Brush Hardening

[color_lover456]

Do any of you use a sealant for your eyeliner? I use MUFE's eye sealant, and while it works like a charm because it literally "freezes" everything it touches, the only way I have of applying it is to use my 208, which will then harden to a rock-like consistency. It won't loosen up again unless i swirl it around for five minutes in eye makeup remover, and I just don't have the time to do this.

Is it good for the brush if i keep using it this way? How do you guys apply your sealants? I also have a bottle of mixing medium, will that harden my brush as well?

thanks in advance

 

[redambition]

it depends on what exactly is in the sealant, and what kind of brush you are using.

natural bristles are like hair - they are porous and can absorb product. if you're leaving it to dry out all the time the quality of the brush may start to degrade as it absorbs the product regularly. this could take ages though.

a synthetic brush would probably be a better choice for the sealant. synthetic brushes are usually used with liquid products as they don't tend to absorb as much product. the flip side is that some liquid products can leave something akin to a coating on the bristles that is hard to remove - i've seen that happen with a foundation brush i have. one of my concealers has left a coating on it and i haven't been able to get it all off in the wash.

the 208 is a synthetic/natural bristle brush - it has a bit of both types.

as a rule i always immediately clean any brush that has been used with a product that dries to a hard consistency - just to avoid damaging the bristles with the harsher cleaning required once it has dried out. if you clean it immediately it's usually a lot easier to get the product out.