The importance of washing your makeup brushes....

Hi everyone!

So a friend of mine suggested I started to write some articles on the blog. I have a few ideas and this is the one she suggested to me!

Makeup brushes, if you choose to use them, please make sure to wash! Washing your brush is important for at least three good reasons. First of all, the oil from your skin transfers to your brushes and so does the bacteria in the area from the room you choose to store/use it in. So, if you use it in the bathroom, then you can imagine that bacteria immediate in to the area after you flush the toilet! YUCK! This bacteria can cause break outs or skin irritations so washing your face brushes is extremely important.

Another good reason, is that your makeup application will be much smoother if your makeup brush is clean. Because your brush is covered in oils it soaks up the makeup and keeps it on the brush instead of distributing it evenly all over your face. The goal is to have your makeup on your skin not your brush!

And finally, your makeup brushes will last longer! If you properly care for your brushes you won't have to replace them as often. Every time you use your eyeshadow brush some eyeshadow is deposited on to the brush and if you don't wash it regularly the colour won't come out and the bristles might begin to get brittle and break off or become too heavy so they loosen from the brush handle.

So the question is, how to wash them?

Just like your face, your brushes should have a regular washing routine. Depending on how often you use the brush, you should wash them well once a week (specifically brushes you use on your face if you put on powder and foundation every day). Also, it is good to quickly wash the brush after every use with a quick drying formula.

These are the two I use:

Purchase: $10 @ M.A.C. cosmetics

Use MAC makeup brush cleanser once a week. Don't know how to properly clean your brush? Check out this link


Purchase: $13.50 @ London Drugs
And I use this after every use (Mostly), it is a quick drying formula so if you realize you still need to use the brush you can use it about 3 minutes after you apply the cleaner. To use this type of cleaner, spray a cotton ball with the cleaner and immediately gently rub the brush in a circular or back and forth motion (like a paint brush) to remove some of the colour. This stuff is great for cleaning eye makeup brushes you want to use during one application with different colours!

Styli-Style Liquid Eye Liner....

Pick of the day!

Purchase: $7 at London Drugs (discontinued at the store, not sure where you can find it now! Sorry!) Amazon $7.50

Long Lasting: 10 out of 10

Colour Selections: 9 out of 10

This stuff is fantastic! It even lasted all day on my waterline which has never happened for me before! The unfortunate part, is that LD no longer carries this product. I should have purchased two!

Anyways, this stuff is fantastic, and I even figured out that you can pull out the tip and flip it for a whole new tip if the tip begins to fray after awhile! Great idea! One of the cosmetitions at my work told me that she loved the regular Styli-Style eyeliner so apparently the khol pencils are great too! Awesome product!

Do you want long, beautiful, NATURAL lashes??

Long Lashes: 10 out of 10
Volumizing: 8 out of 10
Purchase: $60 @ London Drugs, on sale for $39.99

This stuff is AMAZING! Put it on before bed for about three weeks and BLAMO! Amazingly long lashes! My lashes are SO LONG right now! However, I did buy it for its volumizing promises which I haven't noticed as much. That might be because I just don't have that many hair follicles for hair to grow out of! But yes, this stuff really works! I think what it does is makes it that your eyelashes are a lot stronger and don't fall out as much, therefore, they become nice and long. However, if you don't have hair follicles for your eyelashes to grow out of it can't just make you have fuller lashes.

The one downfall is, is that this stuff is pretty pricey at regular price. However, it has gone on sale twice over the last 6 months at LD so I'll keep you all posted on sales!

UPDATE OCTOBER 27th: If you are worried about pigmentation colouring, eye irritation etc check out this link.

Badgal Lash a Bad Lash Enhancer?

Benefit BADgal Lash

Purchase: Sephora

Price: $9-19

Volumizing effect: 7 out of 10

Separating effect: 9 out of 10


At first try I really liked this stuff. It separated my lashes and made them look fairly thick. The brush is very big and so it is hard to miss a lash with this thing. However, the volumizing effect was lost quickly and after the 5-8th time I used it I only noticed a lot of separation. Also, I didn't feel like very much product was going on (which is a good thing for those of you who are SICK of clumply lashes). I suggest trying the trial sized one (the $9 one that I have) and seeing if you like the effect before spending the big bucks.

