Written by Skylar Peluso
The spring time calls for thorough spring cleaning! It is the perfect opportunity to give yourself a fresh start and begin preparing for summer. Organization plays a huge role in spring cleaning, and it is important not to forget the “little” things, like your makeup collection! Clients take note of how their makeup artist maintains their kit. Nobody wants to rehire a makeup artist whose kit is messy and unorganized. Even if you're not a professional makeup artist, there are many benefits to keeping your makeup clean and organized.
The first step in organizing and cleaning out your makeup collection is sorting each product by category. For example, put all your blushes in one group, your eyeshadow palettes in another, etc. From here you can go group by group and see which products are unnecessary to keep.
Dispose of any products that are old or you don't use anymore. You can check the expiration date by looking at the small image of an open jar usually on the bottom or the back of the products. It will have a number followed with the letter M, this tells you how many months you can use the product after opening it. Throw anything out that is old, looks old, or has maybe oxidized into a different shade overtime. Expired makeup can cause irritation and breakouts, and you can always replenish your collection with newer and better products! When you first open a new makeup product label it with the date you opened it so you can keep better track of how long you've had it.
Like our makeup, it’s important to go through our brushes. Decide which ones you want to keep, and which ones may look old or broken that you can replace. Skinny eyeliner pencils tend to lose their shape after many uses making it difficult to apply even, clean lines.
Large fluffy brushes that we use for applying our powders, bronzers, and blushes are very prone to losing bristles and falling apart. Using too much alcohol or brush cleaner deteriorates the glue that holds your brush together. It's very easy to use too much brush cleaner on large fluffy brushes because they are so absorbent. Instead of dipping them directly into alcohol or brush cleaner, pour a little onto a paper towel and gently wipe the brush on it until it is clean. Also, make sure to use warm water instead of hot to not melt the glue.
After you have organized them, wash them! Washing your brushes is so important for our skin and our makeup. Hot soap and water does the trick or you can purchase our professional brush cleaner in store. To get out stubborn stains you can dip each brush in a little 99% alcohol and wipe them on a paper towel until all the pigment is out. Always remember to dry them laying down! Putting your brushes upright in a cup after washing them allows the water, alcohol, or brush cleaner to seep down into where the glue holds the brush together and may cause your brushes to fall apart.
While your brushes are drying and you have all your makeup out and sorted empty your space and wipe down the area you keep your makeup in. Any surface all purpose cleaner will do and don't forget to windex your mirror! Some makeup may be tougher to clean than others, so if your cleaner isn't doing the trick 99% alcohol can break down any makeup quickly.
Now that everything is sorted and your area is clean, it's time to put everything back! Think of a system that allows the products you use most to be in the front and center. Then sort the rest of your products by category so that they are easily accessible and not jumbled. Enjoy your freshly clean and organized space and have fun glamming!