How To Wash Your Makeup Brushes

 I know a lot of you have asked for it and I was finally able to settle down and do it =). Enjoy!!!

Good Question...

Becky asks:

 "As for your cleaner recipe, I loooooove it and it's all I use now. I'm sure you've mentioned this like 5 million times but do you deep clean your brushes every day? I've been doing that and am wondering what you do. I've tried just spraying on like a washcloth and wiping back and forth but I don't feel like my brush is totally free of shadow since I use a lot of dark or bold colors. It seems to work okay for face brushes though for a couple of days."

 Okay Becks, here's the lowdown. I wash my brushes at LeAsT once a week, as in deep clean. I don't do it everyday. My process? Use olive oil to treat the brushes that have remnants of gel or wax based products i.e. lipstick or gel liner brushes. Just dip them in and wipe back and forth on a rag. Then disinfect all brushes with the homemade brush cleanser. Then to get my brushes SuPeR white (for the ones that are) I clean them again with Clearasil and warm water. After cleansing them all I put the brush guard on them so they look like new and don't fray everywhere. If I need a brush super quickly, sometimes I'll just use the Clearasil and dry it with the blow dryer. Don't recommend that like crazy but sometimes a girl's gotta do ya know?

Homemade Brush Cleanser on am 590

- 1 cup bottled or distilled water
- 1/4 cup alcohol ( I use 99%) This will be your disinfecting, sanitizing & antibacterial agent
- 1/2 TBSP dish soap (if it can cut grease on your dishes, think of the grease on your brushes)
- 1/2 TBSP gentle shampoo (I used Avalon Organic Shampoo from Walmart)*
- 1 TBSP spray leave-in-conditioner (not cream) to condition bristles

Stir GENTLY!!!!! You do not want the soaps to start foaming or to sud up. After it is all mixed together pour it into your container and there is your inexpensive homemade brush cleanser.
Okay, so for those of you having a hard time cleaning lip brushes or eyeliner brushes with your ordinary cleanser, I have NEWS for YOU!!!!! Since lipstick and most liquid liners are gel/wax based you need something to prep them before disinfecting with your cleanser. You'll need:
- Any olive oil you have in the house
- A paper towel or cloth (best) to deposit color
- A dirty lip or liner brush =)
Put just a DrOp of oil on the rag and clean brush back and forth (avoid circular motions) till most color is gone. Add another drop if needed and repeat process. After color is off of the brush, cleanse normally with your home made brush cleanser or any cosmetic cleanser you have. A trick that I follow for keeping my white brushes white is that after this whole process...I wash them again with Clearasil and they return to WHITE WHITE WHITE!!! =) Click here to see how I clean my brushes (alert! OLD video!!!)

*Click here to learn more about "safe and natural" shampoos. Unfortunately we are led to believe that all baby shampoos must be the most gentle but it's not the case. There are three major ingredients that are unsafe that can be found in your shampoo but the Avalon Shampoo from Walmart has none of them.

Let's Be Clean Ladies!!!

I found an article and wanted to pass on some VERY important information!!! I have met so many ladies and have worked with so many individuals that have had makeup since high school or at least 10 years or so. I know that at some point in this time that they have been sick, or had an infection and STILL used their makeup. This is GROSS Ladies!!! I have already stressed the importance of cleaning your brushes. Aside from the fact that they contain bacteria, makeup pigments mix with the oil from your skin making your brushes sticky and dirty. Please wash them uuuuuuunless you love little creatures crawling on the bristles and being rubbed all around your face....gag!!! Click here to see how to clean them (alert OLD video!!!) But what about the cleanliness of your actual makeup??? You should occasionally take some rubbing alcohol on a tissue and clean your lipsticks. Sharpen your pencils often to shave off germies, and ALWAYS do this if you are going to share makeup!!! I don't let ANYONE use my mascara and neither should you. As for the shelf life of your makeup, here's some professional advice on how long to keep it around before its time to toss it out.

Foundation: • Life-span = 6 months to 1 year • Warning signs = thickening, altered color, or change in odor

Concealer: • Life-span = 1 to 1 ½ years • Warning signs = color change or

thickening

Face powder, Eye-shadow: • Life-span = 3 years • Warning signs = texture

change when applying, dryness or change in color

Pencils: (for eyes or lips) • Life-span = 3 to 6 months • Warning signs = Change in odor, texture, or color

Lipstick and lipgloss: • Life-span: 2 years • Warning signs = taste or odor change, stickiness

Info from Enizio.com

As for mascara, It is so important that it is replaced every 3-4 months.

This is one you definitely should not keep around longer!

And one last thing... Never add water to formulas that are drying out. You're

just asking for problems at that point! If you have to add water, you're way overdue!!

The Brush Gaurd

I know sometimes after washing my brushes they fray out and don't dry as well as I would like them to. How many of you throw yours into the depths of your makeup bag alone, scared and without protection? =) Well, check THIS out!!!!!

The Brush Guard is a stretchable, breathable tube which slides over brush handles onto the bristles to protect bristles from damage when not in use. The Brush Guard allows makeup artists and others to safely store these valuable tools in a roll or a bag without a worry.

The Brush Guard also offers a unique new benefit that has never been available before: it allows brushes to be dried with the bristles pointing down! When brushes are laid down to dry, moisture wicks into the ferrule, ruining the glue and causing the handle to swell - eventually spoiling the join.

By keeping The Brush Guard slipped over brush handles during a makeup session, artists keep oil and wetness off brush handles and improve the grip.
How COOL is that??? Click here to check it out and see what others are saying!!!

Cleaning Brushes In Us Weekly

In this recent issue of Us Weekly, Poppy Montgomery asked this question,"Do I really need to clean my makeup brushes? If so, how often?"

The response was this ABSOLUTELY; clean them once a month. "Brushes can harbor bacteria that causes skin irritation and breakouts," celeb makeup pro Christopher Drummond tells US. Swish bristles in baby shampoo for 30 seconds then lay flat to dry.

I agree, for sure that they need to be cleaned but more than that wouldn't hurt and I think they should be disinfected as well. For a homemade recipe click here!

Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes

When I said that the brush handle would mold eventually, I meant rot. Boy I am making lots of oops today =).

Homemade Brush Cleanser

Monica asked how to make homemade brush cleanser. You can buy one from Mac for a little over $10....but you can make your own for soooo much less!!!!! Pictured here are the items that you will need. The brush cleanser bottle from MAC is ideal to use again for your homemade cleanser so DON'T throw it away!!! You will need:

- 1 cup bottled or distilled water
- 1/4 cup alcohol ( I use 99%) This will be your disinfecting, sanitizing & antibacterial agent
- 1/2 TBSP dish soap (if it can cut grease on your dishes, think of the grease on your brushes)
- 1/2 TBSP gentle shampoo (I used baby shampoo)
- 1 TBSP spray leave-in-conditioner (not cream) to condition bristles

Stir GENTLY!!!!! You do not want the soaps to start foaming or to sud up. After it is all mixed together pour it into your container and there is your inexpensive homemade brush cleanser.