I agree with the spatula. I actually save old depotted MAC eyeshadow containers and squish some lipstick in there for my own use. The rest of the tube, I clean with alcohol after every use and use a spatula to scoop some out, then I touch the brush to the product on the spatula all I want since it's just going in the garbage later. Which also makes it a good idea to scoop tiny bits at a time, so you don't waste a huge amount each time you use a lipstick. Just make sure you either dip the spatula in alcohol or get a new one each time you go to scoop up more product (if you didn't get enough the first time).