Updated Brush Cleaning Routine | How to care for your brushes

You guys will maybe remember that about a year and a half ago I shared with you just how I was cleaning my collection of make up brushes of the time, you remember, all 5 of them.. Well today I'm here to tell you to scrap that, because with my new found MUA in training wisdom I'm here to lay down some truths, home skillet, on how you should really be cleaning your make up brushes so as to avoid the dreaded fallout (it can actually be avoided, trust me) 

When you think about it all of the tips and tricks I'm about to share with you really ought to be common sense and it all revolves around the make up and design of your actual brushes themselves, but if you don't know, you just don't know. Your brush bristles are glued in to the base of your brush, but that base doesn't go as far as you can see, it goes even further usually going right to the base of your handle, so if you get warm water or really any foreign liquid into the brush you'll loosen the glue bonds to the point where eventually your bristles will fall out.

With that firmly in mind, here are my biggest do's and don'ts when it comes to safely caring for your facial tools:

DON'T submerge your brushes in water. Water will loosen your glue bonds and fall out will occur over time.

DON'T tap your brush on the side of a counter or on your hand to remove excess powder, this can also loosen glue bonds. Instead Potter it up with a graceful swish and flick.

BEAUTY BLENDERS should be placed in a pillow case and washed in the washing machine (sorry guys but this is the only way to effectively sterilize them)

MUA TIP: DO wash your brushes after every client you've worked on, don't compromise on cleanliness when your business is on the line!

DO hold your brush downwards at an angle under a slowly running tap to help wash your brushes. NEVER hold them upwards as water will enter the base of the brush and .. you  guessed it.. loosen the glue bonds.

DO use a gently cleansing shampoo such as Johnson's Baby Shampoo to wash the product out of your brushes and gently swirl them in the palm of your hand to work a gentle lather.

DO rinse them thoroughly always holding them downwards at an angle.

DO lightly spritz your make up brushes with an alcohol solution such as surgical spirit to keep them squeaky clean and free from bacteria.

DON'T dry your brushes roughly with a towel, instead dab them to remove excess water.

DO reshape your brushes and leave the tips of your brushes hanging over the edge of a counter so they don't lose their shape.

DO store your brushes in a safe, clean place such as a make up brush belt, or you could even store them upright in a wee decorative pot, as you see many MUA's and beauty bloggers doing (for the pics guys, for the pics!)

If you follow the above tips, theoretically your brushes should last you a good few years, in fact my Glam Candy coach had a brush in her collection that she has had for 15 years, so just let that sink in for a moment!

Hopefully some of you have found this helpful, I know this has worked wonders for the tools in my kit in that I haven't had to rush out and replace my brushes every month or so. Be sure to leave your top brush cleaning tips in the comments below, come share them with my on my Twitter, Insta, Bloglovin whatever and wherever you fancy, I'm just a beep boop away!

Until next time folks, I'm gonna wash that tan right out of my brush!

H.Elizabeth x

Zoeva | En Taupe Brush Set Review

 

Some may say it is a stretch to say make up brushes have changed their lives, which yes I agree I am not one of those people, however what I will say is that they have assisted in my morning facial overhaul and helped me go from zombie, to well.. kinda glam zombie heading out the door.

I first heard of the Zoeva brushes when I started watching make up artist and Glasgow glam gal Jamie Genevieve, I was astounded by the looks and styles she was able to achieve using these wee wonder brushes and had to get a piece of that for myself. So after Christmas I saved my pennies and invested in the Zoeva En Taupe eye brush set which I purchased off of Beauty Bay for the reasonable price of £35.

Being that I am a blogger who is relatively anti all things rose gold I opted for the more understated, and if I say luxurious looking, Taupe collection which includes, a luxe soft definer brush (227), luxe crease brush (228), luxe pencil brush (230), luxe precise shader brush (238), wing liner brush (317) and a brow line brush (322) They come packaged in a taupe clutch bag and each were individually wrapped for protection (safety first kids) and I am trying my utmost to keep them clean and tidy and generally nice, in fact I didn't use them for about a month when I first got them!

