Five reasons why sharing makeup with friends is a bad idea

Ever wondered why they say you shouldn’t share makeup? The answer is simple- sharing makeup products like mascara with your friend could leave one of you with pink eye!

We’ve all likely done it at one time or another- borrowed some mascara from a friend for a quick touch up, shared some concealer with a family member or dabbed on some lip gloss from a co-worker whilst we’re at lunch. While you may have been sharing makeup without incident, you’re still putting yourself at risk for spreading things like pink eye or even herpes. Here’s a host of five other reasons you shouldn’t be sharing makeup with friends and family.

Keep your mascara to yourself

A dark, gooey mascara tube is the perfect environment for bacteria to flourish along with plastic and glass cosmetic cases that are touched by human hands, one of the easiest ways for germs to travel from person to person. These little buggers can cause a number of different eye conditions that are often caused by bacterial infections.

Dermatologists recommend discarding eye makeup after three months and if you are the victim of some kind of virus or bacterial infection of the eyes, get rid of all your eye makeup immediately after you’ve recovered and replace them with new products. The same is true for all cosmetics, although they don’t have a “date code,” they should still be ditched after a few months. Avoid sharing mascara to lessen the chances of you waking up one day with conjunctivitis or pink eye.

Kissing a Fool

People can carry the cold sore virus without showing any signs or outward symptoms of this nasty infection. Sharing lipstick and lip gloss is practically the same as kissing someone from a bacterial standpoint so you should keep these products to yourself at all times.

Attacking acne

Suffering from acne is difficult enough, but adding someone else’s infected skin oils and other bacteria is a recipe for disaster on your face. Whilst you may always apply concealer with a brush and make sure your brushes are cleaned regularly, you can’t be sure your friend does the same. Avoid the risk of sharing makeup and only let someone else use your concealer if they’ve got their own brushes to apply it.

Sharing makeup and Staph

Given the right conditions, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, commonly known as staph, can be lurking in some of your makeup products or your friend’s cosmetics. Most of the time, staph only causes minor skin infections, but they can turn deadly if the bacteria invades other areas by entering into your bloodstream and cause damage to joints, bones, lungs or your heart. Whilst the chance of you contracting a bad staph infection is pretty slim, this does show the risk of sharing makeup, especially if you’re particularly vulnerable and susceptible to infections.

Anytime, Anywhere

Where is the majority of makeup stored and applied – many would say the  toilet – which is the worst place to store and put on cosmetics. Think of uncapped lipsticks or open concealers sitting on the bathroom counter just feet from the toilet and sink. Add sharing makeup into this equation and the possible exposure to fungus and bacteria boggles the mind. Perhaps storing and applying makeup in your bedroom would be a better idea.

Why risk your health, the cost and purity of your beauty products? Keep tabs and a close eye on your cosmetics and don’t share makeup with anyone, even family. And most importantly, resist the temptation to try testers at stores or getting one of those free makeovers that could be ripe with infections and bacteria.

Guest post by Mark Kirkpatrick