I have a love-hate relationship with my favourite foundation brush – the Sigma F80 Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki Brush.
I just love how the dense bristles can spread liquid foundation so evenly on my face. Its ability to combine full coverage with a soft flawless look is PRICELESS, okie, maybe U$16, but it really is a fantastic brush!
But then, it is so hard to clean! SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO HARD!!!
I tried the Michelle Phan’s method of mixing olive oil and detergent but that didn’t make my makeup brush any cleaner. In fact, it made cleaning WORSE because all the dirt was now trapped by the oil on the bristles. So disgusting!
And not even the MAC Brush Cleanser, which I bought for the sole purpose of cleaning the Sigma F80 brush, and was my last resort, could wipe every trace of makeup residue off its bristles!
The Sigma brush must be laughing at me every time I get so frustrated standing at the sink for 40 minutes working like a mad woman to clean it. It mocks me! >.<””
Before I move on to how I finally managed to scrub all dirt off the Sigma F80 brush with the fantastic the Daiso Detergent for Puff and Sponge is, here’s how I used to struggle with cleaning it before:
Step 1:
Lathering up with shampoo.
After rinsing, it looks like it was never washed.
Step 2:
Using the MAC Brush Cleanser.
Only slightly better, and still stained.
I like to squeeze the bristles together because when the bristles are in their normal position, it is not so obvious how clean or dirty they are.
Step 3:
Washing with shampoo again…
… And still looking unclean.
Step 4:
In Step 2, I poured the MAC Brush Cleanser on a kitchen towel and swiped the bristles across it. Here I pour the cleanser into a container and dip the bristles into the container. I hate that this method wastes so much product without much results.
It seems to indicate that a lot of gunk got removed, but when you look at the brush, it really looks quite the same.
Step 5:
Washing with shampoo for the 3rd time. GAH!
Looking a lot cleaner than in the earlier pictures.
Step 6:
Gently squeezing water out of the bristles with a towel.
I like to do this to see clearly how dirty/clean the brush is. As you can see, there is still a little bit of staining. =’(
This is, however, the maximum the MAC Brush Cleanser and shampoo can manage.
Step 7:
Haha! This is how I dry my Sigma F80 Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki Brush! The bristles are rounded so I don’t want to affect the shape by laying it flat down. This is how I prop it up. After it dries completely, I reshape it by puttng it back into the plastic guard that came with it. I don’t use The Brush Guard on the Sigma Brush because its own guard fits better.
Okie! PHEW! This was how I painstakingly washed my Sigma brush back when I hadn’t discovered the Daiso Detergent for Puff and Sponge yet. Those were hard times. I subjected the brush to so much abuse I’m embarrassed about it.
I actually go back and forth on the MAC Brush Cleanser, then the shampooing, more brush cleanser, more shampooing… until there is very little stain left, or I get exhausted – whichever happens first. At the end of each session my fingers would be all wrinkled and palm and arm sore from all that swirling.
I’m glad those hard times are over.
So, to answer the question of this post “Can the MAC Brush Cleanser Clean Stubborn Grime Off the Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki Brush?”… I’m sure all of you can guess that the answer is a big fat NO!
Do you own the Sigma F80 Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki Brush? How do you wash/clean it?
