It’s common sense that at the end of the day you need to take off your makeup and clean your face. Sleeping in makeup or wearing makeup for long periods of time without properly cleansing your face can lead to acne and breakouts and everybody knows that.
However, something that gets overlooked way too often is making sure your makeup brushes are clean — and I don’t mean cleaning your eyeshadow brush because there is residual shadow in the bristles from the smokey eye you did last weekend.
Just like it’s important to wash your face because caked on makeup can lead to acne, dirty brushes that are caked in makeup can lead to breakouts, too!
Makeup brushes collect dead skin cells, bacteria, oil and dust, and every time you apply your makeup, you’re applying a nice combination of product and germs.
To avoid germs and breakouts and get consistent and flawless color application, clean your brushes! Here are some fantastic brush cleaners you should be using:
Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Mat, $32
Photo: sigmabeauty.com
If your beauty arsenal consists of more than a few brushes, this mat is perfect for you. With seven different textures, it can deep clean face and eye brushes. There are also suction cups on the back, meaning it will stick to your sink while you put some elbow grease into washing your brushes.
StylPro Makeup Brush Cleaner and Dryer, $50
Photo: stylfile.com
If the idea of putting any work into cleaning your brushes (or waiting for them to dry) completely aggravates you, I have the perfect solution. The StylPro Makeup Brush Cleaner and Dryer promises to clean and dry your brushes in seconds. You attach the black base to your makeup brush, attach that to the spin tool, and the machine does the rest. This gadget is handy because you don’t have to wait hours for your brushes to dry anymore, and you hardly have to lift a finger!
Sephora Collection Dry Clean Instant Dry Brush Cleaner Spray, $14
Photo: Sephora
Sephora’s Dry Clean Instant Dry Brush Cleaner is sort of like a dry shampoo for brushes. It promises to remove impurities with a quick-drying gentle spray that will allow you to use your now-clean brushes immediately.
Sephora Collection Color Switch By Vera Mona Brush Cleaner, $18
Photo: Sephora
If you think you’ve got a handle on keeping your makeup brushes clean but still can’t figure out quite how to switch eyeshadow colors without getting your brush wet, then here's your solution! The shadow-switching pan allows you to use the same eyeshadow brush for different shades of eyeshadow.
Ulta Brush Cleaning Mitt, $5
Photo: Ulta
If your brush collection isn’t large enough to warrant an entire mat, try this! The mitt fits over your fingers for convenient and easy cleaning.
Mac Brush Cleanser, $16
Photo: Nordstrom
If you’ve invested a lot of money in your brushes, Mac’s brush cleanser caters to higher-end brushes. It removes impurities while conditioning your brush bristles.
BeautyBlender BlenderCleanser, $16
Photo: Sephora
If your makeup arsenal includes brushes and a beauty blender, this is the perfect cleanser for you! BlenderCleanser is a small solid cleanser that comes with a grid to dry your beauty blender and deep clean your brushes.