This or That: 4 Brush Cleaners To Try

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Hey you! How's your week going? Mine is flying by--I had to take a blog day off to get caught up on emails (still behind), meet a few deadlines (can't wait to share these posts with y'all), film a video (coming Friday), and clean and sanitize my brushes.

The latter is my least favorite thing about beauty: cleaning makeup brushes. It's a necessity, but the struggle is real, y'all, especially when you have a ton of brushes (click here to see my collection). And when I'm not in the mood to deep clean them, but want quick and sanitized brushes, I rely on alcohol-based brush cleaners. For this week's This or That, I'm comparing 4 popular brush cleaners that will make cleaning a little faster.

1--Ben Nye Brush Cleaner--A well-known brand in the makeup industry, Ben Nye products became a household name thanks to the infamous Banana Powder, used by Kim Kardashian. Cleans 75 brushes per ounce. Effective cleaning solution quickly dissolves all oil-based makeup.
Price: $6 for 2 oz up to $44 for 32 oz
Sizes: 5
Scent: slight fragrance
Elle's Review: Nice, gentle cleaner that doesn't stain brushes

2--Parian Spirit--Parian Spirit is made from citrus spirits and food grade solvents, giving it powerful cleaning properties that cut through oil-based makeup and adhesives but remains gentle to natural and synthetic hair bristles. Also good for cleaning makeup off clothes, wigs, false eyelashes and false facial hair. Cleans latex and acrylic as well.
Price: $6.50 for 2 oz up to $30 for 32 oz
Sizes: 6 (including wipes)
Scent: Very strong citrus
Elle's Review: Great, strong cleaner, but the scent can be strong if too much is used. Be sure to use any of these in a well-ventilated area.

3--Cinema Secrets--This is a product from another makeup industry brand. Top professionals rely on the quick-drying formula to clean, sanitize, and leave tools with a pleasant smell. Safe for use with natural and synthetic hairs, the cleaner immediately dissolves all traces of wax, liquid, and powder residue from brushes, spatulas, and palettes. It's the only makeup brush cleaner to remove 99.9% of all bacteria--and it conditions bristles to extend brush life. Environmentally safe and non-carcinogenic.
Price: $8 for 2 oz up to $36 for 32 oz
Sizes: 4
Scent: Vanilla
Elle's Review: This one has the best scent, but is the only one that stained brushes the first time I used it. This was easily solved with another cleaning and being extra careful with the amount used. The packaging logo has changed from the one pictured.

4--Face Secrets--The other cleaners are found the easiest online, but I wanted to share one that can be picked up at Sally Beauty.
Price: $5.99 for 4 oz.
Sizes: 1 (I remember them also having wipes, but not sure if those are still available)
Scent: Smells like rubbing alcohol or polish remover
Elle's Review: This is basically just blue rubbing alcohol, and works in a pinch (I order the others online), but is not my favorite.

This or That: I love the first 3 for different reasons. My favorite is Cinema Secrets but it is the priciest, followed by Parian Spirit, which seems to be the best at really getting oil-based makeup (from brushes and more) and glue from false lashes, followed by Ben Nye, which I can easily find online ( one site I use is frendsbeauty.com).

How to Use Brush Cleaner:

• Powder on brushes is the easiest to remove, so I'll spritz some cleaner onto the brushes using spray bottle. Then I'll wipe the brush on a paper towel until the brush is clean. This is a quick technique to sanitize brushes as well.
• Another way to clean is to pour a little into a lid, swirl the brush in, and then repeat with the paper towel process.
• For brushes that have oil-based products, like foundation or concealer, I'll pour a little cleaner into a small jar (I have one from Parian Spirit) and allow the product to absorb into the bristles. Then I'll use the same paper towel method.
• • I never soak or completely saturate my brushes with alcohol-based cleaners. I don't want to damage them or dissolve the glue that holds the bristles together. I still deep clean my brushes using solid brush cleaners or soaps.

More posts to visit:

• Solid brush cleaners
• Best Real Techniques Brushes
• Best Basic Brushes for Face and Eyes
• How to Clean Brushes

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Please stop leaving me comments telling me how you clean your brushes. I am aware of all methods, but am trying to offer you a quicker, easier, and disinfecting method. Don't knock it til you try it. Thank you.