No, it’s not time for new year resolutions just yet, but it is time to resolve yourself to tackling your make-up bag. (Unless you’ve done this already in the past few weeks, and then you get a gold star).

A recent Mintel survey found that just one in four women in the UK admitted to throwing away their make-up, shampoo or shower gel if it ’smelt funny’ - and that’s just the women who admitted to it. It might seem like a waste, but believe me, one look under a microscope at an outdated bronzer would have you flinging it as far from you as possible - and definitely not something you’d want on your face. So follow these rules, and no-one gets hurt…

Mascaras: these should be thrown away three months after first use, with no if’s or but’s. The constant ‘pumping’ of the tube when the brush is pulled out traps in oxygen, which causes bacteria to grow.

Liquid items (foundations, liquid eyeliners etc) should be binned after a year - kohl pencils last longer as fresh kohl is revealed each time it’s sharpened, however these should be sharpened once a week and always kept with the lids on.

Powdered make-up (eyeshadows, blush, face powder) gets a little longer - 18 months to two years. However always use with a brush or sponge (never your fingers) to avoid contaminating the cakes with the oil from your face or hands, which again causes nasty bacteria to form.

Lip glosses and lipsticks are ok for six months, but never share with friends (no matter how close.) Keep nail polishes for around a year, but store away from heat to increase their life and stop the colour congealing.

Cleansers, toners, moisturisers and creams are generally at their greatest potency for two to three years, but the best way to be sure of these is to check the packaging for the recommended shelf life. You can find this information in what looks like a small jar with its lid open, with the recommended number of months (i.e.36M) inside. If you’re the forgetful type, use a Sharpie (I love these) or a marker pen to write the date of first use on the bottom of the packaging. Voila.

Suncreams are more tricky, these lose efficacy after around 18 months so are generally only good for one summer’s use. Perfumes are the marathon runners of the pack, and as long as they’re not kept in direct sunlight, can last up to five years! (Although honestly, the only ones of mine that last this long are the ones I got as presents and didn’t get the receipt for…)

Also throw away: anything with broken packaging (eyeshadows tend to be the worst for this, don’t ask me why), make-up brushes beginning to look a little bald, and blue mascara. The latter simply because it hasn’t been a good look since the 1990s - and if you’ve kept it that long, it’s probably walking to the bin by itself.