. Breakouts are not fun, especially when it can be prevented by washing your makeup brushes. This only needs to be done weekly or sometimes more often depending on how often they are used, but if you are going to invest in some great makeup tools, the best thing you can do is look after them, otherwise, like your old makeup, they have to go!

Makeup and beauty products can become quite expensive, so it can be tempting to cut some corners every now and then or be persuaded by a deal that looks inviting. The truth is, when we impulse buy makeup, a lot of it goes to waste, sits there going bad or gets saved for that special occasion. This can then turn out to be a costly affair that it largely unnecessary. A good new habit to get into if you haven’t already, is picking out some staple items that may cost more than you would like to spend, but you will get great use out of, leaving the pot or bottle completely empty well before its expiry.

Instead of flitting from foundation to foundation, trying to find your perfect shade, try a consultation form someone who knows how to match your shade and skin type to the perfect foundation for you and then invest in the right product so you know you will get your money’s worth, especially when it looks fantastic on your skin.

It’s also great to have a few other staple items in your makeup kit, like eyeliner. If you prefer to use pencil eyeliners, invest in a good one that works well with the skin and has lasting qualities, rather than buying a new, less expensive one every couple of months or buying an expensive gel eyeliner than you promise you will get around to mastering one day. A good mascara, eyeliner, foundation and your favourite shade of lipstick should always be a good staple in your makeup kit so you always know what works for you, this will save a lot of hassle in future when you need to buy more.

Springtime is always associated with cleaning and clearing out old things, but it can be a great time to introduce some new ones. Take eyelash serums for example, if you haven’t tried one of these before, then now could be the best time to try one out and have a naturally long set just in time for summer.

Mascara has always done a fairly good job at providing us with longer and fuller eyelashes, but it can be damaging when used in excess and if cleansing isn’t done properly, not to mention that it is the most temporary form of eyelash enhancement. Who doesn’t love mascara? But it does get rather laborious removing it every day, so an eyelash serum could be just the solution needed to enjoy longer eyelashes without the rigamarole of mascara applications every day.

With daily applications of an eyelash growth serum, the results should be obvious in three to four weeks after it has had time to work deep into the follicle and promote healthier and stronger growth of each eyelash in the growth phase. The good thing about introducing this new beauty habit is that you can still enhance your natural eyelashes with mascara or extensions to add extra volume if you wish and it won’t cost you the earth to get great looking eyelashes.

What better way to introduce a new habit this spring than to start treating yourself well and setting aside some time to work on your mental and physical wellbeing. We all wish we could do this regularly, but the truth is that life can get in the way and we tend to push our own priorities to the back burner. As the sun begins to shine once more and the idea of getting out and about visiting friends and family gets even closer, it will make everything worth it by pampering ourselves and feeling and looking our best.

This doesn’t just mean having a relaxing bath with candles and a good book but looking for products that help out in a big way, whether homemade or shop bought. Think about exfoliating scrubs, lip repair kits, face masks and hydrating moisturisers that can make such a difference to how you feel as well as making your skin soft and shiny and ready for the outdoor world.

Getting into the habit of exfoliating once a week, scrubbing and moisturising your feet ready for your slides to make a big summer comeback and working on cooling and soothing the skin under your eyes with cucumber masks so that your skin feels great, and you look more alert after the difficult year we’ve all been through. You won’t regret getting into this habit this spring.

So many people have spent most of the last year either working from home or distancing themselves from their usual daily routines and one thing to come out of it is clearer skin. A lot of people have avoided wearing makeup as much as before due to not going out as much or having to wear a face mask when they do, so this has given our faces much needed time to breathe. Wearing makeup everyday shouldn’t cause any issues to your face, as long as you cleanse properly and don’t use out of date products, but at the same time, it is important to let the skin breathe from time to time.

Hydrating through moisturisers can be great for the skin and even if your skin type is usually dry, even making the switch to a light day moisturiser can be all that you need to allow the skin some freedom while keeping dry patches at bay.

This spring is all about new beginnings and it is important now to find some new habits that you can easily slot into your routine without costing too much or having to break cycles that already work really well. Know exactly what you want to achieve and set your goal at achieving those things so that returning to normal life will be that much easier and you will look great in the process too!