I’m always wanting to learn and I don’t feel qualified to actually share tips, but here were a few things I wish I had known earlier:
- when my mascara was drying out, I went too long before learning I could spray a little sterile saline on the brush (shaking off any excess drips of saline), and put the brush back into the bottle and work the brush a bit - then it would apply to the lashes perfectly without clumps (I’ve enjoyed mascaras like Mineral Fusion and Better Than Sex).
- lash curlers are a life changer, I have long lashes but they’re heavy and droop down, and I thought it was a mistake with how I was applying the mascara (and the mascara weighed them down even more!!); maybe this is just obvious, but I went too long without using one and they really lift my eyes, even just the curler without the mascara is a big help
- foundation can really age you, so it’s important to prioritize skin care and “natural beauty”. It really sucks when my skin is breaking out and I have to cover up with foundation because it ruins the natural, soft look of my skin; I wash my face every night with a cleanser (occasionally using a more exfoliating salicylic acid cleanser on my nose) and use a night cream with ceramides. Hydrating throughout the day is also important to healthy skin. (As is diet, tbh.)
- I had no idea that cosmetic sunscreens existed, I wish I had known there were sunscreens that didn’t feel like covering my face in grease, I’ve gone without sunscreen for decades because I had no idea. Discovering Japanese and South Korean sunscreens that function as a makeup primer, and aren’t greasy and absorb into the skin, completely blew my mind and made it so much easier for me to put sunscreen on every day. I have really enjoyed CANMAKE’s Mermaid Skin Gel and SKIN1004’s Madagascar Centella sunscreens in particular.
What beauty and makeup tips did you wish you knew earlier?
is there a way to clean beauty blenders? how many times can you use one before tossing it?
Idk about blenders but I’ve made my brushes last for years by giving them a good soak in a solution of dish soap, vinegar, and water about once every 6 mos
I have heard it’s not good to get the where the bristles are attached to the handle wet, presumably because it undoes the glue. I like to put a little hand soap in my hand, then wet the bottom of the bristles and then use the brush to lather the soap in my hand, then rinse a few times until there is no soap - all without submerging the whole brush under water or anything.
I do it more frequently than once every 6 months, I find I get breakouts sometimes from brushes I haven’t cleaned frequently enough - but maybe once every month or two sounds about right. (Depends on how much I’m using them, how clean I’m keeping them in general, etc.)
I have been wondering this myself …
Googling around, I found articles like this: https://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/makeup/how-to-clean-beauty-blender
I have been cleaning my disposable blending sponge in a similar fashion as the soap method, basically rubbing the blender with soap and then rinsing thoroughly. I have noticed with the disposable sponge, it loses a bit of its integrity when I clean it this way - probably because they are meant to be disposed of. However, I am still successfully reusing them, lol. I also have a beauty blender, but admittedly I have been using up my disposable sponges first.