In this world of Insta-perfect selfies and contoured perfection, we all want to look and feel our best. And thanks to the constant efforts of beauty magazines and YouTube makeup gurus, we seem to have all decided that a bulging beauty bag full of products is the way to get there. But could your beauty habit be making you ill?
Murderous Mascara
Most of us are either unaware or pay little attention to, the mysterious infographic symbols on makeup packaging. But these little pictures give a lot of information on how long you should be keeping things after opening them. Mascara is one of the worst offenders- it should be binned at four months after you open it at a maximum. Yet most of us are guilty of harboring a crusty old mascara we’ve had for a long time or have even shared with friends! The bacterial build-up in mascara can be bad and you’re putting yourself at risk of eye infections and even vision loss if you don’t replace that wand regularly.
Manky Makeup Brushes
So, how often do you clean your brushes? Your old faithful can be amongst the most problematic items, as they are used all over the face, merrily spreading bacteria as they go, especially when used with liquid or cream products. Often stored in less than sparkling conditions and washed once a month or less, they can cause a number of infections. To remedy this, invest in an antibacterial brush cleaning spray that you can spritz on and up your washing schedule, especially for brushes used with foundation and eyeliner.
Sinful Scents
Adding a veil of our favorite scent is the finishing touch to our beauty routine for many of us, but that fragrance habit could be damaging your health. 60% of the chemicals in a perfume enter your bloodstream within 26 seconds of application. Perfumes can contain carcinogenic substances, disrupt endocrine production and trigger asthma – it’s a high price to pay for smelling sweet! However, there are now non-toxic perfumes available which use natural extracts to help you smell amazing.
Gruesome Glitter
It’s full-on festival season, so makeup bags are bursting with glittery products to help us shimmer. But glitter particles can easily migrate into your eyes, where they have the potential to cause serious damage and infection. If you have especially sensitive eyes, give the glitter powder a swerve in favor of smooth cream metallic shadows instead.
Eyelash Curlers
These innocuous items don’t seem like they could do much more harm than accidentally pulling out a few lashes, but it can be more serious than that. Even those of us who are great at washing our makeup brushes forget about our lash curlers. Frequently, the pads are filthy and covered in old makeup, while the pads are cracked or damaged. Again, this means lots of bacteria in the vulnerable eye area. Make sure you clean and replace pads on a regular basis to avoid any nasty complications later down the line.
