How to: Deep Clean Your Makeup Brushes in a Few Easy Steps

I have to be one to admit... I don't like dishing out a lot of time to clean my makeup brushes. I really don't. It takes a lot of time, energy and willingness that I do not have. But it's a chore that needs to be done for the health of your skin, as well as your brushes. Brushes accumulate lots of dirt, and oil and bacteria from daily usage and the best way to combat it is to simply clean them. In my case, I like to deep clean them for maximum efficiency.

Also, I do not like to spend lots of money on brush cleaners so I make my own solution. It's as easy as buying it, but without the cost.

So here's what you'll need:

1. Bowl

2. Dirty Brushes

3. Disinfecting Soap (I use dish detergent but you can use any antibacterial soap)

4. A silicon "wash board" (more on that later)

5. Microfiber towel or regular towel

Step 1:

Pour a few droplets of soap into the dish. Mix water and soap together to create a antibacterial wash for your brushes. 

2. Swirl your brush in round circle motions to loosen the dirt and grime. 

3. Get a better clean with this silicone wash board. This is essentially an oven glove with ridges. I bought mine at Daiso and you can find these at any discount stores or home stores. Using your brush that's dipped in the soapy solution, run your brush up and down and in circle motions. The ridges will get the dirt that's trapped in the brushes. This is is the "deep cleaning" part. 

5. Rinse your brush in cold water to remove the soap and any loosened dirt. Dry it with your microfiber cloth. Pump a bit of argan oil to condition the fluffy brushes. This will keep the bristles from drying out!

I used Eden's Pure Moroccan argan Oil but you can certainly use any oil you have available, including coconut, jojoba or good old EVOO.

And that's it!!! It's easy as pie and effective. Let your brushes air dry and they'll be ready and waiting for you in a few hours!

What methods do you have in cleansing your brushes? Do share! 

My Favorite Blush Brushes

Blushes and highlighters are a delight to collect but like millions of makeup lovers, I also love brushes! It's a two-fer, like how cake is always good with tea. Blushes are nothing without its brushy counterpart :)

I am pretty open minded to try any brand, as I've collected and given away more than I can count. For blush brushes, it's all about the fit. I prefer the angled ones because they contour to my face better and is easier to apply without me worrying about unevenness. Ones that are smaller are even better because you can control the amount of product better.

Here are my picks!

Bare Escentuals Angled Blush Brush (see it here) 

 I believe it is the one that came with the foundation starter kit :) I've had this one for years and years, and works as nicely as when I first got it. It's also nice because it's travel sized and slightly tapered so the control is better. I can bring it with me when traveling and fits snugly in my gym makeup bag. From their website, they say it's made of goat hairs, and of the finest quality. The quality is there, and it's certainly lasted me over 5 years. 

Borghese x Costco Angled Contour Brush

I bought this in a set from Costco during the holidays. Every year Costco partners up with a makeup brand to sell brushes. I think for the past few years, it's been Borghese. This angled brush is probably my favorite out of the four. It has a long handle and the shape of this brush is really sturdy. 

 I'm not sure what hairs it's made of but I know it's a very natural hair, probably goat. It has a tougher texture but the quality of the brush is amazing. It picks up color so well and transfers it gorgeously. It fares well after a cleaning and has never shed. I've had this for well over 3 years!

MAC 168SE Brush

This MAC blush came from a holiday set. I have nothing but love this brush. Like the Costco one, it seems to be made of the same fibers but is much less dense and more softer. This brush applies very softly and gives a very soft focused glow. Blends amazingly! Perfect for blushes that are opaque and high pigmented. 

Sonia Kashuk Round Brush

My only non-angled one of the bunch. This brush is great for applying color on just the apples of my cheeks. I usually use this for a touch of highlight. It's a fantastic brush, and I got it at Target for a great price. I think Sonia Kashuk brushes are some of the best in the market, especially because they have such a broad range. The bristles are soft, and very springy. This would be great for mineral blushes as well.

Those are my picks, and all four of them have lasted me for years. I think investing quality brushes really make your blushes stand out. I have so many drugstore blushes that look amazing because of good brushes. I guess it can be debatable but honestly, brushes are still a great investment nonetheless! 

Do you think quality of brushes change the effect of blush and/or other cosmetics like eyeshadow and lipsticks?

What's Inside My (travel) Makeup Bag!

Why, hello everyone. I am back from my short Thanksgiving voyage home and am back in the Bay Area. I did a little shopping, ate a ton (as usual), and spent a lot of time with my family. I was pretty worn out from being back home and I'm just really glad to be back! The drastic weather change was a little crazy. It went from super hot in LA to super rainy and cold here.

Since I love looking inside people's makeup bags, I decided I'd include my own. It's just kinda quirky and fun to see what others are bringing. I definitely draw inspiration from that so here's what mine looked like over the weekend.

My kinda old Shiseido makeup bag. Very minimal and simple, easy design, purple. It stores a lot of stuff and is super soft yet surprisingly sturdy.

