Righty then ladies, time for us to tell the truth.
Do you honestly, hand on your heart swear that you wash your makeup brushes after every single use? This, whether using cream, liquid or powder makeup.
After. Every. Single. Use.
Honestly? 😉 I was thinking about this after reading some of your comments and fears or concerns about using a brush to apply your foundation and I wanted to know what the general opinion was. Naturally, you get my honest opinion too! 😉
Well, I don’t.
I think ideally, we are supposed to do so, especially if we use liquid or cream products like foundation and concealer. This is something that is drilled into most of us – wash your makeup brushes! Every beauty blogger tells you that but hmm… how honest is everyone at doing it? 😉
Truth to tell, I’m a right slacker when it comes to washing my makeup brushes. Sure, I do it and if I’m hardworking about it, I do it once a week. But if I forget to do it on a weekend, there it stays until the next weekend.
From a hygiene point of view, its yucks, isn’t it? That explains why I do have a myriad of brushes that serve a similar purpose 😛 Its to tide me over the times when my brushes start looking skanky and yucky.
So, how do I change eye colours or cheek colours daily? Won’t the colours be muddy and awful switching from one colour to a different colour day to day? Here’s a quick trick you can employ if you are faced in this situation (applicable when using powder products. It doesn’t work with cream or liquid stuff).
- Take a clean piece of tissue paper.
- Run your eye or cheek brush over the tissue paper a few times until the colour lightens or until there is no colour on the tissue.
- Use as normal
I use this little trick because I don’t wear the same eye or cheek colour every day and this allows me to use my favourite eye and cheek brushes daily until the next wash. Besides, I do wonder if washing a brush that often can be good for it?
I have read of people using brush cleaners on a daily basis – you can get them from most makeup brands, MAC being a popular one. They dry quickly so you can wash them in the evening and have clean brushes for the morning. Some people make their own and yet others use wet wipes or makeup remover wipes (instead of tissue paper) and run their brushes over them as I’ve outlined above.
What do you do? Do you do a big brush wash once a week or when the blue moon shines? Or do you wash them daily after every use?
Personally, because I’m the only one using my brushes, I am not too fussed if I don’t wash them everyday. If you share your brushes (and you should not be doing that!) then yes, washing them after every use will be a wise move.
Paris B
shusheshe says
June 11, 2013 at 8:58 amI kind of do both? Concealer, eye and foundation brushes I wash everyday. Cheek and powder brushes I wash once a week and I do the tissue paper trick with them.
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:11 pmYou make me feel like the laziest person in the world! >.<
shusheshe says
June 12, 2013 at 8:22 pmBefore you get the idea I wash them immediately after use, I don’t. I wash them after I get home from work generally right after I remove the makeup off my face. That way they’re dry and ready for me to use the next morning (exception is the foundation brushes and face brushes, those take 2 days to dry).
Paris B says
June 13, 2013 at 10:20 pmThat’s a smart thing to do and a good time saving measure. I’ll have to try to start doing that too, if I don’t fall face first into bed that is 🙂
xin says
June 11, 2013 at 9:20 amif i use liquid foundation with brush, i prefer to wash them after each use as they turn rather eeky after use. but for powder blush, i just wipe them on tissue too to remove some color until next wash XD
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:11 pmYeah, ideally I’d wash my brushes after every use but you just know its not possible in the morning, while rushing for work right?! 😛
Makeup Morsels says
June 11, 2013 at 9:21 amLOL my brushes are lucky if they get washed once a month. I’m kind of a clean freak though, so instead of re-using my brushes more than once, I just stop using products that require brushes or apply things with my fingers instead hahaha. My laziness knows no bounds.
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:12 pmHAHHAA The upside is, fingers are really quick and easy to wash and hardly take any time! Brushes on the other hand…. maybe this is why I’ve been using cream shadows a lot lately 😛
Fiona @ Street Love says
June 11, 2013 at 9:30 amI run the brushes I used daily on a piece of kitchen paper towel with MAC Brush Cleanser. This one no slacking but I’m slacking on weekly deep cleansing 😛
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:13 pmWow that’s still much more than I do >.< Sounds like I should buck up!
Joyce (bronzerbunny) says
June 11, 2013 at 9:38 ami use my fingers a ton, but otherwise yeah, i’m like you, i try to wash once a week but that always seems to drag on! haha it has been ages since i washed them, although i’ve hardly used them too… ick, dirty lol!
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:13 pmhahaha Its so hard to stick to this right? Half the time, I look at the brushes and go, “Nah, they can wait” or “Oh no! I forgot to wash them this week… I’ll do it next” Eeps!
Jenn says
June 11, 2013 at 10:06 amI hardly ever put on makeup nowadays, but if do I *try* to spot clean right after (emphasis on TRY, kakaka). I’m always rushing out of the door after I put on makeup, and most of the time by the time I reach home, it’s late already so I’ll usually only spot clean it the next day. The MAC brush cleanser is really good – it cleanses really well and dries in a jiffy!
