How to keep your make-up safe

Springtime is here and I am on a break from work, which means only one thing: CHANGE!
Change can be about anything. I started with the garage and my beauty make-up kit. I threw out old worn out things and make-up. I donated things that can be useful to others. Boy! do I have a lot of make-up?
Remember: Make-up can collect bacteria while you use it and especially if you are a professional and that is your job, you use make-up on more than one person. I am very meticulous about hygiene and keeping my kit super clean. It is one of the most important responsibilities I carry as a make-up artist, to not contaminate make-up and to not transfer bacteria from one to another person. With that said, you understand that I do throw out a good amount of make-up  that I feel is unsafe. Anything for the eyes is my first priority. Good old mascaras, are not good, they are just old and they got to go. It is a bacteria playground on the bristles as it is on peoples eyelids and lashes. I usually use disposable mascara brushes at work, you can find them in any beauty store however I do not keep mascaras longer than three months.
Eyeliners are another one, always use a disposable brush and do not double dip. Eyeliners are kind of sensitive, they will dry out most of the time if they are old. If you keep them clean and tightly sealed they can last up to a year.
(Tip: sponges are great for smoothing out make-up without using your fingers especially around the eyes)
Eye shadows on the other hand is a tricky business since there is really no way to  not double dip. Although bacteria does not survive long enough in dry dust, your chances for contaminating are slim, I still managed to find something to put me at ease, more than anything else. Did I say that I am a germphobe, maybe you already figured that one out. I spray 99% alcohol on my shadows and wipe them down (you can find it at pro stores). It is safe, it evaporates fast and does not harm the product. Please make sure you do not use the shadows on anyone for at least an hour after you sprayed and you also do not need to saturate them. To take my germ phobia a step further I purchased a UVB and UVC portable light wand, that I actually turn on and run over my shadows, blushes and anything that you can’t wash.
I keep shadows for about three years if they are not used much.
Same as shadows, I do with blushes and powders, anything of that consistency is pretty safe especially if you keep them clean and at the right temperature. Too much heat can create breeding grounds for bacteria when the product starts to “sweat”.

Lipsticks and glosses, these are  my favorite subjects because they are as sensitive and dangerous as the eyeliners and mascaras.  We use them on the  mouth which is a sure thing that they will be ingested and any bacteria on them will enter our system. I use a lip brush, I cut a little bit of the lipstick and I put it on a palette and use it on one person only. When I work on the same client and I know what she likes, I can use it from the tube but reserve it for that client only.

 I do the same with gloss, sometimes when I am on set and in a hurry to touch up i put it on the back of my hand and use the brush to pick it up. Lipstick is more savable than gloss is and here is why. The consistency of the lipstick is so thick that the bacteria stay on the surface or the top part of it where you used it, you can cut that part of with a knife or take a hard paper towel and “shave” the lipstick down (Tip: I still spray the whole tube with alcohol to be safe). The glosses however are harder to save since the moment the brush enters the tube, everything enters with it and stays and breeds. Glosses go bad faster but likely they also start to smell unpleasant when they do which is an indication to toss it.

Spraying the lip-gloss brush with alcohol and wiping it before you dip again is smart but time consuming and might not taste so good for your client.
 

Out with the old and IN with the new my dear friends. Sometimes, you have to start with a  clean slate and make room for something new to come in.
To be continued…