Brush Cleaning 101: Everything you ever wanted & needed to know on how to do it right!

Another important thing is to choose whatever product you feel comfortable using on your face to clean your brushes. If you have very sensitive or acneic skin you probably wouldn’t cleanse your face with your hair shampoo, Woolite, dish soap, hand soap, etc. so you may not want to use it on your brushes either.

You can use shampoo and even conditioner on brushes. This is a great way to thoroughly clean and condition your brushes but make sure to choose products that will not leave behind any residue. Just fill up a bowl or your sink with luke warm water (keep it shallow) and shampoo. Take each brush one at a time and only immerse the brush hairs into the soapy water. Swish until all the makeup comes out. Once they are all clean rinse them with clean water, gently squeeze out the excess water and lay flat to dry on top of a towel overnight.

Cinema Secrets Brush Cleaner is a professional strength product that is extremely concentrated so it truly lasts a very, very, long time especially for personal use. For instance, compared to Smashbox or MAC brush cleaners which you have to use 4X’s as much product to get the same effective cleaning you get with the Cinema Secrets you pay way less in the end. FYI, there is a very subtle vanilla scent to the cleaner that dissipates quickly after you clean your brushes. It doesn’t linger for long unless you use too much product. Remember it’s highly concentrated so don’t waste it by using too much!  Plus it doesn’t contain any Triclosan (google  it!) which is a very controversial ingredient and found in many other brush cleaner brands.

How do you use Cinema Secrets brush cleaner? You can actually use it in two different ways. The way I use it most of the time is to dispense a small amount into a little bowl like a glass or stainless steel pinch bowl, those little glass bowls nail techs use for their acrylic nail stuff or any small shallow bowl with sides to it. You’re going to need this for your small brushes. For your larger brushes I highly suggest using a small spray bottle but be careful as not all spray bottles especially most plastics will work with this cleaner. It has to be a brush cleaner spray bottle (Japonesque/Parian Spirit works great) because this stuff breaks down some plastics after you keep cleaner in their for a few weeks. Better yet, get one of these ingenius brush cleaner dispensers! It’s what the pros use! http://camerareadycosmetics.com/products/graftobian-menda-pump-for-brush-cleaner.html

So with your little bowl and your small brushes (brow, eyes, liner, etc) you’re going to barely dip the very tips of the brush into the cleaner. DO NOT DUNK!! All you need to do is touch the very tip to the cleaner and then go back and forth on a lint-free paper towel or microfiber cloth until all the color comes out. That’s it!  Again the key is to not soak the brush hairs into the cleaner.  For the larger brushes (cheek and face) spray the brush on both sides of the brush and go back and forth on paper towel or microfiber cloth. If you’re cleaning off cream products or water resistant/proof gel liners you may have to use a little more product. There is virtually no dry time with this product which is why pros love to you use it and your brushes are ready to go when you’re working on lots of talent back to back to back.

If your brushes are really dirty or you prefer to shampoo them I recommend creating a brush cleaner bath which is the second way you can use Cinema Secrets. Mix 1 part cleaner with three parts water and soak/swirl the brush in the solution for no more than 30 seconds. Rinse clean with luke warm water and lay flat to dry over night. Foundation, concealer and lip, basically synthetic hair brushes tend to hold onto a lot of the residue inside the brush so make sure to look to see that all the product is cleaned out towards the center of the brush.

Now where the heck do you buy Cinema Secrets brush cleaner? Well, if you’re in the LA/Hollywood/Burbank area you can find it at the MUD Shop in downtown Burbank, Cinema Secrets store near NBC studios on Riverside Dr. or at Naimies in Valley Village. If you’re nowhere near these stores you can order it online at www.cinemasecrets.com but why pay more when you can get it for a better deal at my favorite pro supply online store www.CameraReadyCosmetics.com  

In-between the major brush cleanings you can do a daily quick “minor” cleaning with microfiber cloths or dye/fragrance-free Natural Baby Wipes.  This will get the color off your brushes so that your makeup will not go on looking “muddy” from the next day. Of course this won’t thoroughly clean & disinfect the brushes but your makeup brushes will not get excess color/product build-up.

High quality makeup brushes are an investment so take good care of them and they will last you for years and years.

Muah Tiffany xoxo!