Is your Makeup Artist Practicing Good Hygiene?

Chances are you have been to the makeup counter at a department store, Sephora or Ulta and have seen amid the numerous selections of products and testers those little disposable wands. You know – the wands you are supposed to use when TESTING out products. How many times have you seen person after person not use these disposable wands? Instead they use their fingers to apply the product onto their skin or worst, just apply it directly to their face/lips. Sometimes twice (drop your favorite emoji)!

Have you ever attended a special event, wedding or birthday party and wanted to look your very best? If so, have you ever had your makeup done professionally?

One of the first things people notice when sitting down waiting to have their makeup done professionally is the brand name on the products the artist carries in their kit. Do they use MAC, Bobbi Brown or NARS just to name a few? Let’s face it, if I’m getting ready to pay this amount of money to have someone apply makeup to my face, they better be using name-brand products! However, have they noticed whether, the artist’s brushes are clean or dirty? Are they practicing good hygiene when it comes to the individual’s makeup application?

Steps to Take When Having Your Makeup Done

While it may be impossible to guarantee 100% protection against contracting a bacterial infection, there are steps you can take. It’s important to take notice how the artist’s kit looks. Is it clean or is it covered in powder and fingerprints? Did the artist wash their hands before touching you? Did the artist use the same brush repeatedly or does he or she use multiple brushes? All of us have bacteria, including staph, living on the surface of our skin, intestinal tract, mouth and nose. It is when we are exposed to other’s bacteria the risk of contracting an infection can occur. The risk increases if there are open lesions on the skin’s surface. Not only can staph and herpes virus spread between makeup brushes, you are also susceptible to conjunctivitis (pink eye), E. coli or strep – they could even cause cold sores.

When it comes to your safety and well-being, you have every right to know that the makeup artist you hired is practicing and maintaining proper sanitation of their kit and products. It is perfectly okay to ask the artist about their sanitation practices between clients. Ask them to wash or sanitize their hands or use disposable applicators when applying product. Remember, it is up to you to be proactive when having your makeup done professionally to protect yourself against possible infections that could be lurking.