A nifty textbook guide to cleaning your beauty shelfie

Sorry, but it is time to finally throw away your three-year-old dried out mascara.

- Lia Mappoura

Over a recent lunch date with my work bestie, she voluntarily admitted she'd been using her 'trustiest' foundation brush for six years straight and, um, that it had never once been washed. Yes, I did gag on my sandwich. This blasé admission sparked my fight or flight response and, being the noble beauty journalist that I am, only one solution was going to be satisfactory-to write up a comprehensive guide on how and why you should clean your beauty stash, tools 'n' all. I mean, what better time to get stuck into it than now? 'Tis the season of new beginnings and spring cleaning, after all.

BIN AGEING BEAUTY BUYS

Just like food, our make-up, haircare, and skincare products are all perishable. However, cosmetic products in the UK and EU markets don't have official expiry dates.

Instead, there are guidelines to help you understand how long your beauty products are good to use for, sort of like a best before' date. To know when it is time to bin your ageing beauty buys, products display a Period After Opening' symbol on the back of their packaging.

Why is it so important to stick to the guidelines? Well, Dubai-based dermatologist Dr Radmila Lukian says that using old or expired make-up can have several negative side effects on your skin.