How To Clean You MAKEUP Brushes!

 Now think about when the last time was when you cleaned your makeup brushes. Cleaning our makeup brushes after use probably isn’t on the top of every woman’s “must do” list. As a matter of fact, a lot of women allow their makeup brushes to get to the point where they clean them only when the makeup is caked on (FYI: this is far past the point of when the brushes should have been cleaned!).

Makeup brushes contain bacteria which, if not cleaned, will only continue to build and build to the point where you may be doing a lot of damage to your skin. It’s essential that makeup brushes are cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis; otherwise you may be faced with a lot of skin and health issues.

To properly disinfect and clean your makeup brushes, you will need a few things:

• Antibacterial soap (this is a must!)
• A small dish or a bowl
• A couple of hand towels

You can also choose to purchase more “professional” cleansing products, such as 99% alcohol, a professional brush cleaner or a disinfectant, but these are not necessary.

Step 1: Make sure that the water that you have running is warm. Wet your brush while making sure that you are keeping the bristles pointing downwards. This will help keep water out of the handle and the glue which is essential as water causes for the brushes to break down and need to be replaced more frequently.

Step 2: Take some anti-bacterial soap and squirt some into your hand. Take your brush with the other hand, and then move the bristles of the brush around in a swirling motion. Using your fingers, massage the soap into the bristles from tip to tip.

Step 3: Now it’s time to rinse! Turn on the warm water and then gently squeeze out the soap from the hairs at the top of the brush to the very tip. If you notice that your brush is still releasing makeup residue, repeat step 2 until the water rinses clean. Pat your brushes dry with a towel.

Step 4: To really clean your brushes well, take any of the optional products mentioned above and pour it into a dish. Dip the tips of the bristles into the cleaning product so that the product reaches half way up the bristles. Do not dip all the way up to the top of the brush as the hairs will naturally move the product upwards. Swirl the brush on a small towel, and then dip the brush once again into the disinfectant.

Step 5: Once finished, take care to reshape the bristles into place and lay the brushes out on a clean towel. Wait until they are fully dry before you pack them into your makeup kit once again

Makeup Tips: How to Wear Dark Lipstick

If you love deep and dramatic lip colors but have been afraid to try them out, then these makeup tips will give you all the confidence you’ll need to wear dark lipstick.

 To avoid your dark lipstick fading before the party’s over or disappearing and leaving you with just your lip liner (not a good look), apply some lipstick primer, foundation or translucent powder to your lips before you apply your liner and lipstick. It will help your makeupto stick and the color to stay on your lips for as long as possible.

 Ensure your lips are in tip-top condition and free from flakes. Dark lip colors will only show up and highlight imperfections so your pout needs to be perfect. For some easy tricks that will get your lips ready for lipstick, see our beauty blog,

 Use lip liner. Dark shades draw a lot of attention so you’ll need to make sure your lips look nice and defined. Just remember to match the lip liner to your lipstick shade and to never use a light lip liner with dark lips (or vice versa). It’s just not a good look.

 If you’re wearing a dark red lipstick, enhance the color with a subtle touch of pink blush on your cheeks. It’ll also keep your skin from looking washed out.

 Balance strong lips with a subtle face. Keep your foundation flawless and natural looking, only apply blush if your face needs a slight touch of color, and let a nice coat of black mascara be the only makeup you apply to your eyes. It’ll give your peepers some definition and length and compliment your strong lips.

 If you do want a look that is a little more made up, avoid going heavy on the eyeliner or dark eye shadowaround your eyes or you could end up looking very goth. Gently line your eyes with your liner or shadow for a subtle, smoky hint of color instead.

 If you can’t find a blush color that matches close enough to your lipstick shade to create a nice complimentary look, apply some lipstick to your fingertip and then gently pat some of the lipstick color onto your cheeks and then blend it in like you would a mousse blush. Just ensure your makeshift blush is not the same level of shade as your lips to avoid a color overload.

 Ensure your lipstick is applied perfectly by using a lip brush. Use small strokes and fill in your lips like you're painting them. Using a lip brush means you’ll get a more professional looking finish, you can control the depth of your shade, and your color should stay on longer.

 If your dark lipstick looks a little much once you’ve applied it, mute the shade by dabbing some clear lip gloss over your lips.

 Compliment your dark lipstick look with the right hairstyle. A ponytail or bun which pulls all your hair away from your face is the perfect way to give all the attention to your lips.

 For the ultimate no fail shade, choose a dark lipstick that willmatch your skin tone. Cool skintones should choose dark lipsticks with blue and cool undertones, while warm skin tones should look for dark shades that are warm or golden (think oranges and browns).

 If your lips are thin, try dark reds instead of intense black and browns as they will make your lips even slimmer