My Brush Cleaning Routine

After I posted a blog post about the make up tools that changed my life (klick here), I received many questions on how I clean my brushes and sponges. Therefore, I decided to write an entire blog post about it. 

To begin with, I have to mentioned that I actually have two sets of brushes and sponges which I use on an every day basis. Those brushes would be a powder brush, a blush brush, a highlighting brush, a bronzer brush, two eyeshadow brushes, and a beauty blender. I have many more brushes, which I don't use every day. Due to me having two sets of brushes, I clean them every two weeks. But I only use one set for a week and then the other set the next week. The reason behind this is quite simple. I don't want to clean brushes every week. So I bought a second set. Now, I clean all of them every two weeks. However, I do clean my sponges twice a week because I use them with liquid products like foundation and concealers. And I kind of don't like to use them more than three times without cleaning them. 

The items I use for cleaning my brushes are two small towels, a mild baby shampoo, and a small bowl. I put a small amount of baby shampoo into the bowl. I usually start with the bigger brushes, because they need more time to dry. I dip the tip of the bristles into the shampoo. Then I hold it under the tap, which runs on a lower level. I run the brush over my hand and circle it around to get all of the product out. I hold the brush under the tap again. I, then, repeat it for a couple more times until the foam is white and clean. And then I hold the brush under the tap until all of the soap is washed out. After that, I carefully squeeze the water out and then I squeeze the rest of the water out into a towel. The brush should only be moist after this. I, then, place them bristle down onto a another towel in order for them to dry. I clean my sponges in a pretty similar way. I put the baby shampoo onto the wet sponge and work the soap into the sponge and the rest of the make-up rests out of it. I also hold it under the tap. I do so until the foam comes out white and clean. I, then, squeeze and release the sponge under the water until all of the soap is out of the sponge. I squeeze the rest of the water out of it and I repeat that with a towel. I let the brushes and the sponges try for 24 hours before using them again. 

Don’t wash or place the brushes with the bristles up because then the water can run into the part where the bristles are clued together and into the brush. The water can damage the entire clue. 

This is my brush cleaning routine. It is very simple, but effective. 

La La Land - Nominated for 14 Academy Awards

If you haven’t seen La La Land and want to see it without knowing anything or reading any other opinions on the movie, you should better stop reading right here and come back another time. 

If you do want to hear my opinion on the film, keep reading. 

I finally went to see La La Land yesterday. I had the movie on my list for a little while but I wasn’t quite sure if I really want to see it in theater or wait until it comes out on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or even on DVD. 

In general, it is a romantic musical comedy-drama film starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in the lead roles. It is about an aspiring actress called Mia (Stone) and a passionate musician called Sebastian (Gosling) who meet and fall in love in Los Angeles. Both of them struggle a lot while trying to achieve their dreams. Mia dreams of becoming a well-know and successful actress. She goes from audition to audition but cannot seem to get a job in the business. Sebastian is a passionate, Jazz-loving pianist who dreams of having his own Jazz club. 

I won’t give more information on the content, because someone, who still wants to see the movie without knowing the proceedings, still wants to watch it. 

My expectations of the film were kind of high, because it received such a large amount of Oscar nominations and it won in every category it was nominated for at the Golden Globes including best performance in a motion picture actor and actress.  Therefore, I kind of expected a great movie. 

In my opinion, the film is very good and it deserves all the nominations and winnings. The scenery is very authentic and one is able to see, that it was shot on several locations in and around of Los Angeles. I loved this, because it gives the film such a great authenticity. The dialogues between the several characters are very thoughtful and thought through. They are witty, humorous, and genuine, but at the same time also serious and sincere. The chemistry between Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling and their characters fits this movie perfectly. But what I enjoyed most is the music. It is placed perfectly. And it fits the content and the scenery very well. I have to comment on the capability of singing of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. First of all, I was not surprised of the beautiful voice of Emma Stone. I have never heard her sing before, but I kind of thought that she would be great at it. And she is. On to Mr. Ryan Gosling. There is no doubt in the world, that he is an amazing actor and a very good looking and handsome man. But why did I not know that he could sing like this?! He has a deep, sexy singing voice which makes him even hotter. I was pleasantly surprised by his performance. And then there was also John Legend. He kind of put the cherry on top of incredible musical performances throughout the film. 

Nevertheless, I have one point of critique. Although I think the film is great and I loved it, I think the first one third of it kind of lacks content a little bit. I thought it was a little dull. But they made up for it towards the second and third third. I am capable to overlook this. I liked the content. It shows two individuals trying to find their places in two different fields —film and music — but at the same time they are connected due to their relationship with each other and their similar struggles. Last but not least, I was kind of surprised by the ending, I did not expected that. 

Overall, La La Land is a great film which deserves all of its award nominations and winnings. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling did a very good job of portraying the two lead characters. At this point I also have to give huge compliments to the writers, producers, choreographers, and all the people who worked on the film. All of them did an amazing job. 

If you have not see the film, go watch it. You won’t be disappointed.