When it comes to some tasks, time ceases to exist in a measurable way. For all intents and purposes, these tasks have neither a beginning nor an end. They simply last forever…
Brushing cat hair from my clothes (Tabs sheds like cray-cray!), scraping the last bits of Nutella from a mostly (but never entirely) empty jar, groping around the house for misplaced eyeglasses, washing makeup brushes…
That last one, in particular, is the bane of my existence. Because I paint my mug a lot, and sometimes a few times a day, I leave dozens of dirty brushes in my wake.
I was going through a $12 bottle of MAC Brush Cleanser every couple of months until the day I tried Aussie Opposites Attract. It worked as well as the MAC cleaner yet cost just $3.
I love saving scrilla (who doesn’t?), but Becca’s $15 Professional Brush Soap has me reconsidering that. After using it for the past two weeks, dayum! — makeup cleansing greatness.
It does the deed in the blink of an eye! Becca uses plant oils to craft this solid soap. It works on both natural and synthetic fibers, cutting through powders and creams quicker than…something really quick! It’s like soap with a rapier wit, LOL! Even the toughest stuff — dried foundation, concealer and cream shadow — falls away in a flash. With this, I’m able to clean all of my brushes in half the time it takes me when I use MAC Brush Cleanser or shampoo.
But Becca doesn’t stop with cleansing. Professional Brush Soap thoroughly and gently cleans brushes while sanitizing and conditioning them, too.
It couldn’t be any easier to use. Just wet a brush head with lukewarm water, swipe it across the soap until it lathers, rinse with tap water, squeeze (I like to also blot with a dry washcloth), reshape, then leave to dry on a clean towel. Presto-change-o! New(ish) brush.
I’m guessing the bar will last…forever! Well, almost. Even though it’s more expensive than most brush cleansers, I like to think it’s worth it for the savings in time. And what a great gift for a makeup-obsessed pal.
Becca Professional Brush Soap may be a little hard to find. Henri Bendel stores do stock the Becca line (as do some Pure Beauty stores). You can also order direct from Becca, although they do charge shipping.
PRICE: $15 (for an almost never-ending bar)
AVAILABILITY: At select beauty stores, Henri Bendel stores and direct from Becca online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A+
Just because it’s Thursday…
A picture of Jake Gyllenhaal! 🙂
I’ve been obsessively Googling pictures of him since seeing Source Code last weekend. In this shot I think he looks like he’s working at a sexy car wash, or perhaps emerging from the water at a hot boy surf camp.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
This is going directly to my wish list… do not pass go… do not collect $200. I’m on it! Thanks Karen!
I’ve tried a bunch of different brush cleaners and seriously… this one is the best. When you try it for the first time, YOU WILL HAVE A MOMENT.
This made me laugh so hard.
BOOO, I just repurchased MAC Brush Cleanser literally TODAY!
It’s a good product, but this one’s great. I used it for years and went through bottles and bottles of it.
I like the product as well, but having a brand new bottle means I can’t justify buying this until the new one’s gone. Hence my ‘BOOOO!’ =]
I’ve been using mild soap for a long time. Soap like ivory and dove really gets my brushes clean and they are in great condition. This Becca cleaner looks neat, too. Since I’m such a make up junkie, though I have to save somewhere :).
Oh, Jake. He’s so adorable. I have yet to see Source Code, but I will.
I think you’ll like it. It’s some of the best sci-fi I’ve seen in a really long time. Plus, Jake is also easy on the eyes. 🙂
I’m putting this on my wishlist, too! And by “this” I mean Jake Gyllenhaal. 😉
Seriously, though: Becca is definitely available here in the P.I. – only one store, though, but at least not hard to find – so I should keep an eye out for this, too. Lord knows I could really use a good brush cleaner now – and even if I don’t find it right away, at least I can still use baby shampoo. 🙂
Thanks for the recs!
HAHA! He’s on my wish list too! I wouldn’t mind him for my birthday.
hmmm, I’ve been meaning to try Becca’s blush for a while now, maybe I should add this to my order? 🙂
Bad luck for Canadians. The product is sold out and it costs $15 to ship it. O_O
::sighs: I’ve fallen in love! I hate the task off washing my brushes and this seems heaven sent 🙂 <3
I gotta try this when I run out of the one I currently use which I don’t really like. It leaves a scent to them.
How was the movie? Worth it or rental?
I am definitely going to try this out! It sounds like it would save time and extend the life your brushes.
Ooh! I love the sound of this – I usually use gentle bar soap (unscented Dove or Olay), but I’m curious to know if this would be more conditioning! I don’t have to deep-condition my brushes *too* often, but it’s a hassle when I do.
(Lazy, much? LOL!)
Girl…you have sold me on this! I am going to IMATS in LA in a couple months. Becca will be there. Hopefully they’ll have this!
I totally use my Masters art brush cleaner for my makeup brushes (I have one for painting and one for makeup so I don’t smear reside of cadmium yellow on my face) – and <3 it (also: $3 for a round tin like the above product). I don't know if the Becca product, I'm gonna hazard they're just about the same thing, but you can also use the brush soap to preserve your brushes for travel: get them damp and saturate the bristles with the soap and let them dry. The bristles will be stiff and resilient and less likely to be bunched up and damaged when you're moving them around, then you can just rinse out the soap when you get to your destination.
Hi Saffron!
I just wanted to thank you so much for this tip! I love washing my makeup brushes and having been looking for a really good way to clean and preserve them without spending $10 + for superfluous cleansers. Did some research on the product you mentioned (had never heard of it before) and found all glowing reviews. On these art supply websites I also saw how much quality painting brushes can cost and realized this product may be just what I’m looking for! Immediately ordered a couple of the studio tins and spent less than $12 for a supply that looks like it will probably take me into next year! Can not wait to wash my brushes with this! Thanks, thanks again!
