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Survey Says... January 3rd, 2018

Happy Wednesday! Here's this week's survey, which you can copy and paste and share as a comment.

  • Your skin tone/coloring:
  • Do you enjoy washing your brushes?
  • What do you use to wash them?
  • How often do you wash them?

42 Comments

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kjh Avatar

Lt to med coolish, prob red undertones. Not particularly, necessary evil. Have used Japonesque, fairly good, but could improve. Ulta brand: too oily. Sephora: ruled out, allergic. Just got It brush cleaner that generally is a rave. Hope it is for me. Also baby shampoo, at least it doesn’t bring in irritants…and have a solid cleaner (beauty Blender?) sample in the wings. Do not have a dryer. Dry them on a slant. Also use the Ulta dry brush cleaner fairly religiously.

Mariella Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Fair, cool
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? Enjoy??? not really – I don’t enjoy or dislike the process though I do like seeing my dirty brushes get clean again.
What do you use to wash them? Johnson’s Baby Shampoo or Dr. Bronner’s soap (I think I have the peppermint one, which leaves them smelling nice and fresh)
How often do you wash them? it really depends on the brushes; eye brushes that are used for dark shadows get washed more than my blush or foundation brushes, for example

Raeanne Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Medium+ with neutral to olive undertones.
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? I absolutely dread it! I live in way Northern Michigan where the winters get super cold and dry… any amount of time spent with soap and water just completely dries out my hands. I do enjoy having clean brushes, though.
What do you use to wash them? Bar of soap and hot water for a deep clean. I do have the MUFE brush cleansing oil that I use to spot clean in between washes.
How often do you wash them? For a deep clean? About once a month… LOL. I’m so averse to washing my brushes that I keep extra of my favorites on hand just so I don’t run out of clean brushes…

thirteenthirteen Avatar

Do you enjoy washing your brushes?

Not…really? It’s just a chore, although I don’t MIND doing it.

What do you use to wash them?

Right now I’m using a solid cleanser I got at Sephora ages ago. It’s really surprisingly good – it gets my brushes really clean and soft, and it is taking me a VERY long time to use up.

How often do you wash them?

Once a week. On a daily basis I just use a microfiber cloth. My Hakuhodo brushes get washed less often (although not as rarely as Hakuhodo recommends).

Angie Avatar

Microfiber cloths are the best for daily, I agree! It works better than those weird sponge things and (I think) the daily spray cleaners. And you can get 2 for $1 at the dollar store. No brainer.

Jackie O Avatar

1. My skin tone is light neutral leaning toward cool, I go by NW20 in MAC Studio Sculpt.

2. I love washing my brushes! I love seeing them all lined up stain free and knowing that they will perform their best the next day!

3. I wash them with Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap, I currently have the peppermint and the lavender, I go with whichever is on the sink.

4. I wash typically weekly, but my face brushes I try to do daily because I am prone to breakouts. I also have really dry skin so I do everything I possibly can to reduce breakouts so I can treat my dryness. Eye brushes weekly.

Alice Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Porcelain

Do you enjoy washing your brushes? I mean…it’s not fun but it’s not the worst thing ever.

What do you use to wash them? Water and Dr Bronner’s liquid castile soap.

How often do you wash them? Usually once a week but it depends on how many times I wore makeup that week, sometimes I’ll go 2 weeks.

amy Avatar

Do you enjoy washing your brushes?
When I get around to it, I do think it can be a bit relaxing.

What do you use to wash them?
I use either diluted baby shampoo or diluted liquid Dr. Bronners

How often do you wash them?
After 2-3 uses for each brush.

Maggie Avatar

our skin tone/coloring: fair neutral
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? I don’t mind the act itself, I just don’t like how long it takes for them to dry afterwards. I have just the one set of brushes, so I have to wait for them to dry before doing my makeup again.
What do you use to wash them? Johnson’s Baby Shampoo
How often do you wash them? Maaaaybe once a month? I should wash them more, I know.

AB Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: fair, warm
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? Not particularly. I like the end result but find it a tedious task.
What do you use to wash them? a Dr. Bronners soap, I don’t recall which but probably a non-scented version.
How often do you wash them? I aim for weekly — a Sunday evening task.

Courtney Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Fair/light with neutral undertones.
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? Nope! I rarely wash them tbh..
What do you use to wash them? I use Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser (it is my normal face wash).
How often do you wash them? I wash my brushes maybe once a month… to be fair I only use eye shadow brushes, a face powder brush and a blush & bronzer blush.

Nancy T Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Medium w/ olive undertones MAC NC37, Lancôme Teint Idole 24H Foundation N360, Fenty ProFilt’r 260 or 290, deep brunette, blue-green eyes w/ gold flecks.

