My Morphe Brushes Collection

Hello everyone! WOW, it has been a crazy amount of time since I've blogged, I won't get into it here but expect a post soon with some exciting news...anyway jumping straight into this post - brushes are a really important part of applying makeup and its hard to progress if you don't have a decent collection. I've loved building my collection for years now, and a brand that has slowly taken over in the past two-three years is Morphe. I know they have quite the reputation on social media, especially with the bigger U.S beauty gurus and their constant sharing of money off codes etc...which has lead a lot of people to speculate if the brand is any good at all. I decided to try out one eyeshadow brush from them, since they became easily available from beautybay, two years ago and I quickly become addicted! Now I own around 17 Morphe brushes, and today I'm finally going to be reviewing each and every one in depth, so read on for the must haves and also the ones to avoid...This post is roughly split into three sections, but bear with me, something went wrong with the photography order and I don't think I have close ups of every brush (which is why it has taken me the longest time to write this up 🙄) I've labelled everything anyway, so it should hopefully be clear enough.

Face Brushes

Let's start with the five face brushes - surprisingly each of these has the green light! I use them ALL on a regular basis and have been impressed with the durability of them too. Now I have to just point out, the second brush isn't actually a Morphe one, it looked so similar when I grabbed them from my brush basket! However I do have the actual one photographed and reviewed below (and yes, it looks like an eyeshadow brush, but just trust me on this one).

So starting with the two that I do not have an individual photo of:

M164 | £5.50 

This is the newest brush in my collection and probably the most unusual of the bunch. It is called a small angled contour brush and I picked it up to help me improve my nose contouring. The brush isn't too big, but I did expect it to be a little smaller...however it serves it's purpose well. I can easily dip this into my favourite contouring powder and use it to neatly apply contour. It hasn't magically transformed me into a master nose contourer, I still have a way to go, however I do think that it helps. Do I think it's a must have though? No. I could definitely create a nose contour without this, but for just over a fiver I'm glad I didn't dismiss it.

Repurchase? No.  Rating: 3/5

M501 | £8.00

The fluffy brush next, I LOVE this and I think my highlighting skills were immediately enhanced when I decided to purchase this brush. I did own fan brushes and ever the sigma tapered highlight before this, however nothing really does the job as well. The size of this brush is perfect, too small for blusher, but great for highlighting all over the face and I like how it is kind of tapered, but not super precise. I think it is the natural haired bristles which makes this brush what it is, not the softest to touch but because of the texture it picks up product really well and distributes it even better. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a new highlighting brush, it is wonderful. Also I don't think this is the super hyped up brush lots of youtubers use, I haven't purchased that one but I think its very similar!

Repurchase? Yes! Rating: 5/5

E6 | £15.00

This is the first foundation buffing brush that I purchased after being absolutely smitten with the R.T buffing brush for years and years. Then of course came the beauty blender and that is a love affair which I doubt will ever end! However I did was to try a couple of different blending brushes for foundatuon as I was getting more and more bored of the RT and sometimes, certain formulas just work better with a brush. Especially foundations which have a lighter coverage, like the MUFE F&B for example. I picked up this brush and absolutely loved it straight away! It's got a flat top and is fairly large, so I find that I can quickly blend my base with no streaks and it hardly soaks up any product (something which can't be said for any beauty sponge). I typically like to use this brush to stipple my foundation on first and then blend it out and I am a big fan.

Repurchase: Yes, it's my go-to brush for foundation!     Rating: 5/5

E8 | £6.00

Another brush from their 'elite' collection, which is as the name suggests, the most premium from their line and this one is AMAZING! I've actually just picked up a second one, because it is just that fantastic. The size of this brush is what makes it so versatile, it has a fluffy head and usually I wouldn't bother to try this with liquid products because looking at it, for me it just reminds me of a powder brush for applying onto particularly small areas. However it is infact, a wonderful brush for both powder and liquid. I have used it to blend out concealer beautifully, as well as apply powder strategically on only the areas I needed to. I can also contour with it and when if I'm ever working really hard on my base and I have that extra time, using a little brush like this will perfect my foundation application (as this brush gets into all the nooks and crannies!). Also THE PRICE IS A STEAL! Must have 🙌🏽

