Jessica Elliot wrote:
When I was working at London Drugs in Richmond for a while, I saw some seriously scary stuff! O_O

One time, I was cleaning up the counter when this oriental lady came in. She headed straight for the Revlon makeup. There's the Revlon Sugar Sugar lip powder innocently sitting there, and this lady comes up and starts EATING it like it was a DipStix candy pack! O_< EW! I obviously threw out the tester. I mean, I know it tastes like sugar, but ew!

Now, our London Drugs had a drug rehab program. This lady came into the store, shot up in the bathroom, then proceeded to stumble towards the cosmetics counter. She opened a brand new Lancome skin cream tester, shoved her hand in, took out a big glob, and smeared it down her face while going "aaaaaaaaaaaahhh"!

Next, this other lady came in and started trying all of the testers directly on her face. Now, I mean ON HER FACE! She was putting lipstick and everything all over her face! O_o We were very lucky that a Richmond Centre Mall security officer recognized her and notified us that she has herpes and other STDs! We had to throw out ALL of our testers, because we weren't sure which ones she had used!

I have many more stories. LOL!

the moisturizer lady made me LOL. I bet it's funny looking back on it....

Roshar wrote:
One time a model was being so rude to me- so I spit on her face and said "Dont worry, thats how you set the makeup"

just kidding.

Although one time I was talking and accidntly spit my mint onto the models hair. That was embarssing.

OK Betch... I JUST took a sip of a nice coke classic when I was reading this & It fuckin came out my nose!! I f'n heart you!!

Melissa Rachelle wrote:
It disturbs me how surprised models are when they see how neat and clean my kit is.  Thant means that they've worked with many MUAs that weren't clean.

I get comments from models all the time that my kit is “the most clean & organized” of any MUA they have ever worked with.  I just cringe inside because it should be standard, and tell the model the same thing.  One model did say once that she was surprised at how “new” all of my makeup was.  I was stumped and said “Why?” with a bewildered look on my face.  She said that she worked with a MUA that was using makeup she swore was from the 80’s!  She further told me that the MUA proudly said to her that they had gotten the entire kit from an ESTATE SALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!   The model also mentioned that the next day she had the worst stye ever.

Vanessa Melgar MUA wrote:
Okay so this is a dumb question I know...How do you all use mascaras without double dipping?  Do you just swap out the spoolie every time you dip?

Pardon my lame question!!

Well, lol, I do have to point out that YOU called it lame.  To answer your question, you either use disposable mascara wands (spoolies) or scrape the mascara off the wand with a clean, sanitized metal spatula, place on a clean, sanitized palette and use a mascara fan brush to apply.  Your choice.

liz yu wrote:
I look for cheap lashes on www.ebay.com and www.taobao.com.  Sometimes i team up with a bunch of makeup artists and contact a b2b company on www.ec21.com that manufactures lashes and order their minimum quantity, usually few hundred pairs.  so if there are other artists and models interested in putting their money together for some cheap lashes that's a really good way to do it.  it takes everyone a while to get low on their stock and when it's time to reorder we contact people that are interested again.  it's a lash discount network hehe..  *^_^*

Thanks for the idea Liz!  I go through lashes like crazy because the model keeps the lashes I put on them.  Although, if the client wants speciality lashes then I bill them extra for them.  For tests shoots I try to tell models that if they have their own lashes they can bring them, but I tend not to use them because most of the time they are gross.  In which case, the model pays for the lashes.

Now for my own horror stories – I used to work in a high-end department store at a cosmetic counter.  One of my co-workers insisted that the reason why she doesn’t wash/clean her counter makeup brushes is because they don’t “work” good when they are clean!!!  Eeeeekkkk!  I even overheard her go so far as to tell a customer that the COSMETIC line didn’t recommend cleaning the brushes because it would “ruin” them!!  (The creator of this line has a book out called Makeup Your Mind),

Same store – never had pink eye until I worked there.  And got it twice.  I can honestly say that at the counter I worked at we both thoroughly washed our brushes every single night.   

I have to agree with the MUA that said people are just dirty in general.  It’s almost impossible to police a makeup counter from germs due to most counters are not staffed 24/7.  You don’t know what happens when you’re not there.  BUT everyday I worked I sanitized & cleaned a section or two of testers at our counter, plus others as needed.  The sections got cleaned in the same order all the time to make sure everything was getting cleaned on a regular basis. 

I keep my lipstick tubes clean and out of the reach of grabby hands by sticking them all into a refillable palette.  I sanitize the metal pans, spatula off the lipstick, use my heat gun to melt it into the pan and then let it cool off.  The lipstick doesn’t get ruined as long as you don’t boil it with the heat gun.

Karla Ticas Photography wrote:
Althought it sounds like an interesting/tempting idea, telling a model to bring her own brushes to a shoot is a little over the top. It's a make-up artist's job to bring all the supplies needed to apply make-up. A model has enough to worry about and I personally wouldn't trust her with cleaning brushes as she/he should be.

