3 easy steps for spring cleaning your makeup bag

CALGARY – Spring cleaning applies to more than just your home. Global Calgary spoke with makeup artist Karen Malcolm-Pye for tips on how to spring clean your makeup bag.

Clean your makeup brushes

One of the first steps you should take this spring is giving your makeup brushes a good clean.

“By giving it a good clean, we’re taking off any of that excess makeup that’s in there, killing the bacteria that is going to be going onto your skin if you are not cleaning your brush.”

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A variety of makeup brush cleaners are sold at beauty store across the country.

Malcolm-Pye recommends using Jane Iredale Botanical Brush Cleaner, which she likes because it contains witch hazel and grapefruit seed extract to help hydrate brushes but “does have an alcohol base to it, which is going to kill bacteria.”

“Don’t be afraid to really douse the brush with the brush cleaner,” Malcolm-Pye added.

“We don’t realize how much is really staying within these brushes.”

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You can also shampoo and condition your brushes every few months.

“Brushes are an investment, and it’s what we use every single day,” Malcolm-Pye said. “Because we are investing into brushes we want to actually have them for many years.”

Throw away your expired makeup

Spring is the perfect time of year to comb through your makeup bag and toss any old and expired products.

Malcolm-Pye said mascara should maintain a creamy feel, and needs to be tossed out when it become thick or gummy.

Lipstick and lip gloss should be thrown out once it starts to smell.

Lastly, Malcolm-Pye recommends throwing out disposable makeup sponges after every few uses.

“The bacteria that grows in these sponges is really, really bad.”

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How long to keep makeup before throwing it out:

• Mascara – three months
• Lip gross –  one year
• Lipstick – two years
• Eye shadow – two years

Clean out the inside of your makeup bag

Use a brush-cleaning spray to douse the inside of your makeup bag and wipe with a paper towel.

“Make sure you’re washing the lining of your makeup bag because that is where all the makeup, all the skin, all the bacteria is falling into.

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