Repurchase: Yes, I already did ^_^      Rating: 5/5

M421 | £3.50

You may be wondering why such a small brush has ended up in the face brushes section, however if you’re a watcher of Wayne Goss, you will understand. I have tried to use flat brushes to pack shadow onto the lid and for the most part they aren’t my favourite, I much prefer a denser smaller brush which picks up product better. So this little brush, labelled as a mini concealer brush, is indeed fantastic for all things concealing. I love using this to spot conceal redness around the nose and discolouration around the mouth, but mainly I have become obsessed with using it to ‘clean up the brows’ when I have the time. Honestly the first time I used it I couldn’t believe how different my whole face looked, my brows fitted so much better and they looked sharp but not too bold - VERY pulled together. I really don’t know where this brush has been all my life, but I need back ups cause I cannot risk losing it (and at this price, I can afford back ups too!). 

Repurchase: YES!     Rating: 5/5

M153 | £3.50

Now this brush is technically supposed to be in the second category, but I accidentally photographed it with the 421, so on we go. Unfortunately this one does not have such a glowing review, and yes its just as cheap but its one I rarely reach for. The 153 is a flat shader brush, much wider than the above and it has super soft bristles too. However it's not as good as packing colour onto the lid, as a smaller crease brush would be and that is mostly due to the size. I have medium lids, they're not super large and so packing on shadow with this would be very clumsy and messy, unless I'm going for that super basic one shadow look...and even then, I'd still have to pick up a blending brush as well as this one, which kind of defeats the whole base look, am I right? Wayne Goss dislikes flat shaders for eyeshadow and so does Charlotte Tilbury apparently, and since I purchased this brush, I totally get why. Anyways the best use I have found for this is for swatching...so not one I'm a fan of at all.

Repurchase: Nope.    Rating: 2/5

Detail/Miscellaneous brushes

These brushes are the ones that I think most beginners wouldn't think of first when they're trying to pick up some decent brushes. However, a lot of them are also the brushes that have upped my makeup game SO much, and I really don't know how I was applying shadow without them before. Again, some 5/5s and some eh ones. I think what Morphe has done really well, is created brushes that are affordable (more so than Zoeva and higher end brands), but also purposeful (most of them!). I've already reviewed the M153 above and that was NOT a fave, so lets move on to the rest of them.

E18 | £6.00

Another brush from the elite collection, this one is really useful, especially if you have a smaller lid space. I use this to pack on colours in smaller areas of the eyelid, as well as blend shades into my crease too. The unique thing about this brush, compared to the other smaller and detailed brushes in my collection is that I can actually use it to blend very well. It's not the smallest, but it is excellent at crease work and I reach for this when I want to blend a light shade under the lower lashline too. Not for a stronger colour as I prefer to use a smaller detailed brush for precise colour - however again, its super for blending out smaller areas! And if you know anything about eyeshadow, you'll agree with me that blending is key. I wish it were a little cheaper, but I use it regularly so I can't complain.

Repurchase: Yes ^_^     Rating: 4/5

M431 | £5.50

I would describe this as a pencil brush and I have several uses for it, with the first being a lower lash line brush. I primarily use this with lighter brown shades, as it’s a little bigger than the usual ‘detail’ brushes, which means it can actually blend out shadow to a certain extent. The other use is for inner corner highlight, especially if you’re going to more of an obvious look - it works a treat!! And finally for a brow bone highlight, the M431 is the perfect size. Also this brush is a great dupe for the Zoeva 230 pencil brush, which costs £9. The only difference is that the M431 is just a little smaller, which allows for more precision, so I tend to reach for the Morphe one much more often! You can see that in size, this pencil brush is more narrow than the crease one and I love the pointed end because it allows for a decent amount of precision. The bristles are made from goat hair and so pick up shadow very well - and its not scratchy either!