If we start asking that, then why not bring your own scissors and brushes to your stylist? Or nail clippers, polish and files to your weekly manicures?

No matter what company you work for, they each have their own standards of hygene or how something should be cleaned or applied. But you as a make-up artist should have your own do or don't when you're on the job. Horror stories do happen, and it's disgusting, but education customers and other make-up artists is the best way to go.

UM... I bring my own manicure/pedicure utensils to the nail bitches... They pass out fungi  daily like it were christmas!

rachelrose wrote:

I toss them after every person, too. I spend a lot of money on lashes. But the main reason is because i am always chopping them up to fit somebody or chopping them into a different shape and rearranging them. So for me, it doesnt make a lot of sense to keep them around. They can be cleaned, sanitized and reused though. Just get the glue off and soak them in 99%, wipe em off and they are clean again. It's not the way that I roll, but it can be done. I don't think it is fair to call them unsanitry or unclean, if the lashes have been cleaned and properly sanitized.  I mean some people save mascara wands after their mascara is all used up (not disposables, but the ones that come with the mascara) and treat them like make-up brushes, dip them in the mascara once apply it to the model and they clean it the same as they would their make-up brushes. I prefer to just stick with my disposables, but thats a personal preference.

maybe that's what Carmindy does...hopefully.  I've noticed that she does use from the tube, but I don't know if she double dips??? Never seen her do that.

Jessica Elliot wrote:
When I was working at London Drugs in Richmond for a while, I saw some seriously scary stuff! O_O

One time, I was cleaning up the counter when this oriental lady came in. She headed straight for the Revlon makeup. There's the Revlon Sugar Sugar lip powder innocently sitting there, and this lady comes up and starts EATING it like it was a DipStix candy pack! O_< EW! I obviously threw out the tester. I mean, I know it tastes like sugar, but ew!

Now, our London Drugs had a drug rehab program. This lady came into the store, shot up in the bathroom, then proceeded to stumble towards the cosmetics counter. She opened a brand new Lancome skin cream tester, shoved her hand in, took out a big glob, and smeared it down her face while going "aaaaaaaaaaaahhh"!

Next, this other lady came in and started trying all of the testers directly on her face. Now, I mean ON HER FACE! She was putting lipstick and everything all over her face! O_o We were very lucky that a Richmond Centre Mall security officer recognized her and notified us that she has herpes and other STDs! We had to throw out ALL of our testers, because we weren't sure which ones she had used!

I have many more stories. LOL!

good to know I wont be shopping in your store heheh kidding, I think people dont realize that just becasue its a tester, it shouldnt be "tested" where you would actually apply it... I can barely bring my self to touch tester let along actually test them. and I always grab things from the back of the "line up" of products and make sure if there is a safty seal that it is still intact before i purchase anything...

Madelynn Austin wrote:
My aunt works for the What Not To Wear show, and I asked her about Carmindy's stuff. She said that every participent gets the products Carmindy used on them, meaning the double dipping is fine; the tube of mascara is theirs in the end. Same goes for the hair products used by Nick.

Sorry to bring up an older thread, but I wanted to ease some of your minds.

Ok I'm happy to know now that she give them the mascara and the rest of the products! Thanx for the info!

Madelynn Austin wrote:
My aunt works for the What Not To Wear show, and I asked her about Carmindy's stuff. She said that every participent gets the products Carmindy used on them, meaning the double dipping is fine; the tube of mascara is theirs in the end. Same goes for the hair products used by Nick.

Sorry to bring up an older thread, but I wanted to ease some of your minds.

well thats good to hear she sould mention that or they should show them handing over all of the goodies to the client. this would make me feel better ....

Angelah_ wrote:

GROSS!  The only time I reuse fake lashes is when they are on myself.  Hell, I've used one pair over 15 times already, hahah.  But to switch them from girl to girl is so disgusting.

You can always microwave lashes to get the germs out and use 99% alcohol, if you absolutely have to re-use, (thats what they taught us in school.)

i've seen Jay Manuel (from america's next top model.) blow on his brushes.

i cringe when makeup artist blow on their brushes. ughhh.

Miss Anabelle wrote:

Ok I'm happy to know now that she give them the mascara and the rest of the products! Thanx for the info!

Yep I've had to do that before.  When I am out of mascara wands, for some ridiculous reason it's the only thing I can't ever remember to refill.  And I end up having to buy a few tubes of mascara and using it straight form the tube.  But I give them to the models at the end of the day to keep.

They never mind because I make sure that they see me open the box right ini front of them.  And I mark it with their initial to remember what tube belongs to who.  They always seem to appreciate that.  And a free tube of mascara never hurts.

GlossBot wrote:

i don't have a link but I get my disposable lip brushes and mascara wands both at Sally Beauty.

Here is link to Disposable Makeup Suplies: http://www.kosmetech.com/

Patron Saint Of Makeup wrote:
i've seen Jay Manuel (from america's next top model.) blow on his brushes.

i cringe when makeup artist blow on their brushes. ughhh.

