Cleaning our makeup room

[KatyCakes7]

So without fibbing how often do you clean your brushes?,I try once a week 🤦🏻‍♀️ lol my makeup vanity looks a mess 🤣

[xandralee]

I use the Cinema secrets cleaner regularly until bi weekly or monthly soap and water brush washing as to not wear the glue down inside my brushes.

[heartsmyface]

@KatyCakes7   Whenever I run out of clean brushes which is generally once every two weeks or so.  I don’t like using dirty brushes so if I run out of a certain type (Usually it’s crease brushes) it’s time to do a wash.  

[WinglessOne]

@KatyCakes7  The brushes I use most often are for concealer, setting powder, and blush. I try to tend to those within 48 hours of use, but sometimes I’m lazy. 😄 

There are 2 stages of “cleaning” my brushes: 

1. Sanitize & remove product - done between true washings, sometimes right after use. This is when I use SEPHORA COLLECTION Instant Brush Cleaner Spray or BeautySoClean Conditioning Brush Cleanser (when traveling, I use Sephora Brush It Off Cleansing Brush wipes; hmm, looks like Sephora's discontinued these). For my handmade squirrel hair powder brushes, I often just wipe off excess product on a low-pile microfiber towel immediately after use, and then spritz them with one of those brush cleaner sprays once a week. 

2. True wash - I use Beautyblender blendercleanser® solid Unscented on all my brushes (I never use the grid/pad thingy it comes with; I find it completely unnecessary), and I travel with a mini solid. Wash frequency depends on bristle type: 

• Squirrel: once or twice a month 
• Goat: every one or two weeks 
• Synthetic: as often as possible (often within 48 hours of use for eye brushes) 

I don’t pick a specific day each week to wash brushes. Sometimes I wash one, then decide to wash a couple more, and might end up washing all the dirties at once or saving some to wash the next day. 

All my dirties wait in a cubby (a koala bear) on my bathroom mirror, above the sink. That way, I can’t ignore them and they’re conveniently within washing reach. 

Ugh, it's fuller now than I'd like it to be; gotta wash some of those brushes already.

For the last year or so, I’ve dried my brushes upside-down in mesh brush guards. They’re stiff enough that I can lean each brush against a wall or countertop acrylic drawer. But I’m about to reconfigure my magnetic bathroom wall again, and this time I’ll leave space to hang wet brushes on the wall. I found some little magnet pen holders that might work well for brush handles no thinner than the average pen or pencil. 

2 of the magnet pencil/pen holders currently tested to hold a Sephora brow brush (received as gratis from Sephora) and mascara.

[KatyCakes7]

Wow!, I love all the vanities there so tidy and neat 😍

[eshoe]

I clean my brushes once a week, @KatyCakes7. It’s my quiet time and it’s just fun to appreciate them! @WinglessOne tipped me off to a great little helper in properly drying them that has made things so much easier. Hers is nicer, mine was a very inexpensive knock-off Amazon buy😉

I use different cleansers (BB solids) for the hairs: natural/synthetic, but they all dry upside down next to each other. I don’t have a huge brush collection, but somehow it is slowly growing. I don’t mind cleaning my brushes, it’s actually incredibly satisfying for me☺️

Eta: also I would not suggest inserting them bristle side up as in the photo; water could drip down into the ferrule and cause damage to the integrity of the brush.

[WinglessOne]

@eshoe  Hey, if the inexpensive knock-off works, there's nothing wrong with that! 🙂 I stopped using mine at some point and switched to drying brushes upside-down in mesh brush guards: takes up less counter space for me. But I'm about to try a new approach that requires zero counter space. 

[eshoe]

I saw your photo @WinglessOne, and the little mesh rings look so cool! I like the idea of clearing up counter space, too, and forget to think vertically! You’ve inspired me and given me some ideas for changing up my organizational space:)

[WinglessOne]

@eshoe  Wall space is valuable real estate! Can't wait to see what you come up with. 🙂 

I'm thinking of putting all or most my face and cheek brushes (but not eye brushes) on the wall instead of in drawers. Just gotta find (or make) the right sized enclosure to keep them dust-free, which is why I opted for drawers in the first place. A medicine/jewelry cabinet or some shallow lidded boxes would work, but it's gotta be lightweight enough for Command Strips to hang, and it has to be within specific size dimensions to fit where I wanna put it. This is in addition to using those pen holder magnets to hang wet brushes up to dry. 

If anyone's interested, I found those pen holder magnets on Amazon: 

Spoiler

There's also a self-adhesive version of these holders.