Repurchase: Yes, my inner corner highlight wouldn't be the same without!  Rating: 5/5

M507 | £6.00

One of the BEST brushes I have ever used, I love this brush SO much. Its slightly pointed and pretty small, which makes it perfect for anyone with small-medium lid space. I adore this for blending in colour, or adding specific colour to the outer/inner v or the eye and sometimes when I'm in a real rush, I use this to blend out a lighter shade under the lower lashline too. It is just the perfect size for blending or adding simple details. For example, I'll use a large fluffy brush for all over the lid and then go in with the M507 and a deeper shade into the crease, using the end to flick out the shade and add that special touch...the best £6 I could have ever spent - and I've not seen a better brush from any other brand out there. Honestly I strongly suggest you go and place this in your basket now, you will not regret it.

Repurchase: YES!!!    Rating: 5/5

M575 | £6.00 

Unfortunately this particular brush isn't one  I’ve been too impressed with. On the beauty bay website, it is described as a brush that can ‘soften colour’ and it has a VERY tapered point, which is the main reason why I picked it up. However the bristles are far too long for any real blending (hence why I put it in this category). I have tried to diffuse colour out with it, but I much prefer using a smaller brush like to 507 to get a beautiful blend. I’ve also used this for adding colour to the crease, however its just a little too clumsy and difficult to manoeuvre. I wish I'd just picked up a second M507 instead (or maybe the 506!), but hey - we live and we learn.

Repurchase: Naaaah.    Rating: 2/5

Blending brushes

And on to my favourites - the brushes that we need to take a look from 0-100. They are such an essential that I own several and I'm constantly using them. Often these are great brushes for simple looks, as well as the more intricate and there are a lot of loved brushes in this section.

M521 | £6.00

Now I know I just went on and on about how much I love blending brushes, but this is actually one of the ones I DON'T recommend - they can't all be awesome hah. The reason I'm not a fan is because the whole brush is quite stiff, which means that it just isn't great for blending out product. It is designed to be a shader brush, but even applying shadow with it feels too rough and harsh on the eyelid, so I don't find myself reaching for this often at all. I'm going to try and use it as a highlighter brush maybe...I'm not sure if it's just too small for that to be honest! Bottomline - I don't use this and wish I could have spent my six quid on something better.

Repurchase? Noooooooo.     Rating: 1/5

M504 | £6.95

Firstly I'm very confused because this is currently nowhere to be seen on the beautybay website...I hope they are planning on bringing it back!  I did find it on another site, but its out of stock :( The 504 is one of my favourite super fluffy blending brushes, the bristles are the perfect length to really buff shadow out and I tend to reach for this when I am setting base down and also applying one colour all over the lid. It's a little large to be a 'one brush wonder', and if I'm ever doing a 3-4 colour look I'll always use smaller brushes alongside the M504, however this is an essential part of the mix. And for the days when I have less than 10 minutes to get ready, a bit of peach smoothie with this brush is all I need and I'm good to go! I've heard this is similar to the famous Sigma E40 and I definitely use it for the same purpose.

Repurchase? Yes!   Rating: 5/5

M502 | £6.00

This is the little sister to the M504, it is literally the same brush but just a smaller size and I love it! Because I don't have the biggest eyelid space, I really enjoy using this whenever I'm doing a look which requires more precision, as it is perfect for blending out smaller areas. To be honest this is the best crease blending brush I own, it fits perfectly and I find myself using this so so often. I'm genuinely struggling to describe WHY its my favourite, IT JUST WORKS SOOOOO WELL! Highly highly recommend!

Repurchase? Yes!!! Rating: 5/5

MB23 | £5.00

This brush I picked up on a total whim and it was only around 3 quid when I got it (and probably due to the lower price tag!), but it's actually one I reach for more often than not. With its longer than the norm, bristles and the soft fluffy finish I find it great for softly blending out shadows. Is it a must have? No. But it is nice to have in the collection and this is usually the brush I use when I need a clean blending brush inbetween shades. I love how soft the bristles feel on the delicate eye area and it gets the job done. Not the most versatile and not really one I'd purchase again and again, but I can't fault it.

