Out With the Old, In With the New.

*To people who are sticklers with adhering to makeup expiration dates, look away now.

My first gel eyeliner I ever purchased was MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, and I was still using the same little pot up until about a few days ago when I was forced to retire it because it had dried out. Then I got to thinking about how it used to perform when it was new and I almost gasped with disgust when I realized that I bought it nearly 5 years ago! FIVE YEARS!

Now I'm not sure what the acceptable time frame to use up a gel eyeliner is, but I'm pretty sure it's a heck of a lot less than 5 years :-/ Looking past the obvious sanitation issues associated with using the same cosmetic product for too long, I know a lot of people have issues with MAC Fluidlines drying out within a few months, so I'm actually really impressed that mine lasted almost 5 years. I guess that's kind of cool, right?

While I was more than happy with how Blacktrack had performed for me through the years, I was itching to try something new. After going back and forth between the Clinique and Bobbi Brown varieties, I finally settled on Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner in True Black.

It's worth noting that a MAC Fluidline retails for $15 and contains 0.1oz of product, while Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner retails for $14.50 but contains 0.17oz of product.

I actually swatched both on the back of my hand but there's no point in including the photo because they looked exactly the same. Clinique True Black had a much more fluid application than MAC Blacktrack, but that is to be expected when comparing a brand-new liner to one that is nearly 5 years old. 

Now is your chance to confess: Have you ever kept and used a beauty product that was way past its prime?