We Rated The Best Makeup Brush Cleaners And Machines!
If you use anywhere near as many makeup brushes as we do, you’ll find washing your makeup brushes annoying AF! But as we all know, washing our makeup brushes is super important; not only do you get way better makeup application from a clean brush, but you also avoid spreading bacteria from your brushes to your face.
SO, to make your life easier, we’re rating some of our fave makeup brush cleaners and some of those crazy brush cleaning machines you’ve seen on Instagram, to help you find the best makeup brush cleaner for you!
Fave Brush Cleaning Machine: StylPro Original Brush Cleaner, $50
Source: StylPro
What it is: A makeup brush cleaner and dryer that cleans and dries a brush in about 30 seconds.
How to use it: The kit comes with a device that has different attachments to fit any brush, which then spins the brushes in the bowl (you need to fill the bowl with makeup brush cleanser – about 1cm). Let the brush spin in the formula for about 15 seconds, then lift it out of the cleanser (but still inside the bowl) and let it spin, and by the time you remove it, it’s clean and dry. Once it’s done, just pour away the dirty liquid and rinse the bowl.
Video below using the StylPro Tipping Bowl, $15:
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Why we like it: This is honestly the easiest and quickest, most hassle-free way of washing your brushes and you don’t even have to get your hands wet. Your brushes are also ready to be used immediately and the device can fit every size brush (except probably a giant kabuki brush). We recommend using the machine with the StylPro Makeup Brush Cleanser, $9.
We rate it: 10/10
We recommend it for: Bulk brush cleaning! When you have lots of brushes to clean, this makes the process quick and easy, but if you only need to wash one, it might be quicker to use soap in your sink.
Fave Brush Cleanser: Wolford-Richards Designs The BEST Makeup Brush Cleaner, $30
What it is: An antibacterial, free-of-any-nasties, conditioning makeup brush cleanser in a tin.
How to use it: Wet your brushes, run a little water into the tin, then swirl your brushes against the soap, rinse, swirl again and then rinse your brushes under clean running water.
Why we like it: It’s super quick and completely foolproof. It’s made with lemon and tea tree essential oils, which condition the brushes but also smell great. You can also grab a few small brushes at a time and swirl around in the cleanser for quicker cleaning. Our brushes are left conditioned and soft, completely clean, and we love the convenience of having it in a tin. The only thing we didn’t find it effective at cleaning was our makeup sponges.
We rate it: 10/10
We recommend it for: Weekly deep cleaning for makeup brushes.
The Lilumia Makeup Brush Cleaning Device, $149
Source: Lilumia
What it is: A makeup brush cleaning machine that can clean between six and 12 makeup brushes at once.
How to use it: Add water and soap to the different compartments, then fit your brushes into the brush holder. Make sure the brushes are touching the cleaning mat and cleansing solution, then put the lid on and press the button. The machine takes 15 minutes to go through a wash cycle and three rinse cycles.
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Why we like it: You won’t have to do any of the cleaning yourself.
What we didn’t like: Out of all our fave cleaning tools, we did find this to be a little more complex. By the time you’ve set up the machine and waited 15 minutes for the machine to wash the brushes, they come out dripping wet (with dirty water still on the brushes after three rinses), and then each brush also needs to be wiped on a towel or tissue to get them semi-dry. Once the brushes are out, you also then have to disassemble the machine and clean the trays and textured cleaning disk. The textured cleaning disk also expanded after we added water and no longer fits properly in the machine, which means it moves around and doesn’t stay in place.
We rate it: 3/10
We recommend it for: Mass brush cleaning.
Beautyblender liquid blendercleanser, $18
Source: beautyblender
What it is: A gentle shampoo for your makeup brushes and makeup sponges.
How to use it: In the sink, soak your beauty blender or brush, then massage in a dime-sized amount of shampoo. Massage the brush or blender until it foams then rinse well with water.
Why we like it: It’s quick and easy to use, and super effective, and the ingredients are gentle, so it won’t be irritating to your skin.
We rate it: 10/10
We recommend it for: Your weekly brush cleaning or everyday blender cleaning.
The Mini Washing Machine, $9
What it is: Essentially a kid’s toy washing machine that beauty blogger, Tiffany Lynette Davis, had the genius idea to use as a beauty blender cleaner.
How to use it: Pour water into the machine, don’t completely fill it or it will overflow, then add a few squirts of liquid soap.
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Why we like it: Well, tbh, it’s just really cute! Depending on what’s on the beauty blender or how dirty the makeup brushes are, the mini washing machine cleaned away powder formulas and light foundation after a few minutes, but on blenders with built-up layers of foundation, contour, and powder, the machine wasn’t heavy-duty enough to get all the stains out. Check out our full review and test here.
We rate it: 5/10
We recommend it for: Instagram videos! This isn’t really designed to efficiently clean your makeup brushes or makeup sponges, but it is super cute and fun to use!
Fave Waterless Brush Cleaner: Make Up For Ever Instant Brush Cleanser, $23
Source: Make Up For Ever
What it is: An alcohol-free brush cleanser that immediately dissolves surface makeup and dirt from brushes.
How to use it: Apply the cleanser to a tissue and rub your dirty makeup brushes on it. Keep wiping the brushes on different parts of the tissue to remove all the pigments from the brush. Then wipe on dry tissue until no moisture is left.
Why we like it: If you don’t have access to a sink or need to quickly clean your brushes, this is the easiest and most efficient way to do it. You don’t need to wait for your brushes to dry and surface dirt is immediately removed. However, this won’t deep clean your brushes, so we still recommend regularly washing your brushes as well.
We rate it: 8/10
We recommend it for: Quick brush cleaning during the week.
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Cinema Secrets Makeup Brush Cleaner Pro Starter Kit, $25
What it is: An instant makeup brush cleanser formula that comes with a handy tin.
How to use it: Pour a little cleanser into the tin and dip less than half of your brush into the formula then wipe your brush on a tissue or towel until clean (repeat if necessary). Your brushes are immediately dry and ready to go.
Why we like it: This industry fave really deep cleans brushes and gets rid of any lingering bacteria. The tin is convenient for mass makeup brush cleaning and you only have to use a tiny bit of cleanser for each brush, so the bottle will last you a really long time.
We rate it: 10/10
We recommend it for: Quick cleaning during the week or for weekly deep cleaning.
We also find that a bar of soap often does a great job of cleaning brushes and makeup sponges too. Just wet your brush and massage against the bar of soap continuously until clean, then rinse thoroughly – quick, easy, and cheap!
What do you guys use to clean your makeup brushes?
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