Longlasting Eye Pencil

Kohl pencil is my FAVORITE piece of makeup - it makes me look more "done" in an instant, and it's really rather cheap. You can get decent eye pencils for as little as $2. Generally, they last as long as they are - once you can no longer sharpen them, you can chuck 'em. They're really easy to keep clean because you can sharpen away any worn down, potentially bacteria-ridden bits, which means that you can usually keep them even if you have an eye infection, provided that you sharpen the pencil before use (using a clean, new pencil sharpener).

Eyeshadow pencils differ a little bit to kohl pencils because they're a lot softer, which means that you sharpen them less and they are therefore more difficult to keep bacteria-free, so they should be thrown away if you get an eye infection. If not, they should be good for around a year or two.

Lip Pencil, Lipstick And Lip Gloss

Lip pencil, lipstick and lip gloss are all in regular contact with your mouth - duh! But that means that they're also in regular contact with lots of bacteria, which means that you have to throw them away quite frequently. With lip liners, you can sharpen them and so they'll last for quite a while, but lipsticks and lip glosses cannot be sharpened, so if you put them directly onto your lips, you'll need to replace them often. One way to increase their longevity is to use brushes with them - that way, your mouth never comes into direct contact with them.

Infection

If any of your makeup products comes into contact with an infection, or you develop an eye infection, bin that product immediately to avoid spreading the infection elsewhere. And if in doubt? Throw it out. As a general rule of thumb, if it smells funny, looks funny, is cakey or crusty or just plain wrong, or is the wrong color, chuck it in the bin - after all, it gives you a good excuse to go shopping for new products!

Keeping Your Brushes Clean

The easiest way to increase the life of your makeup is to use brushes to apply it - they provide an even finish and also ensure that your makeup lasts longer. Using brushes means that your makeup won't come into direct contact with your skin, which means that it should be like brand new for as long as it takes you to use it up!

You can wash them with normal shampoo and then just leave them to dry on kitchen paper. Don't rough them up too much as you'll pull the bristles out and try not to handle the bristles with your fingertips too much to avoid transferring bacteria onto them.

See Also: Fakeup Vs. Makeup: Falsies Or Mascara?

Or, you could just replace your makeup each season to reflect the catwalk looks - a great excuse to go shopping, we think!