By Erin Lukas
Updated on October 5, 2017
Tired of losing half of your bottle of fancy foundation each time you use a blending sponge? Then maybe you've made the switch over to a less porous silicone sponge. After making the swap, you've probably noticed that you're making less trips to Sephora to restock your makeup products, but there's one thing that silicone sponges do have in common with other blending tools: they need to regularly be cleaned.
So how often should you be washing yours? Honey Artists makeup artist Robert Greene says that after every use is ideal, but once a week at the bare minimum if you're only using the sponge on yourself. "I would clean my sponge after every use. That's the benefit of a silicone sponge, the product remains on the surface and is not absorbed therefore allowing you to fully clean your sponge," he says.
The best method for cleansing the sponge is to wash it with a gentle soap or rubbing alcohol. If you really want to sterilize it, Kristine Cruz, makeup artist in New York says to boil it to free it of germs.
Neglecting to wash a silicone sponge isn't that different from slacking on your skincare routine. Bacteria can build up on it, which can lead to breakouts in addition to the tool not working at its full potential. "If you don't regularly clean your sponge, it will be unusable since these sponges do not absorb product," explains Greene. "If you don't wash it then you will have a sponge that's collecting layers of foundation on it, which will make your foundation look muddy, and its definitely not good for your skin."
Silicone makeup sponges don't just help you ride out your next foundation purchase, the tool itself also lasts longer, too. When should you finally leave your sponge to RIP? Both makeup artists say that when you start to see tears or rips in the tool, it's time to replace it.
FEB 28, 2017
Thanks to Kim Kardashian West and Instagram, it seems like contouring has become a part of the makeup mainstream. The technique is designed to help you enhance your cheekbones and make your face look slimmer—what's not to love? Well, just how hard it is to achieve.
When done correctly, the results are amazing. But this step can take a lot of time, a lot of products, and a LOT of practice to master. That's why we talked to makeup artists to get their best tips on getting the defined cheekbones of your dreams every single day—no cosmetology license or Sephora shopping spree required.
For the easiest effect (perfect for those days when you sleep through your alarm!), add an illuminizer like Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment Illuminizer, ($26, Sephora.com) to your moisturizer. "This will make your skin will look slightly contoured, as the illuminator will attract light and highlight the areas of your face where natural light would normally hit," such as the forehead, cheeks, and nose, explains Kristine Cruz, senior makeup artist at Antonio Prieto Salon. It hardly gets much simpler than that.
Contouring tutorials are ubiquitous—which is a good thing if you're in serious need of some help. But with different how-tos coming at you from every direction, you're bound to get confused. How far are you really supposed to blend your contour? How much foundation should you be putting on? Are you even using blush the right way? We asked a few celebrity makeup artists to share the biggest mistakes they wish people would stop making when it comes to blending all of these things in.
You're using the wrong brush for blush. "Use an angled blush brush, like the Make Up For Ever 150 Precision Blush Brush, and dip it into your powder blush with circular motions, making sure to dust excess product off the brush. Apply on cheekbones in small sweeping strokes, and blend. Go lightly, and you can build up the pigment to your liking."—Kristine Cruz, a makeup artist n New York City.
