Why and How to Properly Clean Your Makeup Brushes..

Makeup brushes are an investment! Gentle and proper care will ensure a lifetime of use. You should learn how to properly clean your makeup brushes. :)

Makeup brushes are valuable tools and require proper care. Though brushes are made with many different hairs and fibers, they generally fall into one of two categories: natural hair makeup brushes or synthetic hair makeup brushes.

Natural hair makeup brushes are made with many different animal hairs. The most common animal hair types are squirrel, goat, sable, and pony. Almost all reputable makeup brush companies harvest the hair in a safe and humane fashion, and the hair is thoroughly treated and sanitized before manufacturing. Synthetic makeup brushes are also made using a multitude of fiber types. Taklon and nylon are two of the more popular fibers used in makeup brushes.

In caring for makeup brushes, it is important to use a makeup brush cleaner. Makeup brush cleansers not only effectively remove makeup and residue from the makeup brushes, they disinfect and kill bacteria that can live in the brushes. Furthermore, most makeup brush cleansers contain a lightweight conditioning additive to keep both natural and synthetic makeup brushes soft. Brush cleansers are widely available online and in stores, ranging in price from $9-25.

Properly Cleaning Your Cosmetic Brushes Will Make Them Last Longer

Besides letting your brushes last longer (very important if you're going to buy more expensive, smoother brushes), if you know how to clean your make up brushes, you can minimize skin problems such as breakouts from accumulated oils or eye infections from mascara brushes. Hygiene is one reason that experts say never to share your makeup with a friend: you can transmit bacteria on the applicators. Cold sores, acne, rashes and staph germs can move easily from one makeup brush to another, so never borrow someone else's brush or powder puff. In fact, for people who apply makeup using their fingers, it's not even a good idea to wipe your fingers across someone else's blusher or eye shadow, because you're picking up bacteria from their fingers and skin. 

How to Wash Your Make up Brushes Free of Bacteria

You can wash your makeup brushes in warm, soapy water, using an antibacterial soap, shampoo or a hand sanitizer. There are also special products for cleaning your makeup brushes. Lipstick brushes may need extra care because of the extra emollients in lip colors, which can make them sticky and hard to wash. Wash them with a gentle oil removing wash you may already use for your skin, and take your time, working out the lipstick from the brush bristles.

Shape brushes while wet and let them dry to preserve their smoothness. Lay them flat instead of standing them on end, or you will damage either the bristles or handle of the brush. Wash them gently, never scrubbing, or the hairs will start to come out. Follow any cleaning instructions that come with your makeup brushes in case they have special requirements. And if you can't make up your mind to commit to cleaning your brushes, you can always buy disposable sponge brushes and throw them away more frequently. Especially if you suffer from very oily skin or acne, make sure you're always using a clean makeup brush to minimize bacterial problems that may increase your skin trouble.

 

Makeup Brush Essentials...

   My Professional set has 34 brushes, but the average woman only needs the essentials and should know how to use them. Here is a break down of the brushes I feel are the most important for the everyday woman and what they are used for.

ENJOY! LEARN! BE MAKEUP GEEKS!

E. Marie Makeup Artist's Brushes

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Large Powder Brush: An over sized, fluffy brush that is used to dust on loose powder to set foundation, or to dust on bronzing powder. Use it to brush off excess powder too! 

Powder/Blush Brush: A smaller version of the Large Powder Brush that is used to apply blush, sheer powder or bronzing powder. This is one of the best makeup brushes you'll ever own!

Contour Brush: This brush has a rounded-angle shape, but it’s essential for defining cheeks.  

Foundation Brush: Used for applying and blending cream foundation. Feel free to use it to apply liquid foundation as well. An advantage to using this brush is that it does not absorb foundation.

 Cheek/Face Brush: A little smaller than the Foundation Brush, but is ideal in applying concealer over large areas of the face. Also, is you’re a fan of cream or gel blushes, this makeup brush is a must-have for blending those products onto the cheek. 

Large Application Brush: Usually made of synthetic fibers, and are firm and tapered at the end. Use this to apply concealer to larger areas of the face, or a cream base to the eyelid.  

Small Application Brush: Same as the Large Application Brush, but used to apply product to smaller areas of the face and eyes.




Blending Brush: A long, fluffy brush that is tapered at the end. Use in the crease area to apply and blend eyeshadow. Excellent in smoothing out the contour. This is one of the best makeup brushes I have to date!
Error prof for using in the crease of your eyelid.

 Angle Brush: This makeup brush has firm bristles that are clipped at an angle. Use this brush to fill in sparse areas of the eyebrow, and trace an exact line along the lashes. Don’t overdo it, or you will create very animated brows! Also great for layering powder eyeliner over your pencil liner.

Shadow Brush: A fine brush used to sweep color all over the eyelid, accentuate the crease, or highlight the browbone.


 

  Smudge Brush: Very small brush that is used to achieve a soft or smoky-eye look. Trace it back and forth along eyeliner, giving it a blur effect. I highly recommend this brush for use in lining the bottom lid because it gives the eye a much softer look.

Lip Brush: A tiny brush, but wonderful for controlled application of lip products. 

Photogropher to watch!

CATHY MEAD of

Cathy Lee Photography

CREATIVE POWERHOUSE

She is a creative photographer who looks for beauty and value in every shot. Photography is her passion, not just her job. Not only does she enjoy capturing unique images, but she also likes to further edit images professionally to make that "great picture" a "phenomenal picture." 

