Spot cleaning is usually done to quickly remove any colours/products or bacteria from your brushes when you’re in a hurry or don’t have access to a sink. It’s fairly simple to do and doesn’t require a lot of time or effort but it’s nowhere near as effective as deep cleaning.

When it comes to spot cleaning there are special dedicated brush cleaners out there but they can be expensive and not always effective. Majority of these brush cleaners are a fragrance mixed with a very high alcohol content and water.

My preferred preference when it comes to spot cleaning is rubbing alcohol. It’s cheap, works great and kills all the bacteria, sure it isn’t the nicest smelling thing out there (aka kind of smells like a hospital) but so far it’s the best thing I’ve found for spot cleaning. (In the past I have used M.A.C cosmetics Brush Cleaner and BeautyPro Brush Cleaner which are still both great products)

For spot cleaning your brushes I highly suggest you do it after EVERY use. Specifically for cream, liquid and gel products or if you are switching up colours. For powder blushes, bronzers, etc. you can get away with once every two days or just deep clean them once a week.

To see rubbing alcohol being used in action to clean your brushes check out the video below:

To use:

- Pour or spray some rubbing alcohol onto some paper towel or onto the bristles directly and wipe back and forth on the paper towel until the colour is completely out and lay to dry.

- Dip the bristles into some rubbing alcohol and then wipe off onto paper towel and lay to dry.

Tips:

- Put your rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle to make it easier to use.

- Whilst spot cleaning can be helpful it shouldn’t ever replace deep cleaning which will clean out everything from your brushes.

Rubbing alcohol can be purchased at your local drugstore/pharmacy.

Deep cleaning your brushes is the most important step in taking care of your brushes. It is the most effective way to clean out all the bacteria, colours, formulas and products out of your brushes and make them as good as new and ready to use again. However with deep cleaning the wait time can be annoying but it’s worth it in the end.

Hand soap, Shampoo and Dish washing detergent are all very common brush cleaners but they can severely damage the bristles due to the high sulfate content. Shampoo can also coat your brushes with silicons which prevents your brushes from picking up product better so avoid using this method.

Instead I prefer to use The Masters Brush Cleaner which is actually designed for art brushes but works amazing for makeup brushes. It gets out any type of product you have in the bristles like cheek/lip stains, eyelash glue, waterproof products, cream products (including dried cream products like foundation, gel eyeliner, etc) and powder products. It’s basically a bar soap for your brushes, to use it you just wet the bristles of your brush, swirl it around for a couple of seconds and rinse. It’s super affordable, will last you ages, washes out very quickly, removes everything, and smells nice.

When it comes to deep cleaning some people will tell you once every two weeks, once a month, every two months, every six months and maybe even once a year (cringe!) Deep cleaning should be done once a week, however I deep clean all my brushes after every use and if this is something you prefer to do I highly suggest it.

To see how to deep clean your brushes check out the video below:

To use:

- Dampen the bristles of the brush with warm water

- Swish the brush around in the brush cleaner and repeat as necessary.

- Rinse the brush cleanser out of the brush using warm water, reshape and lay on a towel to dry for a few hours (or overnight)

- Wash out the tub of brush cleaner with warm water and dry with paper towel.

Some tips:

- Avoid getting any water into the ferrule (this is the metal part of the brush which connects the bristles to the handle) as this can cause your brush to become loose, shed and fall apart.

- If you have brushes which have splayed or dry bristles you can leave the cleanser on it for a few hours and then wash it off after, this is especially good for stubborn product which is difficult to remove or bristles which have become dry.

- When drying your brushes never stand them up or the water will run into the ferrule, instead lie them flat on a tea towel with the bristles hanging off the edge of a bench or on a tea towel with the handle slightly elevated (you can do this with a book) so that the water runs out of the brush.

The Masters Brush Cleaner is available at most art & craft stores (Easily available at Michaels in the US) however I purchase mine off Ebay or Amazon.

Brushes are an essential item in every makeup kit and they can sometimes be more important then the makeup itself because if you don’t have good tools to apply them you might as well be using the worst products on the market. You need to use good quality brushes to achieve a good effect with your makeup and whilst it would be lovely if we could all afford to blow $70 odd dollars on a Dior Foundation Brush, this isn’t always an option… Beau make which is a brush range carried by Abbamart brushes are some that I use regularly and I have many brushes which I often reach for from them like these:

Short Tuff Duo Fibre Stippling Brush

One of my favourite brushes for applying foundation - densely packed and can make any foundation look sheer and natural without absorbing to much product. Also a full proof contour brush under the cheek bones, and to apply cream blush.

Duo Fibre Powder Blending Brush *

Nobody’s perfect and when your in a rush and still want to look pulled together it’s not unusual to go over the top with the blush, bronzer, contour or even end up with cakey foundation and this brush is the easiest and most effective way to tone down over the top makeup without reaching for the face wipes.

Large Fluff Brush *

I love this brush for setting my eye shadow primer and creamy shadows. It also comes in particularly handy for contouring underneath the cheekbones and down the sides of the nose.

