What is an artist?

Dictionary.reference says: a person who produces works in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria.

With this in mind, I’ll show you my make-up brushes.

New Travel Case ready to go

A very loved and well used set of brushes

 

The first set is a new travel case with each brush still wrapped.. ain’t that a pretty site? It makes my body hum with pleasure.

Now, the second photo is close to my heart. I know, what can I say? These brushes, for the most part, have been with me since I started in the business ages ago. They were a gift. Each brush is made of sable or mink and purchased as retail. You may be able to spy that some of the handles are missing, stuffed away in a drawer someplace but the brush itself is still useful. You know why? Because I’ve taken proper care of them over the years. Do you have brushes that are losing bits onto your face as you apply make-up? That’s not a good sign of a well-loved brush.

There are many positive aspects for maintaining your brushes. Longevity is on the list but even more important would be fighting bacteria and creating a muddy-colored mess.

Since I’ve addressed longevity, let me talk about the muddiness. Can you remember when you were a kid and played with water-colors? What happened when you added too many colors to the brush? What was the result? Mud. Whether the mud ran in shades of red or green, eventually  you hit a yucky brown or maybe even a lovely flat gray lending its way towards black. That was all well and good when you were five but is that really a shade you want to highlight on your face now that you are a beautiful woman. I mean, even goth has its level of criteria to maintain, right?

It’s true that the color your stroke leaves on your face is vital but even more so would be the bacteria count. You don’t have to be a scientist to know that bacteria can multiply like bunnies in the winter trying to stay warm. Consider this: you’re having a stressful period. What accompanies your monthly visit? Those nasty pimples. What is your reaction? PANIC!! And the action you take is? You pick the zit. Don’t even think of lying to me, Missy,  I know who you are

Now that your fingernails (with God knows what under the nail) have had the satisfying pleasure of marking your face, hunting one pimple after another (most likely, imaginary), infesting the surface with bacteria you had to see ooze from your zit in order to feel satisfied (am I grossing you out yet? No? Allow me to continue). You stand back, look in the mirror and say to yourself, “my god! what have I done!?” Because now, you have giant, red, oozing, bumps and you have to get ready to go out with friends!

Very quickly, you swipe or maybe even wash your face, not realizing that all the mini volcano’s are still flowing with bacteria-filled pus! There! I said it! PUS! You add your moisturizer, concealer and continue with your normal makeup application using fingers and brushes contaminating the lot, but hey, the finished product is acceptable and off you go for your evening of fun thinking that you will wash your brushes tomorrow.

Just like Annie (keep up with me) singing, “it’s always a day away”, you put it off for another day. Between Annie repeating that fricking chorus and the bunnies doing the wild thing, your brushes are the new Manhattan now referred to New Pus City (NPC for future reference).

Wash your brushes regularly!

It’s easy to do. There are retail products available for this specific task or you can:

• Apply hair shampoo, liberally.
• Wash till the water is clear.
• Rinse again to be sure.
• Using a clean dry towel, lay your brushes and fold the towel over, gently pressing until the majority of the moisture is released.
• Shape the brush and lay it flat, allowing it to dry naturally.

Do this at least once a month. If you’re prone to breakouts, obviously, perform the routine more often. I use the full moon to keep a mental note for scheduling. It’s important to maintain the artist tools for the creation of a work of art.

Until next time