Quick Tip of the Day - Cleaning Makeup Brushes

Noticing more breakouts then usual? Before changing your skincare line, or blaming hormones, think about your makeup brushes. Have you washed them lately? It’s something that people seldom do, but just imagine all the gunk, sebum, and excess makeup that’s just being caked on your face day after day by using dirty brushes!

You should wash your brushes at least once a week. Investing in a good brush cleanser can make all the difference in the world. I use MAC’s Brush Cleanser because it’s both relatively cheap (about $15), and it’s a large bottle so you don’t go through it too quickly.

Can’t afford liters upon liters of brush cleanser? No problem!  A couple of cheap substitutes for brush cleansers include:

-       Baby shampoo

-       Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Washing your brushes:

1.     Wash only in lukewarm water – not too hot, not too cold.

2.     Don’t ever hold the brush upside down, especially when wet! The moisture from the brush can cause the glue that holds the base of your brush together to fall apart, rendering your brushes useless.

3.     Put about a quarter-size amount of brush cleanser in the palm of your hand and swirl your dirty brush in it. Continue to swirl until the majority of the gunk gets off the brush. Rinse under water until it runs clear.

4.     When brushes are all clean, place in a cup bristle-side down.

5.     Leave brushes overnight to dry. Sometimes this can take a little longer than usual if you have too many brushes in a cup. It can take anywhere between 6 to 12 hours for brushes to completely dry.

Another alternative to drying your brushes is Sigma’s Dry’n Shape System! It’s essentially a brush holder with fibers that dry your wet brushes within 4 to 6 hours. They retail on the website for $29.00 US dollars. This thing is magic, it cuts down drying time and makes sure that your brushes keep their shape! You can find it online at the Sigma store, the link is (http://www.sigmabeauty.com/Dry_n_Shape_System_p/ds01.htm)

Ultimately just remember, you’re spending money on quality makeup brushes, so you have to take good care of them! Make sure their clean, and your skin will thank you!

Until next time my friends, keep washing those brushes. I will see you in my next post! Please tweet me @peachplumpears with any requests that you may have for upcoming blog posts!