Back-to-school season is here! 🎒💄 Whether you're getting ready before class, touching up your makeup between periods, or getting glam with friends, there's one beauty rule that should always come first: keep your makeup and personal beauty tools personal.

Sharing makeup may seem harmless, but products and tools that come in contact with our eyes, skin, lips, and nails can also pick up bacteria, fungi, oils, and other contaminants. Here are three areas to be especially careful with.

👁️ 1. Protect Your Eyes

Mascara, eyeliner, false-lash tools, and other products used around the eyes should never be shared. Avoid putting potentially contaminated products near your eyes, and keep applicators and tools clean.

✨ 2. Protect Your Skin

Brushes, beauty sponges, powder puffs, and products that repeatedly touch the face can collect oil, dead skin, product buildup, and microorganisms. Don't share used applicators with friends, and regularly clean reusable brushes and tools according to their care instructions.

💅 3. Protect Your Nails

Nail tools deserve attention, too! Clippers, cuticle tools, files, and other reusable implements should be kept clean and should not be casually passed from person to person. If a tool can't be properly cleaned or disinfected between people, keep it for personal use or use a disposable alternative.

💜 3 Healthy Beauty Habits for School

1. Pack your products carefully.
Keep makeup closed tightly and transport brushes and tools in a clean pouch or container instead of allowing them to roll around loose in a backpack.

2. Clean your tools regularly.
Wash reusable makeup brushes and sponges appropriately and allow them to dry completely before putting them back into a closed container. For tools that can safely be disinfected, follow the manufacturer's instructions for the tool and disinfectant you're using.

3. Be comfortable saying, “I don't share my makeup.”
Your friend can absolutely admire your lipstick without using the same applicator! If you want to share a product that can be dispensed without contamination, place some onto a clean disposable applicator or clean palette without double-dipping.

💄 Beauty Is More Fun When It's Safe

Good sanitation isn't just something professional makeup artists think about. Learning healthy beauty habits early helps protect you, your products, and the people around you.

So pack your makeup bag, create your favorite back-to-school look, and remember one simple Becky D. Beauty rule:

Your friendship can be shared. Your mascara shouldn't be. 😉💄

— Becky D. Beauty