Do you enjoy washing your brushes? Um…no! But that’s because my fingertips are a mess from super dry, cracked skin. Also, it’s a challenge to keep the cats from playing with the older brushes!

What do you use to wash them? If I’m going to do it with water, I use Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo. This I actually do each time I use my foundation brush or eyeliner brushes. Otherwise, I prefer using Sephora Daily Brush Cleaner and a piece of foam packing material that comes in my ColourPop orders!

How often do you wash them? Foundation and eyeliner brushes get it each use. Other brushes, not so much. Although I use my sponge foam method whenever I’m going with a different color family for that day.

Rachel R. Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Very fair wit neutral undertones; magenta/red hair; hazel/green eyes.

Do you enjoy washing your brushes? No. I loathe it.

What do you use to wash them? E.l.f. Brush Shampoo or Baby Shampoo. Cinema Secrets in between washings.

How often do you wash them? Once a week is the goal. Occasionally in practice it’s a little longer.

Stephanie Avatar

Skin-Fair olive, about NC20 right now
I actually find washing brushes kind of therapeutic. I have a lot so I save them up until I am getting low on all my favourites. I use a QUO solid cleanser with goat’s milk (in Canada). It really gets the most stubborn makeup out, although I don’t use a long wear foundation so I can’t attest to it’s ability to remove it. I wash them every three or four weeks, when all my blush brushes are starting to get beyond daily spray cleaning. It takes about 90 minutes then, and I have 3 racks full, probably 60 brushes.

xamyx Avatar

Skintone/Coloring: Fairly light, very neutral; dark-featured.

While I don’t “enjoy” washing my brushes, I don’t hate it. I do, however, really enjoy using clean brushes every time I apply makeup.

I keep a bar of olive oil soap on my bathroom sink, which I use for “daily” cleaning. Every few months, or if on the rare occasion I let too many dirty brushes accumulate, I will mix a solution of warm water, dish soap, & vinegar, dip them in, and rinse.

I do my best to wash my brushes as I use them, especially small/eye brushes, which is why I keep the olive oil soap on my sink, and a tray next to my sink to lay them to dry. Sometimes, if I’m in a rush, I may let a few brushes accumulate, particularly larger powder brushes, but I do my best to not allow more than a few days pass before cleaning them, unless I’m planning a deep-cleaning session.

CeeBee Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Light medium, yellow undertones

Do you enjoy washing your brushes? Not especially – but I do enjoy pretty, clean brushes at the end of it!

What do you use to wash them? Just a gentle bar soap. I have a chamomile glycerin one that works nearly as well as the Beauty Blender solid, which is excellent but very spendy.

How often do you wash them? Depends on how often I use them and what for – foundation buffing brush gets washed every 4 – 5 days, powder use only ones as and when they need it but usually every 2 – 4 weeks. I have duplicate eye brushes so I can rotate them as needed.

Ana Maria Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Light/Medium with yellow undertones (NC20-25)
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? I don’t enjoy it, but I don’t hate it either.
What do you use to wash them? Pure Castille Soap, always flagrance free. It leaves the brushes clean and soft, works better than any special brush cleanser.
How often do you wash them? Every 3-5 days, when I stop having clean brushes for one specific brushes (e.g. blending brushes). Except the setting powder and highlighter brushes, I use only once each brush, and I prefer to have a minimal collection of brushes (and make-up in general). I like to wash them as often as possible, keeping them clean keeps my face clean.

Pearl Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: MAC NC 23ish,, light to medium with warm undertones.
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? No
What do you use to wash them? Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap (lavender)
How often do you wash them? Once every 2 weeks.

Angie Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Neutral/ medium

Do you enjoy washing your brushes? I don’t mind too much. It’s not necessarily my idea of fun, though.

What do you use to wash them? I use ZOTE soap that I cut down to fit into a little lidded jar. It’s cheap, it makes it stupid simple to clean the brushes, and it leaves them clean with no residue.

How often do you wash them? Weekly, unless some of them need a little extra help, then maybe 2x/week.Beauty sponge gets washed daily with the same ZOTE soap. Cleans better than specialty sponge soaps in my opinion.

Helena Avatar

Do you enjoy washing your brushes?
HELL NO! I hate standing at and leaning over the sink for an hour. Rinsing seems to take forever…there are somehow always more suds once I think I’m done.

What do you use to wash them?
Dr. Bronner’s bar soap and a Sigma mat. For quick cleans, Cinema Secrets.

How often do you wash them?
…good question. I don’t use brushes often, because I very occasionally put on a full face. So it’s definitely not regular. Whenever I need to lol

Lisa Avatar

Light to medium with golden undertones

Does anyone enjoy washing their brushes? I don’t particularly love it…

I’ve been using Baby shampoo, although I find it’s actually really scented for a “gentle” shampoo, I think I might find something less perfumey. In general, I just use whatever liquid hand soap I have, except my pricier Japanese brushes, I’ll use baby shampoo. I feel that the antibacterial hand soaps might be a bit drying…

I go through phases, sometimes every two weeks. I don’t do crazy eye looks, so I don’t have to wash them that often. But lately I’ve been lazy so it’s embarassingly at least 6 weeks?

