Brush cleaning routine
Hey guys!
Yesterday was brush cleaning day...I'm never sure how I feel about this. I think a lot of people are with me when I say brush cleaning is a bore, however, it's a great sense of accomplishment once they're all clean and sparkling!
It is SO important to keep your makeup kit and brushes sanitary, especially when going freelance. Cleaning your brushes allows you to achieve the true results, or pigmentation, of the product that you happen to be using. If you were to use a different contouring or blush shade today than you did yesterday, you’re going to end up with a mix of the two shades, not achieving the look that you may want to. Although you may examine your brush and it seems clean, small particles and even bacteria can build up within the bristles of your brushes. Also, by simply cleaning your brushes and taking care of them, you can extend the lifetime of the brushes, just by keeping them sanitary. Once the particles and bacteria have buried their way to the bottom of your brush it can ruin the bristles faster. If you’re using a product like foundation or concealer, the substance can stick to the bristles, making them change in texture which could ruin or lessen your result. Cleaning your brushes can help prevent spot and bacteria breakouts. With every use of a particular brush you brush skin particles, oils and make-up product with it. On the second use of this brush, if not cleaned, you take all these particles and re-apply them onto your cleansed face. This is a perfect way for bacteria to grow and breakouts to happen. (Once this is a part of your beauty routine the better.)
So...for those of you who don't know about the whole brush cleaning situation. There are two types of brush cleaning; deep cleaning and spot cleaning. Deep cleaning does exactly what it says in the name, a method that allows you to get out all the particles and dirt in your make-up brushes. This method requires more time than spot cleaning, due to the cleansing and drying time. For a deep cleaning routine you will need a soft shampoo, it can’t be full of chemicals or this will ruin the brush, a sink or a bowl of lukewarm water and some towels. Dampen your brush in the lukewarm water, place a drop of shampoo into your hand and massage the brush, allowing it to lather up. You should then rinse your brush underneath tap water until the water runs clean. Repeat this process if necessary. In terms of letting your brushes dry, you should lay them flat, avoiding any extra water getting into the handle of your brush, which could damage them. The slightly quicker and easier method of cleaning would be to spot clean your brushes. This particular routine works best on smaller, more refined brushes such as eyeshadow and eyebrow tools. There’s plenty of good spot cleaning products to buy on the market, and you can find a good one even when on a budget. Brands such as No 7, MAC and Clinique are all good ones to use if you don’t want to go down an expensive route. To spot clean our brushes, spray the cleanser either directly on your brushes, or on some paper roll. Be aware that spot cleansers can be alcohol based so if sprayed directly on the chemicals could affect or even dry out your brushes. Take your brush and swirl the bristles into your product using a piece of paper roll, traces of make-up will appear on the roll, do this until all traces have been removed. You can do this every time you have used your make-up brushes, but it wont remove the bacteria and particles left at the bottom of your brushes, so deep cleaning is still necessary on a monthly basis, dependent on how regularly you use your brushes.
...aaaaand there you have it. Happy cleaning guys!
