How to clean the brushes/How to store the Lashes

So I just discovered the best product to clean foundation brushes/sponges or any kind of brush that you use for oily/thick products. It's a strong detergent meant for cleaning baby 'stuff'- toys, cutlery, strollers, and for disinfecting and cleaning surfaces of all kinds babies might come into contact with. It's really useful because it's so effective (I actually cleaned blueberry juice off white fabric with this baby) yet gentle. 

The product is Chicco Disinfectant and I have the Italian/European version. Perhaps it's found in different names/descriptions on markets outside the European Union. 

It comes in a large plastic bottle (700 ml, or 22.66 fl. oz) and it's a white liquid. Has an atomizer that you can turn to 'off' mode so you won't spill it or endanger the little ones if you leave it around the house.

It worked amazing on my foundation brush. I could never clean it properly, down to the base of the hairs, because foundations and primers always used to remain stuck among the hairs especially in the middle of the brush. Leftover makeup is quite gross and can breed a ton of germs if left uncleaned for a longer time; it also hardens, gets even more difficult to clean and affects the quality of the bristles and the adhesive. Boo.

I had to only spray this little miracle worker and the foundation residue just started pouring out of the bristles with no rubbing/touching of the brush whatsoever:

It gets dispersed in a bit of a foamy consistency when you spray it on; however it's runny, since it's liquid (duh) so careful not to stain your clothes:

The thing about this product is it's strength, as I said. It cleans everything, leaving the brushes squeaky clean yet soft at the same time.

Since it's designed for objects that come into contact with children, it has some ingredients that counterbalance the 'harshness' of the substances inside. Really great stuff. It also cleans makeup stains- I never mentioned this but I had a white t-shirt stained with Estee Lauder's Double Wear. Good luck trying to get that foundation off of anything, even after 90 degrees repetitive washes. Just spray this on the spot and wash your clothes as you normally do- it just works wonders. Very, very happy with it.

There are two 'disadvantages' with this product:

1. The scent- it smells very strongly of baby powder. It's the scent I always associate with babies and what I imagine fresh baby laundry to smell like. It's VERY strong, and it lingers a while after you've dried your stuff. If you use fabric softener then this wouldn't be a problem; however, if you don't like the scent, it will linger onto the surfaces/objects you've cleaned and it might bother you. I like it so that's not an issue for me.

2. It can make the color of darker brushes bleed- don't get me started on my Sephora #44 Platinum (BOO!). I always had problems with that brush and everything else makes the color bleed, even face soap. However, it was a real hemorrhage with this product. The color just wouldn't stop coming out, it stained towels and sinks/floors, even the top white bristles got blue so I had to wash them again to get the hue off...not cool. However, since the Sephora Platinum brushes ALL have this problem, I think it's not the product but the brush. My foundation brush didn't have this problem, so was the case with all my other brushes. If you're using something cheaper, it's almost certain the color will bleed. If you use MAC, test it on a couple of bristles first. You never know. 

However, it looks like it conditions the bristles as well, I didn't have to apply conditioner on them or anything else. 

If you don't have this brand, don't wanna buy it or just have something else you trust, I still think it's useful to get a generic baby disinfectant for your brushes, just to make sure you have cleaned and disinfected them thoroughly. Next time you give your brushes a bath remember to check in the middle of the bunch of bristles, as close to the base as possible- if you notice lighter areas, or residue leftover, that means your cleanser didn't do its job properly and maybe you should change brands or get this little baby instead. Highly useful to me. Not going to stop using it, ever. 

How I store my (used) false lashes:

Take a generic blush/powder, anything that has an extra compartment/that little plastic divider for the brush that comes with it, or the mirror:

Pull up the little 'wall', remove the brush (they're usually bad quality, weirdly shaped thus useless) and place your lashes on the pan. Gently press on the base of the lashes to make sure it will slightly attach to that bottom:

My blush (a no-name that I still like) came with a little mirror and a terrible brush I threw away on the spot. It's perfect for me because I always reuse my lashes and I never put them back in their bulky, uncomfortable to carry or prone to damage (cardboard!) boxes. This way I can always carry the lashes around, either for me or if I'm doing someone's makeup, and I can see all of them and choose accordingly. It really works and it's so easy and simple I slapped myself for not having thought about this earlier! The plastic packaging will also protect your lashes from humidity or other damage since it's a hard material, and you're also closing the lid and putting it in your bag/bag pocket. Crisis submerged! 

Next post- how I reuse my lashes and how I clean them (DO NOT clean them with alcohol! grr!)