I have been hearing so many stories lately of makeup artist’s double dipping and generally being unhygienic; turning up to jobs with nasty looking kits, grubby brush rolls and dirty, bacterial infested brushes!
It brings back very sad memories at Fashion Week one year; a very senior makeup artist I admired for a very long time had a very nasty looking kit and...very dirty brushes...and she blew on her eye shadow palette! I actually cried that night.
Dirty brushes not only spread bacteria and cause bad skin (or worse: herpes cold sores, pink eye); they also ruin the true colour of your makeup application.
It doesn't take much to be clean! I use Isocol liberally and because I work most days of the week, I shampoo all my brushes every night. Even if there is one brush out of all the others that I haven't used that day, the fact that it has travelled with my used brushes means it gets a clean too! OCD!
Double dipping is an absolutely no-no in the makeup artists world....we know where to purchase supplies and should always have loads of disposable mascara wands and sponges on hand! If you ever see a makeup artist double dip, don't be afraid to speak up before that nastiness goes near your face!
If I have to use the same brush on a job, I rinse it in Isocol and wipe on a clean towel. Germs, gone! Isacol contains alcohol which evaporates pretty quickly, so my brushes are not only hygienic and clean but ready to use again within minutes!
Whether you are a makeup artist or not, you should regularly clean your brushes and makeup bag. To help you, I have compiled a 'how to' below!
Please think twice before you use a tester at a store!
If you must test products, always ask how long the tester has been there and if the item can be sanitized first. If the consultant doesn't know the answer or rolls her eyes, walk away! Never test a mascara, eyeliner, lip liner, gloss or lipstick on your actual face! Test foundations on your chest (this is how you should match your foundation anyway). Counters are known for their bad hygiene practices...including their brushes! You never know who has been there before you - or how long that tester has been sitting there multiplying bacteria! Yummy!
How to clean your makeup brushes
Baby Shampoo + Water + Isocol
In one hand, run your brush under luke-warm water and apply a small amount of shampoo to the palm of your other hand. In a circular motion, massage the brush into the shampoo and rinse thoroughly with running water until there are no traces of soap left and the water runs clear. Repeat until no makeup at all comes out of the brush or into the water when you lather it up.
Avoid water getting deep into the handle of your brushes - you don't want to loosen the glue causing hairs to shed!
Lay the brushes on a towel and squirt Isocol on each brush, then pat them with a clean towel.
Squeeze excess moisture out of the brushes, running them between your fingers from root to tip.
How to dry your brushes
Never use a hair dryer to dry your brushes. Lay them down on a towel hanging over a bench overnight - they will be ready by morning!
How often you should wash your brushes
If you are a makeup artist, daily - no excuses.
If you are not a makeup artist, but you use your brushes daily then you should wash them at least weekly. It will take you 10 minutes, if that! Foundation brushes or brushes that you use for moist products should definitely be given the once over with Isocol every day!
How to keep your kit, brush roll and products clean
Simple! So simple that there's no excuse in having a dirty looking kit!
I use Isocol and antibacterial wipes - lots of them! Wipe everything down...including the handles of your bag!
My brush roll and separate makeup bags go through the washing machine with lots of anti bacterial detergent after every job. All my towels go through the washing machine on a very hot cycle - die germs, die!
Powders don't hold bacteria well because they are dry - but I give them a light mist spray of Isocol anyway. I also do this with my lipstick palettes, even though I use a spatular and I never double dip.
Pencils should always be freshly sharpened and wiped with Isocol.
All foundation containers and lids should be cleaned regularly.
I even antibac my Isacol container - the title of this blog is Obsessive Compulsive after all!
Isocol Antiseptic Rubbing Alcohol is available at pharmacies and supermarkets at around $9 per bottle which will last you a good while. As a full time makeup artist, one bottle lasts me approximately 2-3 weeks.
xx
Christina Cleary
Sydney Makeup Artist
It brings back very sad memories at Fashion Week one year; a very senior makeup artist I admired for a very long time had a very nasty looking kit and...very dirty brushes...and she blew on her eye shadow palette! I actually cried that night.
Dirty brushes not only spread bacteria and cause bad skin (or worse: herpes cold sores, pink eye); they also ruin the true colour of your makeup application.
It doesn't take much to be clean! I use Isocol liberally and because I work most days of the week, I shampoo all my brushes every night. Even if there is one brush out of all the others that I haven't used that day, the fact that it has travelled with my used brushes means it gets a clean too! OCD!
Double dipping is an absolutely no-no in the makeup artists world....we know where to purchase supplies and should always have loads of disposable mascara wands and sponges on hand! If you ever see a makeup artist double dip, don't be afraid to speak up before that nastiness goes near your face!
If I have to use the same brush on a job, I rinse it in Isocol and wipe on a clean towel. Germs, gone! Isacol contains alcohol which evaporates pretty quickly, so my brushes are not only hygienic and clean but ready to use again within minutes!
Whether you are a makeup artist or not, you should regularly clean your brushes and makeup bag. To help you, I have compiled a 'how to' below!
Please think twice before you use a tester at a store!
If you must test products, always ask how long the tester has been there and if the item can be sanitized first. If the consultant doesn't know the answer or rolls her eyes, walk away! Never test a mascara, eyeliner, lip liner, gloss or lipstick on your actual face! Test foundations on your chest (this is how you should match your foundation anyway). Counters are known for their bad hygiene practices...including their brushes! You never know who has been there before you - or how long that tester has been sitting there multiplying bacteria! Yummy!
How to clean your makeup brushes
Baby Shampoo + Water + Isocol
In one hand, run your brush under luke-warm water and apply a small amount of shampoo to the palm of your other hand. In a circular motion, massage the brush into the shampoo and rinse thoroughly with running water until there are no traces of soap left and the water runs clear. Repeat until no makeup at all comes out of the brush or into the water when you lather it up.
Avoid water getting deep into the handle of your brushes - you don't want to loosen the glue causing hairs to shed!
Lay the brushes on a towel and squirt Isocol on each brush, then pat them with a clean towel.
Squeeze excess moisture out of the brushes, running them between your fingers from root to tip.
How to dry your brushes
Never use a hair dryer to dry your brushes. Lay them down on a towel hanging over a bench overnight - they will be ready by morning!
How often you should wash your brushes
If you are a makeup artist, daily - no excuses.
If you are not a makeup artist, but you use your brushes daily then you should wash them at least weekly. It will take you 10 minutes, if that! Foundation brushes or brushes that you use for moist products should definitely be given the once over with Isocol every day!
How to keep your kit, brush roll and products clean
Simple! So simple that there's no excuse in having a dirty looking kit!
I use Isocol and antibacterial wipes - lots of them! Wipe everything down...including the handles of your bag!
My brush roll and separate makeup bags go through the washing machine with lots of anti bacterial detergent after every job. All my towels go through the washing machine on a very hot cycle - die germs, die!
Powders don't hold bacteria well because they are dry - but I give them a light mist spray of Isocol anyway. I also do this with my lipstick palettes, even though I use a spatular and I never double dip.
Pencils should always be freshly sharpened and wiped with Isocol.
All foundation containers and lids should be cleaned regularly.
I even antibac my Isacol container - the title of this blog is Obsessive Compulsive after all!
Isocol Antiseptic Rubbing Alcohol is available at pharmacies and supermarkets at around $9 per bottle which will last you a good while. As a full time makeup artist, one bottle lasts me approximately 2-3 weeks.
xx
Christina Cleary
Sydney Makeup Artist
0 comments:
Post a Comment