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My Ultimate Makeup Brush Care Tips

How best to clean your makeup brushes varies on the style and bristle combination of the makeup brush that you want to clean. In my guide I will walk you through the best ways of cleaning and looking after the various makeup brushes in your beauty wardrobe.

So you have invested in some Otis Batterbee makeup brushes, but how should you look after this beauty investment? How you wash and care for your makeup brushes is such an important element in keeping your beauty assistants working hard and delivering flawless looks for a longer time.

In my makeup brush maintenance guide, I will walk you through the steps on how to wash and clean your Otis Batterbee makeup brushes, keeping them in pristine condition and ready to enhance your beauty routine every time! From Eye Shadow Brushes to Foundation Brushes and Powder Brushes, there isn't one size that fits all when it comes to cleaning.

How to Clean Eye Make Brushes?

Your Otis Batterbee Eye Makeup brush will need to be cleaned once a week. If you have been using loose powder eye shadow products then the bristles don’t get as clogged and dirty as they do with more liquid eye shadows. The bristles on the 109 Eye Smudge Brush are used to sculpt and define products around the eye socket and along the lash line, while the 110 Eye Blender Brush is best used by gently working it back and forth to soften and smudge eye makeup for a seamless finish. From experience you only need a little water to clean eye makeup brushes, the brush head is small and delicate and should never be submerged in water. I like to leave my eye shadow brushes to dry over the edge of the sink.

How To Keep Powder Brushes Fresh?

My powder makeup brushes have been crafted with straight and crimped bristles, this combination is perfect for picking up and blurring powder makeup products. As these brushes are being used across the face I feel they need to be washed more frequently to avoid any bacteria build up. Unfortunately makeup brushes can harbour bacteria, oil, and residual makeup, leading to breakouts and skin irritation. The worst thing you can do with your new Powder Brush is submerge it in water! The glue inside the metal section will become damaged and lead to bristles breaking free, never a good look having bristles stuck to your fresh makeup!! Use a small amount of soap or shampoo and only clean the section of the powder brush that has makeup on it, you don’t need to clean the entire brush. My super handy tip is to use a hairdryer set to cool and blast and dry your brush, it was a tip I noticed on a photoshoot many years ago! A powder makeup brush needs to be soft and very dry to disperse powders evenly so keeping them dry after cleaning is always a good idea.

Extending The Lifespan of Foundation Buffer?

It’s the makeup brush that feels like finger tips smoothing out your makeup thanks to its super dense and cashmere soft bristles. As the bristles are so tightly packed it can appear harder to care for than regular brushes, but this isn’t the case. The unique domed brush shape blurs and blends all makeup products across the face and body. I always advise removing excess foundation and beauty products from the Foundation Buffer brush by working it over a microfibre towel first. Then simply add a small pearl-seized amount of shampoo to the top of the bristles and massage into the Foundation Buffer Brush. Using a small amount of lukewarm water, wash out the shampoo while working the brush into your microfibre towel. You may need to go from tap to towel a few times before it starts to get really clean. Again the hairdryer is fabulous as a final touch to fluff up the bristles and completely dry out.

How To Clean Flat Foundation Brush?

My Foundation Brush as be crafted with a rounded brush head to precisely apply product to the contours of the face. The curved tip of the Foundation Brush has densely packed with a more rigid bristle texture to apply foundation flawlessly. This brush can get more easily clogged and needs to be cleaned the most frequently of all of my makeup brushes. Liquid foundation formulations can be super dense and once a foundation makeup brush is blocked with product it will stop performing and will give you streaky application! I would run this brush under the tap and alternate between a microfibre towel, working out the foundation from the brush and then returning to under the running water. Once this Foundation Brush is totally cleaned never stand upright as any residue water will run into the metal section and damage the glue and wooden handle, never a good look.

My final Makeup brush care tips are base around storage and apply to all types of makeup brushes, even if you have one of my makeup brush sets, you need to treat each brush as an independent player when cleaning and storing them. I always advise storing your makeup brushes on your dressing table. Having them stored in the bathroom is a massive no-no! The humidity and moisture in the air will damaged the glue used inside the brushes and over time the bristles will become loose.  Another issue can be putting your makeup brushes back into you makeup bag before they are totally dry. If they are damp they can never go back in your bag as bacteria will develop.

Here’s to pristine brushes!

Otis x