This wonderful nugget of beauty wisdom comes courtesy of Mamamia’s beauty show, You Beauty.To ensure you never miss an episode, listen to You Beauty here for free. It’s a blast.

Hey,you.

We need to talk about how often you’re cleaning your makeup brushes.

I should first start off by saying I’m a complete hypocrite and never wash my manky, decades-old makeup brushes. It’s disgusting and I’m deeply ashamed, but I’m also inherently lazy.

But don’t be like me. Be like Leigh Campbell,Mamamia’sexecutive editor and beauty journalist of 15 years.

On the You Beauty podcast, Leigh shared some home truths about how often you really do need to wash your makeup brushes.

“Best practice depends on how often you use your brushes and your skin. If you’re acne prone or oily, I would wash them after every use or every second use,” Leigh told co-host Kelly McCarren.

“Look, this is best practice – I wash my powder brushes once a month, I don’t use brushes for liquid because I can’t be bothered and fingers do just as good a job. The more frequently you can be bothered, the better though, especially if you have skin concerns.”

An important note on liquid foundation/formula brushes – these need to be washed more frequently because, “by nature, liquid formulas can hold and breed bacteria. Powders still can, but not as much, because there’s no wet environment.”

If you’re worried about your soft, fluffy brushes turning into straw post-bath, Leigh explained all decent quality brushes can be washed without damage.

“You can wash all brushes, good quality brushes can withstand the washing, if the bristles come out, they’re not good quality.”

Yes, it sounds like a lot of work, but there’s good news. You don’t actually need any fancy equipment or little gadgets. In Leigh’s experience, good ole elbow grease does the job better than any battery operated machine.

Here’s how Leigh cleans her makeup brushes:

Hey presto, that’s how you clean your makeup brushes. Let’s all make a pact to do it more often.

You Beauty Cheat Sheet

Other questions Leigh and Kelly answered, as well as their ‘spendys’ and ‘saveys’ (and where you can buy them).

‘Are dermal rollers safe and do they do anything for your skin?’

Leigh Spendy: Liberty Bell Rx HEARTFELT Gentle Rose Cream Cleanser, $60 (and sneakily, also Liberty Bell Rx GLAM SQUAD® HA3 + B3 + B5 Hydrating Serum, $138).

Images: Liberty Bell.

Why she loves them:

Kelly's Spendy: ELEMIS Frangipani Monoi Salt Glow, $74.93.

Image: ELEMIS.

Why she loves it:

Leigh's Savey: Sephora Collection Colourful Eye Shadow Mono in Natural Beauty, $12.

Image: Sephora.

Why she loves it:

Kelly's Savey: Red Cherry Eyelashes in Jane, $4.99.

Image: Red Cherry Lashes.

Why she loves it:

Until next week, stay lovely.

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