This Is How Often You Should Get New Makeup Brushes And Why
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To create a nice piece of art, you need the right tools. It doesn’t matter if you are a painter, a furniture designer, a fashion designer, or even a doctor. You always need the best tools to carry out even your primary tasks. However, the tools you use in your profession need to be replaced every so often. Similarly, a makeup artist’s brushes can also expire. Makeup brushes are the necessary tools for every makeup artist or makeup lover.
The goal of applying makeup is to achieve a flawless look. Achieving such a look is not only the game of application or the correct type of products, but it also depends on the tools you use to apply makeup, in this case, makeup brushes.
Change your foundation and concealer brush every 3 – 6 months, eye makeup brushes every 6 – 9 months if worn frequently, if not every two years. You should replace highlighter brushes every year, lipstick brushes every 3 – 4 months. Finally, you need to change your bronzer/blush brushes every 6 – 9 months if used a lot, if not every 1.5 – 2 years.
There are also other situations like fraying of makeup brush bristles. Fraying is ordinarily normal because most makeup brushes have synthetic fibers, but it is harder to get a natural finish with frayed makeup brushes. Similarly, if the brushes bristles shed, getting acne and breakouts are just another sign that you need to switch to a new makeup brush. The bristles of makeup brushes, made up of synthetic fibers, can also show discoloration and develop an unpleasant smell if not washed with care. If the discoloration and odor do not go away after a few washes, then it is time to replace them.
When Bristles Become Distorted or Frayed
Many of us invest in makeup brushes but forget to take proper care of them. We do not even clean our makeup brushes for weeks and throw them in drawers unattended. Makeup brushes made up of synthetic fibers become distorted or frayed easily if not properly taken care of.
Even if you care for them like your own babies, there will come a time when you will have to replace them. It would be best if you do not continue to use makeup brushes with distorted bristles for so long because they can be harmful.
Distorted bristles can be harsh on your skin and can cause itching. Frayed makeup brushes, when used near eyes, can also irritate your eyes. Using makeup brushes with soft fibers would not make you feel like you are scraping with face while applying makeup.
Apart from skin issues, distorted bristles can be a severe threat to your powder-based cosmetics like brush-on, bronzers, and pressed powders. They will damage the product more than picking it up and thus reduce your product’s usual life span.
You are Getting New Breakouts
You are applying your makeup and noticed a new pimple popping up. Well, there might be several reasons why you are breaking out. The foundation does not suit your skin type, or you have got it due to dust trapped in the pores. If you are 100% sure that you do not get a breakout quickly due to dust or your cosmetics, then the situation is alarming. You need to think out of the box and identify the root cause.
The root cause of why you are getting breakouts might lie in the set of your favorite makeup brushes that you bought some 6 to 7 months or two years ago. With every application, your makeup brushes and sponges collect oil, dust, dead skin, and residual makeup.
If makeup brushes are not regularly and properly cleaned, then these tools can re-deposit these harmful substances back on your face. Swiping an old and bacteria-infested makeup brush all over your face can cause an overload of microbes that your skin causes clogging of pores and results in breakouts. In my opinion, you should cleanse your makeup brushes at least once in a week, especially foundation and concealer brushes.
Sanitizing and cleaning beauty tools can reduce the transmission of excess bacteria on your face. Using unsanitized makeup brushes for a long time can also be the root cause of breakouts because deep down, even your clean looking makeup brushes never get adequately cleaned.
Liquid products always get deposited in the roots of bristles and rarely come out after cleansing. This deposited liquid product could produce bacteria that can harm your skin. That’s why it’s so important to sanitize your makeup brushes. If you are breaking out frequently, you should throw away your old makeup brushes and invest in new ones.
If The Bristles Are Shedding
Makeup brush manufacturers usually use synthetic fibers to make and glue them together, keeping the bristles in place.
Most makeup brushes shed a little when you first get them, which is normal. If you have invested in handmade brushes and have been using them for a while but have started to shed a lot, there might be several reasons.
One condition is that the bristles were not carefully glued. If that is the case, they will shed after continuously applying makeup to your face.
The other reason might be that the glue has gotten wet over time while cleaning the brush. Usually, the whole makeup brush is dipped in water to wash it, making the glue less sticky. The lousy glue will lead the bristles to shed.
If your new makeup brush has started shedding in big clumps, you know it’s time to change them. To use makeup brushes that shed are never a good option. If you use a shedding makeup brush, there are chances that the tiny bristles will stick to your face. Also, heavily shedding makeup brushes will not pick up the right amount of product, and thus, you will have to apply a lot of extra effort.
If your makeup brushes are shedding, it will indicate that this is the high time you should invest in new good quality makeup brushes. To be on the safe side, you should check the brushes by gently pulling its bristles.
When Makeup Brushes Start To Discolor
It’s been a few days, and you have noticed that your makeup brushes are looking pale or a weird color after you wash them. The discoloration of quality makeup brushes is not normal. If your makeup brushes have started discoloration, you should know that this is the time to toss them even if you wash them regularly.
