Beauty

May is Skin Cancer Awareness month, a time to detect, prevent, and protect your skin as much as possible! It’s a great time to think about the state of your skin and how to take care of it going forward, as May kicks off the warmer, more carefree weather. With  outdoor activities and fun can come increased sun exposure, and this week in NYC already saw temperatures in the mid 80s. By now stores are fully stocked with SPF offerings, which means its a great time to find your go-tos and have them at-the-ready for the warmer days ahead. I’ve found that I feel most comfortable using sunscreen with more natural formulations,  and am more inclined to use them when the bottle easily fits into my handbag, or is a  spray that quickly canvases legs and backs with protection.

As an ultra-pale and freckly human, I’ve tested out a lot of sunscreen, and by a lot, I actually mean a TON of the stuff! Some of my favorites for the 2015 summer season include Block Island Organics Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30, Kiss My Face Cool Sport Mineral SPF 30 Lotion Continuous Spray Sunscreen,  Aveeno Protect + Hydrate Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Lotion Suncreen for the Face, and MyChelle SunShield Coconut SPF 28. Do you have a natural sunscreen that you love?

It’s super duper important to clean your makeup brushes regularly, but it’s just one of those tasks that can just as be easily forgotten about. It’s crucial to do in order to prevent the spread of bacteria and breakouts by cleaning your brushes, which also helps to condition the hairs on the brush so that they remain supple and long-lasting, opposed to brittle and splintering away from the base.

Using my EcoTools brushes and some cleanser, I will show you the best way to keep your makeup brush investment in great shape for many more applications to come!

Most makeup brands have their own brush cleanser, but you can save some money by making your own at home. Household products can sanitize and condition them just as well, with some options being:

Choose from these Cleaner Options:

-a makeup brand’s brush cleaner spray

– a gentle soap bar, like Dove

-Dish cleaner

-Olive oil  (be especially sure to squeeze all of it out of the brush)

-Mix some dish cleaner and olive oil together

-Baby shampoo

What else you may need:

-Dishwasher sponge

-Paper towels

-Latex gloves (if you don’t want to directly touch and squeeze the brushes)

-A tall cup or a clothespin (for hanging the brushes to dry)

 1) Pick your brush and your cleanser, and thoroughly saturate the hairs by spraying, dipping, or rubbing them in the formula.

2) Gentle massage the bristles up the brush to loosen up any compounded dust and makeup, and squeeze from the base to the ends to thoroughly soak and squeeze out excess soap.

3)  Rinse your brush under water and do the “squeeze” motion from base to ends to remove any water until it runs clear and all suds are gone.

4) Gently wipe your brush on a paper towel to remove any extra water. Lay it down to dry flat, hanging off the edge of a table or counter,  or upside down in a cup, or clamp it upside down (re purpose a drying rack clothespin or pant clothes hanger) so that the base doesn’t get saturated, which can cause the glue to loosen up and the bristles to detach from it. Depending on the style or thickness of the brush, it can take up to a day to dry out, so be patient.

5) Once dry, you may want to give the brush a once over on the palm of your hand to fluff up the bristles.

That’s all you need to do, and pretty much the same goes for any of your makeup sponges.  While we are at it, don’t forget about tweezers or lash combs! You can swab or spritz these with a high -alcohol content product, or use 91% rubbing alcohol to do the trick.

Full Disclosure: This post is brought to you by EcoTools. All opinions are my own.