Fixin' Leaks and Leeks

I’ve violated tissues with my face for so many years now, I believe they’ve formed a secret support group with snacks and everything. I’ve been shoving them into powder foundation compacts when the applicator that’s sold with the makeup becomes inoperable after one use. Then, I’ve forcefully rubbed those make-up laden tissues onto my forehead, cheeks, and chin, creating a kind of fake-it-till-you-make-it coverage. Once they’ve given me all they could possibly give, I’ve senselessly tossed them into the trash.

But then, one day, they got their revenge. The sturdy powder foundation I loved to use was discontinued, so I was forced to buy a different brand with a much more delicate make up. The tissues tore right through that foundation, spreading particles of dust everywhere. Eventually, the whole thing fell apart. It got to the point where I could have just wiped my face across the countertop and called it a day.

So here’s what no one has ever told me, but that my bestie, Google search, did: I could have been using a brush all these years. A makeup brush. So I do now. And it has changed my life.

No longer do I find makeup particles all over the floor, countertop, and cosmetic bag. I also truly believe that the coverage is smoother, more natural, less “hey, did your face get hit by a drive-by swiping.”

Years ago, I bought myself a set of makeup brushes. For what reason, I don’t know, since I was still using tissues (and occasionally toilet paper and/or sponges, which didn’t work, either). But it has felt so good to rediscover them and find them in good working order.

Other uses for a makeup brush:

• Sweeping up those last bits of powdery makeup off the floor, which have been ruthlessly ripped apart by tissues and toilet paper
• Terrorizing tiny spiders (sweep it back and forth menacingly as they crawl across the tile)
• Dusting/polishing your mini Creature from the Black Lagoon action figure desk collection
• Ruffling the leafy fringes of plastic plants, just to give them a little more of a carefree look
• Freezing the makeup brush and then shocking your face with it first thing in the morning

Your Turn: What’s an everyday item you use that has changed your life?