Spring Cleaning your Make-Up

This is the time of year where we all start to clean our homes a little bit more.  Perhaps some of us forget about one important thing or things that should be cleaned and purged as well. For those of us that do wear it, make up and all the products and tools that come with it.

The first thing is to take it out of the bag or case that houses all the cosmetic items. Thourogh clean and disinfect it. While that dries I move on to it's contents. I wipe down cosmetic holders ie mascara tubes, eye shadow pallots, blush, etc. At this point, I toss whats old, cracked or expired. Yes, your make up can expire.

Makeup.com by L'Oreal has a great little chart to use when you are cleaning your make up bags out(See image right). If you use your cosmetics past the recommended date of use, you risk bacteria growth and skin or eye infections. And if you have ever had pink eye, trust me, this is a great guideline to follow.

Makeup.com guideline

I would add that some cosmetic items have their own date written on its packaging so you should use that as a guideline for expiration. Here is what that looks like below.

This gives you an idea when you should dispose. When in doubt, get rid of it. Especially if it smells bad or color looks different. This will help avoid unnecessary skin breakouts or worse. 

Last thing to clean are the brushes. Brushes can harbor so much bacteria. I clean my brushes weekly but I know not every one is doing this. So I pray you at least clean your brushes every month to 6 months depending on how often you use them and what part of face they are used on. In my opinion, eye and lip brushes should be cleaned weekly. Facial brushes can be washed every six months but I would say at least monthly. Especially if you already have skin break outs.

So how do I wash my brushes. I use a combination of vinegar, water and two drops of dawn soap. When I don't have vinegar or dawn on hand, I use hair shampoo. Works just as good. Make sure you dry them on a clean towel or hand them with bristles facing down. Let them dry overnight and place them back in a dust free area or container. 

The benefit to purging your cosmetics isn't just healthier skin but you get to go out and buy some new cosmetics. That's my favorite part!

Hope this helps. Happy cleaning and happy shopping. 

As always, Be Blessed, Be Healthy, Be Beautiful!