As I have never really paid much attention to the tools in my eye make up kit I was a bit sceptical as to whether or not these brushes would be able to do the job. My first impression was they were very light and fluffy and I worried they wouldn't pick up the product very well and that their breadth would be a bit too much for my at times piggy wee eyelids, creating an almighty chaos of colour all over my face, or otherwise achieve a drag queen like look that I'm not emotionally ready for quite yet. But I was pleasantly surprised.

These brushes are super easy to use and with the guidance and assistance of beauty guru's worldwide and You Tubers all over the internet I have been able to achieve a few rather daring looks, if I do say so myself, though they have just been to sit in my pjs or clean the house! I have been using these with a number of palettes from make up revolution to my one and only Mac palette I was gifted for Christmas so luckily these brushes do not discriminate. I love how soft they are on my eyelids, I have previously been used to putting my eyes through their paces with ill sharpened eyeliners, a tonne of lash glue and of course the stubby coarse brushes to apply my shadows but no more, I say no more! My favourite brushes to use have been 227, 228 and 230, simply because they help me create softer looks and blend eyeshadow like a dream.

I'm looking forward to potentially sharing some more daring looks with you guys in the future, who knows perhaps this may make me a little more adventurous with my face! Overall as a starter set I would recommend these as they give you a decent amount of brushes without overwhelming you, they are all pretty self explanatory with their functions and they're stylishly sleek to boot.

Have you ever tried anything from the Zoeva cosmetics line? I'd love to hear your thoughts on all things brushes and beauty in the comments below, come have a natter with me about them on Twitter or if you'd like to keep up to date with my latests be sure to follow Granite City Girl on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, blending like a dream.

H.Elizabeth x

Beauty How To | How to clean your make up brushes thoroughly

As much as I would love to sit here and tell you that I am a creature of habit that simply isn't true, unless you count a monthly (weekly) make up purchase as a habit, albeit a bad habit but a habit all the same. So when it came to writing this post I thought you know what let's just get all of our cards out on the table and show the world how poor a beauty blogger I really can be, so here goes. I, Hannah Adams, am guilty of leaving my make up brushes to stew in their own mess for 2 (okay 3!) week periods without a ritualistic cleaning... there I said it, and yes I do feel better for it. But you know what doesn't feel better? My face!

So in order to pull me from my make up brush cleaning slump I thought what better way to give myself a swift kick up the backside than to write about it so I feel obligated to clean them weekly! Today therefore I would like to share my very thorough brush cleaning routine and share a pledge with you today that I, Hannah Adams, henceforth here and forever promise to clean all of my make up brushes at least once a week from here on out. And so without further ado, here are my tips, tricks and general routine for cleaning my make up brushes:

What you will need:

A small tea plate

Washing up liquid
Olive Oil

Alcohol Make up brush cleaning solution (For this I use one from MAC)
A clean dishtowel

Method:

1. Squirt some washing up liquid on to your tea plate and add an equal amount of olive oil to the centre.
2. Take your make up brush and swirl it around really getting in there and watch all of the liquid seep into your brush.
3. Rinse your brush under a running tap, squeezing out any excess soap and olive oil. Usually I rotate the brush on the palm of my hand under the water then squeeze it out gently.
4. 'Shampoo' your brushes with the alcohol solution, for this I use the MAC make up brush cleaner.
5. Use your dishtowel to dry off your brush, it will still be a little damp so wrap the head of your brush in the dishtowel and leave over night.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 for all of your make up brushes and you're good to go!

I am aware the way I am washing my brushes is perhaps not the right way, best way or even the second best way but it has served me well throughout the last couple of years and my brushes always come out conditioned and squeaky clean! But of course as you know I am always open to your comments, feedback and general musings so if this post has helped you or you think I need help be sure to leave your thoughts below, come share them with me on Twitter or if you want to see more of my now clean and blemish free face and brushes be sure to follow Granite City Girl on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, squeaky clean with my weekly routine!

H.Elizabeth x