Glad to help – I hope you like it when you get it, I love the stuff!
ive seen that at my local art supply store but ended up w/ pink soap whc is also used for painter’s brushes. i migth give masters are brush cleaner a try when im done w/ my bottle of pink soap! thank you!
I’m very intrigued by this and need to hunt down one of those tins, ASAP.
Thanks, Saffron! 🙂
Thanks for the tip, Saffron! I picked up a little container on my lunch break today. Can’t wait to try it out, I have a foundation brush that never seems to get totally clean.
Hi Saffron,
Thanks for the great tip. I braved the opening day crowds and picked up a container today, and it seems to be working great!
Terri
Ohhh yeah and a second Handy Tip: if you have a brush that has gone out of shape due to neglect you can do what I talk about above, reshape the brush while it’s saturated with soap then let it dry with the soap still in holding the bristles stiff in their original shape; after it’s totally dry, rinse the soap out and let dry. You can often recover the original shape of a brush, or some reasonable facsimile, with this technique.
what i do to preserve the shape of my brushes is i wrap the bristles around a sheet or two of bathroom tissue while theyre still wet.
its like a DIY brush guard (i refuse to spend $$ to buy plastic brush guards!!!) …. and it prevents the brushes from splaying! 🙂
Ha that’s a good tip! It is ridiculous how much the cosmetics industry marks this stuff up!
I was working a New York flight and Jake G. was on it. He was soooo cute! He’s taller than you would expect. He had to duck to avoid hitting his head when he boarded the 767. He looked like a little boy in his baseball cap and he was shy and quiet. Shy and quiet gets me every time! Plus, he had those soulful puppy dog eyes.
I am lusting after this brush soap. Do you think that it lasts longer than the bottle of MAC brush cleaner? I think that if I had something uber easy like this, I would wash my brushes more often!
hot boy surf camp. Man, I wish those truly existed LOL I am excited to try this cleanser! I’ll have to add it to my next order 🙂
I’ve been really good about washing my brushes lately. But Im with you on what a time suck it is. I might have to give this a shot. I have ivory so maybe I’ll try that in the meantime.
I am literally heading to 5th ave in NYC to my Henri Bendel right after work tomorrow to snatch this up!!
I’m wondering what the difference would be between this and an artist brush cleaner. It’s definitely less in price and many have environmentally safe ingredients ex: made with a vegetable oil base and/or no turpentine/turpenoid chemicals. The price is much much lower and good quality brushes for any kind of painting are just as and more expensive than cosmetic brushes. You want to make them last a long time too.
here’s a link to the brand I’ve used for my painting brushes:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/masters-brush-cleaner-and-preserver/
It’s never done any harm to them. I’m thinking it good be a good alternative.
Haven’t tried this one yet, thank you for sharing! Looks like a perfect product as everything from BECCA I have)
This is probably a no-no, but I generally just use liquid hand soap and warm water on my brushes. I only use them for powders and they seem to come out OK. Though, they’re not high end brushes by any means. I guess if I get some good ones, I’ll need to invest in a better cleaner, like this one! 🙂
As far as good and cheap I use sauve kids shampoo & sometimes olive oil first on the real dirty ones.
im pretty loyal to pink soap at the moment… but serioustly thinking of getting the master’s brush cleaner.
$15 is a lot to spend on a brush cleaner, i think. 🙂
Going straight to wish list!
Have you tried it with the really tough to remove foundations like Estee Lauder Double Wear or Revlon Colorstay? I only ask because I have to sit down with olive oil for like half an hour to even come close to removing it from my brushes. I’d love to know!
I use the Bobbi Brown brush cleanser and I’d say it’s just as easy to use.
MAC Brush cleanser is good for cleaning in between when you need to use the brush again directly afterwards, that’s why I have both.
I believe that this is the brush cleaner I’ve been waiting for, for so long. Thanks for bringing this Becca bar to my attention. 🙂
This looks cool! I’m glad they don’t use antibiotics, like Triclosan, because that creates drug resistant bacteria. Soap is enough to sanitize, and the ingredients look good too.
Nice concept of a bar soap you can just swirl your brush on… ingredients make this look like any basic glycerin-based soap though.
I have to try this 😀
Ooh! This sounds awesome. I’m currently using Dr. Bronner’s pure castile soap, so I’ll have to give this a try.
I use Cinema Secrets Brush Cleaner, but I would prefer one that lasts a bit longer and is gentler on my wallet.
Readers must’ve really enjoyed your review, because the cleanser is sold out on Becca’s website :). I’ll have to keep my eye on it and snag one once it’s back in stock!
It very much reminds me of the conditioning brush soap by da vinci which is a German brand. As Becca’s soap is made in Germany it might be the same or very similar. http://www.amazon.com/da-Vinci-Conditioning-Brush-Soap/dp/B001OA7HVA
Reading the ingredients list, it’s almost like a bar of palmolive soap. I think you could potentially get a nice bar or Lush soap (there is one called sea vegetable that contains salt) that would do the trick for less money?
Bought the Becca soa because of this review. A few months ago. Just tried it last night for the first time. Yes, I hate washing my brushes too. As you can tell by how long it took me to try it. Well, skippity doo da! Got those brushes squeaky clean 1-2-3! Smells fresh and took next to no time. I am SOLD! Best stuff ever! Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
I made my own a few months ago and have not looked back to a cleaner brush system since. Just took a L’Occitane shea butter soap from my last hotel trip freebie. Housed it in an empty body butter container and viola! My brushes have never been easier to clean and softer. I am sure any good soap with shea butter or olive oil will do.