How to keep your makeup clean.

Being a makeup artist in Vancouver I have seen all sorts of things.  Keeping our makeup kits clean is probably the most important part of our job.  Every makeup artists worst nightmare would be to hear, “You gave this to me!”   So we do our best to make sure everything in our kit is keep sanitary.  My question is do you do that for yourself? I have noticed that most of you don’t do that for yourselves.  The misconception is that if I am not sharing your makeup with anyone else then that is clean enough.  That is just not true.  I am gonna give you ten steps to keep your makeup and equipment clean, so that you can do your best to avoid unnecessary breakouts, infections, and even lessen the changes of getting styes.

1.  Never dip your fingers in your moisturizer, eye cream, or foundation.   If they come in a tube then you can just put a little on your finger and apply it to your face.  What if the product is in a pot?  Using a clean spatula will keep your products from getting contaminated.   This will also ensure that your foundation has a longer life, because when you dip your fingers in the pot you are spreading bacteria, which cause your makeup to go bad much quicker than it normally would.

2. Sharpen your eye pencils.  Many people wait till their eyes pencil is completely dull before they sharpen it.  I am telling you to do it more often.  I know that this will cause you to go through eye pencils a little more quickly, but it beats getting pink eye and having to through the whole thing out anyway.

 3. Replace your products regularly.   I have heard people who have used to same tube of mascara for years.   They said “Well I barely use it.”  Your mascara, once opened only lasts between 3-6 months depending on how often you use it.   Smell your products if they don’t smell like they did when you bought them, then it is time to throw it out.

4.  Do not share your makeup with anyone.  I can’t believe how many times I have noticed friends sharing lipgloss, eyeliner, mascara and even the same sponge to apply powder.  Bacteria causing infections can be present for days before any signs appear, so just be safe and don’t share.

5.  Soak your equipment in alcohol.   Equipment such as tweezers and nail clippers should be soaked in 70% alcohol before and after every use.   Very often people cut themselves with these tweezers or nail clippers, even though they are tiny cuts they are still prone to infection.

6.  Keep your makeup in a cool place.  Don’t keep your makeup kit close to a window directly under the sunlight.  The heat can cause bacteria to grow and lessen the life of your makeup.

7.  Replace your sponges daily.  I can’t stress this point enough!  Sponges are cheap and can be bought at any makeup counter.  Using the same sponge over and over again will cause you to breakout.  If you are trying to be green, then use things such as makeup brushes and powder puffs instead of sponges.

8.  Clean the rim around your lipgloss.  I don’t know if you have ever noticed when you keep your lip gloss in your purse, no matter how tight you close it, you still get that film around the lid.   I really can’t tell you how to prevent that, but I can tell you how to clean it.  A baby wipe and a dab of 70% alcohol should keep it clean and sanitary.

9.  Throw out your products after an infection.  I would strongly avoid wearing any makeup during eye infections or core sores, but you should still toss out any product you have used on the infected area even a week before the symptoms appeared.   

10.  Clean your makeup brushes regularly!  Just because you are the only one using them doesn’t mean they are not dirty.  Bacteria grows everywhere, so clean your brushes at least every week.  Brushes that are used in wet products such as Foundation, concealer and lipstick should be washed everyday.  There are three ways to clean your brushes, a) brush cleaner, b) soak them in 70% alcohol or c) shampoo them and lay them out the dry. I hope this helps you ladies.  

Be sure to leave any additional questions or comments by clicking “comments” on the right hand side of the page. -Vancouver Makeup Artist