How to | Deep Clean your Makeup Brushes

So you know how important it is to start and end a day with a fresh cleansed face. You’re investing all this time, day in and day out to remove all the dirt and oils that your face encounters throughout the day. But when the first thing to hit your face after a rejuvenating face wash in the morning is a brush filled with built up makeup and dirt, it’s no wonder those clogged pores keep appearing.

Washing your makeup brushes is just as an important step in any beauty routine. There are so many techniques, each beauty guru to their own. Here is the simple cleaning routine I use and all products are easily found in the kitchen of your home! This technique is a deep clean process, which I try to do every 3 weeks.

You will need

• Dish washing liquid
• Olive oil
•  2 Plastic plates

Instructions:

1. Firstly take all your brushes and gently run them under lukewarm water. It’s important to always face your brushes downwards to the water, as you don’t want any water to seep into the handle.  
2. Take a plastic plate; here I have used a standard party plate. These plates have a ripple texture on them that is great for applying pressure between the bristles.                                                          
3. Take the dishwashing detergent and olive oil and pour both onto the plate. There are no exact measurements because you will repeat this step several times whilst cleaning. I focus on having two parts detergent, to one part oil.                                                                                                 
4. Taking one brush at a time swirl your makeup brush through the detergent and oil. This technique is similar to a paintbrush cleaning technique where you essential swirl the color out of the brush. Using the texture base of the plate continue to swirl your brush through the now combined detergent and oil.                                                                                                                             
5. Rinse the brush under lukewarm water and using the second plate, you now swirl the brush against the clean plate under running water. Continue this step until the water runs clear.              
6. Place the cleaned brush in a tall narrow glass, with the bristles facing downwards. Your bushes will need to dry upside down and there are many techniques for this. If you prefer a different way to let the brushes dry then feel free to do so here.                                                                           
7. Repeat to all your brushes and remember to rinse the plate and repeat with detergent and oil after every few brushes.

And there you have fresh cleaned brushes! I usually allow up to 24 hours for the brushes to be completely dry and ready for use.

You may like to know…

Using dishwashing detergent is a completely safe method for cleaning makeup brushes. The detergent works as a cleaner and bacterial remover, eliminating all dirt, oils and pigments all trapped in the brush. The reason for combining olive oil with the detergent is to put natural oil back in the hair of the bristles because the detergent alone can dry the brush hairs out.

Time to grab your brushes and give this cleaning method a go!

Leave a comment below if you try this method out or share your own technique with me!

XO Nat

Review | RUSK Engineering MiraCurl

If you lust after soft swirled waves, defined curls and voluminous locks but seem to be a little curling-impaired... then you need to try out an automatic curler like the RUSK MiraCurl. It’s in the name, MiraCurl… Miracle! 

What is an automatic curler?

A new era of innovative hairstyling tools with revolutionary technology, an automatic curler allows you to create beautiful curls with the press of a button. It's as simple as taking a section of your hair and clipping it to the MiraCurl. The rest is magic. In a vacuum like action, the hair is automatically drawn up into the ceramic curl chamber and in a gentle, quick and easy motion the hair is heated from all directions. In seconds a perfect curl is formed and all you have done is pressed a button.

Working the Magic

I am forever lusting after the 'Victoria Secret' voluminous curls but admit my curling skills have always been limited. When I came across the MiraCurl I needed to see if it was in fact the hair tool to change my curling abilities. 

The MiraCurl promises to create effortless, long-lasting curls with minimal effort. I was surprised at how after a few trail spins, I caught onto how easy this miracle machine was to work. The machine's versatility gives you 3 temperature settings, 3 timer settings and the option to change the direction of the curl. The only real requirement for working this curler is if you can hold a standard hair-straightner. In the same motion you take a section of hair and clasp it to the top of your hair (or as desired depending on where you want the curl to start from). By pressing the MiraCurl together, the hair is automatically drawn up into the ceramic chamber, and depending on your time setting, a beeper will alarm after a few seconds to notify you when to release the hair.

You might be thinking this could easily cause a lot of pulling and tension to the hair, but surprisingly it's not the case. The machine notifies you by beeping continuously if you have selected too big a section of hair to curl, limiting any chances of the hair getting tangled up inside.

The Verdict

I recommend this miracle MiraCurl styling tool for anyone who is looking to create long-lasting beautiful curls with ease. If you struggle to perfect the famous ghd-curls or can never get the same curl twice when using a wand, then this is the styling tool for you! 

This machine allowed me to create salon quality curls in no time and with its simple to use settings the curling possibilities are endless.

SHOP NOW

MIRACURL STYLER BY RUSK from Hair House Warehouse here

Road Test | Formula 10.0.6 Pores Be Pure

Nothing more rejuvenating for your skin than finding a great mud mask. I wanted something simple for a little mid week refreshment when I came across the Formula 10.0.6 Pores Be Pure skin clarifying mud mask. This beauty is made up of a delicious combination of strawberries, yarrow and rosemary.

The thing that sold me on purchasing a facial mask from the Formula 10.0.6 range, aside from the skin-refining and pore cleansing benefits,  was the small sample packs that are available for purchase. Perfect for new face products. There’s nothing worse than spending money on a full bottle of product that you might only use once.

First Impression

After cleansing my skin I opened a packet of the Pores Be Pure to a thick light pink paste. It was hard to tell the texture inside the sachet, but once opened the formula was thick and creamy. I just squeezed the content of the packet out onto my hands and applied it to my face and neck.

First thing was that the Pores Be Pure smells delicious. It’s the perfect scent of strawberry, without being overly sweet. The coolness of my hands was adding to the refreshing feel when spreading the mud around my face. It was very spreadable, smooth and not dripping off my face.

Something to note on the packaging is it does advise you that once applied to the face, the mud mask can cause a small tingling feeling. I definitely felt the light tingling sensation on my face, but it was nothing too drastic or worrying.

After the 15-minute wait, just as expected, the mud mask had dried to my skin. With a warm face towel I washed the mud mask off to reveal a very refreshed face.

The Verdict

Formula 10.0.6 Pores Be Pure mud mask was a quick and easy skin-clarifying facial. After using the product I found my skin complexion to be completely revitalised.

Pros of this product would be the delicious smelling combination of strawberries that are packed with the anti-oxidants your skin needs. I found it did brighten my complexion and left me with smooth refreshed skin.

A slight con would be the tingling sensation once the mask is setting, but it didn’t bother me and in the end was completely harmless. Let’s say the tingles are the strawberry and yarrow working their magic for clear unblocked pores.

For an easy at-home facemask, Pores Be Pure does a great job of eliminating impurities and cleansing pores. The ingredients in the formula work wonders on providing a refreshed complexion. Looks like this is one product I will be returning to the store for the full bottle.