Dr Bronner's Pure Castile Magic Soap

Well hello there!

Sticking with the clean theme for the new year this post is all about my new favourite make up brush cleaner. Most people have heard about Dr Bronner's Pure Castile 18 in 1 Magic Soap by now courtesy of a lot of reviews from other bloggers, Anna from Vivianna Does Make Up is a fan!

I saw the Citrus Orange scent in TK Maxx recently and couldn't help but take it home with me!
I'm a sucker for citrus scents as it is but with my trusty Johnson's baby shampoo running low I knew it was a sign.

I love the packaging for this, like an old style bottle with hundreds of words on it dictating tips, tricks, suggestions and ingredients. Not only that but it's also fair trade certified and all contained within a recycled plastic bottle; it's like the most justifiably purchasable product in existence.

I love the description of how soap is made, it's really interesting a quirky touch that other products don't have. Did I mention this snapshot also shows that it's organic as certified under the USDA National Organic Program?! It's also refillable at certain stores though I'm assuming this is America only.

This 18 in 1 soap has many uses including face and body wash, and facial wraps using hot water infused with the soap and a warm towel. This has become popular with bloggers due to its ability to clean make up brushes easily and leaving them with a gorgeous scent; not to mention its super concentrated so you only need a small amount to get things clean/

As far as make up brush cleaning goes; it's one of those tasks that we all hate doing! I always seem to have used a ridiculous amount of them and facing up to an hour of cleaning is always offputting!

However using this scent i barely noticed the time going by as it just made me feel like I was on holiday in an orange grove, or in the middle of Christmas - weird how one scent can bring such opposing images isn't it?

I tested it on all of my eyeshadow brushes first and it cleansed them really well, even those that have been applying the super pigmented Urban Decay shadows and MAC pigments, especially Blackout from UD which just seems to be the blackest thing I've ever seen.

So I moved onto the dreaded foundation and powder brushes that get abused on a daily basis by me and should be cleaned  a lot more often than they do!

But you can see for yourself that they've come up almost back to their original white which is impressive considering some are over a year old.

This has been a big hit for me and I'm hoping it lasts a really long time too; I will certainly be scouring my local TK Maxx for some of their other scents in future though it's always a one hit wonder kind of place for me!

I miraculously managed to get mine in TK Maxx for a £5.99 bargain so I'd recommend checking your local shop just in case. Otherwise amazon also have some pretty good deals, it all depends on which scent you are looking for.

The soap is also available in Almond, Baby Mild, Eucalyptus, Green Tea, Lavender, Peppermint, Rose and Tea Tree. I'd love to try the peppermint one too as its my other favourite scent!

Have you tried Dr Bronner's Magic Soap? Which is your favourite scent?

L xxx

No7 Make Up Brush Cleaner

Hey lovelies!

I've been meaning to write about this product for a long time and just haven't got round to it. It's always the same with everyday stuff that you always use isn't it, doesn't get a mention but is always there!

This is the No7 Make Up Brush Cleaner.

I bought this on a whim when i had the £5 off vouchers falling out of my purse and felt like it was Christmas. I hadn't noticed it before but my constant lack of clean brushes was getting me angry and I needed to do something about it.

After using the voucher this costs £3 so really its an essential.

It's got a heft plastic pump that you can use to dispense the liquid straight onto the brush (which is messy) or onto cotton wool and then wipe the brush onto the pad.
For the lazy girl like myself this was great and dissolving some of the orange foundation that had built up on my buffing brushes and i was grateful that it worked so well.

It's hypo allergenic which is great for everyone and although the main ingredients include alcohol this isn;t a problem as its going nowhere near your skin.

It does say that this is a quick fix and I would have to agree with them, this is the kind of thing you need to try and use every day after make up application to make your brushes last a bit longer between thoroughly washing them in hot water etc. It says to do that once a month but being the germophobe that i am I wouldn't leave it longer than 2 weeks because of the build up of bacteria that could potentially give you a break out and nobody wants that!

This was a really good choice of product for No7 to bring out as not many companies have. You can of course use other make up removes but oily ones will not help your brushes at all and micellar water can get expensive.

This has been perfect for getting me through those dark times of having no make up brushes to hand and it being 5 minutes before I need to leave for work. I'd always wait for the No7 vouchers to come around though, I mean it retails at £8 which in itself isn't bad but you can get this for a measly £3 and really it would be rude not to pick it up wouldn't it?!

Have you tried this Brush Cleaner before? Will you be picking it up on your next load of No7 vouchers?

What do you think is the best way to deep cleanse your brushes and how often do you do it?

I'm curious, let me know!

L xx