Cream Shadow Brush

Cream shadows are one of my most used products and unlike most people I prefer to use a brush to apply them and this one is the one I generally use. It’s also great to use as a concealer or lip brush!

Precision Crease Brush

Having hooded eyelids definitely isn’t a blessing but this brush is, this is one of the very few brushes which fits into and defines my super tiny eye socket and means that I have more luck with creating defined eyes.

Fluffy Blending Eye Brush

These types of brushes are my most used, they are perfect for blending out harsh shadow lines and setting concealer to prevent creasing and mattifying a lip colour.

Flat Eyeliner Brush.

This is my go to whenever I want to tight-line my lash lines, it’s perfect for the push & wiggle technique and comes in handy when creating cat eyes or getting a precision lip-colour application.

Precision Eyeliner Brush

This brush is my secret to achieving a good and even cat eye, it’s so precise and you are able to create a flick easily at the outer corner of the eye!

Lip Brush.

Whilst this brush looks like a standard old typical lip brush I love it for it’s unique shape, it’s not to round or to square and it’s amazing at giving precise definition to the cupids bow

*This post contains a product/sample which was sent to me for editorial consideration in accordance with my disclosure policy, this does not alter the honesty of this review or the blog, all opinions stated are honest and my own.

What are your favourite budget brushes?

These are a few tips that will help you to determine and to pick a GREAT not a good, but a great one from a bad.

- Feel. If you test a brush on the inside of your wrist you’ll be able to get a bit of an idea on the quality of the bristles themselves. If the bristles feel scratchy, stiff, itchy or annoying when you brush it along the inside of your wrist ditch it. If it doesn’t feel good on your wrist it’s DEFINITELY not going to feel good on your face, not only this but when you go to apply your makeup it will appear blotchy and uneven.

- Shedding. When you first test a new brush try pulling at the bristles and a few bristles should come out and shed as this is completely normal for new brushes but if you find the brush sheds more bristles then a few and continues to shed you know the brush isn’t well made.

- Ferrule. The ferrule of the brush is actually reasonably important (FYI: The ferrule is what connects the bristles to the handle of the brush, this is normally metal or plastic (metal is generally stronger). When you’re testing out a brush try applying large amounts of pressure to the ferrule with your index finger. If the ferrule seems to melt, move, dent, change shape or look any different after you’ve applied the pressure from your finger, give it a miss. Also try and pay attention to see if the brush has little crimps (these are normally two little lines at the bottom of the ferrule that are dented into the metal/plastic and are the same colour), if the brush has these it’s going to be stronger than a brush which does not have these in the ferrule. Often the glue used to keep the ferrule in place and to join the bristles and the handle together is not strong enough, so the indent helps to keep it in place better.

- Pressure. You need to be able to apply pressure to a brush, if you can’t then the brush is simply useless. When you’re applying a particular product you need to be able to apply a good amount of pressure (think eyeliner, brow enhancer, etc.). So try pressing down the brush on the back of your hand or try drawing precision lines on the back of your hand. If the bristles are going in every direction or are moving the brush will just be useless. The bristles can move anywhere from 1mm to 5mm this may not sound like a lot but when you are doing precise work it sure as heck is.

- Balance. This is a little trick I learnt and one that some of the best MUA’s in the world use. When you want to buy a new makeup brush, try balancing on it on the very tip of its bristles. Hold the brush vertically (with the bristles pointing down) on the back of your hand, then lightly bounce the brush, this will help you to test the strength of the bristles, if the bristles have a slight bend, this is perfectly fine and normally, but if they splay or flatten completely the brush will not be any good and will mess up your whole makeup application. (If a quick few of the bristles shed, this is fine and completely normal, new brushes tend to lose a few bristles at first, but any more than a few then you’re looking at a bad brush)

ALSO: The brush head (the ferrule as well as the way the bristles have been assembled) should not be loose, spin easily or wobble on the handle; if they do you have struck a bad brush.

Now after this you should be able to pick out a good brush a lot easier, remember expensive doesn’t necessarily mean quality, and inexpensive doesn’t necessarily mean bad quality. There’s probably still one question on your mind though…

Which should I buy, Natural or synthetic brushes?

For things like foundation, concealer and lipstick/gloss it’s obvious  a synthetic brush would be the best option as these work easier with liquid/cream products.

On the other hand products which do not require synthetic bristles do not necessarily need to have a natural animal hair bristle used…

Most people are all caught up in Natural bristle brushes, and it’s often a first choice for many makeup artists as they do give a great application, synthetic bristles are often not looked as highly upon. Natural hair brushes contain a cuticle around them which helps to grab powder products easier while synthetic brushes do not, however nowadays many companies are coming out with synthetic bristled brushes which tend to look, feel and perform just like natural animal hair brushes (except you can use them with liquid and cream brushes to!). Such as one of my favourite brands To-Ray! (Available from abbamart).

My verdict is it really comes down to personal preference. If you find that animal hair brushes work better for you then great, they’ll be your best pick! But if you find that synthetics work better than they are a great option to (not to mention more versatile).

Just remember quality does not always mean the most expensive brushes.