Makeup Maintenance

I stayed up hecka late last night. Inhumanly awake. I didn't fall asleep until after six-thirty when my mom was already out of bed and the sun was coming up. So of course, I slept in really late too, until about three-thirty, I think. So, naturally, I did basically nothing all day. So, today's topic: Makeup Maintenance.

Please note that this is not about makeup application or brands. Maybe I'll do something like that later, but this isn't it.

Makeup & Conventions
I prefer to have two sets of makeup and brushes: my everyday, high quality makeup and brushes, and my convention, lower quality makeup and brushes. I usually use the high-quality makeup and brushes before leaving for the convention, and then pack the cheap stuff to take with me. (When I stay overnight for Fanime, I plan to take my good makeup and brushes and leave them in the hotel room.)
I have one high-quality brush that I take with me to conventions though. It it an eyeshadow brush specifically made for travel (retractable). It actually does make a difference what type of brush you use, as a higher-quality brush will give you smoother lines.
I keep all of my brushes and makeup together in my convention bag, in a small pouch that is easy to take out so that you don't have to take the whole backpack into the bathroom for touch-ups. I also bring a small, compact mirror.

Cleaning Brushes
I clean my brushes after each use (as opposed to before each use). The reason being that my brushes take at least twelve hours to fully dry. I don't clean my brushes if I use them for a costume's makeup and I know for sure that I will be using them for that costume's makeup the next time I use them. (Example: I use them for Mello's makeup and know that the next time I will use those particular brushes will be for Mello's makeup again.)
To check if a brush really need to be cleaned, rub it on the back of your hand, as if applying makeup, and see if anything comes off. If it does, you definitely need to clean it. If not, you could probably get away with not cleaning it.
So here's step-by-step on how I clean my brushes:
• Hold the brush in your dominant hand (I am right-handed), place the bristles on your non-dominant hand (in my case, left) and run it under warm water.
• Put a small amount of soap in the palm of your [left] hand, preferably something non-scented and with minimal chemicals, baby shampoo / soap is good.
• Move the brush in either a circular or back-and-forth motion in the soap until the soap changed into the color of the makeup that was in the brush.
• Rinse and repeat until the soap either doesn't change color or it's a really light color.
• Run the brush under the water and move it in the same motion as when washing it with soap. Continue until the water runs clear.
• Use your hands to wring out the brush and set it down so that a majority of the bristles are not twisted or curved. The brush should retain its full form once dried, even the cheap ones.

Storing Your Makeup
I have two makeup boxes, and I still don't feel like it's enough. I sort my makeup by brushes, eyeshadow & liquid eyeliner, face makeup (cover-up & glitter), lip makeup (lipstick & gloss), "crayon" eyeliners, mascaras, and extra makeup "parts" (sponge pads, eyelash curler cushions, etc.). I also have a separate box for makeup & brushes I use every day, and another box specifically for theatrical makeup (body / face paint, liquid latex, Spirit Gum, etc.).

I may come back and update this post on occasion. If you're interested, bookmark the page. =]