Instant Brush Cleaner

From years of old hoards, I've unintentionally collected about 5 bottles of makeup remover in my closet. As I said, I don't stock them on purpose. My reason for having so much is simply because I've bought products that I ended up feeling ambivalent towards. Some formulas stung or caused cloudy vision, while others simply couldn't strip off waterproof makeup. What a waste to throw them out though, so why not use them to clean my brushes?

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Ponds, Eskinol, and Sara Lee.[/caption]

I've just started to do it recently, and it's worked quite well so far. Though I have to say that I don't possess sensitive skin, so I don't know if it'll work for others. I've used just about anything to clean my soiled makeup brushes: body wash, face soap, and bath soap to name a few. Obviously, some soaps contain harsh formulas that tend to dry out or stiffen the brush hairs, so pick and choose carefully.

As of late, I've been using Body Shop's Cocoa Butter because it's creamy enough to leave the brush soft afterwards. One day, I accidentally reached for the wrong bottle and ended up holding onto Sara Lee's Beauty Touch makeup remover. I debated whether to throw it out or not, but ended up pouring some on my cupped palm to loosen up the long-wearing gel liner from my brush. It worked like a charm, despite having sat on bathroom counter for over 2 years!

I know it sounds icky, but it really does the trick. Plus, I didn't just wash it with makeup remover alone. After most of the color had come off, I lathered the fibers with moisturizing soap twice to really get out the oils. (Regardless of what soap, I always lather twice. It's just cleaner that way.)

If you want to skip buying the brush cleaner solution, old makeup remover is a really good substitute. Just don't forget to wash it with the right kind of soap afterwards.