The Golden Rules of Make Up Brushes

I'm sure a lot of you already know these points that I am about to make but do you actually follow them through...? This year I plan to expand my brush collection and get a little more adventurous with my make up and part of that is making sure that I take care of my brushes too. These are my top tips for looking after a key piece of your make up kit.

Keep 'em clean :: The golden rule of make up brushes is to make sure that you clean them regularly. Dirty make up brushes are a minefield of dirt and bacteria and nobody wants to be putting that back on their faces everyday. I clean my brushes weekly, usually at the weekend if I'm at home and not planning on wearing make up that day. I use Johnson's baby shampoo to clean my brushes with warm water. Make sure you remember to clean right down into the middle of the brush as this is where dirt collects. I air dry my brushes overnight but sometimes pop them on the radiator if I need to use them quickly.

Buy good quality :: The first make up brushes I ever used were really cheap and I quickly found after I washed them that I should have had a little more consideration for what I was using. The bristles all started to fall out and it was at this point that I decided what would be the point of buying new cheap brushes if they were just going to fall apart again so I invested in my first set of Real Techniques and haven't looked back since. I also have a couple of Benefit brushes, my favourite being the foundation brush which gives a lovely flawless finish.

Use them for their intended purpose :: This might seem like a no brainer but most brushes have written on them what type of brush they are and what they should be used for. Each brush is specifically designed in shape and bristle length to be the best for the intended purpose. I once used an eyeshadow crease brush as a lip brush (a last minute emergency!) and ended up ruining it because I couldn't get the darn lippy out of it!

Store them properly :: There is no point buying and using your lovely make up brushes if you don't intend to store them properly. I have one of those Skurar plant pots that is perfect for storing brushes. Store them with the brush facing upwards so you preserve the shape and don't damage the bristles. Real Techniques collection brushes sometimes come with a holder included which is also handy for travel.

I hope you find this post useful!

What are your favourite make up brushes? 

Do you have any recommendations for me?

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