Repurchase? Probably not, because for a fiver I'd rather repurchase an absolute fave.    Rating: 4/5

E21 | £4.00

This is weird...I feel like I purchased this for more than four quid...but anyway! The E21 is a slanted blending brush and it has quite a large head, so I tend to reach for it when I'm setting my concealer/base on my eyelid and also for the crease shade. I think for the price, the quality is fantastic, and it is a more versatile brush as I have used this for liquid products as well as powder. If you're looking for a precision blender, then this isn't for you, but in terms of a general good brush - it ticks a lot of boxes!

Repurchase? Not now that I've found a brush I prefer for concealer...no.    Rating: 4/5

M139 | £3.50

Moving back to more blender type of brushes, this is probably one of my all time favourite brushes in my collection and the fact that it costs the same amount as a coffee makes it just that much sweeter! The size of this brush is what makes it so fantastic, like I've mentioned before, I don't have the most eyelid space but I still love applying shadow and playing around with colour, so brushes of this size are perfection. It is great for blending out concentrated colour in small areas and for applying creases shades too. I love it and I'm waiting for it to come back into stock so I can purchase a back up!

Repurchase: YES!!!!  Rating: 5/5

M330 | £6.00

And finishing off this awfully long post with an absolute FAVOURITE - the 330 is again amazing if you have small/medium eyelid space and you're looking for a soft blending brush which has the slightest taper. It is such good value for money, I use it almost every single time I do my makeup and that is why I actually have two of these. The versatility (and the fact that I can both apply and blend shadow with this), is what makes it even more fantastic and it is one of this 'one brush wonders'. If I HAD to only take three brushes with me travelling, this would be one of them, so I think everyone and their auntie should own at least one, because it is a total must have!

Repurchase? Already have!   Rating: 5/5



THIS POST HONESTLY TOOK ME MONTHS TO WRITE. Somewhere inbetween starting this, I got way too busy with teaching prep and then I lost all motivation to blog and then I just got too busy with the actual NQT life. It does feel lovely to be blogging again though, even if it is stupid o'clock and I have a morning full of diary writing and P.E to face! Anyway, I hope this post was helpful for you all, honestly morphe is a brand that is worth trying out - it definitely rivals some of it's competitors and beats the price too. Obviously there are hits and misses, but everything that I've rated a 4-5/5 is worth trying...especially if you're looking to update your brush wardrobe ☺️

Have you tried Morphe brushes? Any recommendations?

Thank-you for reading ♥

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My Morphe Brushes Collection

Hello everyone! WOW, it has been a crazy amount of time since I've blogged, I won't get into it here but expect a post soon with some exciting news...anyway jumping straight into this post - brushes are a really important part of applying makeup and its hard to progress if you don't have a decent collection. I've loved building my collection for years now, and a brand that has slowly taken over in the past two-three years is Morphe. I know they have quite the reputation on social media, especially with the bigger U.S beauty gurus and their constant sharing of money off codes etc...which has lead a lot of people to speculate if the brand is any good at all. I decided to try out one eyeshadow brush from them, since they became easily available from beautybay, two years ago and I quickly become addicted! Now I own around 17 Morphe brushes, and today I'm finally going to be reviewing each and every one in depth, so read on for the must haves and also the ones to avoid...This post is roughly split into three sections, but bear with me, something went wrong with the photography order and I don't think I have close ups of every brush (which is why it has taken me the longest time to write this up 🙄) I've labelled everything anyway, so it should hopefully be clear enough.

Review | Zoeva En Taupe Brush Set

Hello everyone, I hope you're doing really well. Due to lack of lighting and zero time I've posted a little later than I had planned, but hey I am back and with a review of a beautiful brush set that I've hardly heard of on the net! Zoeva brushes are very well known to be great cheaper alternatives to brands like MAC and Sigma. I had wanted to pick up some decent eyeshadow brushes for the longest time, but felt like with the amount of brushes in my collection I really couldn't justify a £50+ brush kit. Then one day I randomly stumbled across the En Taupe Brush Set (£40), and I was instantly drawn to it. The price is decent, because its a 7 piece kit with 6 full size brushes and a really nice brush case/pouch...so each costing around £5.71. You can buy a single zoeva eyeshadow brush for almost a tenner, so thats why the brush kits are really popular and well worth the money. I'm going to be reviewing each brush in detail and then summing it all up at the end, enjoy!

