Last Updated on October 8, 2022
After spending two years as one of the elusive “Covid Dodgers,” it finally happened; I caught the ‘Rona.
As a first-timer, I had much to learn from Covid veterans. So as I lay in bed sniffling, I asked friends for advice on managing my symptoms and, more importantly, what shows to binge as I convalesced.
But for me, ever the beauty guru, no one had any advice on what to do with my makeup once I finally tested negative. The day I tested positive, I felt fine in the morning and did a full face of makeup. Little did I know I was already Covid positive and wouldn’t realize it until the symptoms hit me like a ton of bricks later in the evening. That meant that every product I used that day was contaminated.
So, what to do with all your makeup once this happens to you? No, you don’t have to throw *all* of your makeup away. Some of it can be saved with proper sanitation, but how do you know what’s safe to keep and what’s not?
Here’s a comprehensive guide to ensuring your makeup is safe to use once you recover from Covid-19.
What to Throw Away
Unfortunately, you can’t save all your products, so it’s best to make peace with it and let them go. Yes, it’s hard to say goodbye to those favorite products, but it’s not worth reinfecting yourself to keep a foundation you would have had to replace in a few months anyway.
That means mascara, lipgloss, liquid lipstick, and any face product with a doe-foot applicator or brush that requires you to dip back into the product repeatedly has to go. Because once you applied it and put the wand back into the container, all your product was contaminated. Yes, it’s upsetting, and I cried bitter tears as I tossed a new bottle of Makeup Revolution Conceal and Define Foundation AND the matching concealer, but the product was now a Petrie dish for all the germs I had on my face when I was my most contagious.
What to Sanitize
Once you’re done crying over the makeup you had to throw away, it’s time to sanitize anything worth saving. With just a little patience and effort, you can keep everything from eyeshadow palettes, blush, highlighter, lip liner, eye pencils, and any foundation in a squeezable tube. The same goes for beauty tools such as makeup brushes, tweezers, and sharpeners. Here’s what you need to do it.
Rubbing alcohol (at least 70%, but preferably 90%)
A small spray bottle
Cotton pads
Cotton swabs
A makeup pencil sharpener
A small bowl
A few drops of clarifying shampoo
Start with your beauty tools, as some will need time to dry before you can use them again. First, use cotton pads dipped in rubbing alcohol to thoroughly wipe down tweezers, sharpeners, and the handles of your makeup brushes. Then set them down on a clean towel to dry. Now, prepare to wash the bristles of your makeup brushes by filling your small bowl with warm water and adding a few drops of clarifying shampoo. Next, run each brush (the bristles only) under warm tap water, then swirl it around in the bowl to remove any residual makeup that has built up on the brush. Once the brushes are clean, spray the bristles with the most delicate mist of alcohol you can get, then place them on a clean towel to dry.
Next, work on your eyeliners and lipliners. Dab some rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad and run it over the outside of each pencil. Then, sharpen each one with a clean makeup pencil sharpener, and spray the tip with the tiniest amount of alcohol. In this case, just a spritz will do ‘ya.
Eyeshadow Palettes are surprisingly easy to sanitize. Just wipe the outside down with an alcohol-soaked cotton pad. Then, open the palette and *lightly* spritz each shadow with a bit of your rubbing alcohol. Be extra careful with this step, as spraying too much alcohol can ruin your shadows. Spray just enough to cover the top layer of powder, then let your palette dry for a few minutes, and you’re ready to go.
To sanitize your powder blush and highlighter palettes, follow the same steps we outlined above for eyeshadow. For cream blush and highlighters, run a small, clean makeup sponge over the surface of the product to remove any bits of dust, glitter, and other particles. Then, follow the steps above for eyeshadow palettes.
There are two ways to sanitize your lipsticks. Before you start, use a small, sharp knife to scrape off the top layer of your lipstick. This step will take off any particles that have stuck to your product. Then, you can try one of two sanitizing methods:
The first is to wind up your lipstick until all of the product is exposed, then fully submerge the lipstick (not the tube) in a cup of rubbing alcohol for 30 seconds. Then, let the lipstick dry before application.
The second method is to freeze your tube of lipstick overnight, as the extreme cold should kill any lingering germs.
In the interest of full disclosure, I did both because Covid sucks, and I never want to catch it again. Seriously. So I did the entire first method, then popped the freshly sanitized lipstick in the freezer to ensure it was extra clean. Of course, I’m extra in everything, so why not in cleanliness too?
Remember to Clean Your Makeup Bags
While you’re at it, take this opportunity to wash all your makeup bags as well. If they’re made of fabric, toss them into the washing machine on the gentle cycle and air dry. If they’re plastic (or heavily bedazzled if you’re anything like me), run a disinfectant wipe over the outside and inside to make sure no germs are hiding out to re-contaminate the makeup you just worked so hard to sanitize.
And there you have it! Good luck, and here’s to staying glam and Covid-free.