“I can’t stress enough how important it is to clean your makeup brushes,” says Jillian Dempsey, a celebrity and editorial makeup artist who’s worked with Emilia Clarke, Kristen Stewart, and Julia Roberts, among others. “They accumulate bacteria, oil, and dead skin cells, which will clog your pores and also cause breakouts. Not to mention, leaving your brushes in bad form means they’re unable to perform as well as they would if cleaned and fresh.” Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi, an associate clinical professor at the department of dermatology at the George Washington University Medical Center, agrees. In addition to poor brush performance and acne breakouts, Tanzi says you’re also putting yourself at risk for gnarly infections. “Bacteria, including staph and E. coli, along with viruses like the cold sore virus, can live on bristles for a long time,” she says. Read on for the best ways to keep your makeup brushes clean. Dempsey typically cleans her makeup brushes after two to three uses but says it’s fine to push it to once a week. She keeps a little makeup brush cleaner with her brushes to make it easier to create a brush-cleaning habit. “I gently massage the tips of the bristles in the palm of my hand or on a silicone brush cleansing mat, and then rinse the bristles, making sure the soap and product is 100 percent out,” she says. “Next, I gently squeeze out any remaining moisture with a towel. It’s important to then shape the brushes to their desired shape so that when they’re dry, they’re in their original form for a better performance.” To clean makeup brushes fast, the Sigma Spa Express Brush Cleaning Mat ($35; target.com) expedites the process via patented textures that help pull product off each brush more efficiently. Use the same process to clean your Beautyblender and reusable makeup sponges. (When thoroughly washing with water, you’ll want to squeeze them throughout the cleansing process to ensure all liquid product has been removed.) “A set of high-quality makeup brushes should be considered an investment,” says Michiko Boorberg, a New York City-based makeup artist. “Treat your tools with respect by cleaning and caring for them properly and they will last a very long time.”
