Consumers are very budget conscious these days; they don't want to waste anything, including their make-up. However, the reality is your three-year old mascara could be hazardous to your health. In this Angie’s List report, we look at why keeping out-dated make-up could lead to spending big at the doctor’s office.

Ladies, we usually never need a reason to buy "new" make-up; but now we're going to talk about the many reasons we should throw out our "old" cosmetics.

"It’s really important to clean out your beauty products periodically because if you don't it can lead to health problems such as eye irritation, skin irritation, acne. All of that could lead to more expensive health visits down the road,” Angie Hicks, founder of Angie’s List said.

Make-up can be expensive. That's why many women use their products to the last drop.
Some women try another dangerous strategy to save bucks on cosmetics; borrow someone else's.

"Never use someone else's makeup. Never share makeup. Never share eye drops because the tip of the bottle can be contaminated,” Dr. Kathleen Busby, an optometrist, said.

Some of us ladies might be using contaminated make-up and not even realize it. When should you switch out your cosmetics?

"Liquid based makeup should be replaced once every 90 days - so mascara, foundation, things like that. Powdered makeup could last up until a year. A lot of us forget when we buy things so a good tip is to stick a sticker on the makeup and mark the date you started using it," Hicks said.

Doctors say eye cosmetics are the most vulnerable when it comes to collecting bacteria. Many times women get eye infections from contaminated cosmetics but blame it on something else.

"One Angie's List member had an eye irritation. She thought it was from her contacts, but she kept getting it and couldn't get rid of it. It turns out if was from her mascara,” Hicks said.

If you ever run into a situation like that, doctors say you must throw out your eye make-up. At that point, it's a good idea to clean up your other cosmetics.

"Just make sure everything is cleaned off, using alcohol wipes - that sort of thing because it's carried from contact, it's not airborne, it has to actually be touched,” Dr. Busby said.

Besides cleaning your make-up, eye doctors say you should regularly clean your make up brushes as well. They can carry bacteria just as easily. Also, make sure to keep your make-up in a cool, dry place. A lot of women tend to leave their make-up bags in a hot car. It’s also important to always wash your hands before and after you apply make-up.