Photo Credit: Mostly Lisa
Before I started buying good makeup brushes, I used the cheapo ones that either came with the makeup product, or I’d just use the ones that come free with the purchase of something else. Suffice to say, I never washed those (eeeuuuww). When I bought my Body Shop brushes (for only 1 pound each – sigh, how I missed the 1 pound Body Shop sales in the UK), I tried to get into the habit of washing them more often. Embarrassingly though, I only washed my face brush and blush brush once every two to three months. Ooops. And I leave them out in the open too, instead of putting them in a drawer. So can you imagine the amount of dirt and crap that goes on my face everyday back then?!
I still shudder at the thought.
Once I started buying better makeup brushes, I began to get into the habit of washing them once a week. I keep my makeup brushes in my makeup drawers, away from dust. I’d wash my kabuki, flat top and blush brush once a week, and eye shadow, eye liner, etc brushes after I’ve used them. These babies go on my eyes; I have to use clean brushes on my eyes.
So there you go. Wash those brushes, if you haven’t already. See that greyish muck that is your water from the brushes when you rinse them? That should scare you into washing them regularly :p Makeup brushes that are well taken care of can last you for years and years to come.
Be honest now. How often do you wash your makeup brushes? 😉
The poll will close in a month.
I use my brushes in the morning, then I would clean it night time when I arrive home! 🙂 And then during weekends, I deep cleanse it with baby shampoo! 🙂 Promise! HEHEHE
After the first time I washed my brushes (you know, the first time EVER) and saw all the gunk come out of it, I became religious about washing them. My shadow and liner brushes get washed every day after using them, and my flat top foundation and kabukis about twice a week. I’ve gotten so bad that I couldn’t possibly use a stippling brush because the top not being white would drive me nuts!
Okay, here’s the horribly embarrassing truth. I wash my brushes only when I remember to. Which is maybe… once a month? Or when it becomes a tad scratchy and not so smooth anymore, then I’ll go like, “Ok, time to give you a bath!”.
*runs and hide*
PS: I promise to give my brushes baths more often. Promise.
ooops! i am one of those guilty ones
/hides behind the wall
i bought the TBS brushes too after reading your recommendation. but one thing is, i find it really hard to dry the brushes! esp the fat kabuki
I wash my brushes whenever I remember to as in deep cleansing. But I usually clean off residues with MAC Brush Cleaner between usage (especially eye brushes). I mix the solution with water and put it in a spray bottle, spritz and wipe off with a tissue. The brushes would dry fast so it’ll be ready for use within minutes.
I try to clean it once a week…but most of the time it ends up being after two weeks, but I’ll use different sets of brushes.
Askmewhats:
In that case it’s better to have two sets of brushes just in case the ones you washed at night don’t completely dry in the morning 🙂
Robyn @ Purely Cosmetics
Hahaha, I know what you mean! Everytime I use my blusher brush, my heart drops a little when the white bits at the tips of the brushes get pink or peachy :p
Syen:
Good good, go wash those brushes once a week! Okay imagine all the dust and tiny crawly mites which land on your brushes brushing against your face everytime you use your dirty brushes.
Disgusted yet? That should scare you into washing them more often. Am I bad or am I bad? HAHAHAHA!! 😉
Prettybeautiful:
Ditto the disgusting scenario I gave Syen to you 😛
About drying the brushes, kabuki brushes take longer to dry compared to other brushes because it they contain more bristles and are more tightly packed at the bottom. What I’d do is running my thumb and fingers around the bristles (after sanitising your hands first, of course) to let the bottom of the bristles air. You can also use your hairdryer to dry your brushes (if you need the brush quickly). Okay with this, you have to use the lowest heat on your hairdryer. Hold the brush about 8 inches away from the nozzle of the hairdryer. But don’t just hold the kabuki still; run your fingers over the bristles constantly while you dry the brush. This way heat from the hairdryer doesn’t hit the hairs directly. Never ever hold the brush close to the nozzle or keep the dryer at high heat, or else you’ll melt the glue keeping the hairs together.
It’s best to have two sets of brushes, if you can, so that when you wash the first set after a week, you can use the second one.
Connie:
I use the MAC Brush Cleaner for my eye brushes. I deep-cleanse them together with my face brushes at the end of the week. The MAC brush cleaner’s really good. Dries the brushes so quickly 🙂
Indulgent Diva:
Yeah, having extra sets of brushes is good. But no point leaving all of them to be washed together, or else you’d be stuck with no extra brushes to use the next day! 😛