How To: Stop Your MAC Numbers From Wearing Off

MAC brushes are notorious for having numbers that just wear away with the slightest of use. I'm sure there are other ways but this is what I do to stop it, and I haven't lost a number yet ;)

To do this you'll want to have;

the brush(es);

a roll of sellotape; and

a clear nail polish or top coat.

First, cover the area you are working on with kitchen roll or newspaper. This is not necessary but brushes are round and if they feel so inclined, they will roll all over the place :)

Next cut off a strip of tape and stick it onto your top or trousers. Pull it off and stick it back on again. Doing this a couple of times will pick up lint from your clothes on the strip, taking some of the 'stickyness' away. If you stick tape straight on the brush handle, you could strip the paint off, so just be careful.

Now the idea here is to tape around the number so that you can 'paint' some clear polish right over it, stopping it from wearing away. Taping around it makes it neater but of course you can skip the whole taping off bit and just paint straight on if you want it a bit more rustic :)

Put a strip of tape along the bottom, top and both ends; this should create a rectangle where the MAC symbol and number are free. Smaller brushes are a bit finicky and you may need to cut the tape to fit. You'll probably find its easier to tape larger brushes like the 150 or 187.

When your brush is taped and ready, you can then paint over the number and the MAC symbol with a clear polish :)

Leave the brush to dry and set for 10-20 minutes. It's important to leave your brush to fully dry before you try to peel the tape off. When it has set, peel the tape off slowly piece by piece.

This has never come off for me, and I wash my brushes religiously.

I think it goes without saying that it will come off if you put acetone (the ingredient in most nail polish removers) on it, and probably take your number with it; so no mani/pedis near your brushes girls :)

Obviously, you can do this with any brush that has it's numbers stamped on like MAC do.

Brushes With Coloured Ends??

Also, if you have ever seen MAC brushes with coloured ends, and wondered how?? where?

Use this same technique and wrap the tape around your brush, about a centimetre from the end of the handle. Paint the end using any coloured nail polish that takes your fancy et volia! Coloured brushes!

MUA's use the coloured ends to distinguish their brushes from other artists'; especially if they are doing a big show like London Fashion Week.

Well, I hope this has helped somebody, happy painting! :D

-Em