As a reformed hoarder of cosmetics, lotions and potions, a part of me gets it. You are on a budget, and feel wasteful. A part of the thought is it will be useful “someday” and you will regret tossing it. Especially theater artists, who often don’t make a lot of money. if you could only see the bacteria breeding in those petri dishes you call foundation #3.

Once, I had the bright idea to leave my sunscreen in my car, so I could reapply when needed.  One warm day, I pumped out a little of the lotion with SPF, and it was lumpy and curdled.  I didn’t even know a lotion could do that.  It was a new, 6 ounce tube, and I felt very wasteful.  Store your products in a cool, dry place.

If something smells or separates, toss it. Bacteria loves warmth, humidity, and liquid, so your products are a very good breeding ground for things to go very wrong.

I keep my potions and lotions in a beautiful red box, it is a great way to hide your make-up and creams away from light and makes an attractive storage place. This cream comes in a jar, so try not to double dip (touch your feet and then put your fingers back in the jar) and it is also the perfect example of what our Beauty Alert! labels are great for.

This cream would fall under the six month category when properly stored and no double dipping occurs. I love this foot cream! Warmer weather reminds us to take care of our feet. Make sure you get your mani/pedis in a salon that uses a good sterilizer, and never walk barefoot around a nail place, or in a hotel for that matter. Travel with flip flops. Use a cream like the Brown Butterfly foot cream with Tea Tree to keep yucky fungi away. Wash and dry your feet completely after your bath or shower, and do find a good place to get a pedicure! You don’t have to paint your toe nails, but pedicures are a great way for women (and men) to keep in touch with how your feet are doing.

BACKGROUND: Microbial organisms are normally present on human eyelashes. Application of mascara to lashes has the potential to inoculate the mascara tube with microbes. This pilot study of a real-world situation investigated the microbial contamination of 2 brands of mascara used daily for 3 months.

METHODS: Forty women between the ages of 18 and 39 were randomly assigned to use 1 of 2 brands of nonwaterproof mascara. All mascara tubes were unexpired and purchased on the same day. Subjects were instructed to use the mascara on both the upper and lower lids every day for 3 months. After 3 months, the mascara tubes were collected, cultured, and examined for microbial growth.

RESULTS: Mascara tubes were collected from 33 of 40 (82.5%) subjects who began the study. Microbial growth was found in 36.4% of the subject tubes. Based on growth on selective media, most of the organisms were determined to be Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus species, or fungi. We did not attempt to quantify the numbers of bacteria or fungi present within the tubes.

CONCLUSIONS: Because microbial presence was found in 36.4% of the mascara tubes cultured after 3 months of use, we recommend a maximum 3-month use of a mascara tube used on a daily basis. More frequent replacement may be warranted with further study.