When I trained as a beauty therapist we were very aware of the dangers of cross infection and I still practice the hygiene techniques I learned then. Make up is one of those mediums that can be rife with micro-organisms, thriving in a makeup bag in the corner of a handbag. Dirty makeup brushes are a real bug bear of mine, you wouldn't leave your hair unwashed for weeks even months, yet many women are happy to use filthy brushes on their eyes and face and they wonder why their skin breaks out. It's essential you have at least more than one set of brushes so they can be washed with a mild shampoo and allowed to air dry and at the very least every week. Cosmetics should never be shared unless you use a technique where products are scraped with a clean spatula onto a clean palette and applied from that. I personally don't use the brush provided in mascara but use a disposable one every time and I never double dip (disposable brushes and applicators are cheap). And you would be amazed (I'm not) at the dirty makeup bags many women use that have never been washed for months even years. Next time you go shopping and you're buying new makeup, never put the tester eye shadows anywhere near your eyes or any of those testers on your face, think of all the fingers that have been there before you. Use the back of your hand and your finger pads as a substitute for lips to test lipsticks, take some sachets of wipes with you to clean up afterwards.
When you think of it you wouldn't put used dirty cutlery back in the drawer or used plates back in the cupboard without washing! so why do the same with brushes and applicators
One of the best places to buy good quality makeup brushes is here
 |
| CLICK HERE |
The article below is from the Daily Mail
How your make-up bag could wreck your health: One in five women hoard cosmetics for years - risking urine infections and meningitis
- 25% women hoard mascara for a year - 9 months past its use-by-date
- And 20% keep cleanser for 12 months - twice as long as recommended
- Study: Old cosmetics harbour bacteria including life-threatening meningitis
- Women admit carrying things like cat biscuits and KY jelly in make-up bags
A fifth of women hoard their make-up for more than five years, risking blood poisoning, urine infections and gastroenteritis, a survey has found.
Some 25 per cent of those polled admitted to keeping their mascara for up to one year, despite warnings by health and beauty experts to replace it every three months.
And 20 per cent said they keep their cleanser for at least one year — twice as long as recommended.
Almost 10 per cent use lipsticks more than three years old – two years beyond its expiration date.
The poll comes after a study by London Metropolitan University found old cosmetics contain unsafe levels of potentially lethal bacteria.
A fifth of women hoard their make-up for more than five years, a survey has found. The poll comes after a study found old cosmetics are rife with bacteria that can cause blood poisonin and gastroenteritis
After testing five products including a blusher, foundation and lip gloss, researchers discovered enterococcus faecalis bacteria – one of the mains cause of meningitis.
Other potentially-deadly bacteria found included eubacterium, which causes bacterial vaginosis and aeromonas, one of the causes of gastroenteritis and wound infections.
Researchers also discovered staphlyoccocus epidermidis, a nasty bug which is resistant to antibiotics as well as propionibacterium, one of the main causes of acne and other skin conditions.
Moreover, the tests revealed enterobacter, which causes urinary and respiratory tract infections.
And while the new survey, carried out by beauty company LiB Group, highlighted the health risks of keeping make-up past its sell by date, having a professional makeover fared little better.
Some 7 per cent of those questioned said their makeover experience was 'horrendous', with one woman contracting viral conjunctivitis afterwards.
This to a detached retina - which can cause blindness.
Another likened her new look to 'Malibu Barbie' adding “there was a lot of pink” and a third claimed she ended up looking like a 'jaundiced drag queen'.
An over-enthusiastic makeover with an eyebrow pencil by one in-store beautician led to one woman questioned to observe 'my eyebrows were made to look like the Nike logo'.
Katie Tillard, Chief Operating Officer for LiB Group said: 'We all have one or two unusual items in our beauty collection but it’s clear from this research that lots of women also keep stuff they just don’t use.
'We advise that women should listen to their friends when it comes to the latest beauty recommendations, and should try sample sizes so that if you don’t end up liking it, you’ll be saving on space in your make-up bag and money in your wallet,' said Ms Tillard.
The poll also revealed the most unusual items women keep in their make-up bags, including horse shampoo, KY jelly 'to use as hair gel', a screwdriver and cat biscuits.
Other peculiar objects included guitar plectrums, pubic hair dye and a hamster grooming brush.
The research questioned 5,000 women across the UK about their beauty habits.
One woman said: 'I use cat biscuits to distract my cat whilst I try to do make-up. He likes to play with the brushes,'
Another confessed to keeping a tube of haemorrhoid cream handy — to rub on the bags under her eyes.
The survey suggested women’s habits are evolving when it comes to shopping for cosmetics, with over half (51 per cent) questioned saying they also now use the internet to purchase beauty products.
Old cosmetics contained a range of deadly bacteria, a London Metropolitan University study found. This included bacteria that causes meningitis - a life-threatening disease
In total six different types of bacteria were found on the five types of everyday high-street cosmetics that were tested. Mascara that was four months out of date carried enerobacter - which can trigger urinary and respiratory tract infections
Astrid Brown (Author)
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
