How to (cheaply & easily) clean your makeup brushes

Cleaning your makeup brushes is one of the best ways to make the most of your investment. "Investment?!" you say?  Yes, INVESTMENT. If you are buying a decent quality brush, even if you manage to find it for a steal, you don't want to end up buying another in a year, do you? Quality makeup brushes can range in price from $5 to above $50 each. So why let them wear out early, why let them get caked up with old makeup, why deal with possible bacterial funk?  (ICK ick icky ick!) WHY PAY THAT MUCH AND NOT GET THE MOST OUT OF IT?? Especially when cleaning them is something you can do as you get ready for work?

You COULD buy brush shampoo. At $14.00 for a tiny bottle, I think that stuff should jump out of said bottle and curl my eyelashes for me. I prefer the penny option, which works just as well (I've used brush shampoo before, I know from firsthand experience).  No, that isn't a typo, it's a penny option.
(Okay, okay, it might be half a penny, or two pennies, I haven't sat down and figured out the per-tablespoon cost of vinegar. Math is for people with more patience.)

1. Fill a small container with VERY HOT WATER. The hotter the better, but don't go extreme and boil it- you want to be able to stick your fingers in it if you need to fluff the bristles.

2. Add ONE TABLESPOON WHITE VINEGAR.

3. Stick your brushes in, bristles downward. The best way to soak them is by using just enough water to cover the bristles and not enough to cover the metal part (ferrule) as this could start to loosen up the glue holding the bristles in. I personally have never had an issue with this, but not all brushes are created equal. Swirl them around, make sure the water is getting all the way through the thicker brushes.  Give them a light fluffing with your fingers if they are really caked with makeup. If you use a liquid foundation brush you may want to use a separate container for that brush.

4. Let them sit for 15-30 minutes, depending on how long it has been since you last cleaned them or how dirty they are. Go finish getting ready for work, go watch a show on your DVR, go deal with whatever that silence from the kids means. I set a timer so I don't forget. Because I'm very good at forgetting things in the short-term.

5. When your time is up marvel at the dirty water dump out your now icky water. Run your brushes under a hot water rinse, then a cold rinse.

 

6. Gently shake out what water you can. You can gently press out water from the thick brushes, but be careful not to use too much pressure as this will cause the bristles to break. Either stand them up to dry or lay them flat in a dish drainer. Just make sure that they can get decent airflow around them. You wouldn't want to lay them flat on the counter top as the water would collect in the side pressed against the flat surface.

7. Later in the day, or the next morning if you choose to clean them before bed, check to make sure they have dried thoroughly- I give mine a gentle shaking or lightly brush them against the side of my hand to get the bristles fluffed up and looking pretty if a few decided to cling together.

That's it. No really, that is all it takes, just some hot water, some vinegar and a few minutes of your time.  Repeat once a month for optimum brush life.

I should probably wipe off those handles with a damp washrag while I'm at it too.

ZOMG so many DRAW-ERS!!

SO I participate in several facebook online garage sale groups for Cheyenne (don't have one in Owensboro?, get on this, it's wonderful to get rid of extra stuff and go garage sale-ing without actually HAVING a garage sale or leaving my pajamas). And...you may recall that I was bitching at one point because when I moved my desk got cracked and prices for a new one...sheesh. And then what I was saving for a new desk went to the down payment on my car. But waiting paid off!!!!

I present to you the newest member of the household....

Holy Fark she's a heavy beast!

SO. MANY. DRAWERS!
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Yes, I did a crazy-assed happy dance)
(2 or 3 times)
:D

Other blog

Is it bad that I almost feel guilty for starting my other blog just before this one, because I update that one ALL the time! Thank goodness that it posts to FB, or we'd all be wondering why I never post.

And Ruby, you just texted me as I type this...weird! But I'll tell Doug to keep an eye on the mail! ;-)

Makes me wonder if I can figure out HOW to switch over blogs, but this one is just for us & the other is more for trying to get a following, so I guess separate is better?

BTW, nail glitter...messy, but pretty results! I may try pre-mixing it with polish for a different look next time.

Wish me luck on my Packers/Cheesehead cake I'm making Friday...I'll post pics on my other blog, so I'm glad you follow me on FB at least! ;-)

made@home bodywash from bar soap

I've read several blog posts from the webierse about making your own body wash for WAY less than store-bought. And since I'm A: about out of bodywash, B: sleepless in Wyoming, and C: happen to have two bars of soap hanging around any ways... well, why the heck not?

There are lots and lots of methods, recipes and opinions about this out there, but the general consensus seems to be 1-2 cups of water per bar of soap, and the best results are achieved by grating the soap. The water content depends largely on how much moisturizer your chosen soap has in it.  I have Caress on hand, which isn't quite as lotion-y as Dove or Olay, so I'm gonna aim for 1.5 cups of water per bar.  Hopefully, the repetitive motion of grating two bars of soap will get me sleepy, and I'll be finishing this post tomorrow after work :)
~~~

Well, turns out grating soap is very meditative & good for those that can't sleep. This turned out much easier than I thought it would too. I grated the two bars while watching one of my recorded shows- I might have been able to work faster, but why would you? The whole point was for it to be soothing :).

I have no idea why this picture refuses to turn upright. Technology, eh?

I decided to grate it into a stainless mixing bowl on the off chance that I might screw this up and scorch soap in a stainless pan. Which would very much be bad. Then after work today, I needed to boil water for another thing, so I just added water from that to my bowl of grated soap about a half cup at a time. I had let the pan rest on the turned off burner when I was done with my boiling, so it wasn't quite boil-hot, but it was still quite toasty. This worked exceedingly well. I stopped at 2 cups of water- turns out Caress brand had a bit more lotion/moisturizer to it than I thought. ( The harsher the soap, the more water you will need, and possibly some extra glycerin.)

Stir, stir, stir as you add the hot water, and poof, magic happens- bodywash!

I just refilled my regular bodywash bottle. I had just a tiny glob left in it, so this project came along at just the right time. I also filled my travel bottle, and a Tupperware container- note to self: make one bars' worth at a time!

Great Brain Search

We have had the great brain search in Bloomington. This artwork is all around to bring awareness to brain diseases. We called this our zombie day.

It was a great family activity day that cost a little gas money. These type things that we will need to look for if either you come to visit.