Perfect makeup requires the use of the right tools and the best cosmetics. But just making use of the perfect equipment is not enough to keep your skin looking and feeling great. It is important to maintain your makeup equipment in good condition and also to ensure that it stays fresh, clean and usable.
The Importance of Keeping your Makeup and Tools Clean
When you apply your makeup using the various tools such as brushes, sponges, etc. some of the cosmetic material is left behind on them. When the brush touches your skin, it is exposed to the oil residue and dirt that cover your skin. Using the same brush over and over again results in these remnants coming into contact with your skin repeatedly. The result of this is outbreaks, rashes and allergies that arise as a result of poor skin hygiene.
How to Keep Your Makeup Clean
Avoid sharing mascara, eyeliners, lip gloss and lipsticks with other users to keep it sanitary. After use, sanitize your eye pencils and lip pencils with a makeup sanitizer or sharpen them with a pencil sharpener. Allow the products to dry thoroughly before putting them away in your covered kit. If you have an eye infection and have been using your mascara or gel eyeliner, discard it and use a fresh one to avoid infecting your eye again
Powder products can be shared with others, without compromising hygiene, provided each of you has a separate brush/applicator. Remember to clean the brushes/applicators thoroughly so that the product is not contaminated by them. All sponges and puffs should be cleaned using soap and water and letting it dry naturally and all tweezers and curlers should be sterilized with surgical alcohol.
How to Sanitize your Brushes
Sharing brushes and applicators may transfer bacteria from one person’s skin to another. This is not always possible for makeup artists working on different clients. Regular cleansing is therefore essential. For brushes used to apply powder, foundation, blushes or eye shadows, wipe the surface with a tissue immediately after use. Brushes should be replaced after 3- 5 years of use or earlier if necessary, whereas sponges should be replaced once a month or every second month. Mascara should be replaced after 3 months and lipsticks every year.
Shelf Life of Makeup
No matter how much you love your favorite pale pink lipstick or your stunning moss green eye shadow, there is a time when you have to bid goodbye to them. Using cosmetics past their expiry date can have disastrous effects on your skin. In general, if you notice a change in the smell or color of your cosmetics then it is time to discard them. Here are a few other points to note about the shelf life of makeup. Mascara- Since you apply this eye makeup product with a brush the chances of bacteria being introduced to the mascara are very high. Contaminated mascara can cause eye infections (conjunctivitis, sties etc). Throw out your mascara after a maximum of 3 months of use.