Corona Virus Advisory For Makeup Artists !!

Hello everyone. Now the reason we are here today is because we wanted to create an awareness blog whereby we discuss to you about how you can sanitize, prevent cross-contamination when you work in the field of makeup artistry. We all know the Beauty industry as such especially makeup artistry field or profession has taken a big hit during this time of COVID 19, that has impacted the entire world. We know that the Beauty industry has taken a complete tolerance hit on a lot of people. But it is also important that we consider hygiene, sanitation on a regular basis, and just not because of COVID 19. We ensure that makeup artistry is done in such a way that we do not just lay products. It is also important that you take care of the protocols in which you are supposed to apply makeup on a client and that is the utmost importance. We understand due to COVID 19 situation, everyone is aware about cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation. However, this has existed much before COVID 19. You are supposed to as a makeup artist follow a certain procedure, certain protocols when it comes to applying makeup on the skin. Makeup artistry is one of those professions where we are in direct touch like skin to skin contact. We have skin to skin contact with our clients. So it is of utmost importance that you actually follow the protocols.

We all know about hand sanitizers now because everyone talks about it at the moment. But we are going to discuss about it again. We have always in Face Palette stressed on the importance of washing your hands really well. That's very important. You need to carry an antibacterial hand wash. It is very important that you carry an antibacterial hand wash and you need to wash your hands for at least 20 to 30 seconds. Because if your hands are dirty and you are going to just apply sanitizer, your hands are still going to be dirty. Your bacteria may die but dirt is going to be there. So you have to first clean your hands before you touch the client's skin. You also need to apply a mask and that is very important. You need to apply a surgical mask which is disposable. You need to apply it and only then get closer to your client. Ensure that your mouth is fresh and everything; just don't have fish curry and come in front of the client. Your mouth should be clean; it should be fresh. Wear a surgical mask and then what you do is carry a hand sanitizer in your kit. It's mandatory and then take a sanitizer and clean your hands. We hope everyone heard about the steel palette. We know a lot of people use a steel palette in this profession.

It is important due to the COVID 19 situation that you use a steel palette and a Spatula while working. You get different kind of shapes and sizes of steel palettes. Again you need to take your sanitizer and you need to wipe your entire palette with your hand sanitizer. You should get a spatula and having a spatula is a utmost important as well. You need to wipe your sanitizer with the spatula to clean and to prevent contamination just in case any kind of bacteria there. Also when you apply a product like primers or moisturizer or anything like that, you need to ensure that you put it in the palette and apply from there. You need to carry tissues as well. Tissue is also very important. You need to keep wiping your palette with tissues and then use from the palette.

You need to carry an isopropyl alcohol. Now carrying an isopropyl alcohol is essential. It should be 99%. You need this in your kit because it dries off very quick. It doesn't take much time to dry. So you can carry that. 70% isopropyl alcohol is also available but it doesn’t dry as quickly as 99%. You can buy from places where you buy lab stuff, you know like surgical stuff and laboratory stuff and all that. Then you need to spray your palettes with isopropyl alcohol. For example, if it’s an eyeshadow, while using it on clients it is important that we use isopropyl alcohol and spray on to the eyeshadows and wipe it up. It's very important. So there is no double-dipping. There is no cross-contamination. That is the whole idea behind it. Very important. Also when you apply certain products like lipsticks, It’s disgusting when people use lipsticks with the actual wand or wipe from the bullet. As a makeup artist you are not supposed to do that. There are certain protocols and you are supposed to apply that way. In this profession it is important that you apply the protocol that is required by an artist as well.

