If you’re wearing makeup on a regular basis, more likely than not, you’re probably using brushes with a bit of buildup on them. As a result, your brushes may not be able to give you the right amount coverage you’re looking for. In this case, knowing how to clean your makeup brushes properly will make all the difference. Not only will they feel as good as new, but you can also rest assured that by cleaning them regularly, they’ll last you for years.
To make sure you’re cleaning your brushes as efficiently as possible, we tapped Robin Black, a celebrity makeup artist (and founder of Beauty is Boring), for her expertise. “For your personal makeup brushes, once every three to four uses is ideal,” she says on the subject of how often you should be cleaning your brushes. She also mentions that brushes that are exposed to cream products are more prone to bacteria than those used for powder.
As for cleaning her brushes, Black begins with a shallow bowl of warm water, letting the brushes soak for a few minutes. Then she’ll swirl them across a bar of brush soap (we like this one from Beautyblender, £15) before rinsing them. When she has time, she’ll add in a bit of hair conditioner and rinse again. If there’s still visible product in the brush, repeat the process. Black also mentions a general tip to keep in mind for your brushes: “Smell your brush. If it smells weird or mouldy even after cleansing, get rid of it.” Scroll down to see some makeup brushes to shop and keep in top shape.
You can use this brush for everything ranging from foundation to powders.
The tightly packed brush head will allow you to get full coverage.
You’ll love using this ultra-silky brush all over your face.
This brush will help you get the perfect amount of pigment whenever applying blush.
Use this brush to gently contour or apply blush.
The bristles on this brush are extremely loose, allowing you to freely blend all your pigments.
With the foundation brush along with the concealer end, this is the perfect two-in-one brush to own.
The angle of this will help you get the perfect blend all over your face.
This will make applying your eye shadow so much easier.
A velvety soft brush from the famed moisturiser brand, this is easily worth the investment.
The retractable feature makes this perfect for when you’re on the go.
Slightly domed, you’ll be able to easily buff out pigments using this brush.
Use this brush for your liquid foundation to achieve full coverage.
This small flat brush features natural bristles.
You’ll love using this fluffy brush to puff out foundation.
A quality brush for an affordable price point.
You’ll get medium-to-full coverage when using this brush, which has synthetic fibres.
You’ll easily get a radiant and even complexion using this bronzer brush.
This post was originally published at an earlier time and has since been updated.
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