Quick Tip: Washing Your Brushes

So I haven't really been doing quick tips in a while, & I hope these are helpful to someone! :) I try to keep them basic & well, quick, but that doesn't always work out haha.

-*Washing Your Makeup Brushes*-
You need to wash your makeup brushes often as bacteria will build which will not be good for your skin & eyes.

In Between Uses
Use a Brush Cleanser daily/ after use to disinfect your brushes & to help them keep for staining. As far as I'm aware, they dry pretty quickly so you can use them not long after if you have to. You can purchase this from MAC & E.L.F & I'm sure there are other good ones out there.

Deep Cleaning
I go by washing my face brushes that I use all the time once a week, and washing my eye brushes to once a month. That's mainly because I'm lazy :) However I think that face brushes are more important because they are in frequent contact with your skin, so you don't want to develop pimples from the bacteria that may be hiding.

1) Apply a tiny bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on a paper towel, & swipe your brush onto it in one direction until you feel like its enough. I use this 'coz it breaks down the makeup which makes it easier to wash it all out, and also gets out the stains easier. It also keeps my brushes softer since I find that it conditions them.
2) Fill up your basin with warmish water- not too hot or it will damage the bristles. Wet it by dipping it in, making sure not to get water past the ferrule (the metal part where the handle is clamped on to the bristles).
3) Apply a tiny bit of baby shampoo/ your shampoo of choice & rub it in to the bristles, keep doing this & washing it out until no more makeup comes out.
4) Let it dry flat on a hand towel overnight, do not blow dry!

I thought it would be funny to note that sometimes I will go through my friends brushes & instruct them to wash them coz I've seen horrendous ones lol! But that's just the makeup-obsessive side coming out in me :P

*Disclaimer: This is what I have found that works for me, using the EVOO has not effected my brushes in a bad way. This is also a basic guide so you can substitute products for what suits you*

Quick Tip: Extra Virgin Olive Oil on your skin?!?

Olive oil, or more specifically Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a great makeup remover & is also very moisturizing!
 I use every Extra Virgin Olive Oil every night as a moisturizer, for my eyes & my face.

After I wipe off my makeup with makeup wipes & use my cleanser, I pour some EVOO onto a cotton bud & apply it to my face much the same way as a toner, & in a way it is a toner because it helps to remove extra makeup that didn't quite want to budge. & Then I rub it into my skin like you would with a moisturizer.
I find that it's particularly great for removing stubborn eyeliner & waterproof mascara, & it is great for conditioning the eye lashes as well.

If you're too scared to use it like that, you can always use it only as a makeup remover for the face, and/or eyes & then use your cleanser after wards.

Also I would like to note that I have dry acne prone skin, but using this does not cause any more breakouts for me then I usually get (& I have stopped breaking out! But that's another story ;))

Before you get scared at the thought of using any oil on your skin ('coz oils must cause pimples, right?!) Have a look at this table I borrowed from http://www.zerozits.com/Articles/acnedetect.htm (scroll down to see the full table with heaps of other ingredients)

Here it says that olive oil has a COM (Comedogenicity) grade of 2 which means it can cause pimples (but its not super bad) & the IRR (Irritancy) grade of 0 which means that it doesn't irritate your skin by causing hives, redness, swelling, flaking, peeling, & itching.

Now this chart says Olive oil, which is different to EVOO, where EVOO is typically produced from the first pressing of olives, making it more pure and least acidic than olive oil, which would most likely bring down the COM grade.

Hope this was helpful, maybe wasn't that quick of a tip haha :P 

Disclaimer: I am saying what works for my skin & doesn't necessarily mean it will work for yours. However I have had a good experience with Extra Virgin Olive Oil & have wanted to share it :D

Quick Tip: Treat & Avoid Ingrown hairs

I don't know about you but I get some nasty ingrown hairs after shaving especially underneath my arms. Ouch! Read on to learn what you may have in your bathroom that will be useful to treat these lil' nastys.

So you've tried to avoid them by shaving in the direction of hair growth, right? This helps to train the hair to grow out straight & not curl back into the skin. Also, always make sure the skin is wet to help soften the hairs to make shaving easier.

However if you're still getting them, i have learnt that salicylic acid, which is a beta hydroxide acid, is good for exfoliation because it penetrates into the skin to dissolve the hair. For this I use a toner that I stopped using on my face, however as it contains alcohol I think I will switch from that as it makes my underarms fairly dry after using it, which I then moisturize after wards.
You can also buy serums that contain BHA's for after shaving.

Hope this helps some!

Source: http://www.skinbiology.com/ingrownhairs.html

Quick Tip: Smooth Lucious Lips

Bold Lips are becoming quite a trend, especially for me lately & with summer coming up i am planning to wear bright lips quite often. But for any lipstick to look good, first your lips have to be in top condition.... here are some ways to get smooth, lucious lips.

~Apply vaseline/lip balm/papaw on your lips, and take a cotton bud (q-tip, whatever you wanna call it) and wipe it on your lips, rubbing it around to get rid of the dry skin. This is good for right before you do your base as when you come to your lips they will be moisturized and smooth. I've learnt that from Lisa Eldridge on You-tube.

~Something else you can do is make your own lip scrub, using olive oil & brown sugar or bicarbonate of soda. You can do this once a week to get rid of the dead skin.
Or you can indulge yourself & purchase a lip scrub by lush that comes in 3 flavours; bubblegum, (yum!) mint julip(choc-mint) & sweet lips (chocolate). Don't forget to apply lip balm after wards!

Quick Tip # 2: Washing your hair

Washing your hair is something you don't really think about, you just do it, but I have learnt recently that there is a proper way to wash your hair & it does make sense (to me), so I'm going to share with you & if you have anything you'd like to add/correct, leave a comment & I'll add it in!

Shampoo~
The scalp is where most of the dirt and oil is, and because your hair is technically dead you don't need to use shampoo for the shafts. So apply your shampoo evenly over your scalp and scrub,  while letting the shampoo run down to the rest of the hair so it cleans that as well without you needing to rub your hair.



Conditioner~
The ends are the oldest and most damaged area, so take care to apply your conditioner here first while massaging it in.  As you go up higher until you get to the roots you should be adding lesser amounts to none. Unless you have a very dry scalp it should be ok but if it gets oily quickly you should probably avoid using it in that area, but i usually massage in a tiny bit to the scalp from the roots for a minute. Don't rinse it out straight away because you want your hair to absorb it in.


After wards~
For years after every time I've washed my hair i have always rinsed it in cold water. This closes off the cuticles, which creates a healthy, shiny appearance. Also never ever rub your hair dry, take a towel & squeeze/blot all the excess ends out.

thanks for reading, hopefully this was useful, please comment with anything extra!!

x ashii

Quick Tip 1- Eyebrows.

Ok so now and then I will post some quick tips which I have learnt & I'm sure most of you know but what the hey!! 

Eyebrows

If you don't have a brow gel, just take some hairspray onto your brow comb & run it through your eyebrows, pushing the hairs into place, which should hopefully set them there for the whole day!!

Hope that helps someone; stay tuned for more quick tips :)