Homemade Brush Cleanser on am 590

- 1 cup bottled or distilled water
- 1/4 cup alcohol ( I use 99%) This will be your disinfecting, sanitizing & antibacterial agent
- 1/2 TBSP dish soap (if it can cut grease on your dishes, think of the grease on your brushes)
- 1/2 TBSP gentle shampoo (I used Avalon Organic Shampoo from Walmart)*
- 1 TBSP spray leave-in-conditioner (not cream) to condition bristles

Stir GENTLY!!!!! You do not want the soaps to start foaming or to sud up. After it is all mixed together pour it into your container and there is your inexpensive homemade brush cleanser.
Okay, so for those of you having a hard time cleaning lip brushes or eyeliner brushes with your ordinary cleanser, I have NEWS for YOU!!!!! Since lipstick and most liquid liners are gel/wax based you need something to prep them before disinfecting with your cleanser. You'll need:
- Any olive oil you have in the house
- A paper towel or cloth (best) to deposit color
- A dirty lip or liner brush =)
Put just a DrOp of oil on the rag and clean brush back and forth (avoid circular motions) till most color is gone. Add another drop if needed and repeat process. After color is off of the brush, cleanse normally with your home made brush cleanser or any cosmetic cleanser you have. A trick that I follow for keeping my white brushes white is that after this whole process...I wash them again with Clearasil and they return to WHITE WHITE WHITE!!! =) Click here to see how I clean my brushes (alert! OLD video!!!)

*Click here to learn more about "safe and natural" shampoos. Unfortunately we are led to believe that all baby shampoos must be the most gentle but it's not the case. There are three major ingredients that are unsafe that can be found in your shampoo but the Avalon Shampoo from Walmart has none of them.

AM 590

Okay Ladies, can I please just tell you that radio is SO much fun??? I was ShAkInG in my boots when we were going on air but Tami and Aaron made me feel so at ease =). You can click here to listen if you missed it. I am recorded under the June 16th sound bite.

AM 590 Tips Cosmetics Brushes

Cosmetics brushes can make or break your look but they can be pricey when purchased at department stores. Well never fear!!!! You can buy duplicate craft store brushes made from the same natural fibers (goat hair) as you will find at MAC. Here is a list of ones I use EvErYday:

Maxine's Mop (by Loew Cornell) 3/8" is a duplicate for MAC's #239 brush. The 239 is $24.50 and the Maxine's Mop is $3.95. What a STEAL right??? Right now till June 20th if you click here you can get it for $2.77 and even enter the code DAD1 and get 10% off your entire order!!!!! This also applies for the Maxine's Mini Mop, the 1/2" and 1" Mops. Love them all!!! I even got mine signed by Maxine...yeah, I'm a nerd =).

This is the Loew Cornell 1/4" Rose Petal Brush. I use this for my eyebrows and couldn't AdOrE it more!!! You can buy it in stores for around $5.00 but click here to get it for $3.09!!!

You can click on that most recent link to also find these great Loew Cornell brushes for powder and blush needs. The XXL Round Mop at $10.25 (on sale at the second link for $6.15) compares to MAC's #150 which will run you $42. For blush, MAC has the #129 at $34 but good 'ole Loew Cornell comes through with the Large Round Mop at $7.89 (on sale at the second link for $4.73).

Now this next one is also one of my all time FAVS as this is what I use EvErYday for my liquid last liner from MAC. This is the Loew Cornell 1/8" Angular Shader brush. In stores for $5.79, but here for $2.90.

There are also some great brush sets that can be found at the Coastal Scents site. This 13 piece set is only $16.95 and got a 4 out of 5 star rating.

At Target I LOVE the Sonia Kashuk line, especially this brush which I mostly use for cream blush application. It was $14.99 and worth every penny!!!

I want to stress that there are cheap brushes everywhere but with most, you get what you pay for. These I have used, tested and reviewed and have found them to be worthy of notice. I haven't had ANY bristles fall out (HUGE pet peeve!) and they all blend really well. I recommend them and hope to hear how you liked them as well.

Now Hear This!