How To Clean Makeup Brushes
Cleaning your makeup brushes, something that we all should be doing but some of us don't either because we don't know how or we just do not feel like it is necessary. Let me tell you, CLEAN YOUR BRUSHES! Even if you have a ton of different brushes you still need to wash your brushes. Why? Bacteria. Bacteria from your skin gets transferred onto your brushes, into your makeup, and back onto your skin. This can cause many different reactions from acne to pink eye! Let's not mention how using a dirty brush transfers one color to another.
Ok, I admit it, I didn't learn until my early 20's how to use makeup brushes. Until then I only wore eye liner, blush, and lip balm, I had nary a brush in sight. When I finally hit the club/bar scene I was so envious of the young women who looked gorgeous wearing a full face of makeup I went out on my 22nd B-Day and bought almost my weight in makeup and brushes. Within three months I had mastered makeup but I was also breaking out in a way I never had before. I blamed it on introducing my body to alcohol and went about my business. Another month passed and my face got worse, off to the Derm I went. When the doctor asked me if I cleaned my makeup brushes my mouth fell to the floor, I had zero clue that I was supposed to clean them. Since then I've been cleaning my makeup brushes weekly and replacing them as needed.
Makeup Brush Cleaner
2 tbsp warm Olive Oil
Facial Cleanser
Hot Tap Water
For Brushes: pour a little Facial Cleanser in your hand, dip the brush into the Olive Oil, and swirl it in the Cleanser on your hand. Rinse immediately after with Hot Tap Water and repeat as necessary until your brush is completely clean. Once clean, shape your brush and lay it on a clean towel to dry.
For Sponges: boil enough water to cover the sponge and add Cleanser. Boil sponge for at least five minutes then set aside to allow to cool. Once cooled, rinse under warm water while squeezing to get rid of any excess soap. Squeeze out water and set aside to dry.
Couple of notes to help you along the way:
If you notice in the third picture my hand is covered in brush hair. Once hair starts to fall out of your brush it is time to replace it. Bye bye brush!
If you find that makeup brushes are out of your price range try using acrylic brushes. Great for applying powders and liquids. They are available at almost any arts and craft store and you can get as pricey as you'd like (from packs to individual brushes). They are made to take a lot of washing so they last a very long time.
Be sure to clean your brushes and sponges weekly. If someone else uses your brush then wash it immediately afterwards. Do not use the same brush someone else has used. Can we say "Herpes?"
Spritz your powders with a mixture of 1:1 alcohol and water to disinfect between uses. You can also use this as a quick "dry" cleaner for your brushes in between colors (such as switching from a dark shade to a light shade).
Pick a day and dedicate it to cleaning your brushes. I prefer to clean mine on Sundays because I do not wear makeup on Sundays and it gives them plenty of time to dry before I use them again on Monday. Now get up and clean your brushes, I promise you'll see a huge difference in the way your makeup applies and in your skin. To make it a bit more fun play Splish Splash by Bobby Darin while you clean. Until next time amigas, adios!