Use a labelmaker to keep mascara fresh

I never used to give much thought to the guidelines for tossing makeup until I had an eye irritation last year. Now I'm diligent about it, and I rely on one of my favorite organizing tools - a labelmaker - to help.

Each time I start a new mascara tube, I label the bottom with the month in which it should be discarded. So when I started this new tube at the start of June, I labeled it with "August". That way I know that when August 31st comes, it's time to toss that tube and start fresh.

It takes the work out of trying to remember how old cosmetics are, and reminds me when I'm going to need to go shopping for a replacement. Plus, the idea cost $0 and took about 1 minute. The best of all worlds.