[eshoe]

@WinglessOne I keep my Surratt brushes in a drawer, and have been trying to figure out a solution for the others I have sitting out and look nice but are just gathering dust. Are you looking to clear up drawer space? Even upside down, I would think a drawer to be more more protective. Unless you are using them more frequently. My problem is that I have brushes I don’t use but don’t want to dispose of; I use others because they are softer, and the ritual of using them is more enjoyable than the ones I hold on to for sentimental reasons🙄 

[WinglessOne]

@eshoe  (Delayed response due to notifications glitch; looks like I missed a few response tags this month. 🤦‍♀️) 

The problem with drawers is they flatten brushes, unless you use something inside the drawers to elevate the brush heads so they don't get smushed flat. That's not a big problem if you only ever use one side (the fluffed-out side) of a cheek or powder brush anyway, but repeated use puts more stress on that side of the brush than the other side. I'd make a bunch of brush head rests for drawers if I wasn't also trying to free up some counter space. 

In my earlier post, I mentioned finding or making a hanging case to keep cheek/powder brushes on the wall. I don't plan to just leave them hanging upside down out in the open, with no protection. 😉 Though honestly, the only "protection" my brushes need are from dust. My ideal solution is a clear case with a hinged lid I can swing open while the case hangs on the wall. I can attach some of those pen holders inside the case to hold bushes upside-down in the case, then close the case to keep brushes dust-free. This would also be a nice way to display my brushes. The only hanging brushes I'd leave hanging out in the open are those that are drying post-wash. 

If you've got brushes you never use but love to look at, you could try an acrylic dust-guard brush case like this one: 

This would be a great way to use up some of those PMG sequins, for those of us who've acquired tons of them. 😄

I have one but haven't used it yet, because I prefer my open-air kitty brush holder for all my eye brushes. 😄 Eh, I could put that holder + brushes inside the acrylic case, and find another use for the pearls that came with the case. Anyway, there are many versions of these cases, including long rectangular ones, to consider. 

[eshoe]

Thank you for the detailed response @WinglessOne. I also thought PMG sequins when I saw the acrylic container!

I saw a Sephora Collection hanging case and wondered if it would be something I could put to use. From your ideas and suggestions, I think I need to spend some time and get creative with my storage. No wonder you never sleep, how can that mind go to rest😂

[danielledanielle]

@eshoe , I have the knock off, too.  It's holding up well, I cracked the feet and taped it back 👌🏽👍🏽

[eshoe]

Oh no @danielledanielle! Happy to hear it’s still going strong, though😉

[SportyGirly125]

@eshoe I miss the ones from Benjabelle.  So sad they don't make their drying holders anymore.

[eshoe]

That’s the brand @SportyGirly125. I’m so bummed I missed out, they seemed perfect.

[SportyGirly125]

@eshoe I still have mine from 10 years ago and love it. 

[tjffc]

@KatyCakes7 I clean my brushes once a week on either Saturday or Sunday.  During the week, I use either MAC brush cleaner or SEPHORA COLLECTION Instant Brush Cleaner Spray to quickly clean off pigment on eye brushes.  

[eshoe]

Love knowing that Sundays involve some brush love @tjffc @SportyGirly125 @missjeanie 

 

[missjeanie]

Funny enough @eshoe I normally do this on Sunday's as well.  Sometimes I'll pop on a mask do my brushes then have a shower to rinse off my mask and be ready for Monday morning... back when I had more routine in my life anyhow lol.  

Your brush holder looks super fancy.  I lay a towel down over my curling iron (turned off lol) so that the handles lay up on the iron and the bristles are a bit lower to avoid draining water towards the handle.  I have a mat that I use as well from my Christmas stocking a few years back.  As for soaps I use the African Black Soap from Shea Moisture, Tarababyz on youtube mentioned it once and I figured for the price it was worth a shot.  I use a baby shampoo on my beauty blender unless I happen to have some point perks hiding around.

Great thread idea @tjffc @SportyGirly125 @KatyCakes7 @maddyox  eshoe thanks for sharing!

[eshoe]

It’s kind of a comforting thought, picturing all of us tending to our brushes to end the week @missjeanie 😊

I don’t think the brush holder was more than $25, and it’s perfect because it folds up making it portable too! 

eta I made a diy cleanser that called for lemon juice, and ruined a few of my Chanel brushes. The ones I use now are from a travel set. Lesson learned the hard way, acidic blends and natural bristles do NOT mix😢