Femme Artistry wrote:
Now for my own horror stories – I used to work in a high-end department store at a cosmetic counter.  One of my co-workers insisted that the reason why she doesn’t wash/clean her counter makeup brushes is because they don’t “work” good when they are clean!!!  Eeeeekkkk!  I even overheard her go so far as to tell a customer that the COSMETIC line didn’t recommend cleaning the brushes because it would “ruin” them!!  (The creator of this line has a book out called Makeup Your Mind),

Same store – never had pink eye until I worked there.  And got it twice.  I can honestly say that at the counter I worked at we both thoroughly washed our brushes every single night.   

I have to agree with the MUA that said people are just dirty in general.  It’s almost impossible to police a makeup counter from germs due to most counters are not staffed 24/7.  You don’t know what happens when you’re not there.  BUT everyday I worked I sanitized & cleaned a section or two of testers at our counter, plus others as needed.  The sections got cleaned in the same order all the time to make sure everything was getting cleaned on a regular basis. 

I keep my lipstick tubes clean and out of the reach of grabby hands by sticking them all into a refillable palette.  I sanitize the metal pans, spatula off the lipstick, use my heat gun to melt it into the pan and then let it cool off.  The lipstick doesn’t get ruined as long as you don’t boil it with the heat gun.

Mary wrote:
using mascara wands right from the tube is very common and its disgusting and as a model it would be a get up and walk out time for me.  Sorry, the money isnt worth risking your health.

apparently, it's very common. i have lost count of the times models have commented on my using disposables and told stories of unhygenic make-up artists. really quite worrying.

Josie Nutter wrote:
I once had a newbie makeup artist SUCK ON her brushes before applying them to my face.  AND *LICKED* her fingers before attemping to blend with them.

I was so grossed out.

If I shoot with that photographer again, I will let him know that he needs to give her some pointers if she's still doing that sort of thing.

The makeup itself was fine, but I sort of hope I never have to work with her again.

I would like to know where that MUA went to school and who taught her that! LOL

Vera Zay wrote:
Well I have to admit that I am OCD, when it comes to hygene!  I have a Horror story....
Several years ago I was called upon to work for one of the popular Makeup Schools (shall be nameless), to take over an existing class. The instructor had to leave on an emergency, so the students were 1/2 way through their class.  Now as I scoped out each students "Kit", every student had a (and I mean A or 1)  "Puff". And everyones Puffs were the grossest thing I'd ever seen! They were every color of makeup, pencils, foundation, shadows, plus sticky, and worst...crunchy!  Ewwww!!!  Now the worst of it was that when I had asked about why they all had crunchy , funky puffs, they proudly exclaimed that "it shows that you're a busy MUA" !!!  OMG! I was apauled! Now due to having to be ethical, about not dogging another teacher...I just told the class; today we are learning about "Hygene" , and went to the storage room, got new puffs, and taught them how to fill them with powder, then wrap them in several tissues. Also teaching them that you Never use the same puff on anyone else,same goes for sponges, spoolies, etc. and the rules of "Disposable"!!!!  I to this day see on sets, wether it be Film, TV, Fashion,  MUA's, who blow on their brushes, faces etc. Or drop their tools  on the floor and picking it up and reusing them without disenfecting, or throwing them out!  EEewwwww!!!
Here's to all of us OCD Hygenic MUA'S!!!!!

Oh no, that is just gross!
This is where all the dirty little buggers are comin from.....schools like that one.

Roshar wrote:
One time a model was being so rude to me- so I spit on her face and said "Dont worry, thats how you set the makeup"

just kidding.

Although one time I was talking and accidntly spit my mint onto the models hair. That was embarssing.

Be glad you weren't doing mascara because the models mouth would have been open and well....

Doing make up for years I've seen some gross stuff (not washing hands after going to the bathroom comes to mind as inexcusable).

Like with everything else don't judge the book by the cover.

Some of the most talented people I've worked with had terrible hygiene (some were super clean also).

While it's important to be clean ultimately a model comes in contact with more germs eating breakfast and getting to the shoot then working with the dirtiest MUA (I agree around the eye area it's very important to be clean).

Be professional don't double dip mascara, clean your hands, etc, but when it comes down to it, some products work better when applied with your fingers.

Just make sure they're clean when you use them.

For the record I cut the wands off my mascara and gloss testers so that no one can pick them up and use them when I'm not looking.

All the best,

Frank

Angelah_ wrote:

GROSS!  The only time I reuse fake lashes is when they are on myself.  Hell, I've used one pair over 15 times already, hahah.  But to switch them from girl to girl is so disgusting.

if you do use false eyelashes again , clean then in isopropyl alcohol , it gets glue off and should sanitise it

MLP MAKE-UP wrote:

if you do use false eyelashes again , clean then in isopropyl alcohol , it gets glue off and should sanitise it

Thats doesnt work they go all clumpy and frazzled looking, its much easier and cleaner to just let the model have them imho.