Starting with one of their most popular brush, the 227 soft definer (£9.00 individually) is well known to be a dupe for the MAC 217. I love it too, just as much as everyone else because it really is a 'one-brush-wonder'. You can do a basic or even slightly intricate eyeshadow look with just this brush, it is just flat enough to be good at applying a shade all over the lid, whilst also being fluffy enough to blend shadows out. I don't have the biggest lids, so I really appreciate the size of this. It's one of those brushes that I could do with having a couple in my collection, I've used this the most from all six and I really do think everyone should have a 227 in their life!

Moving on to another favourite, the 238 Luxe precise shader brush (£9.00 individually) is another brush I think everyone needs and one that isn't talked about much, but its made such a huge difference to my makeup routine! This cute little brush is fantastic for adding colour along the lower lashline, which has been a big game changing step in my eyeshadow application. It also makes a great inner-corner highlight brush, as well as a good one to use for smudging darker shadows along the upper lashline, if i'm not going for a crisp wing. Another thing I love it for, is adding a darker shade into my eye shadow look. We've all been there where we've used a fluffy crease brush, dipped it into a dark shadow and then ruined everything because thats just TOO MUCH shadow. The precise shader is the perfect way to introduce a tiny bit of shadow into the crease, to the further blend out with a different brush. Oh AND of courseeeee its excellent for adding glitter or a pop of colour in a small area. I mean I thin the amount I've written for such a tiny brush says it all, love love love it.

Another brush that I adore is the 230 luxe pencil brush (£9.00 individually), it's basically the perfect size for blending out shadow along the lower lashline, you can apply AND blend shadow in small areas with this unlike the one above - although I still love that one but we've already discussed that haha. I also like this for adding deeper shades in the crease, and for very detailed blending of small areas. Though I'm not sure I'd spent almost a tenner on it, I'm very glad that it is included in this kit!

The 317 wing liner brush (£8.00 individually) is another dupe for an unethical brand that I shall (and have) only mentioned once in this post lol. It has a very prominent slant, which makes it fantastic for both winged liner and the brows too. I hardly used it when I first go the kit, however I really do enjoy it with the ABH dip brow and the colourpop alternative too. Whilst I don't have the time to do a wing with a brush and a gel liner pot on the day to day, when I do have more time to play with makeup this is THE brush to use. It's a good one, not a total must have but I'm pleased to have it.

Moving on to the 322 brow line (£8.00 individually), this is by far the most unusual brush in my collection and I wasn't sure what to do with it at first! I've kind of discovered that it works beautifully with the dip brow again, especially if you have thicker brows or want to go for more of a bolder look. I think some people also use this to clean up their brows. I tried this once and it worked well but its was just quite time consuming...for a special occasion sure, for everyday? No chance! Haha. Again its a good brush, would I pay £8 for it alone? No. However it works well for the brows and the brows are such an important feature of the face, I ain't mad about having another brush specifically for them.

And finally the second blending brush in this kit, which is also very well known and loved is the 228 luxe crease brush (£9.00 individually). This is great, I usually opt for this when I apply a wash of colour over the lid, or add some warmth into the crease. The bristles of this brush are quite a bit longer that the 227, which means doesn't pack on as much colour and thats also why I think they're both like sister and go so well together, especially when doing a lot of blending! I appreciate that its still quite long and streamlined, so although you can blend out shadows quickly, you can still be pretty precise.

A little photo to show you the difference between the 227 and 228 (on the right). If you're looking for some decent blending brushes that'll last you a good few years, but you don't want a whole brush kit, these two are your best bet!