A few of the items I brought along!

Bare Escentuals Angled Brush - This is one of my favorite blush/bronzer brushes because the bristles are so soft and when I apply blush, it makes it look very soft and blended.

MAC 190 SE Foundation Brush - I really like this for traveling because of its petite, travel-friendly size. I find that this brush blends foundation fairly well and I've been really happy with it for a long time :)

Borghese Angled Liner Brush -  I use this mainly for filling in my eyebrows. Despite its long length, it's still travel-friendly.

Rimmel Glam Eyes Mascara - I wrote a short little review originally here. This has since been discontinued but I like it and I always keep it in my bag.

 Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara- I am very much considering purchasing a full size of this mascara! The formula is seriously superb! I've never had any mascara come close to how great this one is. It lifts my lashes, holds a curl and volumizes quite well. I'm going to have to review this fully in another post but I've been pleasantly surprised with this one. And I love that it's not waterproof =D

These two lip balms are incredible! The Revlon Lip Butter in Lollipop and Loreal's Lip Butter in Satin. I won Satin in a giveaway and have been so happy with it. Both colors are so complimentary and glide on like butter. Lollipop is purely gorgeous. I love the fuchsia/purple tones - beautiful fall color!

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - Currently my favorite setting powder. It's simple and it works. I don't really have anything negative to say about it because I've been using it for over 5 months now and it's kept its promise.

Loreal True Match Blush in Rosy Outlook - I've loved this line of Loreal's blushes for years and years now. The shades are incredibly flattering and I always come back to this because of how natural of a flush it gives. It's foolproof for me every time.

Loreal Eye Shadow Quad in 821 - Apparently this is the older packaging but I mainly use this to fill in my brows. I use the very last color (darkest one) for my eye brows and the other ones for either highlighting or adding some depth to my lids. I love this quad a lot and the darkest color in the palette is oh so flattering as a brow color!  

Jack Black Lip Balm - As minty as it is, the spf 15 in this balm is really needed in harsh weather! This lip balm in particular is really good quality and permeates into lips once applied and keeps them protected from wind and damage. 

Miniature jewelry cases- Yes, I do carry these! I particularly love the granite one on top. I always try to have something like this when I travel because it a little piece of happiness here and there really makes for an entire trip. It's kind of cool to have it by my bedside where I know my earrings and necklace will be safe.

Oh and we cannot forget portable travel eye shadows! This was a sample that I received from Stila and it's basically a sampling of all their eyeshadows in the 'In the Light' palette. Isn't it genius? Thin as a card but enough eyeshadow to last you days! All you need is an eye shadow brush! My particular favorites here were Luster and Sandstone. Just gorgeous tones!

And....the liquids. I had these in a zip loc baggie since I was flying.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Sunblock SPF 55 - I've been using this sunscreen for years! it's so lightweight and perfect under makeup that you can't even feel/tell that you have sunscreen on. It was especially great in the LA heat because it was scorching and sunny there! 

Sephora Makeup Primer - A sample I received from Sephora. I just started using this on my trip home and it didn't really make much of a difference underneath my foundation. 

MUFE HD Foundation 115 - I really like this foundation. I mean, I really really like it. I realize I haven't done a proper review on this. GAH. I really should. I really feel like MUFE makes extraordinary foundations because of the assortment of shades (with proper undertones) and different finishes for every skin type. I really love their F&B foundation. I have reviews on other MUFE foundations if you're interested here. 

And lastly, the hair and skincare stuff -

Organix Moroccan Argan Oil - I use a little bit of this stuff after I was my hair and it softens my hair and keeps it less frizzier than it usually is. This oil smells nice and the small size is so cute and perfect for travelling. Not to mention that it's really affordable at no more than $5.00 for a 1.7 oz/50ml container to try.

Shiseido Benefiance Set - Shiseido products have always been nurturing for my skin, particularly since LA is dry and hot. I love their lotions - they're incredibly moisturizing and lasts a long time. Consistent products, good company. 

What other "staples" do you gals carry with you? :)

Borghese makeup brushes at Costco!

I love Costco. And I especially love when they collaborate with makeup companies to sell their products there. This time (and many times before) they released makeup brushes by Borghese. I usually have to wait until the end of the year to get it because they're limited edition during the holidays. But it's the middle of April and I found them in the store while doing my usual weekday Costco runs! And it looks like they're from the Borghese collection, and not a collaboration with Kirkland (Costco's brand)...Yay! I absolutely LOVE them. They are such high quality brushes! Look at the pictures :)

Kabuki Brush - Very dense brush and soft brush head. Picks up powder really evenly.

Angled blush/contouring brush - Probably my favorite of them all! It's dense enough to pick up a lot of product in one sweep. I use it for blushes and bronzers :)

Duo Fiber Stippling Brush - Not sure how it compares to Mac's but this is my first duo fibre brush. 

