What lies within: Makeup brush neglect

We prep, prime, and preen our faces to within an inch of their lives only to undo all of our hard work with one ghastly swipe of a filthy make up brush. Regular cosmetic brush sanitation is of the utmost importance but if you won’t take my word for it, here are a few beauty truths to ensure that your tools receive the TLC they deserve.

Dirty brushes cause acne…

Never mind your foundation, if you have fallen victim to a sporadic bout of cystic acne your brushes may well be the culprit. Every time you apply makeup to your face, your makeup brushes collect vast amounts of oil, dirt and dead skin which you consequently continue to smear all over your face every morning. In short, your brushes are a bacterial breeding ground and in order to avoid the spread of infection which leads to breakouts, you need to sanitise.

Dirty brushes break the bank…

Deadlines, dissertations and debt may leave us feeling a little lethargic when it comes to something as ‘trivial’ as brush maintenance. However, cleaning your brushes prolongs their lasting power, which means that that 10 minutes you spend each week on your ‘deep cleanse’ will save you a bomb in the long term.

Dirty brushes contain faecal matter (I’m sorry)…

Time to get down and dirty, just like your favourite stippling brush. Every time a toilet is flushed it spews a fine cloud of whatever it contains all over the various bathroom knick-knacks in its vicinity. Close that lid and sanitise your brushes ASAP or egg won’t be the only thing left on your face.

Dirty brushes are a slippery slope…

When they talked about gateway drugs at school you probably didn’t realise that the same concept applies to make up hygiene. After all, if you’re willing to use a dirty makeup brush, the chances are you probably don’t wash your hands before applying makeup to your face with your fingers either. This year kick the dirty habit and sanitise EVERYTHING in your makeup bag. Call me crazy, but it’s not a bad idea to mist your bronzers, blushers, and balms with rubbing alcohol to get rid of any nasty sneeze germs and food particles.

Happy cleaning!