HOW LONG DOES LIQUID FOUNDATION LAST?

HOW LONG DOES LIQUID FOUNDATION LAST?

DMM Blog Team

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Ah, yes. Foundation. Liquid foundation, to be exact. How long does liquid foundation last? 

     "Welcome to Make-Up Chronicles"

INT. BATHROOM - MORNING

It’s your first day back in the office after a whole year. You haven’t worn makeup since Kim K’s first marriage. Under the sink is your dust-ridden makeup kit and you feel like you’re unearthing Cleopatra's treasure. As you try to decide between two foundations, either water or oil-based, you mumble to yourself and then remember you haven’t had your coffee yet… 

                    WATER-BASED FOUNDATION

Ms. Oil-based foundation, did you hear what she just called you?

                    OIL-BASED FOUNDATION 

Yeah, she called me thick… Ms. Water-base! (sigh) And not in a good way.

What does she expect? We're both past our expiration date! 

                    WATER-BASED FOUNDATION

My little 12 months were over faster than a TikTok Trend!

I'm starting to dry out and fall apart. What about you? 

                    OIL-BASED FOUNDATION 

I’m getting clumpy and lumpy. I thought black mascara was gonna speak up…

You walk back in with your favorite Blonde Dewey wearing Sunglasses coffee cup from Date My Make- Up and set it down. You  pick up the oil-based foundation. 

                    YOU

I’ll just add a little water to the mix…

                    OIL-BASED FOUNDATION 

Hey Sis, adding water will change my perfectly calculated foundation formula even though I’m over 18 months old.

                    YOU 

Really. Is that so?

                    WATER BASED FOUNDATION 

Madam, she’s lumpy because she’s past her expiration date! 

                    BOTH FOUNDATIONS 

Just a friendly reminder to renew! 

                    YOU 

One more time can’t hurt! 

                    OIL-BASED FOUNDATION 

(In a hushed tone) She cannot be this clueless about expired makeup!

Not listening, you pick up a sponge anyway and soften it up with water… 

                    OIL-BASED FOUNDATION 

OH- NO. She’s REALLY gonna use that sponge? 

                    WATER-BASED FOUNDATION 

When was the last time she cleaned that thing? 

                    BOTH FOUNDATIONS

No offense Pink Sponge…

                    PINK MAKEUP SPONGE 

None taken. I'm just soaking up the conversation.

how long does foundation last?

What will happen next when the expired foundation is used on a dirty sponge?  Stay tuned for our next Date My Makeup Chronicles to find out! 

Listen to the Makeup products come alive in our video below! 

THE MAKE-UP CHRONICLES AUDIO SHORT

 Where your makeup speaks volumes

What Are The Different Types of Liquid Foundations?

What's the difference, you ask?

Here's the science: 

  • Water-based is better if you have oily skin and tend to be prone to breakouts. They're sheer, have a lighter feel and are easy to blend and build coverage.  
  • Oil-based foundation may work better for you if your skin tends to be more dry.   It has a thicker formula. If you find that your skin is often looking dull, then oil-based foundations may give it the hydrating TLC it needs and leave it with that dewy finish!
  • Silicone-based foundation, has a mattifying effect that helps control shine from oily skin. It's good for making your makeup last longer throughout the day and protecting it from intrusions like water or clothes rubbing against it. While silicone foundation is usually more suited to oily skin, sometimes people have found it makes their skin even more oily. 

At the end of the day, everyone's skin is different and you may need to experiment to see what works best for you. 

So, how long does Liquid Foundation last?



Makeup does expire and figuring out how long your FOUNDATION lasts depends on when you first open it and expose it to air as well as the expiration date of the product.

Most makeup products have a Period After Opening symbol (PAO) on the packaging. This symbol will tell you how many months the product is good for after being opened. 

It'll look like this:

But we get it, nowadays it's hard to keep track of WHEN exactly you've opened your makeup. I mean, who has time to write all that down and organize it?  Not many. 

Thankfully, here at Date My Make-Up, we got you covered with an easy solution. 

You can keep track of when you've started using your makeup as well as the expiration dates for each product with our unique Makeup Expiration Labels. 

They're cute, convenient, digital and long lasting until you're ready to throw your makeup out.

Since we're talking about foundation, here's a sneak peek of our foundation label: 

Besides the PAO symbol, how else can you know your Foundation is expired?

When foundation is nearing its end, it’ll tell you. 

  • The texture gets clumpy, crumbly, or super thick.  And not in a good way). Oatmeal should be thick, not foundation)
  • A smelly odor starts coming from it. You don't want that smell radiating from your skin, do you? (Not cute). 

When you use expired foundation, you're transferring that old, dirty and smelly makeup into your pores, creating a perfect acne recipe. (Yikes!)

Foundation may be one of the longer lasting products, but when combined with poor personal and product hygiene, it starts to show some premature aging. 

It may not feel like a big deal at the moment, but trust us, it WILL catch up to you... ESPECIALLY your foundation. 

how long does liquid foundation last

Your Safe Beauty takeaways:

  1. Water-based foundation lasts from 6 to 12 months.
  2. Oil-based foundation lasts up to 18 months.
  3. Silicone-based foundation lasts up to 2 years. 
  4. You can find the Period After Opening (PAO) expiration symbol on your foundation packaging. 
  5. You can use Date My Makeup's Expiration Labels to keep track of your foundation's expiration and the date you opened it. 
  6. Your foundation starts to expire AFTER your first use of it. NOT the date you purchased it.
  7. You can tell your foundation is expired if its texture is crumbly, separated, solidified or smelly. 

Want an easy way to keep track of all your makeup products' expiration dates?

Check out our FREE Makeup Expiration Chart.  Free Download:

That's it! 

Hey! DMM Blog Team here!

We had a lot of fun with this blog and we hope you liked it as much as we did writing it. 

Want more makeup and personal hygiene tips? 

Then follow us on Instagram! @DateMyMakeup

If you have any comments, questions or would like to share any of your makeup experiences, don’t forget to leave a comment below! We would LOVE to hear from you. 

And as always, we hope to see you in the next one!

Safe Beauty to you!

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