Who else has a ton of holiday parties, get togethers, and events this time of year? Well,with all the partying that is going on, you want to be able to get ready quickly and effortlessly. In order to do that, you have to be organized. I like to plan out my outfits, down to the jewelry ahead of time. That way I know my clothing is clean and I don’t have to worry about if my clothing fits me or not, because I planned ahead. I also like to have my make-up organized, so that I can grab what I need and get ready. I also want to make sure that my make-up and brushes are cleaned and fresh, so my make-up looks great throughout the entire party, get together, or event. With the kids crawling all over me, I need to keep things as organized as possible so I can get ready without having to search for things.
In order to get ready for the holiday season, I decided to have a chat with Sherry Fredkove, an independent make-up artist based out of Minneapolis. Sherry has worked with some amazing beauty gurus. Sherry is also a family friend who loves to talk about make-up. So when getting your make-up organized, I thought she would be the perfect person to share her tips and tricks for organizing and cleaning your make-up and brushes!
Make-Up:
Sherry says that powders, blushes, and shadows can last a few years if they are powder-based. Just wipe off the top surface of the powder. Anything in a cream or jar form can collect germs rather quickly. The life-span of creams is about 2-3 months. Mascara can last a maximum of 4 months. Anything after that gets too funky and clumpy. As soon as your mascara stops going on smooth, Sherry recommends buying a new one. A helpful tip would be to take a label and write down the date the product was purchased. Then, stick that label on the product. This way, you will never have to try to remember when you purchased a product! Because who has time for that?!?!
I have my make-up laid out in a drawer. Using a drawer organizer with many containers all in a row, I have designated specific sections of the drawer organizer to specific make-up products. The first container holds my foundation, concealer, cover-up, and powders. My next container holds all of my blush, and bronzers. I have a container for all my eye shadows, that is located right behind my blush and bronzer container. And I have two cups, one holds my eye liner and mascara, while the other holds my lip glosses and liners. By keeping all of my make-up organized in the fashion, I am able to grab things I need quickly so I can reduce how much time I spend searching for things.
Another way to organize your make-up is to keep your make-up stored in different pouches or bags. Have one bag hold foundation, powders. Another to hold blush, etc. Another bag hold eye shadows, and liners, with another to hold lip gloss, lip stick, etc. This way you can grab what you need quickly because the products are organized into different bags.
Brushes:
I love having my brushes out in a cute jar on the counter, but Sherry brought something to my attention that I never thought of…all the germs in the bathroom! She suggests storing your brushes in a make-up brush case, like this one from MAC. The brushes stay cleaner, and are easy to store. Just roll them up when you aren’t using them. This way, your brushes stay cleaner and aren’t as susceptible to germs in the air. Also, using a make-up wipe, you can easily clean the inside of the case as needed. Typically when you wash your brushes, you’d want to clean the case.
As far as keeping things clean, natural-hair brushes are the best for applying your products. Sherry has some natural-hair make-up brushes that are holding up after 10 years of use! Because natural-hair brushes last, you have to make sure you are taking really good care of them. Sherry recommends to use a brush cleaner, like MAC Brush Cleaner. She likes this brush cleaner because there isn’t a scent, which could irritate sensitive skin.
About twice a month, wash all your brushes using lukewarm water. While washing your brushes, hold onto the metal part to keep water off of the handle. Wash your brushes in a downward motion. If you don’t have brush cleaner, you can use dish soap to help disinfect your brushes. Let the brushes hang over the end of the counter to dry overnight. By having them hang over the counter, you are allowing air to dry all the way through the brush.
Eye shadow brushes can be cleaned every day so you don’t get the residue of yesterdays shadow. Sherry suggests using a make-up wipe for daily cleaning of eye shadow brushes.
Get yourself ready for the holidays by keeping your make-up organized and clean so you can have a fresh look to everything you are going to this holiday season. Make sure you wash your brushes twice a month, let them air dry by hanging over your counter, and store them in a brush bag. Keep tabs on your make-up by writing the date you purchased your make-up using a label. And being prepared by keeping your make-up organized in a drawer or in pouches so you can quickly grab what you need to make yourself look the very best!