For information about booking or other inquiries, please email cathyleephotography@gmail.com.

I have had the pleasure of working with Cathy and she is so amazingly creative. She sees things and makes them a vision when she captures them on film. She not only has an eye for what works in photographs, but for all walks of the industry such as makeup, fashion, and hair. She has a vision and is so easy to work with you don't even feel like it is work at all. She is a photography powerhouse to be reckoned with.

CHECK OUT SOME OF HER WORK:

No No's in Makeup!

Forget all the recommended methods, trends and styles of cosmetics, there are always a few rules that were never meant to be broken when doing your makeup. Think about when you were learning to do your makeup you always heard more of what not to do then to do. Mistakes happen but they are hard to miss when they are on your FACE!

This is a great example of no no in makeup!

Makeup Offense Numero Uno (1) : FOUNDATION.
This is the most commonly used cosmetic and the easiest to make a mistake with. It happens before you even start to apply it! You need to prepare your face for makeup, never put it on dirty skin, that's just not okay! For best results everyday you need to wash and exfoliate you face before you even think about touching your cosmetics.

Choose wisely when you go to pick out a foundation for your self. Never get one that is drastically darker then your own skin tone. I promise it is noticeable! If you feel like you can't find an exact match go a shade lighter, it is a million times less noticeable then a darker shade.

Most importantly never ever forget to blend your foundation to the curves of your face, you don't want it to look like you are wearing a flesh colored mask.

Something a lot of people forget is to NEVER wear foundation on its own. It gives a good smooth base but make your face look monotone, always follow up with some powder bronzer and/or blush to bring back the life to your face.

Makeup Offense Numero Dos (2): BLUSH.

Believe it or not it too has to be properly blended after you apply it. No woman can possibly think that harsh streaks across your cheeks is flattering... and if you do, I promise you blending will make you look even better! Not even on a fashion runway do they not blend their blush, IT NEVER HAPPENS...BLEND! There should never be a solid line between the color of your blush to the color of your skin.

Makeup Offense Numero Tres (3): Lipstick.

A girls favorite makeup accessory, and yet many dont know that if your lips are chapped you do no i repeat DO NOT wear lipstick. The color of the lipstick only enhances your chapped skin and makes your lips look oh not so good...Many lipsticks end up drying your lips and will make the condition worse, EVEN if you claim you moisturize. If you just have to have that lip color choose something that uses deep conditioning product with a nice light hue.

 Makeup Offense Numero Cuatro (4): Makeup Removal. 

This is one of the biggest mistakes women make, not removing their makeup at the end of the day. Tisk, tisk to those of you who do that! never sleep in your makeup, it is terrible for your skin in every way. It not only means you need to wash off oil and makeup off with cleanser, but you also need to make sure all eyeliner and mascara is removed as well. You may not ever need to use foundation again if you do this step everyday. Happy skin makes for a happy you!

Don't be her.. LOVE YOUR SKIN!

REMEMBER NUMBER ONE RULE IN MAKEUP IS LESS IS MORE!

How to Properly Store Your Makeup!

I sure hope none of you are still keeping your makeup in zip lock baggies. If so it is time to change your ways! HELP YOUR COLLECTION! Proper storage of cosmetics is essential to the life and quality of the products. Improperly stored cosmetics deteriorate at a rapid rate, which can be costly as well as unhealthy.

Here are some tips to help you ensure the life of your collection..

TIPS FOR STORAGE:

1. Keep them dry:  Here are a few ideas to keep your cosmetics dry. Moisture kills makeup! 

 -There are makeup storage boxes available that have plenty of room for everything from eye shadow to implements such as tweezers. These containers resemble fishing tackle boxes and have compartments to separate various products and tools.

 -The introduction of dampness and moisture is most often the means by which cosmetics go bad. Moisture and humidity will cause the composition of pressed powder, powdered blush, and powdered eye shadow to change. It will typically become crumbly and soft. Lip stick, cover sticks, cream eye shadows, and eye liners can become moldy and unhealthy to use. The best way to prevent this from happening is to store cosmetics somewhere other than the bathroom. 

2. Hide Your Makeup from Light and Heat:   

Keep your makeup safe from light and heat, both of which can cause some serious damage.

 -Get a functional, plastic set of stackable drawers, which is nice for things like lipstick, gloss, pencils, and bodycare items. It looks relatively neat, and is a great clutter-buster. If you get the clear kind, you can see everything inside, and you could even label the fronts with what the contents are. This a great way to organize and save our makeup from disaster. Actual makeup storage can be expensive so check out cart storage or hardware stores.

3. How to Store Makeup Brushes: No one likes their brushes getting smashed or worn — not if they’re shooting for flawless application. Learn to help your brushes be their best with these how-to tips.

-Buy a set of brushes and use the roll-up storage bag that comes with them. You can also buy these storage bags at most beauty supply stores, drugstores and cosmetics counters. Look for a roll-up bag with separate compartments for each brush.

-Be sure to keep brushes used for liquid makeup away from powder brushes.

-Remove brushes from storage every 3 weeks and give them a thorough cleaning. Use a gentle baby shampoo or your facial cleanser. Pat them dry and leave them out on a clean, dry washcloth overnight.

 

SOME EXTRA TIPS FOR CHEAP INNOVATIVE MAKEUP STORAGE: