NEW YORK: When we consider purchasing the best makeup, we often take into account several different factors like price, ingredients, whether or not the product is tested on animals, packaging, and skin type designation.

However, once the purchase has been made, just as with other products, we have a tendency to think that the decision-making is over. What many do not consider is that taking care of our products is just as important in maximizing their effectiveness as is purchasing the right kind of products. When it comes to makeup, proper care is absolutely critical.

This is especially true of organic makeup. Why? Simply because organic products do not contain the fillers and preservatives that synthetic makeup products do. As a result, organic makeup products do not have a very long shelf life, and since most manufacturers do not print expiration dates, we must be ever-vigilant about the product’s state on our own. An article in the Green Beauty Guide outlines the problems with expired makeup. Perhaps because of the lack of an expiration date on makeup, it is very common for women to store cosmetic products for years and years. And of course, makeup, whether or not it’s organic, is expensive. As such tossing products away unnecessarily can hit our pocketbooks pretty hard. But the dangers posed by expired makeup are far more damaging than the economic cost of keeping cosmetics products up-to-date. According to the article, old makeup can harbor dangerous bacteria. With foundations, expired makeup can cause what is called peri-oral dermatitis, which is manifested by little red bumps that look like acne. Expired mascara can cause conjunctivitis, an eye infection that is also known as pink eye.
What’s more, women should be particular vigilant when it comes to lipsticks and lip balms, especially if there’s the possibility that it could have been used by others. In many cases, women can get cold sores through a herpes virus that can easily be absorbed by lip products. Experts say that when it comes to cosmetics products, go with the smell test. Even if it has only been three months since purchasing, if the product smells strange, then it probably contains bacteria and should be thrown out. It’s also very important to consistently change makeup applicators, which are also breeding grounds for bacteria. While it may be difficult to justify throwing out expensive cosmetics products, the cost will be significantly less than having to deal with a potential infection.

LONDON: The combination of depression and coronary heart disease in a patient could be much more deadly than either condition alone, researchers say.French and British experts say people with both conditions could be four times more likely to die from heart or circulatory disease.The study, in Heart journal, tracked the mental and physical health of 6,000 middle-aged people over five years.Experts said doctors must pay more heed to depression in heart patients.Experts from the University College London and the University of Versailles followed the health of just under 6,000 male and female civil servants for an average of five and a half years.The volunteers were taking part in the British Whitehall Study II, which is looking at social and economic factors in long-term health.They found people with heart disease alone had a 67% higher chance of dying from any cause than those without either heart disease or depression.But the combination of heart disease and depression tripled the risk of death from any cause and quadrupled the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.Amy Thompson, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, which partly funded the study, said: "This study builds on previous research which suggests that depression is linked to coronary heart disease."Enjoying regular exercise and eating a healthy, balanced diet can help if you are feeling low - so, good news for your mental health as well as your heart health."Whether or not you have heart disease, if you feel depressed it's essential to talk to your doctor."