I'm a busy person so I'm always on the lookout for time-savers or things that make my everyday life easier. Let's face it, with the number of things we need to constantly maintain, manage, improve, nurture, and account for in our daily lives...things fall through the cracks. For example, right now as I look around my home I'm noticing that I have a disgraceful pile of mail that I haven't had the courtesy of opening yet, a stack of Women's Wear Daily's that probably goes back about 6 months that needs to be recycled, thirsty plants that are looking sad and brown, and a bulldog giving me the stare-down because I haven't fed him yet. Oddly enough, I find it's the little things that I don't have the time for that bug me the most. Over the weekend, the thing that was seriously bugging me was how dirty my makeup brushes were.
It's a funny thing, I have friends who are total germaphobes who never clean their makeup brushes. Except for one friend who religiously cleans them once a month, they all get that sheepish look on their faces when asked about their brush maintenance. It's not like cleaning brushes is technically complicated or requires special equipment (if you don't have brush cleanser, you can always use a gentle shampoo). And cleaning an entire set of brushes maybe takes 20 minutes, not including drying time. It's just not something most people think of when they have that extra 20 minutes on hand. Luckily, I recently discovered Sephora's Make Up Brush Cleansing Wipes. They come in a package of 20 cleansing wipes for just $9! These towelettes are saturated with a quick-drying brush cleanser that will do a very decent job of cleaning your brushes. Just unfold the wipes and sweep each brush back and forth across the towelette until no more makeup is deposited. Super quick, easy, and effective. Now these are not a replacement for a more thorough cleaning of your brushes (especially your foundation and concealer brushes), but they will help stretch the time between a proper cleaning. Just make sure you re-seal the package securely as the wipes will quickly dry out otherwise. So stop feeling sheepish, release the stress of yet one more thing you should be doing but aren't, and spend that extra 10 minutes you've saved...ummm...feeding your dog?
- Cindy
Got a favorite short-cut you can't live without? Email me.
P.S.- For any concerned readers, Brody the dog is pampered, well-fed, and at the moment napping with a full belly. No dogs were harmed during the writing of this entry.

This is a very common tendency to forget cleaning the makeup brushes. The Sephora Makeup Brush Cleansing Wipes sounds like the perfect solution to the problem. :)
Posted by: Cosmetic Brushes | May 22, 2009 at 03:22 PM