So the next thing that is very important is when you apply liquid lipsticks. We have liquid lipsticks like MAC, Maybelline etc. We have a lot of brands and they have a dove foot applicator. Dove foot applicators with the sponge on the tip. A number of makeup artists who use this directly on the client's lips and that is disgusting. You shouldn't do that. A dove foot applicator should not be applied directly on the client. For example, if I am taking the client's lipstick and applying it for the client, that's fine. But if you are using products from your kit, then never use it directly, never double- dip. Imagine, you are using this wand and then you are dipping it again and the product inside is going to get contaminated. You are double- dipping so it's going to get contaminated. It's just common sense. You shouldn't do that. It becomes a contaminated product. What you need to do is you need to take the product on the back of your palette and apply from there. You shouldn't apply using the wand. Now, COVID 19, there is no other way. Like if you use a lipstick, if you share a lipstick, you are going to get COVID 19. Don't forget that. As an artist it is also very important that you carry a small kit. It is very nice. It is handy so you can carry your alcohol, your hand sanitizers and all that inside. You can check club factory and places where you get all these hanky panky things for all these kinds of kits. It is very handy. Another thing is liquid liners. When using liquid liners, a lot of makeup artists use from brush. Don't do that. Don't use the brush. If it’s yours, you can use it directly. But if you are using from your kit, you need to put the liquid eyeliner on the palette and use another eyeliner brush to the palette and use it from there. When you use it on the client and you dip it back, then it's contaminated. The product is contaminated. So you have to ensure this. These things matter.

Another thing is when you use foundations. For example, let's imagine you have a stick foundation from Sugar Cosmetics. You can scrap the product using the spatula, into the palette and use it from there. If you are using it straight from the tube, you need to take alcohol and spray on it. 99% alcohol has to be sprayed on the top of it and only then you can close and keep it here once dried. If you are using a bullet lipstick you should use some alcohol and wipe your spatula. Then take a bit of lipstick using the spatula. Put it on the palette. Close and keep your lipstick and then apply your lipstick from there. It is very important you do it this way.

All the makeup artists have got sketch pen eyeliner. You don't use it in Professional Makeup Artistry. It is for self-makeup. It is not for your profession. You cannot sanitize sketch pen eyeliner. It is for self-use. As a makeup artist, it is just useless for you. Even if it is gel liner, scrap using the spatula, put it on your steel palette and use it. And once in a while, when you get time what you do is take your alcohol and you just take a tissue, wipe this off. All the products. You wipe it off. And then take your alcohol, spray it then again wipe your palettes. So that there are no bacteria there. It's very important. Another thing to all you artists out there is Mascara. There are people who use Mascara for years. Mascara in general expires every 3 months. After 3 months, you chuck it out. You do not share a Mascara. You need to buy disposables. If you do not know what these are. Go and check it on Amazon. You need disposables. If you do not use disposables in spite of knowing about it, shame on you. Now, you need to use disposables. You get wands like these everywhere from Amazon, from Flipkart. You can just check it out. These disposable Mascara wands has to be used when you apply Mascara on a client. And that's very important. Now, your lashes are prone to getting Demodex bacteria, you know, staph bacteria and lot of stuff. So Staph infections and you get a lot of other rosacea and many things just because of bacteria spread from cross-contamination and Mascara is a big player there. So you are not supposed to use Mascara on one client and then use on another client. Your lashes can fall off. Lashes can get, you know like Demodex infections. You can get a lot of eye infections and a lot of things. So don't use Mascaras like that. Try and use disposables. This is very important.

Makeup Artistry involves a lot of ethics. It involves a lot of principles. It involves a lot of protocols. It's not just about studying 10 products and you just apply it on the skin. It doesn't work that way. It’s got a lot of science behind it. It is the reason why we keep stressing it. We have to always maintain hygiene and sanitation. You don't use unclean brushes on a client. You don't do that. You have to deep clean your brushes every single time you have a new client. Don't be lazy. Every time you use an uncleaned brush, you have to think whether would you use uncleaned dishes every single time. Similarly, you should clean your brushes every single time. You have to follow these protocols every time when you are working in the industry. So hopefully this has been helpful to a lot of you. Even if you are not in the industry and if you find professionals doing that, question them. You ask them why they are not following protocols that are required by a Makeup artist in the industry. It is important that you as a consumer, you are aware about it and also you as a makeup artist or a beautician is aware about this. Hopefully this has been helpful to a lot of you. Take care, stay safe and healthy.