Do Not Share Makeup With Your Friends

Teenagers love to experiment with makeup, and sometimes that means sharing makeup. Most of the time, this is not a problem. There are some items that are fine to share, while others can bring up some issues. The safest cosmetics to share with others are powder eye shadows, blush or bronzer, stick foundation, and face powder. Keep your own stash of mascara, eyeliner, lipstick or gloss - these products tend to transmit more germs because they are liquid-based. Mascara and eyeliner can also pass on eye infections such as conjunctivitis. Sharing lip products can easily transmit cold sores or other germs that cause illnesses like the flu and the common cold. And what about those testers of makeup at cosmetics counters? Unfortunately, those aren’t germ free, either. Counters take precautions against person-to-person contamination, but it’s not a perfect system. So warn your teenager against using lip and eye testers at cosmetic counters while out shopping with friends.