How I clean my brushes

Lately I've been getting little lumps on my skin with the increased routine of wearing make-up. I use to never wear makeup much but feel the need to now that I'm getting older and the tone of my skin isn't as good as it use to be =(

I think a contributing factor to the lumps of my skin is my lack of routine in cleaning my brushes. Brushes should be cleaned once a week to get rid of bacteria and remove excess makeup.

I use to use the technique that Michelle Phan uses (YouTube beauty guru) where she uses olive oil and dishwashing detergent. Running low on dishwashing detergent so I decided to use baby shampoo.

This one works really well.

What to do:

1. Rinse brush with luke warm water

2. Squeeze pea size amount of baby shampoo onto palm

3. Swirl brush into palm, collecting the shampoo

3. Rinse and repeat until the suds of the shampoo turn white, meaning that all the gunk has been washed out the brush

Hope this was helpful. Baby shampoo is an inexpensive way to wash your makeup brushes

I put my cleaned brushes on a rolled up towel with the bristles facing down so the excess water drains out. Got this idea of BeautyQQ 

Dove Foaming Makeup Remover Review

I first saw Dove Foaming Makeup Remover in the October 2009 issue of ViVi magazine. It was a detailed advertorial which explained how the product works and how to use it. Although I can't read Japanese =( I could understand the Ad from all the pictures. I love that in Japanese mags there are always detailed step by step explanations of things.

I had no idea how to get my hands on this product as I thought it was a Japan exclusive item, so I forgot about it. However, the other day on my lunch break I was browsing through Priceline (Aussie drug and makeup store) and stumbled upon the yellow bottle (Can't believe they have it in Australia!!), it's quite hard to miss considering the majority of the Dove range is white with blue accents. I bought it because Priceline had 20% off all Dove products, also I'm running out of my Lancome Bi-facil makeup remover and sometimes I dislike using cleansing oil especially at the end of a long night out because I always cleanse after I use cleaning oil. Too tired!! >.< 

 I researched the product further and found this on the Dove website 

Alarmingly, nearly 75% of women will sleep with their make up on at least once this week, even though most of us know it’s bad for our skin. The reason? It’s a hassle to remove and we can’t be bothered. As a result, we suffer through rough skin, stinging eyes and even make-up stains on our pillows.

What makes this product unique is that the yellow liquid transform into a light fine foam when you pump it out (possibly from the pump mechanism - I've seen this kind of idea before in the Clean and Clear foaming facial). The foam makes it easy to spread the product all over the face and dissolve makeup. It claims to remove waterproof mascara and other heavy makeup easily. 

How to Use:

1. Pump 3 pumps of the product onto hand

2. Apply to wet or dry face and work the lather in circular motions (same procedure as cleansing the face)

3. Work the product over closed eyes gently

4. Rinse off

5. For Best results (according to Dove) after removing makeup with the foaming makeup remover, wash face with Dove Beauty Moisture facial cleanser. I used my everyday cleanser instead but this step can be skipped.

It's better if you use the product with dry hands and dry face. 

Verdict: 

I really like this remover! =) It's easy to use and quick. Really good when you've just arrived home from a long night out and can't be bother to spend a lot of time removing makeup. Also you don't need to use cotton pads! It removed my BB cream easily and my skin was squeaky clean. However, I had to spend more time trying to remove my mascara. Also it didn't leave my skin overly dry. Overall it's a great product and I think I would repurchased =]

Pros:

Easy to use

Don't have to spend too much time trying to remove eye makeup and face makeup 

Quick

Affordable (Got mine for $8.79 AUD, RRP is around $10)

Easy to find (Priceline and most chemists/drug stores would stock Dove products)

Cons:

Need to spend more time trying to remove mascara