Weekend Project: Cleaning the Make-Up Brushes!

This morning I had nothing else better to do, I decided to clean my make-up brushes since I have been meaning to get them done for a few weeks already, but always didn't get the chance to do so! haha. So today I managed to do it anyways..so yeay! ^__^ 

By the way, so sorry that I haven't been blogging that much this week. I had a few events to attend and also, my internet has been down for a few days already! So sad! (I get depressed when there's no internet! haha)

Ok now ladies, let me show you here how I clean my make-up brushes! 

First off, what you'll need are:

1. Your dirty/used make up brushes 
2. The brush cleaner solution (or you can use the nail polish remover as well) 
3. Baby soap/shampoo (or you can use a gentle face cleanser too, like Cetaphil)
4. An empty bowl
5. Towel
6. Additional: Baby Wipes, Olive Oil or Hair Conditioner (I didn't use this today.. I thought my brushes were clean enough that I didn't need them! hehe)

OK, the first step is to dip and dampen the brushes with warm water..

Then squirt a few drops of your baby shampoo or a gentle soap into the bowl. 

Rub the brushes gently. (The lather may be a bit colorful) 

Leave it for a few minutes..

And then take the brushes out and blot them on a towel. Press it gently.. 

If you see there's still dirt on it, it means you have to clean the brushes again! 

This time, you have to clean them thoroughly under the running water

Run the bristles of the brushes under lukewarm water. You need to wet them with the hairs pointing downwards as this will help prevent any water getting in to or down in to the metal or bamboo handle brushes.. Then put a drop of baby shampoo again on the bristles and rub in the shampoo gently, until you have a bit of a lather forming. (Put a heavy drop on for blush, foundation, and powder brushes, and small drops for concealer, eyeliner, and other small brushes) This step is to ensure that you clean and get to almost every bristle of your brush! Make sure that you rinse them thoroughly. Rinse until there is no more visible lather, and keep rinsing!

Next, blot the brushes dry on a towel..and check whether or not there's still any make-up residue left on the brushes...

 Then pour the brush cleaner solution into your bowl. I used a Brush Cleaner from Shu Uemura. I heard the one from MAC is good too. Maybe I'll give that a try after mine is finish! :)

Put all your brushes into the bowl and soak the bristles with the alcohol solution for a few minutes for that added cleaning step!

And just let it dry!

Now that your brushes are perfectly clean, you need to focus on another aspect of thoroughly cleaning your brushes....which is the handle! When you use your makeup brushes you are transferring germs, bacteria and even make up onto the handles of your brushes. So do clean them as well! I only use baby wipes for this..

Lastly, lay the brushes flat on a towel overnight. Rotate the brushes or flip them over after a few hours if you desire. Let brushes dry completely before using. Dry time will depend on size and brush density..

That's it!

Cleaning your make up brushes on a regular basis can help remove old makeup, dirt &debris, bacteria, oils and dead skin cells. Another benefit of keeping them clean is softness, as make up buildup on your brushes can make them feel scratchy. Hence cleaning your brushes on a regular basis will help keep your make up brushes soft and supple. This is especially great for people with sensitive skin like me! So do clean your brushes often, guys! Ideally everyday..but who has time for that, right? haha. Hmm..I think I need to make this activity as a once-a-week thingy lah. Gotta include this in my timetable then! hehe..

So, how often do you clean your makeup brushes, ladies? :)


XOXO,
Shazzy.