Drying Makeup Brushes

i deep-cleaned my make-up brushes today. lookie how i laid them out to dry

instead of laying them flat on a towel, i placed them on top of a small box and let the bristles dangle off the edge. this way is more sanitary since microbacteria and whatnot from the towel (no matter how clean it is!) don't get transferred to the brush. also, it makes for faster drying time, since both sides of the bristles are exposed to air.

i saw this method of drying brushes in one beauty blog before, so i'm not going to take credit for this. i'm just sorry that i can't remember where, but thank you so much for sharing!

for drying kabuki brushes, check out enkore's method.

Cosmetic Clean-Up

no, this is not a hual. but rather a picture of the products that i have to throw away :(( i didn't even realize they had expired already :(( huge thanks to frances for her post!! i didn't really know about the PAO symbol. it tells you how many months u can use the product after opening it for the first time.

after reading it, i literally went thru all my makeup and skincare products. it's a good thing i've kept a list of my expenses through the past years (since 2006), so i was still able to backtrack when i bought what. now i've labeled everything.


with a heavy heart, i'm going to put all those other products in the trash. even if most of them still have 50 - 75% left :( yes, it really is a shame. but better that than for me to develop skin allergies or rashes. if anything, this experience has taught me

• not to haul makeup/skin care products anymore (yes! i shall turn over a new leaf :P)
  
• to be more aware of a product's expiration date (admittedly i've been really, really naive about this)
  

for products that don't have PAO symbols, i've compiled a list of their lifespan, based on what i've researched on the internet:

• mascara: 3 - 6 months
• liquid liner: 6 months
  
• liquids and creams (i.e foundation): 12 - 18 months
• lipstick/lipgloss: 1- 2 years
• mail polish: 1-2 years
  
• powders (i.e eye shadows/blushes): 2 - 3 years
• pencils (i.e lip liner/eye liner): 2-3 years
  
• perfume: 2-3 years