How to Wash & Dry Your Makeup Brushes in Minutes!

There's not one among us that enjoys washing our makeup brushes, NOT. ONE. What if I told you that you didn't need to make prunes of your fingers, labour over washing & rinsing and the wait all night for them to dry? Thanks to Garnier's new Micellar Cleansing Water for combo skin, here's how to wash and dry your makeup brushes in minutes!

How does it work?

Micellar water gets its name from the science behind the product. It’s made of “micelles,” which are tiny oil molecules suspended in water. Those small molecules grab on to all of the unwanted makeup particles clinging to your brushes and dissolve them. The alcohol included in the Garnier Micellar Water ensures sterilization of the bristles as well as super fast cleansing. 

What you'll need: 

• Garnier's Micellar Water (the one with the green lid/alcohol): €4.53 HERE
• Spray Bottle (to decant water & make life hella easier) - €2.19 HERE
• Cotton Pads - €2.79 HERE 
• Silicone Brush Egg ~ Optional for Foundation Brushes - €1.50 HERE
• Maggedy Makeup Brushes - EVERYWHERE

How to Clean Makeup Brushes - Step 1 - Spritz Your Maggedy Brush

How to Clean Makeup Brushes - Step 2 - Give Your Brush a Swirl on the Egg or Cotton Pad

How to Clean Makeup Brushes - Step 3 - Tan-Spankle-ah-DAH!

The inclusion of alcohol in the micellar water means that not only are your brushes cleansed but drying time is obliterated to minutes, rather than hours. This means you can gather your top brushes and have them cleaned and dried in no time at all. No more forgoing your favourite brushes because they're waiting for a wash. 

Word of Warning:

Just one word of warning to keep in mind, this handy trick is great for synthetic brushes but I'd err on the side of caution when cleaning makeup brushes made with real hair. The alcohol will have a stripping effect and can/will lead to the deterioration of your spendy brush. For those I'd continue to give them a deep clean with baby shampoo/your favourite brush cleanser, reshape and leave to air dry. 

My Full Face Worth of Fave Brushes - Clean AND Dry in Less than 10 Minutes!

Will you be giving this seriously time saving trick a go? Mad props to new beauty pal, Siobhán from LetzMakeup for drawing it to our attention! 

New Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation & Concealer in One!

I'm all for cutting a minute or twenty off my morning routine, more so when that routine is done in the office loos just to eek out as many precious zeds of a morning as I can. As soon as I laid eyes on Clinique's upcoming Beyond Perfecting Foundation & Concealer in One before the Christmas break, I knew it, I and my snooze button would get on very well indeed. 

There's 21  shades incoming with one of the lightest feeling full coverage formulations I've used to date. Aimed at the over 30 lady with a tendency toward oiliness, I've found it's worked a boon on my normal 30ish skin this past several months. 

Just one large doe foot of product is enough to do your entire fizzog. I know, I was doubtful too when makeup artist Florrie White gave me the lo-down but she is entirely right. The formulation feels dry on application but blends in nicely and is buildable as and where needed. Despite initial Saharan worries, I found it felt hydrating during its 12 hour wear time. Full comfortable coverage with very little product so that it never feels 'masky', that's a feat in itself but Clinique have pulled it off. 

Less than half a buidéal left - that's good going!

I've been so impressed with this double duty formulation that even when trialling other bases I've been reaching for Beyond Perfection as my concealer of choice. Now that's unheard of for me. I find the consistency ideal for my under eye area with enough slick so that it never creases or dries into fine lines. That's a sure fire sign of a product I'm loving, when I'm reaching for it unbeknownst to myself. 

Clinique Beyond Perfection Foundation & Concealer in One hits counters on February 6th and might just be the answer to many a busy woman's prayers. 

What say we? Will we be giving it a looksee when it drops? 

Coupons - A Splurge in Saving's Clothing?

Since the country, nay the planet has been thrown into recession it's only natural that the savvy consumer will try to find a bargain. With tax hikes, wage cuts and the highest unemployment numbers since Angela's Ashes we're all trying to catch a break. 

It's that backdrop that has seen a viral explosion of online coupon sites. What started out as the odd restaurant or small business trying to drum up business in a flailing economy has turned into a multi million euro/dollar/paaand business.  

Every day our inboxes are stuffed to capacity with mega deals, outstanding offers and once in a lifetime deals - never to be repeated - until Tuesday. Try as you might to unsbscribe or opt out, otherwise valuable sites are hopping onto the bandwagon, I'm looking at you Independant.ie. 

Don't get me wrong, I love a bargainous buy as much as the next recessionista and have even bought quite a few. Cheap deals in hotels beside work conferences being my favourite but I have been caught out too. Recently purchasing a €10 deal for 2 week lash inserts in Arnott's that should have retailed at €79! Who doesn't want to look like a pantomime cow? I clicked one for my pal & I and in we trotted. I went first as my pal popped to the loo. Upon her return her eyes were like saucers looking at me, my heart sank. 'Have you anything, eh, smaller than those?' she said. Gutted. Oh yeah, her's turned out fabulous and Jessie here had to bat my way out of the shop, blowing over toddlers in my path. Just as well they were gick and fell off in half an hour eh? 

Not the look I was going for..

In fairness, there are some real deals to had, but I genuinely think the 'before price' suckers us into buying something we never would have before we were collectively smashed. How many of us expected a champagne lunch in the Ritz every Thursday, even at the height of the 'boom'? Surely paying next to nothing for something we don't need is still a loss?

It's the same marketing genius that's behind a certain retail giant's success: 'Ehm, is that an illuminous orange Hawaiian shirt? 'Yeah, I got such a bargain, others paid €700 for it!' 'I'm fairly sure they didn't & that's why it ended up in Tk Maxx for €6.25'

So, tell me, are you a coupon lover or can you see through the hype? I like to think I'm copping on but I've been wrong before... *flutter flutter*

Nail Tip for Summer Pastels & Crazy Neons

I hadn't intended on another nail post quite so quickly but accidentally came across a nice little nail tip this weekend and felt the need to share. I've heard lament and been the lamenter of  the time it takes to apply summer pastels. While sporting a french polish over the weekend I conveniently 'found myself' in Superdrug trying out the lovely Pastel Nail Paints by Barry M. 

Some May have fallen into my mála aprés nail tip discovery.
L-R Mint Green, Blueberry, Strawberry & Lemon

Yup, pastels can be a bit of a PIB (pain in the bum) when it comes to application and that has stopped me purchasing in the past. It can take up to 3 coats to reach the desired opacity, which some of us have neither the time nor the inclination for. Cue me swatching the pastels over a french polish in Superdrug and Eureka! 
The pastels POP instantly when applied over a white base!

We all have a couple o' whites lying 'round for tip work

Half & Half

Difference is immediately noticeable with just one coat

So there you have it, to save time and achieve the desired result a white base coat can really work. Got me to thinking about other PIB colours, such as Neons. 

Et Voila! Great for the impact of Neons too

Have to say I'm all about time saving time and getting faster results so I'll definitely be using this trick in future. 

How 'bout you?