DIY: Daily Makeup Brush Cleanser

I'm back!  A lot of personal things have been going on, which needed more attention than posting.  But now that 2012 seems to be going in the right direction, I'm back to posting!

     In a post back in October, I talked about shampooing your brushes to deep clean any gunk that have accumulated in your brushes.  Well, I thought I'd follow that post with one about cleaning your brushes daily.  Daily brush cleaning removes any product you just used and prevents serious build-up and any skin irritations due to build-up.  Of course, I still recommend shampooing once to twice a month, but until that time, daily cleaning keeps your brushes sanitized between uses.  Also, if you love switching products such as eyeshadows and blushes, daily cleansing ensures that your brushes will prevent transfers and mixing.

     Daily brush cleansers can cost anywhere between $10-15.  The cheapest I've seen is Sephora's daily brush cleanser for $6 (a 2 oz. spray).  MAC Cosmetic's version cost $13 (7 oz).  With the recipe below, I filled four bottles (ranging 1-4 oz) with just one mixture!  And the best part is that all the ingredients are multi-purpose products found around the house!

Pictured (left to right): 1 2-oz spritz bottle; 1 4-oz wide mouth

bottle (reserve); 1 1-oz spritz bottles. Not pictured: the other 2-oz bottle

Like my label? - it's to remind to "treat" my brushes with some TLC :)

I watched a youtube by EnKore Makeup. and followed his recipe.  You can check out his video or if you prefer a written recipe, keep reading!

Ingredients:
-1 cup of distilled, purified, or bottled water
-1/4 cup of isopropyl alcohol (70% or 91%).  I used CVS's 70%.
-1/2 tbsp of baby shampoo/any moisturizing shampoo.  I used Johnson's Baby Shampoo in calm lavender
-1/2 tbsp of dish detergent.  I used Amway's Dish Drops detergent
-1 tbsp of spray in conditioner.  I used Garnier's Fructis Daily Spray In Conditioner

Equipment:
-Bowl or large measuring cup
-1 cup
-1/4 cup
-1 tbsp
-Funnel (optional)
-Spritz bottles.  Empty hair spray bottles work great (just make sure to really clean them out!).
-1 small plastic bottle (any type, optional).  This will be used if you have any extra solution.  This will be your reserves.

Directions:
1.  Pour 1 cup of distilled water into a bowl or a large measuring cup.
2.  Add 1/4 cup of isopropyl alcohol to the water.
3.  Add 1/2 tbsp of shampoo and 1 tbsp of detergent.
4.  Stir slowly using the the tablespoon.   Some suds/bubbles will form, just do NOT mix too vigorously because you will get a lather/too much suds.
5.  Add 1 tbsp of leave-in conditioner.
6.  Stir slowly again ensuring all ingredients have been thoroughly mixed.  Depending on your products, you might have a solution with a tint of color.
7.  Using a funnel (optional), pour solution into spritz bottles.  If you have extra solution, pour that into another bottle.
8.  Label your bottles!
DONE!

To clean brushes:
1.  Run each brush quickly through lukewarm water.
2.  Apply 1-2 sprays onto the bristles.
3.  With a paper towel, gently swirl bristles until no color is visible.
4.  Leave out to dry.  By the next day, your brushes will be dry and ready to use!

I love these cheap spritz bottles from The Container Store!
One the eft is the 1-oz bottle (which I plan on taking on trips) and
on the right is the 2-oz bottle (home use).  They're MADE IN THE USA!

                                                                             

Holiday 2011 - #1 Lancome L'Absolu Rouge

Swatch!

At the #1 spot is none other than your staple red lipstick by Lancome.  Lancome's Absolu Rouge collection is currently my favorite collection for those bright bold shades for lipsticks.

Magnetic closure!

It has a creamy formula and goes on smoothly.  It stays put for the most part and even when the color starts to fade, it leaves a decent tint on your lips so the fading isn't as obvious.  It also contains a hydrating formula and SPF 12.  So no need real need to apply lip balm or lip ointment beforehand.  I do add a little primer or loose powder to hold the lip color more in place.  I matched myself with a Berry Noir shade, and I'm in love with it!  The collection has a wide range of neutrals, pinks, and
reds.  

Another little perk is the magnetic closure of the cover to the base.  Neat!

It's a little expensive, but if you're going to invest in that perfect red lip color, then I think it's worth the money.  Just think how pretty you'll look in photos *wink*.

In the Catholic tradition, we still have the Epiphany to celebrate, but for all of you who are just about done with the holidays, I hope you enjoyed your holiday and that this new year brings you joy!  2012 here we go!

Light application of Berry Noir

Darker application of Berry Noir

Holiday 2011 - #2 Origins Peace of Mind

http://bit.ly/uO45Om

Happy Holidays!  Merry Christmas!

Yea, I know I didn't finish my top 10 before Christmas.  But I'm finishing it now hopefully before New Year's.  On the bright side, you can look at the final two as gifts for yourself!  It's okay to be selfish now, and hopefully with some holiday gift cards/money, you'll find my top 10 handy!

At number two is Origins Peace of Mind on-the-spot relief.  Perfect right after all the holiday stress?  All you need is one pump from the bottle, and you dab a little on your temples or back of the neck and give a gentle rub into your skin.  I like to put a little right underneath the nose (like you do with Vick's vapor rub when you're sick with a cold).  It's got a strong peppermint scent to it, which diffuses quite quickly so it's not overpowering - just right.

For a tiny bottle, it sure takes a load off and lasts a long time; in fact, I bought my bottle months ago and still using it!  I like to use it right before I go to bed.  Give yourself some peace of mind post-holiday season and pick up a bottle!

Holiday 2011 - #3 From Instagram to Stickgram

Excuse the poor lighting.  My magnets appear a lot brighter.

Since it's Wednesday, I decided to make this nifty product my number three on my Holiday list as well as my Potpourri Wednesday post.  Stickygram is a website that works with Instagram to create magnets from your Instagram photos!  They're made in sets of nine (see photo) and measure approximately 2in x 2in (50mm x 50mm), about the same size as they appear on an iPhone.  The cost of one set of nine magnets is 14.99, which includes airmail shipping!  It took about 6 days to get to me.  With that said, it might be a little late for Christmas gift giving, but hey, who said you had to stop giving gifts on Christmas day?  The site also offers gift certificates to send to photo-loving loved ones!

It's easy to do:
1.  Go to www.stickygram.com and sign in using your Instagram account.
2.  Once you see all your photos, simply click add as you scroll over each photo.
3.  Check out and pay.  Done!

My first set (and definitely not my last) set of Stickygrams!

If you've been reading some of my recent posts, I've been using the Instagram app on my iPod touch to take my blog photos.  With Instagram, you can change the look and feel of your photos just by selecting from a variety of filters.  You can make your photo look darker, have a border, look vintage, to name a few.  Once you've done that, you can share your photos with the Instagram community  as well as on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and blogs.  Stickygram is just one more way to share your photos.  As you can see, my first set consisted of inanimate objects.  I hope to take more photos of family and friends and giving these magnets as gifts!

Arrived by Airmail.  Shipping is included in the cost!
The envelope was well packaged (no bending) and fit right
in my mailbox!