I’m really slacking when it comes to deep cleansing them though… I hate how long it takes to dry them! >.<
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:15 pmAh see, that’s what happens to me too! I put on makeup when I go to work so naturally, I’m running out the door after that. No time to stop and wash brushes LOL I have heard a lot about that MAC brush cleaner. Maybe I’ll give it a go? When drying, I usually just wash them on a Saturday then leave them in my room overnight where the air-conditioning is on through the night and it’ll be dry by the next evening.
Lily says
June 11, 2013 at 10:07 amI do not wash my brushes after every use. That would be too tedious! I do however, spot clean my brushes. I have the spray brush cleaner from Barbara Hoffmann and all I have to do is to spritz on the brush, and wipe them clean on a piece of tissue. I do a deep cleanse at least once every 2 weeks. If I have the time, I’d do it every weekend.
Otherwise, I have plenty of other clean brushes to go on rotation 😛
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:16 pmCome to think of it, I have a spray brush cleaner too… but never use it 😛 Definitely winning some kind of award for being the laziest with cleansing brushes here LOL!
Victoria says
June 11, 2013 at 10:08 amI try to wash the brushes once a week but most of the time, I forget to wash them. LOL. I also do the tissue trick for my cheek brushes. By the way, I finally bought the Lunasol cheek brush and its so amazingly soft! Now I understand why you rave about it so much. I even told the SA at Lunasol Isetan Gardens that the reason I am purchasing this brush is because it is Paris B’s favourite blush brush. Hahaha. I am still trying to get the hang of using the brush properly though. Need to wash the Lunasol video on the method of using it the right way 🙂
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:17 pmAh yes, that old “I’ll do it next weekend” thing hehe… Oh you got the brush! Isn’t it the most amazing one ever?! I think the SA must be so puzzled as to who you’re referring to HAHA! 😀 I don’t have a particular way to use it. I just literally brush it on my face but the results are always lovely – Enjoy your new brush! 😀
Victoria says
June 12, 2013 at 5:36 pmActually, the SA seem to know who I was referring to. Hahaha. I am guessing you must be that famous for the Lunasol brand.
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 6:23 pmYikes! My reputation precedes me LOL! 😀
synical says
June 11, 2013 at 10:16 amEh tak semangat lah nak cuci hari-hari… 😛 (Translation: Can’t be arsed to wash every day)
But I do do it weekly, even the little ones that come in say, benefit’s BrowZing kit. If I was gonna wash brushes, I might as well go the whole nine yards 😛
Ting says
June 11, 2013 at 2:55 pmI salute you, Synical. 🙂
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:18 pmHats off to you for dedication! I’ve never washed the little ones in kits/palettes >.< Then again, I don't use them so maybe that's why? But I remember sponge applicators can get really manky after a while so that's a good idea to wash them as you go.
synical says
June 12, 2013 at 7:50 pmTo be fair, I don’t have that many brushes to wash anyway, so I might as well do the little ones too haha…
Paris B says
June 13, 2013 at 10:19 pmStill very hardworking. Even when I had no brushes, I still didn’t wash the little ones! Oops! 😛
Teri says
June 11, 2013 at 10:30 amI kinda love to wash my brushes, so it’s not that much of a horrible task to me. I do wash my foundation brushes after every single use, I’m too icky about it and it would drive me insane otherwise. Same with anything that has been used for creamy products. I do a big wash of all the brushes every once in the week. The trick you said about tissue and cheek brushes is really neat, it’s how I do it too ^^.
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:20 pmHats off to you Teri! I don’t hate washing my brushes, but it is too time consuming if I’m heading out immediately after using them. By the time I get home, I’m just too tired or I forget. Would be nice to have the time to wash brushes after use at leisure!
Emily says
June 11, 2013 at 10:45 amI do the exact same tissue trick! I also aim to do brush cleaning once a week but … doesn’t always happen.
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:20 pm*high5* I’m like you. The aim is once a week, but realistically, its more like once every 2 weeks 😉
Evan Chang says
June 11, 2013 at 11:06 amI use isopropyl alcohol! Kills bacteria and it dries fast
I just skip on the deep cleansing only =P
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:22 pmI’ve heard of people using isopropyl alcohol too! But I’m scared of how it’d affect my natural hair brushes so I dare not try. Maybe for synthetics 🙂
LeGeeque says
June 11, 2013 at 11:56 amI’m a little crazy. I wash my foundation brushes after each use. Mainly because I’m a liquid foundation girl and I’m terrified of germies.
Blush – I’m at the phase of using ONE blush a week to learn to love my stash so it’s the same brush the entire week and I will just clean that with the Dove soap and condition at the end of the week.
Eye brushes – I usually dab the brush clean onto a piece of tissue after each use and it should be quite OK for the next day.