Round Up:

Rating: 10/10

Pros: Affordable and fantastic value for money, it includes brushes that I can't see my collection being without now! But also the brushes that I'm not crazy over, I still use frequently, so there really aren't any dud brushes at all. They're comfortable to hold and very well made brushes which'll last a good few years. I really like the case you get with it, I'll often travel with it and finally I have a place to keep my beauty sponges too haha. The quality is definitely on par with more expensive brushes, so having it in a value set makes it even better. Also having a brush set means I've been able to try out brushes that I wouldn't usually even considering buying individually.

Cons: Although the brushes do retain their shape just fine, sometimes they get a lil stained. Since taking these photos I have washed them a few times and it tends to depend on the kinds of shades I'm using. However thats really my only con!

Overall: I honestly think this is the best eyeshadow brush kit they offer in terms of price and variety of brushes too! It definitely deserves more recognition which is why it had to be my first review of 2017 - if you've been umming and ahhing over zoeva eyeshadow brushes, I really don't think you'd regret picking this up. Also it'd make a fantastic gift for any lady in your life, if she has a lot of brushes already she won't be mad at more and if she's just getting into makeup, this'll be SO useful and she will love you.

Have you got any Zoeva brush kits? Any fave brushes?

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Review | Zoeva En Taupe Brush Set

Hello everyone, I hope you're doing really well. Due to lack of lighting and zero time I've posted a little later than I had planned, but hey I am back and with a review of a beautiful brush set that I've hardly heard of on the net! Zoeva brushes are very well known to be great cheaper alternatives to brands like MAC and Sigma. I had wanted to pick up some decent eyeshadow brushes for the longest time, but felt like with the amount of brushes in my collection I really couldn't justify a £50+ brush kit. Then one day I randomly stumbled across the En Taupe Brush Set (£40), and I was instantly drawn to it. The price is decent, because its a 7 piece kit with 6 full size brushes and a really nice brush case/pouch...so each costing around £5.71. You can buy a single zoeva eyeshadow brush for almost a tenner, so thats why the brush kits are really popular and well worth the money. I'm going to be reviewing each brush in detail and then summing it all up at the end, enjoy!

Review | Brush Cleaning Egg

Hello everyone! I’m so glad my first product review from Born Pretty Store was such a hit, a lot of lovely ladies told me that they ordered the mini beauty blender dupe and they were super happy with it! Today I am going to be reviewing the Brush Cleaning Egg* which I have used a couple of times now and I’m ready to give y’all the low down!


So this little pink rubber cleaning tool is currently on sale for $2.99! It is usually $7.11 and they are supplied in a random colour. I think it’s inspired by the Benefit brush cleaning glove, but much much smaller of course. The cleaning egg is the size of my palm and it has a flat side with vertical ridges across the majority of it. At the tip of the egg there are smaller round ridges and at the bottom of the ‘egg’ there’s space for you to put two fingers in and hold the tool like that. It is totally hollow on the inside and it stays put throughout washing.

The whole purpose of this tool is to help make cleaning brushes quicker and easier. I always preach about cleaning brushes regularly but lately I haven’t had the time to clean all my brushes in one go, so I was hoping this would live up to it’s purpose. I have a detailed post on how to thoroughly clean your brushes here. 

The way I tested this out was by putting my two magic ingredients in a small bowl, mixed with some warm water and then I slipped the cleaning egg over two fingers on my left hand. I soaked the brush in the solution for 10 seconds and then I started rubbing the brush against the ridges. I was really impressed with how quickly it lathered up and how much foundation was being removed as I washed the brush! The ridges helped to get in-between the bristles and dislodge product much quicker than when I use my hands and it cut the time I spent lathering the brush up in half - success!

The small circular ridges were particularly good for eye brushes and worked very effectively, so all in all this affordable little tool is well worth picking up. The only thing I would change is the size. I would have preferred if I could have fitted four fingers in as I feel like this would have made the tool even more efficient and time saving!

Overall Rating

Rating: 8

Pros: Super affordable, fits comfortably on two fingers, has two different textures which both work well at cleaning makeup and dirt off brushes. The ridges allow you to get deeply into the brush, which is harder to do with just fingers. It does speed up the process of brush washing and my brushes have all looked a good deal cleaner than before.

