MUA Hygiene & Sanitation
This is a topic that I feel extremely strongly about working as a Professional make-up artist and I want to arm EVERYBODY with my knowledge and tips within this blog post, whether you are a working make-up artist, make-up artist in training, self-taught MUA, a make-up enthusiast or a person who is planning on hiring a MUA for a special occasion or event such as a wedding.
I want this knowledge to be spread far and wide, as I have been witness on one too many occasions now, where poor hygiene and sanitation has occurred. Not only this, the college course in which I undertook I felt some-what lacked this important information. Sure, we touched on cleanliness of hands & brushes etc, but proper sanitation of tools and products was barely mentioned. Therefore, I took it upon myself to thoroughly research MUA hygiene. After all, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that using the same mascara wand on numerous people could lead to cross-infection such as CONJUNCTIVITIS. Very glam…
My work is predominantly bridal based, so I am often booked to take care of the make-up for numerous members of the bridal party, sometimes for as many as 9 people. Now that’s a LOT of brushes and tools to get through when you think: one foundation brush, one powder brush, one lip brush, numerous eye brushes (around 3-4), countless cotton buds, pads and sponges. Obviously, working on this many people single-handedly is a task in itself, but keeping up with hygiene and sanitation should never mean that you can cut-corners because it’s ‘quicker’ or ‘easier’ to do so.
Just one instance I will mention whilst recently working on a large bridal party, where the client had booked a separate MUA to take care of the bridesmaids whilst I focused on the bride…I couldn’t help but notice the sheer lack of sanitation on their part, whilst I glanced in horror as they BLEW excess powder from a brush and persistently used THE SAME mascara wand on numerous bridesmaids. This was all in the space of a few minutes so I dread to think what other nasties occurred, and just how many millions of potentially harmful bacteria lives amongst their kit...
A client (e.g a bride) whom books a professional make-up service will expect that you, as a make-up artist, will carry out your services to the highest standard, from arriving in time on a date and location as previously agreed, to a safe and hygienic make-up application. Now whilst I do get that some people may not even think about whom or where the MUA’s brushes have last been used, or what make-up products have been used on whom, I don’t get how anybody who provides such an intimate service would think it is acceptable to use dirty and unsanitary tools. Would you expect a surgeon to use un-sanitised tools during an operation? No, most certainly not. It’s the same difference-it just should not happen when working in such close proximity to some body’s face.
The nature of this post is aimed at both make-up artists and those looking to hire one, so PLEASE, take note of these tips for future reference, and together let’s stop this horrendous and unprofessional practice.
Let us be armed with the knowledge of hygiene, cleanliness and sanitation within the beauty industry…
1. Cleansed and sanitised hands
It’s a bit of common sense to start off with. Make-up artists could not work without their hands, from applying moisturisers and creams to a client’s bare face, to holding and handling products and tools. As we all know, germs can spread extremely easily so to prevent this, always ensure that your hands are thoroughly clean. Sanitise in front of your clients to instill peace-of-mind.
2. No ‘Double-dipping’
This is a term that is used for when a brush or tool is inserted into a product (such as a cream foundation, gel eyeliner, lipstick etc) and then re-dipped, having been applied to part of a client’s face. This, of course, can cause cross contamination of the product and potentially cross-infection to your client. Just because germs cannot be seen does not mean that they are not there! Just imagine if a client had a cold sore (which is a strain of the herpes virus…which is extremely contagious) and you’ve applied lipstick to them from a brush, and then with that same brush, dipped it back into the product. Hey presto- harmful germ central. If this occurs, chuck the product immediately. I’d probably be inclined to chuck the brush too-you can never be too careful working in this industry. To be honest, I would be very dubious about doing a client’s makeup at all if this was the case, since any contagious diseases should be avoided. Always sharpen eyeliners & lip liners between each client. Your kit, personal health and your reputation is worth much more than an angry client- and they should understand this too.
To prevent dipping back into a product, invest in a palette knife and palette to decant small amounts of product and re-dip that way if necessary. Simply wipe clean and spray between each client.