When I first started using brushes to apply my makeup, I used to spritz some e.l.f. Daily Brush Cleaner on them whenever I was done. But one day, I ran out, and I never purchased it again, not because it was bad, just because I kind of forgot. And now that I think about it I haven't actually cleaned my brushes for about three months, which is disgusting. It may be the reason I've been breaking out a TON lately. So, I decided to try a product that I've had in my makeup bag for a while, but have never had the chance to try, e.l.f.'s Brush Shampoo.
Today, I cleaned my foundation brush, blush brush and concealer brush, which are all made by e.l.f. The directions on the bottle say to wash them in warm water and work a small amount of the shampoo from the base of the bristles up, and that's exactly what I did. Since the concealer brush is super small, I didn't really have a problem cleaning it, and my blush brush didn't seem to be that dirty.
My foundation brush was a whole other story. As I was washing it, caked up foundation started oozing out of it, which I figured was a good thing! But I was washing this brush for like ten minutes, and old makeup was still spilling out of it. I put it to the side and tried again, and it just kept coming. Now that all of my brushes are dry, I realized that the shampoo really didn't do anything for the foundation brush. When I fan out the bristles, I can still see my makeup in between them, and I get crap all over my fingers.
So to be honest, even though I love e.l.f.'s products, this one was definitely a disappointment for me. Maybe I'll see a bigger difference when I use my brushes to apply my makeup, but I'm kind of afraid to use my foundation brush now knowing that there's still so much stuff in it. I feel like I should just buy a new one. I'm extra disappointed because I used a shampoo made by e.l.f. on e.l.f. products, so I thought they would work really well together. I guess I was wrong.
Now that I've had this unfortunate wakeup call, I'm on the search to find a brush cleaner that actually works. I heard that coconut oil is a good one! At least this brush shampoo is cruelty-free, though. If you’re interested in going cruelty-free, check out PETA’s Searchable Database and Cruelty-Free Kitty’s alphabetized list of cruelty-free brands. If you have any cruelty-free recommendations, please comment them below!