Cons: I wish it were bigger in size so I could get more brushes washed before rinsing it off!

Repurchase? Well I doubt this’ll fall apart anytime soon, but since it has helped I would repurchase (though a bigger size would make me even happier!).

 

You can purchase the brush cleaning egg from here and if you want 10% off use the code IQAH10. Oh and did I mention free worldwide shipping? It’ll take around 2 weeks to get to you, but for the price and quality its well worth it!

Do you have any tools to help speed up brush cleaning?

*This post contains press samples or products gifted to me. All opinions are my own. For more info check my Disclaimer .

 

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Review | Brush Cleaning Egg

Hello everyone! I’m so glad my first product review from Born Pretty Store was such a hit, a lot of lovely ladies told me that they ordered the mini beauty blender dupe and they were super happy with it! Today I am going to be reviewing the Brush Cleaning Egg* which I have used a couple of times now and I’m ready to give y’all the low down!

Brush Series | How I Thoroughly Wash My Brushes!

hello! welcome to the second post of my brush series – just a quick note as I am currently moving bedrooms (which is almost as stressful as moving house!) a few of my brushes have gone for walk-abouts so whilst I wanted to have more than 2 posts up already, I’ll have to blog as and when I can ._.

Why It Is SO Important To Wash Your Brushes

Ok so I’ve already established that it’s mighty useful to own a decent set of makeup brushes, and I’ve shared my ultimate favourites/must haves in this post here. However washing you brushes and keeping them as bacteria and dust free as possible is an absolute essential part of owning brushes. Put it this way, you’ve just used your spiffing buffing brush to apply foundation and even out the skin tone but regardless of how much you blend there will always be a little product left on the bristles. You continue using this brush for the rest of the week, probably not harmful for those of us with skin that isn’t super sensitive…but if you KEEP using that brush for a second, third even forth week? You are inviting a multitude of bacteria oil and dirt to be spread all over your face, which then leads to breakouts and clogged up pores like you wouldn’t believe! Not to mention the fact that brushes are an investment, and so should be cleaned thoroughly, using soap and water not just an alcohol based ‘brush cleaner’ (which dry the bristles out and are typically only recommendable to makeup artists who need a particular brush clean in a hurry.)

Some wash their main face brush every single day, but I don’t find it problematic to wait a week. I do however have a few face brushes floating around and rarely use the SAME brush for my base every single day of that week. If you don’t own a couple of face brushes and are noticing spots keep occurring, it’s definitely worth giving your brush a quick yet thorough clean a few times a week!

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The Ingredients To A Thorough Brush Clean

Right so I’m going to be sharing with you beauties, the way I was my brushes. I started using this routine when I purchased my first real techniques brush set (around a year ago) and I can honestly say it has kept my brushes in a fantastic condition, and the bristles are as soft as they were when I first bought them. Some people choose to use baby shampoo as it is mild and cheap to source. 

I personally don’t think this shampoo is strong enough to thoroughly clean the bristles as it’s designed for those tiny, helpless delicate humans not for removing stubborn bacteria and oil! So instead I use Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap in either Lavender or Citrus (the latter being my favourite) and the amazing Extra Virgin Olive Oil!

The magic soap got its name because of its seemingly endless uses! ‘18-in-1 pure castile soap made with organic oils’ I mean really I could do a whole other post on how you can use these soaps (which come in a range of different scents) but the main stand out point is that it’s all organic. The key reason why most people choose not to use regular shampoo on brushes is because they stuff that washes our hair is full of harsh chemicals, so it’s important to find a solution which doesn’t dry the bristles out or damage them at all. I’m just reading the ingredients for the Lavender soaps and it contains coconut oils, jojoba oil, and olive oil all very conditioning and caring oils for the skin and hair. I find this thoroughly cleans my brushes with minimal effort but doesn't cause any damage to them, something which  dish soap or regular shampoo could.

