Snow days simply aren’t what they used to be.
No snow-crusted mittens tumbling in the dryer, no guilt-inducing make-a-craft-with-me-mommy pleas, no obnoxious bells heralding a next-level video game victory, no one calling the house to plan a sledding rendez-vous.
Nope, snow days, empty-nester style, are profoundly quiet and still. And I love ’em.
Today is one of those blissful days and guess what I did first thing? (OK, second thing; caffeine and big-girl breakfast ALWAYS come first.) I showed my makeup brushes a little love.
Turns out if you neglect your brushes – and boy, have I ignored mine! – they’ll take it personally. First, they’ll visit upon you every manner of disfigurement – acne, pink eye, scabies. (Kiddin’ about that last one, but you get the idea). Then, over time, they’ll get all uppity and stop working for you altogether – they’ll lose their shape and texture and, in cases of extreme abandonment, start losing their hair. Nasty stuff. Thankfully, no scabies to report here, but chronic bloodshot eyes and the recent purchase of a long-lasting eyeliner in a pot (Bobbi Brown’s – love it!) got me thinking about freshening up my liner brush, and this morning, well, one brush led to another …

Sucker that I am, I fell for a $15 bottle of MAC brush cleaner when everyone knows (everyone but me, apparently) that your grubby bristles will perk up just as readily with dishwashing liquid, bar soap, shampoo or even olive oil.
I won’t bore you with a video showing how I cleaned mine. Just don’t wet the brush barrel (lest your bristles loosen) and be sure to rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water. Feel free to lather (gently), rinse and repeat on extra-grimy foundation or concealer brushes. Then lay flat to dry.
The Bobbie Brown Makeup Manual recommends washing once a week but I think once a month may be a tad more realistic. My little burst of early-morning productivity (others might call it work procrastination but they would be SO wrong) wasn’t planned. Nor was it in character: compulsively tidy I am not!
Still, I have to say, I’m feeling pretty pleased. Today’s whiteout wasn’t a complete washout after all. Scratch that – it WAS a complete washout, but only for my grateful little brushes.