Round Foundation Brush - Great on the face. Really evens out foundation and creams on the nose areas

Concealer Brush - This one is okay. I have many concealer brushes like this one.

Fluffy Blending Brush - LOVE it. It's perfect for highlighting and blending in colors

Eyeshadow Brush - Brushes evenly right at the lids. I really love this brush as well.

Angled Eye Contour Brush - Haven't used this one yet! 

Angled Brow Brush - Another okay brush. I have many similar to it.

Comes with a magnetic brush roll :) No room for the Kabuki though =/

I really love them so much! They are perfectly sized, perfectly tapered and uberly soft. The brush heads are dense and can pick up makeup better than all my other ones. During Christmas last year, I bought another Borghese set that collaborated with Kirkland but it wasn't as good. Quality wise, this set has been the best so far out of all the years I've seen Borghese brushes from Costco. I was looking on Ebay for different brush sets because my other ones are all old and ratty and I am so glad that I didn't impulsively buy them online *phew* 

Best part? It only cost $23.99! ^_~ Isn't that just ridiculous?! It's probably cheaper than the professional ELF brush rolls. Or around the same price. It is amazing quality for brushes that cost so little :)

If any of you are interested in purchasing this brush set but don't have a Costco membership or don't live near one, I can help you buy it and send it to you. I'll be going back sometime next week and I won't mind picking up more of these. Just shoot me an email if you're interested :) 

Anyway, today was a gorgeous day outside. I woke up early and did my makeup :) I love it when it's all bright outside. It just makes you want to start the day.

I'm wearing Skin Food Aloe BB Cream, Bobbi Brown brown eyeshadow, Loreal Telescopic Mascara, Revlon Baby Pink lipstick, and MAC Dainty blush.

And below is my top! I wore it over a cotton blazer and pants later on.

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation

Moving things back and fourth to the new apartment all day today! Crazyness. I even took a quick nap in the afternoon because I was so exhausted. Tomorrow is another day of moving, and we're that much closer to being done. I'm going to be sad when I don't have internet for the next few days during the transition of the move. The cable and internet guys are coming on the 31st I believe to hook everything up. I'll be moved in no later than Monday or Tuesday =D

Anyway, went to CVS today because I haven't been there in AGES. The last time I went there it was still called Long's Drugs or something =P Gosh, time flies! I've been hearing about these Essence of  Beauty brushes and it got me thinking to find it without having to order online. I bought the purse powder brush for my mineral makeup since I don't really have a brush suited for it. I've also been reading reviews about the Revlon Photo Ready foundation and saw that it was buy 1 get 1 free for all Revlon foundations and powders so I picked up two colors, Nude (004) and Natural Beige (005).

I haven't used the brush yet, but I just know that I will love it. It's not overly soft where it can't pick up enough product and it's not overly dense where it'll pick up too much. I feel it's the right size for my face and for at home use. I wouldn't really carry this in my purse. That's kinda crazy =P It also came with a random eyeliner brush, which I will find some use for eventually. It was only $9.99. Good price huh? =)

I came home right away and prepped my face for the Revlon foundation. Used one pump in Nude (004).

....and wow. I must say that liquid foundations have changed dramatically since the last time I bought them. It was hard for me to find the right shade but this Photo Ready foundation was SO amazing. It's such a lightweight formula that your face will thank you for it. It goes on amazingly smooth and has virtually no smell. I usually stay away from liquid foundations because they go on quite heavy and the idea of having an oily face after a whole day does not turn me on. But I was impressed by this foundation! I didn't even have to wear a setting powder over it because the foundation dried quickly and my skin looked all glowy. Even my Dior and Smashbox foundations don't match the superb quality of this one. Craziness!

I just LOVE this foundation!! It excites me that I found a color that matches me SO perfectly! I haven't tried the Natural Beige (005) yet! It's one shade darker than Nude and I think it'll be good for the summer when my skin gets darker. I'm so excited! I used to be so skeptical about Revlon products... I don't even remember why anymore =P

Here is the makeup I wore today =)

Prescriptives Colorscope Eyeshadow palette (I used the bronzy color on the bottom)

CoverGirl Volume Exact Mascara in black

Smashbox Brow tech palette

MAC Prep + Prime Primer (not pictured! missed that one!)

Burt's Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm (my go to balm. I stock it up like there's no tomorrow!)

Still trying to get my hands on a BB cream!! It's all the rage now, right? I was watching a review from Jen about the Lioele BB cream on her latest post. I tried to go on prettyandcute.com but it doesn't seem like they are selling it anymore =/ But I guess I shouldn't complain now since I found a possible HG product! =)

I want to make it my goal sometime in my next post to do a Kristen Stewart Runaways look. Heavy black eye makeup and pale skin. It'll be extremely bold... for me at least since I typically lean on the natural look. Well, I'll try! I'm excited! =D

Lastly, I want to know what are your favorite foundations and why? =) 

Goodnight everyone! =D Will be moving all day tomorrow but I will catch up on all your blogs before the end of the day. Take care!