Mascara three months old?

Throw it away, because otherwise…

I've heard it so many times, that mascaras should be thrown away after three months. I assumed that they ‘didn't work anymore’ and I also thought it was a stunt by the cosmetic companies. Ha, a cunning trick to lure us into the buying trap. Well, I wasn't falling for that. As long as my mascara still made a juicy pop when I opened it, I kept using it. Three months, nonsense.

Until (yes, there is a ‘until’) this summer when I suddenly saw a bit blurry. I even went without makeup to the annual beauty lunch of Coty where everyone from the industry was. I received many comments like ‘how brave’ and ‘how cool’, which made me realize even more that I looked quite strange, so without makeup. Right after that lunch, I typed ‘I Pharmacy Heemstede’ into my phone and drove to get a medicine. That didn't work. Long story short: my vision was only ten percent and I looked uglier than Björk in Dancer in the Dark. It felt like I had a cold in my eyes and I could only lie flat, waiting for the next medicine moment where a shot of antibiotics and a firm Aleve made me forget my pain a little.

After a month I was allowed to put my lenses back in (hooray!) and also wear a bit of makeup (hooray 2!), but I still have scars on my eyeball and I'm terrified of a relapse. So I went to my amazing optician for a current eye measurement and a good pair of glasses. And there it came, the warning that worked.

My eye was occupied by bacteria. Bacteria that can arise from old mascaras. After three months, that mascara becomes an ‘infection source’ (such a nasty word). That juicy pop has nothing to do with it. And oh yes, if you don't take your makeup off in the evening, that breeding process continues happily. In your eye.

Moral 1

Take care of your eyes

Moral 2

Wash your hands before putting in or taking out your lenses

Moral 3

Do not use a good eye makeup remover (I now have an eye soap that also removes makeup from the optician)

Moral 4

Throw away that mascara after three months

Moral 5

Always check the expiration date on your cosmetic products (it's always on there) and take it into account

Moral 6

Cherish your optician