Ok ok we get it! You love the magic soap! But why the EVOO I hear you ask, well! AGAIN this stuff could and probably will have a post dedicated to it’s awesomeness. But in short it is good for you inside and out and I just cannot get enough of the stuff. The fact that it’s pretty cheap doesn’t hurt either! Olive oil is the ingredient that keeps my brushes soft and kind to my skin. Using any soap (even the most mild) will eventually start to dry out the bristles, but adding some OO love keeps them soft and well conditioned! Some people like to dip their brushes in Olive oil and water AFTER washing, but I don’t like the residue that is left on the brushes so I tend to mix these two together in order to get the perfect brush cleanser.

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The How-To

To clean your brushes like they have never been cleaned before you will need;

• Dr. Bronner’s magic soap/ any other mild liquid soap
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• A clean towel (a flannel will do if you own a couple of brushes)
• A bowl
• Access to a tap
• Something interesting to watch while you clean (optional)

And that is all! I think it’s pretty straightforward from here on out, but I shall list out exactly how I clean mine just to give you an idea.

1. Half fill the bowl with luke warm water and 10-12 drops of liquid soap

2. Take the back of a makeup brush and swirl it in the water, doesn’t look soapy enough? Add more magic soap.

3. CAREFULLY add 4-5 drops of Olive oil. This is tricky and can be overdone – so all concentration necessary at this point.

4. Repeat step 2. *swirls*

5. Roll your sleeves up, dip a brush into the soapy solutions and then swirl it in the palm of your hand. The bristles should lather up! Make sure you thoroughly swirl, because makeup could be clogged up right to the very top of the bristles so all areas of the brush head need to be covered! If you’re washing a brush that’s been ‘heavily’ stained/covered with makeup add a couple of drops of the soap to the palm of your hand, THEN swirl the brush in, it’ll speed the process up.

6. IMPORTANT – if you own brushes that have a metal barrel (the RT ones do not!) then be sure not to get water or soap above that barrel. If you do, the glue holding the wood and metal together is more likely to start coming apart and the brush will end up breaking very quickly.

7. Continue doing step 5 till all your brushes are soaped up and lying there soaking in the clean goodness. Feel free to empty the bowl as frequently as you see fit/when you see the water colour change distinctly!

8. Take the towel and line it up next to the sink.

9. Under luke warm water start rinsing the bristles out. I like to let the water run through the brush hairs at first and then squeeze the brush head from the top so all traces of makeup is squished right out. I also continue with the swirling motion on my hand for face brushes – this helps distribute the water quicker.

10. Once they are all lying there rinsed out I like to GENTLY swirl them around on the towel, draining the majority of the water out and speeding the drying process out. For synthetic haired brushes this works wonders and you can pretty much use them within a few hours (though I like to let them dry overnight). I’ve seen a couple of videos where girls are vigorously rubbing the brush all over the towel as if it had some nasty diseases they wanted to remove – that will shorten the life of your brushes! Treat them gently and take your time!

11. When they’ve all had the swirly drying treatment, I like to wrap them loosely up with the other half of the towel (to protect from dust!) and leave them to dry over night on a flat surface. You can put them on an edge if you wish to drain them out that little bit quicker, but I generally find that by drying them to start with on the towel you’ve done most of the hard work already.

12. Final step is to wake up with the most satisfying sight ever, squeaky clean, soft as feather makeup brushes ready for use for another week! Oh yeah ^.^

And that’s all there is to it! The magic soap lasts ages because you don’t need much to get them super clean! It also has so many other purposes, comes in several different sizes and scents and best of all is full of the great natural stuff I can’t say enough good things about it! It is available from ASOS, feelunique and amazon.

A few TKMaxx stores stock this too so keep an eye out there.


Although it can be like a chore, washing your brushes is so important, and could actually improve your skin a great deal. Just imagine all the invisible bacteria on that used brush next time you splodge it across you face and that should be motivation enough! I hope you found this useful! Thank-you for reading ^_^

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Brush Series | How I Thoroughly Wash My Brushes!

hello! welcome to the second post of my brush series – just a quick note as I am currently moving bedrooms (which is almost as stressful as moving house!) a few of my brushes have gone for walk-abouts so whilst I wanted to have more than 2 posts up already, I’ll have to blog as and when I can ._.