When was the last time you cleaned your brushes????? With the arrival of spring and all the new colors in make up that are being introduced, you have to make sure your brushes are clean!!!
So here is some information on cleaning your brushes,one of my best friends Tiffany (a wonderful talented make up artist) put this together. So if you haven't cleaned your brushes recently, look at this and it will help you get them clean and last a long time.
BRUSH CLEANING 101
So...when was the last time you cleaned your makeup brushes? Did you know that you should wash them and do it on a regular basis? If you don't you might have a science experiment on bacterial growth in your hands and on your face and not even know it! If you can't remember the last time you've washed your brushes, you're experiencing unusual new breakouts or your brushes just look really beat up and neglected it's time to give them some TLC and a good cleaning.
There are several ways to clean your brushes using various products. Whatever you use don't immerse your brushes underwater from the metal (ferrule) part up. Only the brush hair should get wet, nothing else. Another important thing is to choose whatever product you would feel comfortable using on your face to clean your brushes. If you have very sensitive or anemic skin you probably wouldn't cleanse your face with your hair shampoo, Woolite, dish soap, hand soap, etc. so you may not want to use it on your brushes either.
You can use shampoo and conditioner especially on natural hair brushes. This is a great way to thoroughly clean and conditions your brushes but make sure to choose products that will not leave behind any residue. Just fill up a bowl or your sink with lukewarm water (keep it shallow) and shampoo. Take each brush one at a time and only immerse the brush hairs into the soapy water. Swish until all the makeup comes out. Once they are all clean rinse them with clean water, gently squeeze out the excess water and lay flat to dry on top of a towel. It's very important to never dry a wet brush standing up because water/moisture will trickle down and loosen up the glue that holds the brush hairs to the handle. Over time your brush will shed more and the ferrule/metal will loosen away from the handle shortening the lifespan of your expensive brush! This method will require time for your brushes to dry completely so do it at night so they will be dry by morning.
You can also use a makeup brush cleaner that works and dries instantly. Cinema Secrets is by far a very good one because you literally use teensy droplets of the cleaner and it instantly disinfects, removes all traces of makeup/residue and also conditions your brushes. It's a professional strength product that is extremely concentrated so it truly lasts a very, very, long time especially for personal use. FYI, there is a very subtle vanilla scent to the cleaner that dissipates quickly after you clean your brushes. It doesn't linger for long unless you use too much product. Remember it's highly concentrated so don't waste it by using too much!
How do you use Cinema Secrets brush cleaner? You can actually use it in two different ways. One way to use it most is to dispense a small amount into a little bowl like a glass or stainless steel pinch bowl, those little glass bowls nail techs use for their acrylic nail stuff or any small shallow bowl with sides to it. You're going to need this for your small brushes. For your larger brushes a suggestion is using a small spray bottle but be careful as not all spray bottles especially most plastics will work with this cleaner. It has to be a brush cleaner spray bottle (Japonesque/Parian Spirit works great) because this stuff breaks down some plastics after you keep cleaner in their for a few weeks. Better yet, get one of these ingenious brush cleaner dispensers! It's what the pros use! http://camerareadycosmetics.com/proddetail.php?prod=Graftob-GMendaPumpC6
So with your little bowl and your small brushes (brow, eyes, liner, etc) you're going to barely dip the very tips of the brush into the cleaner. DO NOT DUNK!! All you need to do is touch the very tip to the cleaner and then go back and forth on a lint-free paper towel or micro fiber cloth until all the color comes out. That's it! Again the key is to not soak the brush hairs into the cleaner.
For the larger brushes (cheek and face) spray the brush on both sides of the brush and go back and forth on paper towel or micro fiber cloth. If you're cleaning off cream products or water resistant/proof gel liners you may have to use a little more product.
If your brushes are really dirty or you prefer to shampoo them you can create a brush cleaner bath which is the second way you can use Cinema Secrets. Mix 1 part cleaner with three parts water and soak/swirl the brush in the solution for no more than 30 seconds. Rinse clean with lukewarm water and lay flat to dry. Foundation, concealer and lip, basically synthetic hair brushes tend to hold onto a lot of the residue inside the brush so make sure to look to see that all the product is cleaned out towards the center of the brush.
You can order Cinema Secrets brush cleaner online at www.cinemasecrets.com or at www.camerareadycosmetics.com High quality makeup brushes are an investment so take good care of them and they will last you for years and years.
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