Road Reveals: The Dangers of Buying Used Makeup

Hello everyone!

So recently I've been trying to sell these shoes I have. I bought the wrong size and I really don't need them collecting dust, so I decided to join one of those Facebook sites that you can sell stuff on. At first I just put the shoes on the group page and waited, then I kept getting notifications. So I went on and saw the most horrifying thing to a makeup lover. People were actually trying to sell their used high-end makeup.

At first I thought "eww who would buy that", well turns out, a lot of people would. I mean, a lot of people. There was some pretty good stuff there too! I can see where the excitement came in for a half used naked 3 pallet, it's a great pallet, but I don't think these people realized that they could be causing huge harm to themselves when buying used makeup... from someone they didn't know.

I couldn't just sit idle watching these women buy makeup like eyeliners and lip glosses that had been used by someone else.

So let's talk about germs. Germs are little micro bugs that are everywhere and they love your body. Now, not all germs are bad, but the ones that are sitting on your makeup are your own, they don't belong to anyone else. The most common way germs spread are by: nose, mouth, eyes, and hands. ALL THE AREAS YOUR MAKEUP GOES!

Let's say you washed your hands before every makeup application (bravo, you're one of the few) and you used your fingers to apply eye shadow. The germs that were on your hands are now on your makeup. Let's say it was a warm day and you were sweating a little when you applied that eye shadow. You touched your eye shadow and then your eye and then you went back in for more. Your face is kind of sweaty and not to mention you eye is already composed of liquids to keep the eye lubricated. So, whether you realize it or not, you took germs from your face and placed them on an eye shadow. What happens to those germs? They multiplied. Now normally, if you didn't have an eye infection and you haven't shared that eye shadow, you should have no problem using it again.

But what if you did share it with someone and their body did not mesh well with your germs? What could happen then? What if the friend who's makeup you borrowed has a lipstick and that friend unknowingly has herpes or some sort of mouth infection. By sharing that lipstick, you have just literally wiped that infection on your mouth.

Same goes for mascara, I saw a girl selling used "once or twice" mascara and I thought to myself. "why would you share something that goes on your eye?!" Guys, it touched that liquid that keeps your eye lubricated. So now it's covered in your germs and mascara is a liquid, so germs will spread faster and now that mascara has your germs on it. Then you tried to sell it. Let's say the new owner tries it on and then gets an infection because her germs and your germs don't like each other and created an infection. She could have pink eye for the rest of her life. Or she could go blind.

Now let's talk about makeup brushes. Do you wash yours? I try and wash mine as much as I can, but I know I am not perfect and sometimes they wait a while before getting washed. Those brushes are contaminated. Especially the foundation brushes or sponges. You don't wash those enough and your face covered in acne will be covered in more acne. When you have acne or open wounds on your face, your face is covered in bacteria, germs, straight up infections. You're trying to heal those infections, but it's hard especially when people can be awful. So you cover it with makeup, then you don't wash your brushes. That infection on your face is now on your brushes. So everyday, you cover your face in more acne because you didn't wash your brushes. Then you decide "this brush was expensive, I'm going to sell it because I have no money" .... you wash it, but foundation sticks in all those little areas... you've just spread your bacteria to a new victim.

So now that we know of the dangers of sharing makeup, let's talk about why people sell their used makeup.

I can only guess, but it was probably an impulse purchase, you thought "I'm so going to use this" and when you didn't you questioned why you bought it. Then you realized "I can't return it". You start to freakout and then the idea of selling your used makeup pops into your head. Sure, you paid $70 for that pallet and sure, you could sell it for $30 to some innocent person who knows nothing about makeup. That seems like a great idea. Except it's not. A) you're taking advantage of someone who didn't know they'd be getting herpes from that used lip gloss and B) You've clearly not done your research or even considered the ethical dilemma of sharing or selling makeup.

If you pay $30 for a mascara, you can return it. If you really didn't like it within thirty days, you can return it. There is not one store that will reject a makeup return. I once bought a foundation at Wal-mart and when I opened it, I realized someone had used it. I returned it and they just gave me my money back. It's like buying a car, if that car was recalled or you didn't like it, you wouldn't hold on to it, or try to sell it second hand on Kijiji, you would return it to the dealership and demand your 30K back. If I bought a pallet online and realized "wow this sucks", I would send it back to the store for a refund.

You can return your makeup or beauty products and you don't need to feel bad about it. Instead of trying to love that pallet and selling it for a fraction of what you paid for it, you could return it for what you paid and not lose any money.

If you want to buy makeup, buy it from a retailer of that brand, do your research and if you think $70 is a huge investment and you're not 100% ready to buy that pallet, don't buy it. Your mind wont change and you'll try and sell it to some innocent girl who think she's getting a deal.

So please please please think about what you're buying before you buy it and then sell it. And if you think buying the $30 pallet online is a great idea, it's not. Research for a duplicate pallet and buy that one. Help a growing company or a company that is already established. Don't buy from someone who couldn't be bothered to return something they didn't like.

Thanks for reading,

Samantha