How do you know when your mascara has finished?

Answer 1

Mascara should be kept for only 3-4 months after opening, ideally only 3 months. This means you should replace your mascara every 3 months. Unlike other cosmetics such as powder eyeshadows and pencil liner, mascara is a moist product in an enclosed container. Any bacteria that is picked up on the wand from your eyelashes is then transferred back into the mascara when you close the tube. This bacteria then grows inside the tube, a moist dark place - an ideal invironment for bacteria to flourish. This growth of bacteria can cause eye infections when the old, bacteria infested mascara is applied to the eyes. Eye infections can range from mild to very serious, but in any case not something you want to risk. Also, any time your mascara has a strange smell or consistency or seems "off" in any way, you should definitely throw it out.

As far as eye products go, pencil liners are ok to keep longer, up to a year, as long as they are sharpened regularly, before and after use. Powder eyeshadows have a slightly longer shelf life, up to 2 years, as long as you do not use them wet (to line the eyes, etc,) and you keep them closed in their containers in a dry, dark place away from heat. All makeup should actually be kept the same way - this mean the bathroom is the worst possible place to store your makeup.

Mascara is generally cheaper than other eye cosmetics, and there are many great brands out there that are cheap, meaning it won't cost you much at all to replace your mascara every 3 months as recommended. Even the department store brands have very affordable, excellent mascaras. I recommend MACs Fibre Rich Lash, which retails for $10.00. An added bonus to MAC mascaras is that they have a subtle rose scent, which you will notice fades at about 3 months, right at the time it should be replaced. There's also Stila's Major Lash Mascara which is $9.50 at Sephora.

You can also find other great options at the drugstore, but in my experience many drugstore brands are getting to be just about as expensive as the MAC & Stila mascaras, so why not spend a couple extra dollars and splurge? But if you really need to be thrifty, what matters most is the health if your eyes (and being able to afford the mascara you can replace easily), so pick the mascara that best fits your pocketbook.

As a last note Maybelline's Great Lash is a classic, loved by many profesional makeup artists and is always affordable and easy to find.

Answer 2

It has finished when its stopped working, lol.

Just a quick tip for you, when you think it has finished, stand the mascara tube in a cup of boiling water, this liquifies the remained that it stuck to the side. After a few minutes, waggle the brush in it, et voila, you still have some mascara left !!

Answer 3

you should only keep mascara 3 months.
pumping the wand will force air into it, and it'll go bad quicker
its just made of tar, which is mostly decaying plant matter. most will start to smell funky, but don't rely on that
especially if you use the wand it comes with and you don't clean it between applications (it picks up a lot of horrible bacteria that our lashes hold to keep from getting in our eyes) then you really don't want to keep it more than 3 months, or you may end up with some gross infections.

Answer 4

Well, I've read things like instead of pumping it up and down, you twist the brush round and round, and even read that if it starts getting clumpy to place it in the microwave for a second (without the wire brush), but if it begins to apply to think, that's really when you should begin considering purchasing a new one. Like when it's new and you have to rub some of the excess liquid off onto the sides, except now you're doing that because it's so thick and will clump on your lashes. Don't forget, bacteria builds up inside, so if you need another good reason to go ahead and throw it out, that's a good one!

Answer 5

Mamabear is right. Three months is the lucky winner. Think of all of the funky bacteria in that thing. It sounds like pretty much everyone else who answered your question needs to hit up Walgreen's with a quickness for some new mascara.

Answer 6

Never use it till it finishes, mascara should only be used for about 3 months, then there is so much bacteria in it, it could give you a NASTY eye infection. Trust me it happened to me.

Answer 7

The wand will be a little dried out, making it more difficult to apply. Also, your eyes could become irritated after having the mascara on.

Answer 8

when you cant see any more extra mascara on the tip of the wand. also, when you see the effect of your mascara begin to lessen. most people don't know this, but your mascara goes bad 3 months after you open it. don't keep it for much longer after it expires BC you can get sties.

Answer 9

You can tell its finished when..when you pull the brush out of the mascara it doesn't pop or make any noise

Answer 10

Generally, mascara lasts about two (2) months. After that, it starts to dry up. It also depends on how much air you allow to get to it.