How To: Clean Makeup Brushes

Before I purchased quality makeup brushes, I would treat my brushes like crap.. I didn't know any better. Now I wash my brushes weekly and do spot treatments whenever it's needed.

 

Half of any break outs could be due to dirty brushes, it's gross to even think about. Besides the gross factor, nourishing the bristles is going to keep them soft and will make them last longer.

 

If you'd like to see how I clean mine, keep on reading.

 

What you'll need: Dirty brushes, a brush cleanser, a bowl, running water and a towel.

 

* You can check out my brush cleanser here. You do not need a "special" brush cleanser like this one. Johnson's Baby Shampoo is cheap and gentle enough to clean your makeup brushes.

 

 

Just so we're on the same page:

Step 1: Pour a small amount of your cleanser into a bowl.

Step 2: Run your brush under luke-warm water.

* Always hold your brush upside down while cleaning it. Holding the brush upright can cause water to travel down the ferrule and loosen up the bristles.

* Never let the water go past the brush ferrule and onto the handle. Allowing water into this end of the ferrule can loosen the glue and cause the ferrule and the handle to come apart.

Step 3: Dip your dampened brush into the cleanser.

 

Step 4: Swirl your brush into the palm of your hand, creating a nice lather.
Rinse and repeat until the lather is white and clean.

Step 5: Gently squeeze out any extra water and lay flat to dry on a towel.
* Shape your brushes while damp so they dry nice and compact.


I like to wash my brushes before bed so they have the entire night to dry.
There are fancy racks that you can buy that'll hold your brushes upside down to dry faster, but this technique works just fine for me.

If you have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them below!

 <3

 

Smokey Friday Night Eyes (Tutorial)

I decided to create a tutorial showing you all how I do my smokey eye-look. You can always substitute these colors for something lighter/darker or more colorful.

The first tips I have for any smokey eye is, 1. Use quality shadow. Using shadow that is finely milled and nicely pigmented will help you blend better and you will have a smoother application (a.k.a. it'll be a lot easier to create a smokey eye). 2. Don't use those sponge applicators that come with some eye shadows. A smokey and sultry eye-look is made by going from dark to light. You'll need a decent blending brush to create this. If you'd like to know how I created this look, keep on reading!

What you'll need ::

Eye shadow primer :: I'm using Urban Decay - Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Eye shadow :: I'm using Urban Decay - Naked Palette

Eye kohl :: I'm using MAC Cosmetics Eye Kohl - Smolder

Mascara :: I'm using Benefit Cosmetics - BADgal Lash

These are the eye brushes that I used to create this look. They are all Sigma brushes and you can find them here. From left to right :: E05, E55, E40, E30, E60, E25

Step 1: Apply eye shadow primer on your lid and blend up to your brow bone. This will keep your eye shadow from creasing and will intensify the colors of your shadow.

Step 2: Take your E40 (blending) brush and sweep the shade "Naked" (a light brown color) into your crease. You will hardly see this shade when it's all said and done, but it's put down first to help your darker shadows blend easier.

Step 3: With your E60 (flat shader) brush, pack on the shade "Sidecar" (a sparkly champagne color) all over your lid. Don't go into your crease with this shade. You want to use your sparkly colors on the lid and your matte colors in your crease.

Step 4: Take your E25 (flat blending) brush and apply the shade "Buck" (a dark brown color) into your outer-V. I will be applying a black color into my outer-V but putting this color down first helps the black blend easier.

Step 5: With your E30 (pencil) brush apply the shade "Creep" (a black color) into your outer-V.

Step 6: Use your E25 (flat blending) brush again, to blend out the black and browns in the outer-V. This may take a few minutes. Blending is key. Use a windshield wiper/circular motion until it's blended the way that you prefer.

Step 7: With your E55 (eye shadow) brush, apply the shade "Virgin" (a sparkly off-white color) to your brow bone and in your inner corner.

Step 8: Take a black eye kohl (here I'm using MAC- Smolder) and apply it above your upper lashes. To create more of a precise line, use an eyeliner (E05) brush to smooth it out and create a sharp point.

Step 9: Apply your mascara. Here I'm using Benefit Cosmetics- BADgal Lash.

Step 10: Take your eye kohl, and line your lower water line.

Step 11: With an E30 (pencil) brush, sweep the shades "Buck" (dark brown) and "Creep" (black) under your lower lashes.

Step 12: Add some mascara to your bottom lashes and you're finished!

I hope you all enjoyed this smokey friday night eye-look! It's one of my favorites to do! As always, if you have any questions/comments, feel free to leave them below!

Happy blending! ;)

Aubrey