Donna E Avatar

Skin town/coloring light neutral
Do yes enjoy washing your brushes? I like it when they are just cleaned.
What do I use to clean them? Daily Cinema Secrets. Deep cleanse beauty blender solid. Will try Dr. Bronner’s soon.
How often? I only use so few brushes and only do makeup 2-3x a week that I let it go longer – 1 to two months.

Silvia Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Cool can’t tan just burn that kind.
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? Not necessarily.
What do you use to wash them? Baby shampoo
How often do you wash them? Hmmm…twice a year although I don’t use brushes to apply foundation, concealer only eyeshadows, eyeliner, blush and lipstick I should clean them more often also don’t wear heavy makeup and have tons of brushes for blush and separate for highliters but yeah, should wash more often I think?

Jeannie Avatar

NC 15/20 I wear Mac Light MSF on top of sunscreen.
I don’t like foundation powder/fluid.

I actually like using clean brushes and prefer to wait until most/all of my brushes are dirty to clean them. When I am cleaning my brushes it makes me happy to know that I will have clean brushes for the next 3-4 weeks.

I use a washing mat Sigma clone that I got at TJ Maxx and a coconut based facial cleansing liquid that I don’t like on my skin but am happy with it as a brush wash.

I use color switch on the daily for eyeshadow, bronzer, blush, and highlight blush. If I feel that the brush isn’t clean then I’ll use a spray daily cleaner only on the brush that looks like it may still have leftover color on it.

Every 3-4 weeks I’ll wash most/all my brushes with the mat clone and the coconut facial cleanser.

I do treat my Hakohudo brushes differently and wash them every 3 months or so.

I don’t use any of my brushes on cream/lotion products. I only use my own brushes on powder products. I also have many duplicate brushes so I have enough to switch out dirty with clean brushes weekly. So, I wait until I am out of clean brushes and then wash them all and I am good to go for the next 3-4 weeks.
My sister never washes her brushes so I let her know when I am washing brushes and she’ll bring hers over and I’ll was hers.

Lesley Avatar

Skin tone/coloring: Light medium, neutral undertones

I do enjoy washing my brushes. It is very satisfying to watch the lather change color and to see all that soiled water go down the drain. I use a laundry soap bar called Fels Naptha and a heart-shaped plastic washboard-like thing. I lay them flat to dry. I wash them about every ten days, except that if I am using a foundation brush, I wash that every other day (like I do with my sponge).

whateveramber Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Fair to light with cool undertones
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? Not at allllllll
What do you use to wash them? Zote Soap (a giant pink laundry soap bar that can be bought for less than $1 at Walmart)
How often do you wash them? I don’t wear make up everyday and I have a lot of brushes, so I can go a couple weeks without washing. I wash my main foundation brush and beauty blender more often though.

Lena Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Fair (the kind of fair that’s difficult to find color matches for 🙁 )
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? I dont mind it!
What do you use to wash them? Handsoap or whatever facial cleanser i am using on my face.
How often do you wash them? Every other use for synthetic brushes and once every few weeks for my natural hair eye brushes (assuming i use them consistently). I spot clean them on a towel after each use. I don’t wear foundation so its just powders (eye shadow, blush, bronzer etc…)

Anne Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: NC15 w/some redness

Do you enjoy washing your brushes? NOOOOOO

What do you use to wash them? BeautyBlender solid cleanser for full clean, Sephora brush cleaner for spot clean.

How often do you wash them? For items that use powder, spot clean every time, deep clean the equivalent of once a week aka about every 5-7 uses. I tend to fully wash brushes & sponges that use cream or liquid products every time though (thanks, anxiety disorder that comes with OCD) as they get icky, so I have backups of my BeautyBlender and main foundation brushes.

Mo Merrell Avatar

Ha I am the same with beauty blenders, I buy the faux ones though from like marshalls or tj maxx and I use them maybe a month before I throw them out and use the backups. They get so dirty that I feel like I’m sponging bacteria on my face every time so I can’t stand to not see a blender really clean which is why I moved back to brushes smh lol

Deborah S. Avatar

Skin tone: Very fair with cool undertones.
Brush washing, hum!!! I have answered this question before on Temptalia and no one attacked me so here I go again! I don’t wash my brushes. Never have and never will. As a nurse you would think that I would be super serious about keeping my brushes cleaned but since I have never had any difficulties related to not washing them I don’t see a need to change. I have brushes that are at least 30 years old and have never cleaned them. I use a Kleenex, a paper towel, or sometimes a piece of cloth that I simply run the brush back and forth over between uses or colors. I did purchase a Vera Mona in-between use cleaner but even with that sitting right next to me I tend to just go back and forth over the paper towel.

