I wear makeup pretty much every day. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love it if this weren’t the case but try telling that to the adult acne deadset on ruining my al naturale potential.
(For my second don’t get me wrong of the day: there’s also nothing shameful about adult acne nor should it need to be covered up, however, I’m someone who feels a touch more comfortable a with a dollop of foundation attempting to hide those juicy volcanoes.)
Anyway, we got off track for a tick there – my point is that if we’re wearing makeup so frequently, why in god’s name are we being so feral about it? I too, am guilty of the below behaviour, but can we all agree that after reading this, we’ll all be better and healthier humans? Great.
START CLEANING THOSE DANK MAKEUP BRUSHES
Makeup brushes are a breeding ground for bacteria. How could they not be? The brushes aren’t only collecting the makeup they’re used for, they’re also collecting your face’s oil, dead skin cells (hot), dust and anything else that’s hanging out on your skin. So now that we’ve got the niceties out of the way, how often should we be cleaning these guys?
Concealer + foundation brushes: at least once a week.
Eyeshadow brushes: twice a month.
Everything else: once a month.
I get it. Cleaning makeup brushes is time-consuming and annoying, much like applying the actual makeup so it’s only fitting. There’s a new product – The StylPro – that makes the process more bearable.
It washes and dries natural + synthetic makeup brushes in under 30 seconds and look, I can only say hallelujah in one language. Do it while your brushing your teeth for all I care – with a product like this there’s really no excuse to be so feral anymore.
DODGE THAT SHARING-IS-CARING ATTITUDE
We’ve all done this, don’t even try and deny it – asking to borrow someone’s lippy, bronzer brush or eyeliner is something that absolutely happens on the reg.
Stop putting people in this position. Of course they’re going to say yes, otherwise they’ll just seem like a total beach. And if people ask to borrow your makeup? Well, school them on these disgusting facts:
- Sharing lipstick can leave you with cold sores.
- Sharing eye makeup can lead to eye infections.
- Any type of makeup can harbour bacteria.
- Sharing makeup can make your acne worse.
- Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis can be hiding in yours, or your friend’s, makeup.
DITCH BEAUTY GOODS THAT ARE PAST THEIR USE-BY DATE
Every single beauty product has a shelf life (just like lettuce!) and using something past its useby date can come at a cost. A 2013 study in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science showed that 70% of women surveyed were using some type of expired product – namely mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow.
When this eye makeup was sampled, 67% came back contaminated and brb, should probably throw out that “just in case” bright purple eyeshadow from my high school formal 10 years ago.
