Lit Review 3

Monica Alessio

Lit Review #3

Ms. Bridges

                I am close to being done researching all I need to know about makeup, so I was thinking of an important part of makeup I need to know. The last essential question I thought of was “How to clean makeup brushes”.  My research brought me to the website www.makeupgeek.com, a site I have used in the past. The article was right to the point and went over why it is important to clean brushes, how to do it, supplies needed and other little helpful tips. The owner of the website is a girl named Marlena, she is a makeup artist who posts tutorials, pictures, products, and answers any questions about makeup.

                Regular makeup cleaning will help remove old makeup, dirt, dead skin cells, bacteria and oils (Marlena). Cleaning makeup brushes also keep them soft. After a while, the makeup buildup on the brush can make it become scratchy (Marlena). Makeup brushes should be cleaned once a week or even more, to help maintain the lifespan of them (Marlena). Wash the brushes at night and let them sit out all night to dry. It is important to give them time to fully dry (Marlena). In preparation for cleaning makeup brushes some tools needed are a bar of soap, sponge, olive/almond oil, hair conditioner, baby shampoo/ liquid detergent, rubbing alcohol, and clear finger nail polish (Marlena). There are many different ways to clean brushes. The first option is to use soap.  Use unscented white soap, with lukewarm water get the brush completely wet (Marlena). Swirl the brush onto the bar of soap until its completely lathered in soap; then rinse the brush (Marlena). Be sure to use warm water, and try not to get the metal part of the brush wet because it could make it rust (Marlena). The next option involves  using baby shampoo and a sponge or detergent. Using lukewarm water, wet the brush and squeeze a small amount of shampoo or detergent onto the sponge and swirl your brush on the sponge until it is completely lathered (Marlena). Rinse the brush and let it sit out to dry (Marlena). The last option involves using Olive oil or Almond oil. Only use this method for brushes that are heavily embedded with makeup (Marlena). Take a paper towel and put a small amount of either oil of your choice on it, and swirl the brush, dry, on it (Marlena). Be sure to not completely soak the brush in oil (Marlena).   After cleaning the brushes, remember a lot of the bacteria and germs are also on the handle of the brush (Marlena). Take rubbing alcohol and clean the handle with it. Not only does it clean but it disinfects the handle of the brush as well (Marlena). Another great idea is to take clear fingernail polish and apply it over the name and numbers on the brush (Marlena). Doing this will keep from anything written on the brush from coming off (Marlena).

                After reading the article about cleaning brushes, I realized how important it is. It may be something a person who is interested in makeup would not think about it, but it is absolutely important to use clean and fresh brushes. I would never think to clean my brushes after using them so it is great that I came across this article. Another thing I learned about cleaning brushes is, it is a quick and inexpensive way to expand your brushes’ life span. The article is very detailed and gave extra tips on how to clean brushes different ways. Cleaning brushes is not a huge part of my project and most likely will not even be brought up, but it is something I need to know for when I apply makeup on people.