Does your favourite brand test on animals?

So my friend sent me this link and it has a list of products that DO NOT test on animals and a list that does! Check it out!

Bunk Hair Curler? Redken Curling Foam.

Purchase: Hair Salons
Curling Power: 7 out of 10
Holding Power: 5 out of 10

The immediate curling action of this product is pretty good. However, the hold does not last very long, specifically for those of us with naturally straight or slightly wavy hair. The hair is pretty crunchy after use as well so when you move your hair around throughout the day, it ends up changing shape and losing its curl. I am not sure how well this would work on people with curly hair though so feel free to comment if you've used it before!

M.A.C. Cosmetics Prep + Prime Loose Powder

Price: $27.00
Purchase: M.A.C. online

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

This is no miracle product but it does help a with shine a bit. Although it is called 'prep and prime' it is actually meant to be put on AFTER foundation and/or powder. However, I feel that putting on foundation, plus a face powder, plus this powder, is a bit much to put on your face. Especially if you are worrying about breaking out or looking cakey. I do like to use this product alone though, especially if I just put a little moisturizer on and then put the powder on after to keep my face from getting greasy--it definitely works better without having foundation/powder on first. Basically, the more product you put on your face the more likely it is to smudge off... often I will have foundation primer on, foundation, and a setting powder so adding the prime and prep is a LOT of stuff. If you are going to try this product, I suggest using it either just over moisturizer, or use it instead of a translucent or coloured pressed/loose powder. If you use it directly after your foundation it keeps a mattified look for longer!

Sephora Collection Double Ended Smokey Eye Brush

Purchase: $22 @ Sephora
Product Rating: 6.5 out of 10

There is nothing special about this brush. It is a good value brush because it has two different brushes on each end. However, the rounded end of the brush is quite stiff and I find that it turns my lid pink and makes it sore the next day. I don't have overly sensitive lids but this one definitely makes it sensitive. The rounded brush isn't really that necessary for blending. You can find much softer and better brushes, for instance, the M.A.C. 217 brush or the Lise Watier rounded brush (Review to come). If you are looking to save money then this might be a good option for you. However, if you are looking for quality there are other options out there. I suggest using a Q-Tip to smudge your eyeshadow to make a smokey eye, or even your finger, instead of this stiff, bristly brush.

MAC 217 Blending Brush

Purchase: $27 @ M.A.C.

An amazing brush! You can do so much with this! First, you can use it as a flat brush to apply colour all over the lid. Then, you can put it in your crease/outside corner of the eye to blend in a darker colour for an accent.... the bristles are pretty stiff so the colour goes on really thick! If you are blending, make sure to have very little colour on the brush and just blend blend blend! The make up artist at M.A.C. SWORE by this brush! Also, I have found that a lot of online beauty bloggers use this brush.... So I would say this is a MUST HAVE BRUSH if you are looking to have just a few key tools in your kit!

Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Matte Foundation

Coverage: 8 out of 10
Colour matching: 10 out of 10
Price: $31
Mattifying effect: 5 out of 10

This stuff is pretty great! Contrary to popular belief, this mineral make-up works on all skin types (Dry, combination, oily). It looks like a powder but it is actually not, it is more like a cream.
Not only is it a foundation, but you can use it as a cover-up! Even better, this stuff is SPF 15!!
Also, Sephora has a great deal on right now that you can pick your own foundation and add it to a starter kit for $70-75! It includes 1 face brush, 1 blush brush, 1 cover-up brush and your choice of regular and matte foundation. Unfortunately though, my face still gets slick around my T-Zone by mid-afternoon so this stuff doesn't really help keep my matte. There is also an original formula so you can choose the look you want.

Research Results:
Here's what women have said:
- 93% saw minimized pores*
- 85% experienced improved skin clarity with continued use*
- 89% said this foundation reduced oily shine throughout the day*
*Based on an independent consumer study