Having said that, I did buy a beauty blender solid cleanser for my daughter and she uses baby shampoo to clean her other brushes. I encourage her to clean hers as she does have acne.

Logan Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: fair/warm

Do you enjoy washing your brushes? It is kind of satisfying.

What do you use to wash them? I have a brush cleaning pad that I got from TJMaxx and I use this foaming cleanser sample I got from a Clinique bonus bag… It sucks on my face, but it’s great at cleaning brushes.

How often do you wash them? Every two weeks.

Mo Merrell Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Dark/Cocoa
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? I actually do, it’s therapeutic

What do you use to wash them?

I use a few different methods. for the heavily used brushes with liquid foundation I take witch hazel and micellar water and put it a glass jar then I take the heavily used soiled brushes and dip them in the glass swishing them around. The witch hazel and micellar water breaks down the oils creates an emulsion where the product sits at the top and on the edges. I do this to the eyeshadow used brushes that I use for dark colors. Once I pour that out (sometimes takes two cups) I wash them all with cold water and dawn dish soap.

You definitely have to be willing to purchase Witch Hazel and Micellar water to use on your brushes but it’s a great and quick way to rid heavily soiled brushes of product.

How often do you wash them?

I wash my brushes depending on usage. I’ll clean the foundation and concealer brushes once a month but because I have specific brushes that I only use for specific colors, I don’t need to wash them that often. I never mix colors – meaning I have brushes dedicated to reds and pinks, blues and greens, blacks and browns, shimmers, etc that are never mixed with other colors so they may or may not get used as much which means I don’t have to clean them as often. It takes discipline I think to do this but I have a bit of OCD so it works for me. I buy brushes making sure I have enough to cover the different colors I use so as to make sure I have that kind of brush for each color combinations.

With this process, I end up doing an entire brush collection wash usually on the same day about every 3 months or unless I feel like a brush needs a little attention but if so I’ll use my micellar water for a quick cleanse and wash.

Samantha Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: fair/cool
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? I am indifferent, really. It is another chore but a short one due to my Real Techniques washing mitt which cuts the washing time by at least a fourth.
What do you use to wash them? MAC Cleanser for my brushes and BeautyBlender solid for my BeautyBlender.
How often do you wash them? I wash my brushes once a week and spot clean them throughout the week.

Chris Avatar

My skin coloring: fair with warm pinkish tones.

Do I enjoy cleaning my brushes? Not really, sort of like doing laundry, it has to be done every so often. : D I have Lancôme brushes & I clean them weekly with warm water, baby shampoo & I swish them in the glass until the water runs clear. Squeeze out all excess water with a towel, lay on side or hang upside down on bathroom wall toothbrush holder to air dry. The kabuki brush is from Sephora for my powder foundation & that undergoes the same treatment. I clean them weekly.

Pauline Davidson Avatar

Fair, NW 10 in Mac

Don’t mind washing brushes as found quick way

I put them in the washing machine in net bag. Dry them on towel on floor. Beauty blender s too. They come out squeaky clean. : )

I do them about once a mth as I have lots of brushes.

Macy Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: Fair, cool-toned
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? No! I don’t mind eye brushes because I use the MAC Brush Cleanser and they dry within seconds, but I hate how long face brushes take to dry!
What do you use to wash them? For my face brushes, I usually use the beautyblender cleanser or baby shampoo.
How often do you wash them? I try to remember to watch them every couple of weeks! Eye brushes I wash as soon as I get done with them.

Alecto Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: fair to light yellow/golden (I feel like this survey begs the question of skin *type* more than color, so I’ll volunteer that: combination with rosacea and high sensitivity)

Do you enjoy washing your brushes? No.

What do you use to wash them? Changes every time. I usually take this task as an opportunity to use up the inevitable samples that I can’t seem to avoid, in this case sudsing gel-based facial cleansers or shampoos. If I don’t have any of those I’ll use Dawn dish soap. I always finish by swirling each brush in a glass of very dilute Betadine, then let them air dry.

How often do you wash them? Not as often as I should, and that’s all I’m saying.

Nikki Avatar

Your skin tone/coloring: fair and cool skin, gray eyes, brown hair with red highlights and scattered blonde and blue strands.
Do you enjoy washing your brushes? Not really, although I might not mind it too much if they didn’t dry so slowly.
What do you use to wash them? Run under hot water, swish or soak in Maybelline Expert Eyes eye makeup remover, rinse under hot water, rinse again under warm water, wipe on a paper towel, lay on a paper towel to finish drying.
How often do you wash them? As infrequently as I can get away with without breaking out-usually about once a month.

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