Articles
How to Care and Clean your Makeup Brushes
Expand your brush collection. If you’re using the same four brushes for everything, they’re going to wear out faster than if you use several different brushes. Buy a few eye shadow brushes in different shapes and designate one for light colours (base) and the other for dark shades (contouring). Make sure that you use one brush for your base face powder and a separate one for blusher/bronzer.
Dust or wipe off excess makeup left on your brushes after each use. Use a soft cloth or tissue and take care not to pull on the hair too roughly. Build-up causes brushes to lose effectiveness and the hair to break down.
Wash your brushes every couple of weeks. Pick up a specially formulated brush wash or you can use baby shampoo. After washing, rinse water over the brush until it’s clear, making sure all traces of foundation, blusher and eye shadow are gone. Squeeze out excess water and reshape the brush. Pat brushes down on a paper towel, and lay them on a flat surface to dry. Do not use the makeup brushes again until completely dry.
Make brushes last by protecting them from the sunlight. Store brushes in a roll-up brush bag with separate slots for each brush. Avoid bags with zips, as the hair may get caught in them and ruin the shape of hair. Remember to take all of your brushes out of the bag and wash out the bag with soap and water every so often.
Throw out your old makeup. Using dirty makeup wears brushes down and may also spread bacteria to your face. Definitely throw out anything that smells, and get rid of anything you’ve had for more than 3 years.
Tips
- Don’t stand newly washed makeup brushes upright to dry. This may cause uneven drying, may make the brush funnel bloat due to excess moisture or even loosen the glue then making the hair fall out.
- Don’t let make-up brushes soak overnight because doing so breaks down the hair and may even lead to mould developing.
- Don’t share makeup brushes, especially if they’re being used on the lip or eye area you could spread infections.
Pour or spray the makeup brush cleanser onto the paper towel. Start with a small amount and add more as needed throughout.
Gently Remove Makeup, using a back and forth and side-to-side motion over the towel, sweeping gently and not rubbing or pushing on the hair. You will see makeup being removed from the brush onto the towel. Add more makeup cleanser to a clean spot on the towel and repeat this step until the brush is clean.
Smooth brush back into shape and lay flat to dry, preferably with the brush head hanging over an edge. Allow 5-12 hours for drying, depending on the thickness of the brush. Do not let the liquid drip into the funnel.
