Clean it Up: Two Ingredients to Get your Makeup Sponge Squeaky Clean

During a field trip to Ulta in search of the perfect foundation for my favorite female, she asked me a question I had never really though of: when should you throw away your makeup sponge?

Uhhh-Never?

Or at least until it disintegrates into tiny pieces. At that point I would consider that a pretty good indicator to repurchase. Not to say that I wouldn’t double up on these babies. Truth be told, I own multiples. But I’m a makeup hoarder so…there’s that.

My motto is; if it still works, keep it and keep it clean. That also holds true for many other inanimate objects in my life. Shoes, technology, random household decor, all of it. Not to say you can’t also have a new or upgraded version of said item. Let’s not get crazy. 

See what I mean? Hoarder. 

Now if you are the owner of a Beauty Blender or a generic complexion sponge, you are aware of the difficulties in getting all of the foundation stains to disappear. In my search for the perfect cleanser, I’ve spent more pennies than I’d like to count. And hours of scrubbing and squeezing? Perpetual dish-pan hands would be an accurate representation. 

And then genius struck!

Remember when we were all taught by Pinterest that you can remove makeup with oil? Sure you do. So then, if oil is makeup’s kryptonite, why don’t we use it to rid our brushes and blenders of stains and gunk? Why not, indeed. 

Let’s get steppin’—

1. Get your sponge nice and soaked with tepid water. *FYI: Tepid means slightly warm or lukewarm. My friends thought I should explain just in case. Now you have your word of the day. Maybe I’ll do a giveaway next month for anyone who can use it correctly in a sentence.  

2. Pour a dab of Olive Oil and a dab of Antibacterial Soap on a dish (or in the palm of your hand, which is what I normally do). Swirl your sponge it and and let the oil get up in it’s business.

3. & 4. Squish and squeeze pushing the water and soapy oil mixture from the inside of the sponge to the surface. Almost like what I would imagine milking a cow would be like. Possibly? Sort of? 

5. Continue this process of adding a smidgen of soap and oil and rinsing thoroughly with water until you have a blemish-free sponge. 

So now that your sponges are immaculate, fill it full of product and do it all over again tomorrow.

Just kidding. I only do intense cleaning like this once or twice a week. On a daily basis, I do the lazy thing and just use an antibacterial cleaner.

So what do you think? Is olive oil makeup kryptonite or do you think I’m insane? This question is slightly rhetorical…

♥Liz