In the Kit - Hygiene and Disposables

Cleanliness is next to godliness. In make-up hygiene is sacred and it's the most important thing for me whether I'm working on my own or in a team. It's very hard to marry hating plastic and wanting to keep everything as hygienic as possible in your kit as the best way to work is using disposables and the majority of disposables are made from plastic. There used to be somewhere, The Pro Makeup Shop, where you could get ethical disposables for your kit. It has sadly disappeared and I can't seem to track any down. This is terrible. You can get them from US site Qosmedix who do bamboo disposables.

Although it is hugely important to keep everything in your kit clean and ensure your clients are at no risk it's incredibly easy to do. We all know about cleaning brushes but you need to make sure everything else you carry with you is clean too. Dettol wipes are really useful to have on hand - so good to be able to have a wipe around before you set up. Below are some of the things I always have with me.

In case you are wondering, it's not just because having a dirty kit looks gross but you risk contaminating and cross-contaminating people with a myriad of things including and not limited to; impetigo, cold-sores/herpes simplex and conjunctivitis. Google pictures of Impetigo and see if you want to be responsible for giving that to someone.

• Beauty So Clean Cosmetic Sanitiser Spray - possibly the original, certainly for me, and really always reliable I use this after each client. It's become second nature for me to spritz this over all my palettes, pots and powders. It dries quickly and gives me piece of mind that everything is clean for the next person. Not to be used on loose powder or liquid. 
• Beauty So Clean Sanitiser Wipes - great for lipsticks and pencils, though with pencils it's best to sharpen them and lipsticks you should use disposables but if you can't then these are the next best things. 
• Disposable Lip Gloss brushes - great if you are doing glitter lips, essential if you are using a lip gloss and you don't want to decant onto the back of your hand. Don't double dip. 
• Disposable mascara wands - available from lots of places, I love PAM as they do different sizes (these mini detail ones are great if you need a smaller brush). Don't double dip that defeats the point. 
• Hand Sanitiser - an absolute essential. This is in no way a replacement for washing your hands properly but a lot of the time that's not an option and a hand sanitiser in your brush belt. Of course you can get them in loads of places now but if you are using one lots it's nice to get a good one. Jao Hand Refresher is not only antibacterial but gives you an aromatherapy boost with antiseptic essential oils. 
• Louise Young Mini Powder Puffs - these are not disposable but they wash really well and unlike beauty blenders (which I love) or other sponges these wash hygienically and well and as they are best used with powders they are not absorbing liquid. I love this for using on my little or ring finger if I want to rest my hand on someone's face - softer for them and more hygienic. You get 10 in a pot so you have enough to do more than one face without having to worry about washing and I've washed these in my washing machine at 30 with delicate non-bio and dettol laundry liquid and they come out beaut. 
• The Pro Hygiene Collection Antibacterial Makeup Spray - pretty much exactly the same as beauty so clean. Another great, fast drying spray that you can use on paltettes, pencils and even eyelash curlers.