In our humble opinion, there's no better way to get over The Hump (that would be you, dear Wednesday) than by talking incessantly about beauty. So, from now until forever, we're hereby declaring Guest Beauty Blogger Wednesdays. Each hump day, we'll be tapping a different Total Beauty blogger to sound-off on StyleList. Today, we've got Christine Mielke, founder and editor-in-chief of Temptalia – a go-to destination for the latest news, reviews, and how-tos on all your favorite beauty products. She's set to give us expert advice on makeup brushes (which are a magical mystery to many) along with her her steps for attaining the perfect cat eye.

So without any further ado, here's Christine, dishing on her five top tips to save your makeup brushes. We're all ears!

Once you make the investment in high end, high quality brushes, you have to make sure you take care of them. Check out my laundry list of essential Eye and Face brushes.

Brushes should, and will, last you many, many years if you take care of them properly. I have seen artists with brushes that are ten years old that look absolutely pristine when they are meticulously cared for!

Clean your brushes regularly. Whether you use baby shampoo or MAC's Brush Cleanser ($11.00), it is imperative you make a point to clean the accumulated gunk out of your brushes -- just think about all the build-up if you just used a ton of black shadow. This is not only good hygiene (for you, your skin, etc.), but it keeps your brushes in good shape.

Always reshape your brushes while wet. Once you've washed your brushes, make sure you reshape them before they dry. Whatever shape your brushes are left in to dry is the same shape they will be when they are dry. You don't want your contour brush looking like a tapered blush brush, do you? Similarly, if the shape is off, wetting/washing your brush will allow you to reshape a brush.

Never stand your brushes up to dry. You do not want to let in water or dampness into the ferrule portion of the brush (the metal part, right above the brush head), because it can weaken, erode, or loosen the ferrule making your brush wobbly. Always lay your blushes flat on an absorbent surface (like a wash cloth or towel -- probably one dark in color!), and if you can manage it, turn your brushes after an hour or two.

Condition your brushes regularly. On top of cleaning, conditioning your brush with a quality hair conditioner will help keep the bristles soft. It's not something that needs to be done as often general washing, but it is a good idea to do it often enough -- like once a month. Mostly, it depends on how often you use and wash your brushes.

Wash brushes right away when using rich colors. It's easy to stain a white-haired brush if you're using a richly colored product, like Ruby Red pigment or True Chartreuse pigment. I remember using Flammable paint once, and it has forever-stained my 252 brush. One quick and dirty way to help minimize staining is to run the brush back and forth over a makeup remover wipe.