I am a make-up brush fiend and I love it! To say I have quite a few brushes would be a gross understatement; but there are some I love much more than others – so I decided to share 🙂
I have 3 favorite brands/lines of make-up brushes and the following applies to all three brands…
Why I love them:
Affordable
High Quality
Quality is worth the cost of every brush (at least the ones I own so far)
Is your skin looking not-so-hot? Do you use make-up brushes or sponges? Did you know that they may be why your skin is in a funk?
Well, it is true, if you are not cleaning your make-up tools often enough or properly. Brushes and sponges not only accumulate product residue, but also bacteria, which without proper cleaning, means that you are spreading that days old product residue and bacteria onto your face. Eeek!
Based on how much and how often you apply make-up, brushes should be cleaned thoroughly once a week to once a month. I would also recommend using a daily anti-bacterial brush cleaner in between proper cleanings.
The exception to this would be if you have enough brushes to use some for a limited time and move onto using more clean brushes. The only issue with this – when you run out of clean brushes, you will have A LOT to clean at once! Not fun – I know 😦
So onto how to clean your brushes (according to me and what I have learned)…
Cleaning make-up brushes:
Step 1: Gather your brushes and take them to a flat surface with plenty of space, either on a bathroom/kitchen counter or table.
Step 2: Grab a medium size bowl (or partially fill your bathroom sink) with warm water. Doing this wastes less water.
Depending on how dirty your brushes are and how many, you may have to empty and refill the water once or twice.
Step 3: Wet the bristles of the brush, doing your best to avoid wetting the brush handle.
Wetting the brush handles, especially if wood, can damage them – as water makes the wood expand, when it dries, the handle can crack.
Step 4: Add a small amount of brush cleaner/soap to your palm and swirl the brush into your palm, sweeping back and forth.
Do not push the bristles down – the forcible spreading of the bristles outward can/will damage the brush density and form.
Step 5: Rinse under clean cool water and repeat Step 4, in the bowl of water, until the brush is clean of make-up.
Step 6: Gently squeeze the bristles, ridding the brush of as much water as possible, and re-form the brush to its smallest density.
When squeezing the brush, do so downward – from the brush handle towards the end of the bristles.
Step 7: Dry the brush handle with a clean towel, if necessary, and allow the brush to dry – brush head end down.
If the brush is not dense enough to support the weight of the brush, meaning the bristles bend when placing the brush bristle end down, then lay the brush down on a clean towel to dry overnight.
The brush shampoo I currently use:
Sephora Purifying Brush Shampoo
The daily brush cleaner I currently use:
Sephora Daily Brush Cleaner
(spray after use and allow to dry – no rinsing required)
When I don’t have my Sephora brush shampoo:
I use a 2:1 ratio of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo and Dial Gold Antibaterial soap. Works just as well.
I have mentioned this in a previous post, but to those new readers or in cased you missed that post, make-up sponges should be cleaned after each use. Since sponges absorb more product and absorb the product deeper than brushes do after one use, proper daily cleaning is important.
Cleaning make-up sponges:
Step 1: Take the sponge(s) to your bathroom/kitchen sink.
Step 2: Do NOT wet the sponge
Step 3: Grab some oil (yeah – I did just said oil, grape seed or olive, or even baby oil)
Step 4: Pour the oil on the more stained areas and work the oil into the sponge well.
The oil breaks down the cosmetic ingredients and separates the makeup from the sponge better than regular soap.
Step 5: Squeeze the dirty out! Then squeeze some more.
Repeat Step 4 until the stains are gone.
Step 6: Grab some of your brush cleaner, gentle facial cleanser or some baby shampoo/antibacterial hand soap and wash out the oil.
Step 7: Squeeze all the water out using a clean paper towel and check for any oil residue.
Check for oil residue by pressing the sponge onto your clean, dry hand – you will be able to feel/see on your hand if there is still oil.
Repeat Step 6 until you have rid the sponge of the oil.
Step 8: Allow the sponge to dry or use it right away – if you prefer using your sponge damp.
ArtsyArchitette 