Monday, February 4, 2013

How I Clean My Makeup and Brushes.

Hey guys! Sorry its been so long, I just started college, and a new job. Needless to say, I'm very busy. ha! So today I wanted to show you how I sanitize things in my makeup room, and how I clean my brushes!
Here are the things you will need;
From the left; clorox wipes, these are the Kroger brand I think, anything that kills germs and is a wipe. Alcohol, I've done a bit of research and I still haven't found what the difference in percentage means, some people say it doesnt kill germs if its under 70% and some say all alcohol kills germs, use whatever you think will work. All the way to the right I have my makeup brush shampoo, I bought this on clearance at walmart, it works fine, I've used Dawn dish washing liquid, and Johnson&Johnson's baby shampoo, neither seem to do any better than the next, this is just what I had on hand.
These are optional, if you have filthy makeup brushes like I do ;)
Baby oil, again, the walmart brand. Can you tell I don't care about name brands? haha. Cottonballs and some paper towels. Other things I use are wash cloths, a big towel and a bowl.
This is pre-wash, ew, dirty brushes. So before I do anything I rinse them all, get them all wet(make sure not to get water in the ferrel(the silver/metal part) I've had brushes fall apart, and ya know, why waste your money?) then I take my bowl, put some baby oil in it(just enough to cover the bottom) and start swirling, just dampen them with the oil, then brush the excess out and lay them on your big towel. The baby oil will break up the makeup stuck in the hair, and help the cleaning process go more smoothly and quickly ;)
Once they've all been baby oiled empty your bowl and put about a quarter sized amount of shampoo in the bottom, run some warm water(about the temperature you wash your hands in) and fill the bowl about a half of an inch up. Dip your brushes in and swirl swirl swirl! The water is going to get filthy, so I like to do all my foundation and face brushes first.
It kinda looks like coffee, dont drink it ;) anyhow I do a 'first round' as I like to call it, where I wash them all a little bit and then dump the water. Then I make a fresh batch and start again. Make sure you feel your brushes and see if they have any left over soap, or makeup, they should literally feel squeeky clean. Run them under the warm/hot water and spread the bristles, they should be the same color they were when you bought the brush.
taa daa! Sparkly. So now you lay them flat, I like to fluff the bristles back to their original positon and let them dry over night. Right after this I take a cotton ball and some alcohol and wipe down the handles. In the morning when I wake up, I take the smallest amount of leave in conditioner and rub it together in my hands, and go over all my brushes, it helps keep them soft. :)
The way I sanitize my makeup is just like you would clean anything else. I keep those clorox wipes in my makeup room and wipe down the counters every day, I make sure to wash my hands before and after applying makeup, and I spot clean my brushes after every use. I'de say once a month I go through all of the drawers, and wipe them down along with all the products inside, it just minimizes dirt, bacteria and overall messiness. I soak my pencil sharpeners in alcohol and sharpen every pencil I own before I use it. It keeps them fresh, clean, and sharp! If you are using makeup only on yourself, when you're not sick, and not sharing or using it on clients; what I do might be a bit excessive, I'm a weirdo like that. Do what you think is necessary. My mom NEVER cleans her brushes, and she is just fine. I don't think its even a necessity. It just keeps them looking nice and minimizes the chance of infections and pimples.
Thanks for reading! xoxo,