Beauty Box 5

A little over a week ago, The Brush Guard Cleaning Kit came across my desk. The packaging with all the little “Ickies" that can live on your brushes totally caught my attention! However the skeptic in me has been washing makeup brushes the same way for almost 12 years and I have a hard time imagine anything working better than the plain, simple shampoo I use on my own hair. After all, aren’t most brushes made from hair? Sure it’s pony or goat, but it’s all hair. Regardless, it was time to put this nifty new kit to the test against my old-school shampoo method and see who comes out top!

Here’s what comes in the kit pictured below:

1. Squeaky Clean Brush Shampoo (4 oz)

2. Washing Cup

3. Drying Vase

4. Blotting Cloth

5. Six Brush Guards: 1 Large, 2 Medium, 2 Small, and 1 Extra Small

To conduct my little test, I set aside two identical sets of brushes from Mirabella Cosmetics. Each set contained brushes with a variety of bristle fibers (pony, goat and synthetic) so that I could see how the Squeaky Clean Brush Shampoo held up.

Then, I washed one set using “my” method and the other using the Cleaning Kit.

My Method:

1. Fill a small cup, I use a coffee cup, with a quarter-size amount of shampoo (I used Aveda’s Brilliant.) and a little warm water. If the brush is made of synthetic fibers, trade the shampoo for dish washing soap.

2. Swirl one brush at a time in the mixture until it looks clean.

3. Rinse under running water and repeat as needed until the brush bristles have no residue on them.

4. Shape each brush by hand and lay it to dry on a clean towel overnight.

5. Freshen shampoo/water mixture as needed…it can get pretty dirty.

The Cleaning Kit Method:

1. Put a few drops of Squeaky Clean Brush Shampoo on the textured surface of the Washing Cup.

2. Wet your makeup brush completely.

3. Rub the bristles of the brush gently against the textured surface at the bottom of the Washing Cup to work up a full lather.

4. Rinse your brush under running water or fill the Washing Cup with fresh water and swirl your brush around until the “Ickies” and later are gone.

5. Blot the brush with the blotting cloth and shape the bristles.

6. Slide the correct size Brush Guard over the bristles from the bottom of the handle up toward the bristles. (SPOILER ALERT!!! These handy guards will be in you Februaury Beauty Box 5!!!)

7. Making sure that the Brush guards stick out about 1/4 inch off the top of each brush, place them in the Drying Vase bristle-side down.

8. When dry, fluff and go!

The Results:

The Brush Guard Cleaning Kit beat my old, tired coffee cup and shampoo hands down! The brushes I washed with the kit were noticeably softer and the bristles more compact…both of which are ideal for prolonging the life of your brushes. The kit is convenient, intelligently designed and does exactly what it says it will. What more can a girl ask for? Oh…yea, the Brush Guards can be used to protect your brushes during travel too!

The Details:

The Pros:

• The Washing Cup fits inside the Drying Vase for easy storage.
• The Drying Vase/Brush Guard combination is awesome because makeup brushes really should be stored bristles-down to prevent water from leaking into the barrel and ruining the brush.
• The Squeaky Clean Brush Shampoo did a way better job than my hair shampoo of getting product off the synthetic tips of the Face Blender brush.
• The Washing Cup has that awesome texture in the bottom to “scrub” the bristles on.
• The Squeaky Clean Shampoo has a very soft sent that shouldn’t offend you or your clients.

The Cons:

• The brushes drying in the Brush Guards took about 6 hours longer to dry than those I laid a towel and, I had to take the Face Blender out of the Brush Guard at that point because it was still pretty damp on the inside.
• I felt like I had to use a lot more of the Squeaky Clean Shampoo than I did of my shampoo to get the lather I wanted.

Overall, I think The Brush Guard Cleaning Kit is a must have! It has everything you need to keep your brushes looking great and lasting longer! Protect that investment ladies, hand-wash your makeup brushes at least once a month!

As always, message me with questions, comments, tips, etc.!

Peace, Love & Samples,

Felicity