Discoloration of makeup brushes is another sign of bacteria or virus build-up harmful to your skin. Discolored makeup brushes not only look awful but also cause rashes and irritation on the skin.
Makeup brushes made up of synthetic fibers discolors more quickly than brushes made up of natural fibers. When buying makeup brushes, a good practice is that you should buy the makeup brushes with light-colored bristles to know when the time is to change them.
Muddy Makeup Application
If your foundation is looking flaky or your eyeshadow is not blending to the point where you are happy with the result, there might be several reasons. One could be that you have not picked out the right products or prepared and primed your skin correctly before applying makeup. If the same products did well for you in the past but are now not giving you the right application, then the reason could be different.
Having a high-end cosmetic collection would not give you an Insta flawless makeup until you would not invest in good and clean makeup brushes. Using old makeup brushes often end up in muddy makeup applications because their bristles have hardened. You will have to work harder with the brush against your skin to get the application even and uniform.
If your makeup brushes do not glide on your skin like silk anymore, and if you do not want to spend some extra minutes in the bathroom struggling with your brushes, then this is the time when you should replace your hardened brushes.
If Makeup Brushes Have Unpleasant Smell
Your makeup brushes might smell unpleasant due to several reasons. One of the common reasons for foul order makeup brushes is the wrong way to dry makeup brushes after washing them.
People often place their makeup brushes in makeup holders for drying. Putting them in a makeup holder allows the water to transfer to the bottom of the bristles, which later becomes the foul smell. To avoid makeup brushes from stinking, you should pat dry your brushes after washing and place them in an upside-down position allowing the water from the brush’s bristles to drain.
The other reason for stinky makeup brushes is that you used the wrong soap or detergent when washing them.
Usually, the unpleasant smell of makeup brushes goes away after two to three washes. If the scent is strong, it helps if you dry your makeup brushes in direct sunlight. But if they still do not smell good, then you should plan to invest in a new set of makeup brushes because there are chances that your makeup brushes have growing bacteria in them.
Also, an unpleasant smell gives you an unpleasant experience.
Types of Brushes and How Often You Should Change Them
Every makeup brush comes with a different life span. Here is how often you should change your other brushes.
Foundation and Concealer Brush:
In the list of makeup items, foundations and concealers are the things that have the thickest consistency. These products quickly get deposited at the bottom of the bristles and are hard to wash out. If they stay deposited for a long time, they might be a place for bacteria and viruses. So, to stay away from any infection, you should change your foundation and concealer brush after every three months (if you use them daily five days a week).
If you use these brushes significantly less often, then you can use them for up to 6 months with proper care.
Brushes For the Eyes
Brushes for the eyes are often powder-based products, and you pick them by the bristles’ ends. They go deep into the roots of the bristles. The longevity of these brushes depends on their use.
If you wear eye makeup on special occasions only, you can continue using your brushes for two years at a maximum with proper care.
You should cleanse your eye makeup brushes after every application so that the bristles could get cleaned.
If you wear eye makeup daily, you should change your eye makeup brushes every 6 to 9 months. Because continuous use of makeup brushes makes the bristles hard and frayed, they become more prone to cause rash and irritation.
Blush and Bronzer Brushes:
Both these makeup items come in two forms, i.e., either powder-based or liquid-based.
If you wear both daily and use the powdered kind, you should switch to new brushes after 6 to 9 months or notice anything like fraying or discoloration.
But if you wear these cosmetics only on special occasions, you can use the same brushes for up to 1.5 to two years.
In a liquid-based blush and bronzer, you should consider changing the brushes after one year because liquid-based makeup items tend to discolor the brushes more than powder-based cosmetics.
Highlighter Fan Brushes:
Fan brushes are always delicate and get frayed easily. If you notice any fraying, you should immediately switch to a new one because it can damage your favorite highlighters. If your fan brush’s bristles are perfectly fine, you can continue to use it for one to 1.5 years.
Lipstick Brushes:
Lipstick brushes are the smallest and hard to wash without applying extra effort because lipsticks have a thick consistency. Continuous washes make lipstick brushes fray earlier, so you should discard the old ones after 3-4 months.
Conclusion:
All the cosmetics we buy do not mention the expiry date, but we must replace them after some time. Like liquid eyeliner and mascara are suggested to be replaced every three months, you should replace powder eyeshadows every two years and much more. Similar is the case with the tools (brushes) that you use to apply these products.
Practically, makeup brushes since they do not come with an expiry date written on them, but to replace your makeup brushes is as much necessary as anything else. Letting go is never an easy task to do but sometimes letting go is beneficial. Makeup and skincare experts suggest that you replace your makeup brushes, which you use daily, after every six months. In such a case, you minimize the chances of infections and enhance makeup’s application process.
If you have bought some high-quality makeup brushes, you do not need to replace them until you are cleaning them correctly, and the bristles have not started shedding.
Iqra
As the head artist of Farishta Beauty I was inspired by many young individuals who were just like me passionate about makeup.
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