Makeup

orrectly cleaning and storing your makeup brushes is very important. Not only is it important to your personal hygiene, it also will help you keep your brushes in near new condition as well as keeping them in good shape. In this article I will share some ideas on how you can clean your brushes, as well as how I personally clean my own brushes and some personal tips I keep at hand.

There are many ways you can clean your makeup brushes - divided into spot cleaning and deep cleaning. Spot cleaning can be done as often as you like according to your need (for example, spot cleaning eye shadow brushes when you want to use different colours with the same brush).

The best product to use for spot cleaning is professional makeup brush cleaners that are liquid or spray. My favourite one is the Mac Brush Cleanser. It evaporates quickly after being used on the brush, and it is simple and straightforward to use. Here is how I use the brush cleanser when spot cleaning:

1. Grab a piece of tissue and fold it three times.
2. Squirt a little bit of the brush cleanser onto the tissue and just brush your makeup brush on the wet patch back and forth.

The instructions on this product tell you to use it in a method that is more like deep cleaning, but over the years I have found this to be the most convenient way to clean your brushes quickly without any fuss.

This product is fairly priced too. It is about $20 New Zealand Dollars I believe and is available at most Mac Counters.

When it comes to deep cleaning, you have a few things to note:

Firstly, water temperature: The best temperature to use for cleaning your brushes is warm. Cold may be even better for the brushes but it might not get rid of the makeup residues on them as easily as warm, plus warm water is more comfortable for your hands. We don’t use hot water as it will likely to damage the bristles on your brushes.

The types of cleaning products you can use for deep cleaning include:
-       Professional makeup brush cleaner: e.g. Mac, (liquid), Bobbi Brown (Washing Gel, shampoo like)
-       Baby shampoo
-       Hair shampoo
-       Home made style – Dish washing liquid and olive oil
-       Makeup removers/makeup remover types

Washing the brushes using these cleaners is pretty straightforward. You can really do it anyway you like. Over time I have developed a way that works for me every time - wet the brush, then swirl it in the cleanser to get enough on the brush, then swirl is on your hand until you’ve gotten rid off all the dirt and makeup residuals, then rinse the brush again with water until water runs clear.

The drying process of the washed brushes is the big science:

One of the biggest mistakes made in makeup brush cleaning is when people place the brush head on the top and handles on the bottle. Why that is, is because water in the brush head travels down to the barrel due to gravity, ruining the glue that sticks the barrel and wooden handle together; as a result the barrel part which is attached to the hair can come apart. Exposure to water will rot the wooden handle at around the barrel over time as well.

The best way to store them is to clean them with the brush heads down. The best product I have found is called Brush Guard - pictured above left (www.thebrushguard.com).  It is only available online (shipped from the States) but is very affordable. It is very straight forward to use and the instructions come with the product. It has been the best help for me when it comes to drying brushes and keeping them in perfect shape.

Hope this was helpful slynkey girls, I will talk to you again soon! Have a fabulous day!