By Andi Douglas, nwaMotherlode.com beauty editor
Is your makeup making you sick? Or the cause of the mystery pimple that just popped up? Unfortunately, that just might be the case. Here are a few tricks to clear your makeup bag of repeat offenders:
- As your makeup brushes layer on that magical glow, they are also picking up layers of dirt, dead skin and all kinds of germs left behind by little kisses. Washing your brushes once a month with shampoo or a mild bar soap will wipe away the grime.
Your lipstick seems like a prime candidate for spreading colds, but that virus dies quickly and you have already built up the antibodies, so there is no threat of reinfection. That’s the good news. Bad news, strep throat is another story. The strep causing bacteria live longer, so throw out the lipstick to avoid reinfection.- I know it seems like a shower puff should be self cleaning, but leaving it in a moist shower to drip dry is like a day spa for bacteria. Hang a hook outside your shower where your puff can dry in a more ventilated environment. Or, if you are particularly ooked out by germs, microwave it for 30 seconds between uses.
- Eyeliner could be the cause of an irritating eye infection, especially if you line the inside of your eyelid. Germs grow and thrive inside that little cap, so sharpen your pencil after application so it is stored germ free. If you fall victim to a full-blown eye infection you should toss is altogether just to be safe (that goes for mascara, too).
- Say your little one runs into your bathroom wailing about a painful splinter…what luck, your tweezers are right there! You remove the offending splinter and go right back to tweezing your brows like the Super Mom that you are. Small problem, whatever bit you just pulled out of Junior’s finger can harbor bacteria or fungi (shiver) that can cause irritation if deposited elsewhere. So clean tweezers after a first-aid task by boiling them for a few minutes and clean with alcohol between grooming sessions.
Have a question for Andi, beauty blogger and fellow mama of three? Andi welcomes your questions and feedback to Beauty Buzz. E-mail her at mamas@nwaMotherlode.com.
Note from the mamas: The Summer Remix symbol appears on posts previously published on nwaMotherlode that were noted as a “reader favorite”. If you missed the original publication date, we hope you’ll enjoy this encore performance. Happy summer!
