Housekeeping

Have you ever noticed that as the weather gets colder, damper and darker you somehow have all the time in the world to tackle that long "to do" list that's been gathering dust? Suddenly you become obsessed with reorganizing the pantry, updating picture albums and catching up on missed episodes of "Housewives of whatever city du jour" (if this is you please find a new show that may add something to your intellectual acumen, may I suggest the Rachel Maddow show?). I figure we must capitalize on this good humor/drive and add one more task to this list. A task that technically you should be doing monthly if not every other week to keep your makeup brushes in tip top shape. Hmm did I hear you cringe? Let me guess you haven't washed your brushes since you bought them two years ago...just kidding, although I have a sneaky suspicion I'm right!

To keep your makeup brushes in optimal condition and to prolong their lifespan you should be cleaning them at least once a month. Think about it- you use these brushes at least once a day during which they get dipped from one product into another. The rest of the time they're sitting on your bathroom counter exposed to whatever airborne thing may be around. In short they can be a bacterial breeding ground, not to mention they do their job best when their bristles are clean. If a brush is coated in layers upon layers of powder, it doesn't apply your desired color because remnants of previous products contaminate it and won't glide or deposit in the same efficacious manner. So stop the apathy and make this one of your "to do's" for this weekend. I promise it won't take longer than 5 minutes and you can listen to "Desperate Housewives of Whatever" in the background.

Cleaning Makeup Brushes 101

-Using a mild cleanser (I recommend Johnson and Johnson Baby Shampoo) wash only the brush bristles in luke warm water.

-Work the cleanser into the bristles with your hand and then rinse. Keep repeating until all the leftover product is washed out or when the rinse out water runs clear.

-Place your brushes upright but with a diagonal slant to dry. This allows it to dry without having water seep into binding which holds the bristles into the head of the brush.

-Allow brushes to dry completely overnight before using.

Et voila! Clean brushes for a better makeup application! Don't you love crossing items from your "to do" list?

Usage tip: Some companies have a makeup brush cleaner which also works but I find that the J&J baby shampoo is significantly cheaper and does any equally good, if not better job.

The result: Clean, soft brushes to start your makeup and morning on the right note!