It’s not always safe to share

SHARING might be caring, but there are some things you should think twice about when letting your friends borrow your make-up. Our sister publication No.1 magazine lifts the lid on the beauty items that you might want to keep to yourself...

Don’t get lippy

First up, lipsticks. At some time or another, most women have found themselves in a powder room beside a friend who has misplaced their lipstick. Without thinking, you’ve offered your own, unknowingly putting yourself at risk of all kind of nasties. If either one of you has chapped lips or broken skin you are putting yourself at risk of the herpes simplex virus, which in turn causes cold sores. It’s worth pointing out that you can still contract the virus even if the person doesn’t have any visible cold sores.

A brush with germs

At beauty counters you’ve probably noticed the consultant will use a disposable applicator when applying mascara to customers. That’s because mascara brushes are a hotbed of germs. Conjunctivitis is highly contagious and a mascara wand is a sure-fire way to pass it between people.

Blusher blues

Borrowing a friend’s blusher or bronzing brush might not flash up a warning sign, but more often than not make-up brushes carry a high number of germs. And using someone else’s brush leaves you exposed to bacteria and skin issues. Regularly cleaning your make-up brushes is a must – try to get in the habit of giving them a quick wash with shampoo at least once a month.

Keep your cream

Anything you dip your fingers in to, such as face creams or cream eyeshadows, should never be shared around as bacteria can thrive. A study by the University of Colorado revealed there are more than 300,000 types of bacteria on any one hand.

The good news ...

So what is safe? You can still share anything that is dispensed via a pump or which comes as powder.