Hi Guys!
So one of the things I hate most about make-up is cleaning my brushes! Oh I long for the days when I didn't use them (shock horror! Yes there was a time I used my fingers and those eye sponges that come with eyeshadow). However I soon found brushes were the way to go. So I would clean my brushes once a week. Big deal right? But then I decided to become a Freelance Make-up artist and this brought about a whole new wave of make-up brush cleaning. Cleaning your brushes regularly is so important because the bacteria inside them can cause spots and all sorts of nasties on the skin so you need to do it regularly (at least once a week) and obviously after each use on a client if you are an MUA. So this post is going to go through what I do to clean my brushes and also review some products I have been using lately.
Cleaning for me is a two stage process. Firstly, I spot clean with The Pro Hygiene Collection Make-up brush cleaner (£10). By this, I mean when using my client brushes I always carry an anti-bacterial spray with me that will clean the brushes on the spot. So if I had to use a brush on more than one client at the same time or if I wanted to use the brush on a different colour I would clean it on the spot. Out of habit, I have now begun to spot clean my personal brushes before I give them a thorough clean. So all this takes is spraying the brush and then rubbing it on a paper towel in order to remove the majority of the product. It makes the next step so much easier and quicker.
Once brushes have been spot cleaned with the spray I then do another cleanse which I call the 'deep cleanse'. For this stage I use a cleaning egg, which I rub my brushes over in a swirling motion with an antibacterial gel cleaning solution. There are many branded ones available but recently I was sent Sebamed Liquid face & body wash (£5.84, 200ml) with the proviso that it was fantastic for cleaning brushes. So I thought I would give it a go... and it didn't disappoint. A small pea sized amount was applied to the cleaning egg. I then dampened the brush and rubbed through the egg creating a lather of foam and finally rinsed the brush. When rinsing be wary of trying not to get the bristles wet near the ferrule (the part that joins the bristles to the handle) as this may damage the glue binding the bristles to the ferrule. However I find this extremely difficult as I want all part of the bristles to be clean!
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| Top: F22 brush Bottom: F20 brush |
Sebamed worked really well and I could clean four brushes with a pea sized amount so a little went a long way. It also left my brushes smelling fantastic. My logic is that if it is sensitive enough for your skin then it's good enough for your brushes! Once the brushes are cleansed, I then dry the excess moisture with a paper towel and leave to dry flat or with the bristles facing downwards if possible.
The brushes you can see in the picture above are from Blank Canvas Cosmetics. I was lucky enough to be sent these to try with the Sebamed and I have been using them daily. I use the F22 brush (£13.35) for my everyday look to really buff my foundation in for a natural finish and the F20 brush (£13.35) with my full coverage foundations for more of a flawless airbrushed finish. They are good solid brushes and I love how weighty they are. I also had no fallout when cleaning them which is also a good sign of quality.
So this is how I clean my brushes! I hope you have found it helpful. How do you clean yours? If you have any tips or tricks on how you clean your brushes or how to cut down on how long it takes, then I would love to hear your comments!
Amina xx
*Includes PR samples. All opinions are my own.