I tend to skip the spot clean brush cleaners because I’m terrified of the alcohol content drying the bristles out. I’m especially concerned for the natural bristles.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of brushes so I do clean them up very regularly. Once a week. It’s almost cathartic 🙂
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:24 pmSigh, seriously, so many people do the wash after use thing I’m feeling like I’m so lazy LOL! But honestly I can’t do it. I’d rather be having my breakfast or getting to the office on time 😛 The problem for me is although I have quite a few brushes, I only ever use a handful all the time. Makes you wonder why i even need all those brushes eh? Maybe if I cull them, I’ll be more diligent washing them… or maybe not 😛
Isabel says
June 11, 2013 at 12:07 pmLet’s just say that if I had to pick a top chore that I most procrastinate on, cleaning my make up brushes would be in close running for that “honour”. *hangs head in shame*
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:24 pmI’ll hang my head with you Isabel! 😀
Jennifer says
June 11, 2013 at 1:50 pmMy brush collection is a Private Limited Co. 🙂 Private to me, Limited in quantity. I generally use the same colours for eyes and cheek every day (yeah, boring and predictable) or even if I use a different colour, the shades don’t differ much. Like you, some days I will run the brush on a piece of tissue until the colour lightens up. I perform deep cleansing on weekends as it is supposed to be “face can and should breathe” day. Only thing is, I wash the brushes on Saturday, careful by not submerging the entire tip into the container so that the water doesn’t get soaked up all the way to the ferrule. Then I hang them to dry ala clothsline (not investing in those pricey brush stands) with the brush facing down. Usually the brush dry up within the next day or so thanks to the ceiling/table fan. I will store my brushes standing up – this is the part where I am now paranoid. Is overnight or weekend sufficient for the brush to dry completely or just the hair is dry but water in the inner part might stay in the ferrule when I store them…haish….
One of my favourite kabuki brushes just happened to get beheaded :s I didn’t realize back then NOT to dry the brush standing…literally die standing, poor kabuki 😛 But thanks to beauty blog education, I am smarter now.
Ting says
June 11, 2013 at 3:17 pmHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Love your Private Limited Co. meaning. Best phrase for the day. 😀 And of course, hooray to blog education! 😀
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:28 pmHAHAHA you totally cracked me up Jennifer with your Pte Ltd and Die standing 😀 I wash my brushes on a Saturday too so I have the whole day plus Sunday for it to dry. I don’t hang them up to dry although maybe I should (and yes, a clothes line works just fine, really!) and they’re usually all good by Sunday evening when I slot them back in their slots, ready for the week. Weekends are no makeup days anyway 😀
Honey says
June 11, 2013 at 1:56 pmMy foundation brushes do get a wash weekly (almost!) but eyeshadow, powder and blush brushes get washed every now and then.
That said, my daily routine is to wipe the foundation brush with baby wipes or make up remover wipes. The latter works better. I’ll use tissue paper for the other brushes and sometimes spot clean with brush cleanser.
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:30 pmEeps! Everyone’s so diligent with the wipes and everything! I’ve read of people who use wipes too, to clean their brushes daily or maybe once every 2 days until the big wash. Never got into the habit although now maybe I should 😛
Celine says
June 11, 2013 at 2:07 pmI hardly wash my one and only concealer brush. Bad I know! I don’t really know which one to go for, brush cleanser or makeup remover wipes?
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:32 pmMy suggestion would be to wipe it down on tissue or using makeup remover wipes if you want to do it daily, then wash them weekly. I’ve tried brush cleanser and for me, I find it easiest for powder products because cream ones stick too much to the bristles.
Tine says
June 11, 2013 at 2:16 pmI do for eye makeup brushes, mainly because I have quite a lot of them 😛 For face, I spot-clean with brush cleaner. I recently tried out the Dove bar cleansing of brushes and it’s so easy to use!
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:33 pmOh yeah, I use the Dove bar all the time for my natural hair brushes and its excellent! So cheap too! For my synthetic brushes, and cream encrusted brushes they get the Daiso cleaner. Fast and effective 😀
missundaztood says
June 11, 2013 at 3:02 pmI wash my brushes after each use, every day. I can’t leave it unwashed. 😀
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:34 pmHats off to you! Wow! 😀
Ting says
June 11, 2013 at 3:27 pmI wash all of my brushes after each use except powder and blush brushes. They get washed once a week or as often as I can. I stick to the same blush for at least 2 weeks.
If I don’t have a clean brush, I’d rather use my fingers + cream products :). Before reading beauty blogs, I didn’t know one should wash their brushes after each use. And I would often be left with streaky foundation down the face and wondering what’s wrong with the foundation or my technique???
Nowadays I’m into cream blush, so I’ll use the foundation brush for cream blush too. 🙂 One less brush to wash! Hooray!
Paris B says
June 12, 2013 at 5:35 pmWoohoo! Smart move using the same brush for similar products! Just be careful after using your blush to not use it for foundation the next day without cleaning, or you’d be wondering why your whole face is pink! 😀