Don’t let the title of the post mislead you. I’m talking about the nasty oils and bacteria that can accumulate on or in your make-up and make-up tools. Everything has an expiration date and makeup is no different. If you’re not careful, you can cause some serious damage to your skin. One of the quickest culprits to cause an infection such as pink eye is mascara. Although you may see many people pumping the wand inside their mascara bottle repeatedly, experts agree that this action immediately causes air to push bacteria back inside the tube.

Of course when applying your make-up, be sure your hands, brushes or sponges are clean to avoid skin outbreaks. Here are some general expiration guidelines:

Liquid Foundation: 3-6 months (Cream foundation can last 4-6 months)

Foundation in a bottle should last 3-6 months, but wide mouthed jars can expose the product to more air and should be tossed sooner. When the ingredients begin to settle or separate, the texture thickens or thins, or the smell changes, it’s time to throw it away.

Concealer: 6-8 months

Powders: 1 year

Mascara: 3 months

Lip gloss & Lipstick: 1 year

Are you guilty of trying to hold on to your favorite make-up products past their expiration date? If so, which products do you try to make last the longest?

Posted by: Khadijah C.

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Watch out Carol, there’s another ‘daughter’ taking on all-natural hair care.

Uncle Funky’s Daughter is a husband and wife line based in Houston that caters to curly hair textures. Although, the brand was founded in 2003, I only heard of it a few months ago. First the name caught my attention and then the packaging bearing a woman rocking an Afro sealed the deal. I knew I had to try a product from this eye-catching line.

Since I suffer from extremely dry, flakey scalp I was excited to try the brand’s moisturizer, Shining Star. Made with natural jojoba and soybean oil, this pleasantly-scented concoction quenched my hair’s ‘thirst’ like no other product I’ve tried this year. It’s lightweight, yet non-greasy formula coated my hair and scalp leaving it shiny without the weight where many other moisturizers fail.

While I’m still a huge fan of Carol’s Daughter, I’m making room in my beauty shelf for one more child who will bring on that funk!

Have you tried Uncle Funky’s Daughter products? If you would like to try the Shining Star ($16 value) moisturizer, simply leave a comment and the winner will be randomly selected and announced next week.

**The winner of the Essie polish is Ladybug! Congrats and please send me your mailing address.

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With fall officially upon us, treat your nails to awesome autumnal saturations that will make your digits standout. Essie’s current collection has 6 eye-catching hues that will make you swoon.

From a deep burgundy color called, “Carry On,” to my favorite, a striking grey-green shade that resembles a muted camouflage tone named, “Power Clutch,” these nail polishes are the perfect accessories to your fabulous fall ensembles.

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If you kept up with last week’s New York Fashion Week extravaganza, I’m sure you not only noticed the eye-catching trends we can expect to wear next spring, but you may have also noticed some celebrity make-up trends that you can wear for the fall.

Normally, fall makeup consists of the darker or vampy hues like grays, deep purples, metallics or anything in the jewel-toned family. However, what I liked seeing the most on our celebrity trendsetters was the concept of bending the rules when it comes to adjusting your makeup for the season—specifically when it comes to lip color.

Check out Solange in this eye-catching bright pink lip-color.

You can achieve a similar look with MAC’s Amplified collection “Girl About Town.” It’s also one of my personal faves. If you want to tone down the lip color, you can always do so with by applying the appropriate lip-liner in the same color family over your lipstick.

With full eye brows and a dewy, “make-up less” look, model Jourdan Dunn rocked in the Jason Wu fashion show wearing a matte orange lip. I typically shy away from matte lip colors since they appear so drying on my lips. However, Revlon has a similar “Coral” shade in the Colorburst collection which is actually pretty moisturizing. More on this in the future!

If you want to turn heads, look no further than applying a sultry, hot color like Red on your pout. I know sometimes we women of color might think red is too hot to trot, however, no matter what your complexion or lip size—there is a RED for you!

The key is to look for the right shade and texture of red that complements you. I would highly recommend visiting a make-up counter to find your perfect match. Oftentimes the drugstore packaging of lip-color may be misleading and can become frustrating trying to find your right color. With a make-up pro—the guesswork is taken out. A visit to your local Sephora or any other make-up counter takes the stress off and allows you to embark in star treatment.

Take a look at Angela Simmons and her perfect red pout. Again, Mac has a similar color in the satin collection simply named “MAC Red.”

There you have it. Will you be embracing fall’s more subdued lip-colors or will you be trying the more bold approach?

Posted by Khadijah C.

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As some of you may know, I was selected by Galderma to attend the 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards this Sunday in Los Angeles. Besides being incredibly giddy about dressing up and walking the red carpet, I’m excited  to let you guys in on the fun too.

Prior to the event, my guest and I will be getting glam by an expert stylist and makeup artist. Here’s where you come in…simply email or post a question in the comments section asking Dr. Luftman and/or the stylists and beauty experts who will be on-hand any questions related to the skin condition rosacea.

Because we BGs and guys aren’t usually affected by the skin ailment, it does occur. It’s especially important for us to seek treatment early in order to avoid hyper-pigmentation.

I’ll choose TWO lucky readers’ questions who will then receive a Cetaphil prize pack which will include a Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser and Cetaphil Facial Moisturizer. Some of my loyal readers may remember how I highly recommended both products a few years ago – it’s the best stuff on the market, especially for sensitive skin. 

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