Brushes are an important part of any make-up routine. The right foundation brush or sponge can mean the difference between a beautiful natural make-up look or a caked up face. And by ‘right’ I don’t only mean a good brush, but also a clean one. Dirt and make-up don’t go well together at all. Not only will it impact the way your make-up will look throughout the day, dirty brushes will also cause breakouts and other skin issues. So even though it’s not the most fun job in the world, I have found a very effective and easy way to clean my brushes and I would love to share it with you!

Before I go over my routine I will tell you a little bit about the cleansing palette I use. There are a lot of crazy expensive brush cleaning gloves. But I have found a great alternative that works just as great. It’s the Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette. It is very inexpensive and such an essential when it comes to getting all the products out of your brushes, because of the textured silicone surface. It also has a convenient handle on the back so you can hold on to it.

Step 1 – Clean Make-up Brushes

I double cleanse my brushes and the first thing I use is my daughters shampoo from Burt’s Bees. It’s the Baby Bee Shampoo and Wash. I use this because it is very gentle, it smells amazing and we always have a bottle lying around. I put a little bit on the Cleansing Palette, wet the bristles (not the handles!) of my brushes and swirl them through the shampoo. I repeat this step using just water, to wash off the shampoo and most of the make-up.

Step 2 – Disinfect Make-up Brushes

Next I disinfect my brushes using the Mac Brush Cleanser. I find this product not only takes care of the last traces of make-up, but it also makes my brushes smell really clean and nice. I especially recommend this if you use  beauty blender. According to the Mac website it is designed to extend the life of your brushes and to help shorten their drying time.

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Step 3 – Swoosh

Before I let them dry I do this very sophisticated thing where I grab each brush and – I don’t even know if there is a proper word for this – but I swoosh them through the air to get rid of some of the water in the bristles. This is way more effective than squeezing the water out of the brushes to shorten their drying time. And it will also cause any residue make-up to come to the tips of the bristles so I can take care of that as well.

Step 4 – Dry Make-up Brushes

I hardly ever clean all of my brushes all at once; usually four or five at a time. That allows me to let them dry on the Real Techniques Cleansing Palette. Because it has a handle on the back, the palette will tip over so your brushes can dry with the bristles facing downwards. This will make your brushes dry faster and last longer. Avoid letting your brushes dry with the bristles facing upwards, lying horizontally or pressing down on the bristles. Whenever I do clean a lot of brushes at the same time I take a clothing hanger and some elastics and tie my brushes to the hanger upside down.

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