Spring Clean Your Makeup Kit

Spring is definitely in the air today so what better time to give your kit a spring clean!

The best place to start with a spring clean is to have a clear out and get rid of any old or damaged products. If you have makeup in your kit that is past its expiry date its no longer going to be safe, clean or effective so there is no point holding on to something if its past its prime.

Nearly all cosmetics have an open jar symbol with the number of months you can safely use the product for once opened. If a products smell, colour or texture appears to have changed its definitely a sign a product should be tossed.

Unless otherwise stated on the product use these makeup expiry dates as a guide to how long you should keep a product once opened.

3 months
Mascara
6 months
Eye Cream
6-12 months
Toner
1 year
Moisturisers/Cleansers/Foundation/Concealer
1-2 years
Lipstick/Lip Pencils/Eye Pencils
2 years
Powders/Eye Shadow/Blush/Cream Blush

Give everything that's left a good wipe down. Cosmetic wipes and some paper towel are great for this plus you can spray palettes with alcohol to make sure they are clean and sanitary. Replace any travel bags that are worse for wear or have broken zips and give your main case or bag a really good scrub.

If you have any cracked or broken eye shadows or blushes that you just cant bare to part with check out this tutorial for re-pressing broken shadows from Enkore here...

Although you should be cleaning your brushes between each use to keep them sanitary a regular deep clean will help keep your brushes in good condition.

• Gently rinse your brush under the tap being careful not to let water run up into the handle.
• You can then use a tiny drop of shampoo in your hand and swirl the brush round until you have a nice lather.
• Rinse again making sure the water runs clear.
• Reshape the bristles and leave to dry hanging over the table edge so air can circulate all round the brush.
• Tip: For lip and eye liner brushes which can be harder to remove product from try rubbing a drop of olive oil into the bristles and wiping on a paper towel until most of the colour has come out before shampooing.

Finally replace any sponges and puffs in your kit that have seen better days and stock up on disposables as you will get a better deal if you buy in bulk at a beauty supply store every few months.

Throw your personal makeup bag in the wash or treat yourself to a nice new bag. I prefer clear travel bags as you can see what you have which saves time rummaging in the morning. They are also good as they can be wiped clean.

As a guide you should clean your personal brushes monthly and wash reusable sponges and powder puffs on a weekly basis so there is not a big build up of product or dirt.

To clean sponges and puffs rub an anti bacterial hand wash into the sponge whilst still dry and really work it into the areas that are stained with product. You can then rinse until the water runs clear and leave to air dry. If that seems like too much hard work most quality sponges can be put through a gentle cycle in your washing machine. You can get mesh sponge bags for use in machines from PAM

Although its good to have a blitz of your kit every few months to deep clean, restock and replace items in your kit it is essential that you keep on top of cleaning between jobs so your kit is sanitary. No one wants to work with an artist who's kit is dirty and disorganised. Take a look at my Top 5 Tips for Keeping Your Makeup Kit Clean and Sanitary.

Do you have any tips for keeping clean and organised? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

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Picture Source: The beautiful spring blossom picture is from the Abby Try Again blog and can be bought as a print here.

Top 5 Tips for Keeping Your Makeup Kit Clean and Sanitary

So this weekend I had yet another model marvel at my cleaning and sanitation practices which is something that always bothers me as cleaning brushes and keeping a sanitary kit should be the norm.

The steps you can take to keep your products and tools clean and sanitized are so quick and simple that there are no excuses for not doing it.

Here are the basic steps you should be following at the very least to insure a clean and safe working environment for you and your models.

1. Wash your hands!

I carry an anti-bacterial hand gel which eliminates the need for soap and water so I can sanitize my hands on the spot. I find it also puts the client or model at ease when they see me being hygienic from the start.

2. Scoop, scrape or squirt products onto a clean palette

By working from a clean palette you cant double dip which can contaminate the product. You can use a spatula to transfer cream or loose powder products to your palette.

3. Never use the wand that comes with the mascara to prevent transferring bacteria which can cause eye infections.

Use a fresh disposable wand every time you need to get more product from the mascara tube.

To minimise the use of disposable wands I like to put some mascara on my palette and use a tiny fan brush which can be cleaned and reused to coat the bottom lashes.

If you like using the wand that comes with a particular brand of mascara you can remove them from the tube, clean thoroughly and keep in your kit like a reusable wand but make sure you have several as you must never put the wand back in the tube after use if you need more product.

This also applies to lip gloss. Always transfer the gloss to a palette or use a disposable applicator replacing it every time you need more gloss from the tube.

4. Sanitise all brushes and tool before use.

I use a 99% Isopropyl Alcohol solution to sanitize and quickly remove makeup from my brushes. As the alcohol content is high it evaporates very quickly leaving your brushes dry and ready to use in no time at all so if you have to work on multiple models with the same brushes there is no excuse not to clean between each model. As it evaporates it is also important to keep the lid on at all times or the product will become useless.

To clean immerse the tip of the brush into the IPA and work it in back and forth on a paper towel repeating until there is not trace of product left.

You can spray tools, pallets and work surfaces with alcohol and wipe down with a paper towel to sanitise. Anti-bacterial wipes are also handy for wiping down surfaces and the inside of your kit.

5. Always sharpen lip, brow and eye pencils using a clean sanitary sharpener.

Clean out the sharpener and use a q-tip soaked in alcohol to sanitise inside and out. Once pencils have been sharpened you can wipe the tip with alcohol as an extra precaution against bacteria and other germs.

If you have any more tips to make sanitising your kit easy let us know and post a comment.

Picture Source: japonesque.com