CLEAN UP YOUR ACT

If you want real results from your beauty routine, it’s important to give your bathroom cabinet and make-up bag a spring clean at least once a year. But before you begin overhauling your regimen, here’s what you need to know to get the most out of it.

1 Just like perishable goods, beauty products have a best-before date. Over time, air, heat, light and bacteria can break down products, which means they not only stop working effectively, they could start irritating your skin, too. Most products are labelled with a period-after-opening symbol – a small jar with a number followed by M to indicate how many months a product can be used for after opening. Not all products bear the POA symbol, therefore as a rule of thumb, a product with a change of smell, colour, consistency or texture should be thrown out.

2 Once you’ve binned expired products, it pays to spend some time organising and storing your skincare and make-up correctly. While it’s tempting to show off beautiful fragrance bottles and skincare, light, heat and air exposure can deteriorate products quickly. To ensure your beauty products last the distance, opt for cool, dark and dry storage.

3 As the seasons change, so can our skin, which is why a good beauty spring clean is also the perfect time to reassess your skincare routine. While low humidity, chilly temperatures and heating can leave skin parched over the cooler months, once-dehydrated skin can be prone to oiliness as soon as spring returns. If this is the case for you, try switching out rich moisturisers and foundations for lighter, sheerer options.

4 Expired beauty products aren’t the only places bacteria are fond of. Make-up brushes are repeatedly exposed to bacteria and if not cared for and cleaned regularly can contribute to unwanted skin problems. Try to clean your brushes once weekly to avoid exposing your skin to bacteria that could cause breakouts and irritation.