Keeping it Clean. Make-up Artists Don’t Need Dirty Little Secrets.

By Cassandra, Bespoke-Artist & Team Lead

As a Make-up Artist, I’m often asked how I keep my brushes and products clean (and sanitized). Good question. An important one, because it ensures your products last a lot longer, and your clients are a lot happier.

First and foremost, you should always have hand sanitizer on hand. It may seem simple but sanitizing your hands is very important. In such close contact with others, it’s only courteous.

How do I clean my brushes?
When it comes to brushes every Artist has their own methods. I preferred method is to keep a spray bottle with 90% and 70 % alcohol in my kit as well as full sized bottles in case I need to refill. Why both? The 70% alcohol has a higher water content which actually captures the bacteria and draws it out. Most of the time bacteria can become immune to 90 % alcohol, so it’s best to use 70%, and then draw out the extra water by patting down the brush with paper towel.

After every appointment, I like to give my brushes a luxurious treatment – afterall, they’ve worked as hard as I have! There’s nothing like a warm bath and a good massage, right ladies? Except I bathe mine in brush cleaner. Cleaning your brushes is important to keeping them looking, and feeling brand spanking new.

There are many amazing options out there for brush cleaners and is completely up to your preference. After you’re done with the deep clean, hang your brushes to dry. I like to tape them off my table upside down. Remember, they need to be at a minimum of a 60 degree angle in order to make sure water does not drip into the ferrule of the brush and detach the glue.

Pencils
I take care of my lip and eye pencils the same way. After every use I sharpen them and then spray with my alcohol and wipe on a clean tissue. Easy and effective.

Lipstick Palette vs. Lipstick Tube
When using lipstick, I tend to use a lipstick palette. I find it easier to keep things sanitary because I just take out my palette knife, scrap a little off and put it on my metal palette to use with a clean brush. After each dip into the lipstick pots, I wipe and spray my palette knife with alcohol.

Lipstick in a tube is a different story. I apply normally then spray with alcohol and wipe off at least one layer from the lipstick. This method does waste a lot of product but is the most sanitary way to use lipstick from the tube. This is why I prefer my lipstick in a palette. Every time I see all that wasted lipstick it breaks my heart.

Mascara
While it can make your eyes pop and ready for the red carpet, mascara has a bad reputation for its bacteria breeding ground. Every time you take the wand in and out of the tube you are pushing bacteria into it. For this reason the recommended shelf life of mascara is 3 months, once opened. Also because of the amount of bacteria, I usually ask my clients to supply their own.

Alternatively, I use disposable wands, dipping only once into my mascara. I usually need one wand per eye.

Powder products
I give a squirt of alcohol and wipe the surface of the powder. This removes the top layer, making sure that you are using a clean layer of powder every time. If it is loose powder, I dump a little on my palette or on a tissue then throw away the excess.

Lipgloss
Use disposable lip brushes and only dip once. Just like its cousin, Mascara. Keeps it fresh.

That’s it – best of luck in your beauty adventures! Stay clean.

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