The concern over COVID-19 continues to grow. Although many regions across the globe are slowly starting to go back to normal—stores that initially shut their doors have reopened and vaccinations programmes are being rolled out smoothly. But, if there is one thing that we learned from the Covid-19 crisis is that stubborn viruses can survive on surfaces for days. 

For some of us—me, specifically—our only way to escape from the stress and distress of quarantine is to play around with makeup. It’s the only way to maintain a certain degree of sane and normalcy. But how many of us actually realize about the germs and pathogens that could potentially be around us and our beloved makeup products, which makes me wonder: Should we be sanitizing our beauty products now?

After lots and lots of research, Beauty Insider finally got the answer. We present you: tips on how to sanitize your makeup, the right way! 

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Do Not Share Your Items

Even before the pandemic hit, you should know the golden rule of beauty is to never share any of your makeup tools. Ever. These rules have stuck with us since high school: never share our mascara or eyeliners with others, and keep our lipsticks to ourselves. Yeah these rules were created decades ago, so now at the time where everyone starts taking virus cases seriously, there should be no second guessing on the proper sanitary guidelines!

Throw Away Products That Are Past Their Expiry 

Simple question: Did you know that mascaras are supposed be thrown out after six months of using?—yeah, bet you didn’t know. It’s never easy tossing a pretty expensive lipstick or blusher that you’re just sure has a few more swipes left in it, but it’s for the best. Always check your makeup expiration date, which should be listed on the label as a number inside or beside a jar. And if your cosmetic is starting to look weird or smell musty before its expiry date, that’s also your cue to throw it out. 

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5 Ways To Keep Your Makeup Clean

Now that you learned the basics, it’s time to clean and sanitize your beauty stuff, correctly

1. Mascara

Mascara is a tricky product to sanitize. As soon as you have used it once and returned the mascara wand into the bottle, the product may be contaminated. The easiest way to keep your tube clean is to use disposable mascara wands. This way, your mascara is free from any bacteria. 

2. Lip gloss, Lipstick, Lip balm

Just like mascara, lip products⁠—if applied using the built-in applicator⁠—will be contaminated after the first use. So, better to apply it onto a sanitized surface. Start by wiping and sanitizing your hands, then place the product on the back of your hand. Use a brush or your finger to pack the product onto your lips.

3. Pencils: Eyeliner, Lip Pencils, Brow Pencils

For a quick sanitization of your pencils, sharpen them to remove the part of the pencil that contains bacteria. To be more thorough, spray a little disinfectant on a tissue and wipe over the sharpened tip of the pencil.

4. Powder-Based Products

If for any reason you’re worried about germs on your powder products, you should handle them with care any time you’re wanting to sanitize them. Place all your powder based products next to each other on a table. Open them, and simply skim the inside and top layer off of the product with anti-bacterial wipes. Make sure to not get inside the powder itself. 

Next, spray with 70% IPA from an approximate distance of 15cm. This will not damage your powder products, as the sanitizing mist will simply evaporate after a minute.

5. Cream-Based Products 

For the love of Rihanna, do not, I repeat, do not dip your fingers in them. No matter how clean you think your hands are, dipping into liquid and cream products can cause germs to spread like wildfire and mess with the product itself. You always want to use sanitary applicators on your makeup to not cause germs, oil, or dirt to spread. 

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Also, Wash Your Tools And Brushes 

Your beauty tools need to be cleaned regularly and air-dried as well, to prevent unwanted bacteria from growing on them. And while there are various brush cleansers available on the market for us to invest in—I always go back to the good old technique. Using gentle body soap with no silicone to wash makeup brushes. 

Place all your makeup brushes on your bathroom sink, let the water run over them, coat the brushes with a few pumps of body soap and watch that dirty foundation stain disappear from the brush!

Always Check The Condition Of Your Beauty Products 

Regardless of what is currently going on in the world, you should always, always, always clean your makeup brushes on a regular basis. And for the ones who only use their fingers to apply their makeup or skincare products, it’s extremely important to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before and after applying products to your face.

If wearing makeup makes work from home days more enjoyable (like me), by all means, wear it. Just be aware of who (if anyone) has been in your makeup bag and sanitize accordingly. You can read more regarding the cleanliness of your makeup here & here

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