With winter underway, there’s no better time to stay inside and tick off some long-procrastinated beauty chores. Not only is overhauling your beauty cabinet a satisfying instant way to boost your mood, it’s especially important for hygiene reasons too. Shop our best beauty products online to restock and read on for our tips on keeping your beauty cabinet fresh, organised, and clean.
Give Your Makeup Tools a Deep Clean
We don’t have to tell you the importance of cleaning brushes, sponges, and other makeup tools in your collection regularly. While it’s not exactly fun, we can all agree the results are worth it if you want to get more out of your tools, extend their life, and keep any skin-harming bacteria at bay. So, here’s a step-by-step guide to cleaning makeup brushes quickly and easily.
What you need:
• A gentle skin sensitive cleansing formulation like Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, $3.99
• A bowl of lukewarm water
Cleaning method:
1. Rinse the bristles in lukewarm water in a bowl or in the basin – but don’t submerge the whole brush as the water may loosen the glue binding.
2. Squeeze a dollop of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo onto your hand and swirl the bristles in your palm, using more water as needed to generate a lather.
3. Rinse bristles under warm running water until the water runs clear and all cleanser is washed out.
4. Gently squeeze the water from your brush and reshape the bristles.
5. Shake out excess water if you can so that the brushes dry faster.
6. Dry them on a downwards or flat surface so as little water as possible travels towards the handle. Tip: Lay your brushes on a towel with one end rolled up, placing the handles on a slope with the bristles pointing downwards.
Organise Your Personal Care & Makeup Products
By now, you’ve probably realised the mass of makeup that needs some serious decluttering in your storage. Thankfully, there’s no better time to Marie Kondo our makeup collection than when we’re all cooped up inside during winter. Not only does this free up space in your beauty and lip care products collection, you might also rediscover some forgotten favourites! What’s more, experts say that getting rid of unnecessary clutter can improve our mental health, relieving stress and helping us to breathe out. There are tons of ways you can go about organising your makeup stash. You could start small and simply clean the mess on your vanity by putting things back to their rightful place, or if you’re after something more intensive, do a major beauty overhaul by streamlining your collection to the products you *actually* use. Our advice? Organise your collection according to those you want to keep, toss, or donate.Get Rid of Expired Items
On the topic of organisation, why not take this time to throw out makeup products that have overstayed their welcome in your collection? A good rule of thumb is to throw out anything that’s been sitting in storage for at least a year, but some items deteriorate faster than others.How can you tell when beauty products have expired?
Beyond the obvious signs like a funky smell, oil separating to the top of foundation and mascara going crispy, there is a quick yet surprisingly little-known way to tell how long products are designed to be kept and used regularly. The PAO (Period After Opening) symbol looks like a small cream jar with a number and an M in it. This indicates the number of months a product is designed to be kept after opening, and it makes sorting through your makeup or skincare collection an absolute breeze.
Below is a general rule of thumb for how long makeup and skincare lasts:
• Mascara and eyeliner: 3-4 months
• Foundation: 6-12 months
• Lip oil: 12 months
• Lip scrubs and lip treatments: A few months if they contain sugar as the exfoliant, otherwise roughly 12 months.
• Eye shadow: 24 months (only applies to powder formulas).
• Lipstick: 18-24 months
• Pencil liners: 24 months (bacteria can’t build up with regular sharpening).
Clean Your Hairbrushes
Despite what most people think, hairbrushes absolutely need to be cleaned regularly! Doing so not only prevents the spread of bacteria, it also stops any dirt, oil or product residue trapped in the bristles from transferring back to your hair every time you brush. Start by removing the tangled strands in the bristles of your hairbrush, then dipping into a bowl of warm water. Next, put a few drops of soap or shampoo on the bristles. You can use your fingers to massage it in or, for a deeper clean, use a toothbrush to scrub in between the bristles and get at the base of the hair brush. Rinse it by swirling it around in a bowl of clean water and then wiping it dry with a cloth. Leave the brush to dry on top of a clean cloth or towel with the bristles facing down, and voila! It’s like a brand-new brush.Deep Condition Your Hair
While this is more of a pampering treat than ‘chore’, deep-conditioning our hair is something that not all of us tend to carve out time for so, yep, we’re putting it on this list. We recommend using a conditioner that’s brimming with nourishing ingredients like argan oil and keratin, as this are guaranteed to not only condition your hair but make it stronger in the long run. We’ve got a couple in the Pricewise range. Try: Nth Degree Mask Sachet, $6.99; Cala Conditioning Hair Mask Hydrate & Nourish, $6.99; Dove Intense Repair Mask, $4.99Enjoy a Top-to-Toe Exfoliation
Exfoliation is a great way to keep the skin looking vibrant and healthy. It gets rid of any dead skin cells that just won’t let go and makes room for newer ones, and helps you avoid nasty pimples or blackheads. What’s more, massaging the skin with a body scrub can also be a wonderful way to relax and feel calmer, especially if you’re feeling tired or stressed. Apply a scrub like Dr Teal’s Scrub in Himalayan or Lavender, $14.95, (it smells amazing by the way) using our Bella Exfoliating Gloves, $4.99Rejuvenate Your Hands with a Manicure
We’re all being careful with our hand hygiene these days, but over-washing and sanitising your hands can seriously affect the health of your skin and nails. Therefore, it’s important to follow a proper hand care routine that includes moisturising with a good balm or cream after washing. Anything that has shea butter, seed oil, hyaluronic acid, or a deep-nourishing formula will work perfectly (and a nice smell certainly doesn’t hurt).
Try our hand creams: Vaseline Hand & Nail Cream, $6;99; Dove Hand Restoring Ritual, $4.99; Nivea Q10 Hand Cream Anti-Age Care, $4.99
If your nails are looking a little worse for wear, take the time to give yourself a little at-home DIY manicure. Snip off any hang nails and remove grime under your nails, moisturise your cuticles (coconut oil works wonders), and while you’re at it why not try a new nail polish colour for fun?
Try our DIY manicure essentials: Cala Nail Clipper Rose Gold, $9.99; Cala Nail Files 6pk, $4.99; Bella Wearable Nail Polish Holder, $6.99