How To Clean Your Makeup Brushes

In this post, I will give a step-by step explanation of how to deep clean your makeup brushes. 

To wash my brushes, I use Johnson's Baby Shampoo and MAC Cleanse Off Oil. 

1. Take your dirty brush (this is a MAC 150 if you're curious). 

2. Rinse it under warm running water. 

3. Apply a pea-sized amount of Baby Shampoo to the palm of your hand.

4. Swirl the brush head into the Shampoo, creating a soapy lather. 

5. Rinse your brush under warm running water, squeezing out the soap.

6. Rinse until the water runs clean. You may need to add repeat steps 2-4 if your brush is really dirty. 

7. Shape the brush hairs and place it on a towel to dry. 

For brushes with white hairs, such as the MAC 187 shown here, the Baby Shampoo may not remove all the colour from the white hairs. 

After washing the brush with Baby Shampoo, apply a small amount of MAC Cleanse Off Oil to the palm off your hand.

In the same way as before, swirl the brush in the palm of your hand and rinse it. I then wash it with Baby Shampoo once more, so that none of the Cleanse Off Oil is left behind. 

Your white brush hairs should now appear whiter! 

To dry the brushes, place them on a towel which is folded, allowing them to slope downwards. This will mean that any water left in the brush hairs will be forced down, instead of into the handle of the brush. 

To make sure your brushes retain their shape, you can use Brush Guards. You can purchase Brush Guards here. 

These are a stretchy plastic woven tube which you place over the handle, and then push upwards over the brush hairs.

Leave your brushes to dry overnight, or until the hairs are completely dry. 

It is best to deep clean your brushes once a week, or every fortnight depending on how often you use them. This will ensure that bacteria does not remain, and will help them to last longer. 

IIf you have any tips to share about washing your makeup brushes, feel free to leave them in a comment below!

Haul: Real Techniques Brushes

My Real Techniques brushes have arrived...

I'm so excited to receive these in the mail as I've wanted them for ages! My other makeup brushes are predominately MAC with a few Laura Mercier and Eco Tools brushes. I've read and watched great reviews about these and I wanted to try out some synthetic brushes for applying foundation and cream products. 

I ordered the Core Collection, Stippling Brush, Blush Brush and Powder Brush.

Core Collection:

I ordered the Core Collection specifically so I could get the Buffing Brush, which is only available in this set. It also comes with a Detailer Brush, Pointed Foundation Brush and Contour Brush. $17.99 

Stippling Brush:

The Stippling Brush has received great reviews online. I'll try this brush for applying foundation and cream blushes. The bristles are quite firm, so I'm excited to see how this works. $9.99

Blush Brush: 

This is quite large for a blush brush and could even be used to apply powder all over the face. However, due to its size it should make blending blush very simple. $8.99

Powder Brush:

This powder brush is really big! It is similar in width to my MAC 150 brush but it has more bristles. This should make applying powder all over the face really quick and easy. I'll also give this a try for bronzer and see how it works. $9.99

Overall, I'm happy with these brushes. They are extremely soft and feel like they are good quality. I'm happy with the price of these brushes, they are very affordable and I was able to find them easily online with affordable shipping. 

I like how the handles are labelled with the name of the brush, making them easy to identify. The handles are also colour coordinated. The gold handles represent a brush that is for applying a base, and the pink handles are finishing brushes. There are also eye brushes which have purple handles. 

What I found disappointing was that you can't purchase all the brushes individually as I really only wanted the Buffer Brush but had to pay $17.99 for the set of Core Collection brushes. 

Also, brushes sold in a set come with a stand/case included. Although this might be useful for some, I don't think I will use it and would prefer a lower price for the set without the case.

I ordered these from http://www.iherb.com/ as they offer cheap international shipping. You can use the code FIX325 to get $5 off your first order, which is a great deal. 

Have you tried any Real Techniques brushes? What do you think of them?

Winter Wishlist

I'm starting off this blog with a list of beauty items I'm currently wanting. 

There's no makeup items on my current list. Instead, I am wanting items ranging from skincare, to haircare and nail care. This reflects the current cooler weather in Australia, when dry skin and hair become a problem. Hopefully I can pick some of these items in the near future. If I try any of them I'll be sure to write a review once I've tested them out.

• OPI Nail Envy - I've heard a lot of good things about this product and want to try it out. I hope it can strengthen my weak nails and stop them peeling. RRP $34.50
• L'oreal Elnett Hairspray - I've had a few small bottles of this hairspray and now I've finished my current hairspray I'd love to pick up a large bottle of this. It's great because it is very lightweight and doesn't give your hair the stiff feeling of some other hairsprays on the market. RRP $9.95
• Bioderma Crealine H2O - This is a much talked about product in the blogging world and I'd love to see if it lives up to the hype. It is used by makeup artists such as Lisa Eldridge and is meant to be great for cleansing sensitive skin, and it doesn't even require rinsing! It has recently being released in Australia and is available at selected pharmacies. However, it can be found cheaper online. RRP $39.95/250mL
• Beautyblender sponge - I would love to get a hold of this sponge for applying foundation. By using it damp, it is supposed to create a flawless finish, which is something we all want! RRP $24.95
• Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish - This is a product that many beauty bloggers from the UK have been raving about. It is meant to be a great cleanser and can also be used as a gentle exfoliator. Hopefully I can track this down online without being charged a fortune for shipping. 
• Caudalie Beauty Elixr - Another product that is much talked about by UK beauty bloggers. It is a spray that can be used to refresh makeup and also as a toner. It sounds nice and I'd like to try it to see how it differs from a product like Mac Fix+. RRP $18/30mL 
• Tresemme Heat Tamer Protective Spray - This is a product that I need to repurchase. It is an affordable heat protectant that can be used both before blow drying and before using styling tools, like a curling iron or straightener. It comes in a spray bottle which makes application quick and simple. I spray this in my hair and then comb it through to distribute it evenly. It also smells great and leaves hair soft and shiny. RRP $9.95/300mL
• Evo The Great Hydrator - I received a sample of this in a beauty sample box and have been wanting to pick up a full-size product. It is a hydrating treatment that left my hair feeling extremely soft and also reduces frizz. RRP $29.95/150mL
• Kiehl's Creme de Corps - With winter approaching, I need a great moisturiser to keep my skin feeling smooth and hydrated. I'd love to try this moisturiser out and see how it goes. It's more expensive then moisturisers from the chemist but if it performs well it may just be worth the money. RRP $38/250mL
• Real Techniques Core Collection brushes - These brushes are designed by Samantha Chapman, one of the sisters who runs the successful Youtube channel Pixiwoo. I would like to purchase the Core Collection, specifically to try out the Buffing Brush. I have heard this brush is great for applying foundation and I'd love to try it. RRP $18