What do you do with makeup brushes you no longer use? Share!
I give them to friends/family. Some of the really low quality brushes I’ve come across I’ve used to clean and dust keyboards!
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I keep all of them, as long as they’re holding up! Just because I’m not too fond of a brush ATM, it may work wonders down the road with a new product. All brands are constantly changing existing formulas, or creating new ones.
I use them for face charts haha. I’m a low-key hoarder and can’t bear to throw brushes away.
They go to my 14-year-old little sister who’s starting to join me in the makeup frenzy. I’ve just got a 10 year head start on her, so she gets a lot of handouts from me.
Christine, hows your TF collection? I will be your friend 😀
I have like 3 of those, all from maybelline or lancome kits, they’re tiny and shed so much and aren’t very soft so I only use them when other brushes are dirty.
I repurpose them as art brushes. Some of the worst make-up brushes can still make pretty interesting textures with watercolor.
If they’re actually good make-up brushes, though, I’d try to pass them on to people before wrecking them with paint.
Now I’m really curious to know the dust busting ones. 🙂
A lot of those travel ones!
I don’t use my index finger as much as I used to for applying makeup, having transitioned to more of a ring/middle/pinky combo, but I haven’t cut off any of my extremities yet. I’ve repurposed the index for looking up stuff in books, and the thumb for showing that I don’t want that gladiator to be executed after all.
I have a spare set on the other hand anyway 😉
Keep them as backup, usually, or donate them to a friend or family member in need 😉
They just sit in the jar, not the glass where I have the ones I use, I don’t have all that many. Some of the oldes ones aren’t very good at all, so perhaps I’ll take after you, Christine and use them for cleaning.
That’s why I do! I give them away, or if they’re really poor quality, I use them to wipe keyboards and do detail cleaning for my cars. They’re great at getting into those little nooks. LOL!
I use them to transfer my tarantulas… 😛
It depends on why I no longer use them. If they are in good shape, but I just don’t like them (they aren’t a good fit for my features, they don’t work as well as other brushes I have, etc.), then I pass them on. If they’re no longer in good condition, I toss them.
I’ve been using some meh brushes I’ve outgrown with my Urban Decay Electric Palette to avoid staining the good stuff.
I mostly just keep them as backups, but some I have put with my art stuff to use painting doll faces. Chalk pastels work much like powder cosmetics, and resin doll heads don’t care if a brush is scratchy!
Anything in good shape, I keep. You never know what will come in handy for a new product or technique. If something is just in horrible shape, I toss it. Anything else, I hang on to for various arts/crafts/cleaning projects.
I use them to dust keyboards, hair dryers, small crevices and some antique miniatures. And a few I’ve given away.
I disinfect them and give them to my sister. She’s still learning all about makeup, so it’s better for her to practice on cheaper brushes.
I use my rejects as dusters….for keyboards (even piano) and also to dust picture frames. I have some very large ornate ones hanging on walls and little brushes do a great job of dusting them. I have even used a reject brush for dusting the dashboard of my car.
I usually give it away to friends or family that are in need of brushes.
Look for a way to work them into my routine. If not, donate them (preferably to a women’s shelter, if possible) or give/trade them to a friend.
I give them away to family and friends. Although using the small ones to clean keyboards is pretty genius!