The Brush GuardCleaning Kit

I had such high hopes when I received this product after several online reviews and YouTube channels. I used it to the manufactures specifications. I own lot of makeup brushes. My brushes range from synthetic and natural hairs. I washed different brushes from eye shadows, foundations, and concealers. I also own different sizes (5 in. and longer and Kabuki's brushes). I will apologize in advance if it is lengthy.Thumbs up to Amazon. I made the purchase online through Amazon and received and order conformation immediately. Followed by another email informing me when it should arrive. It arrived on time.When the package arrived it was sealed in perfect condition and all the components where inside.Over all I was semi satisfied with my purchase. I had specific issues with the components individually, which is more a design issue rather that the function of the product that they advertised.I will now individually review all the components in the kit:1) The brush guards: These are a fabulous buy. If you have not purchase them do so. They keep the hairs on the brushes perfectly shaped while drying. In addition, while traveling the brushes are kept in shape. I owned them previously and have been happy with the set.2) The Drying Vase. The vase is just small. This is an amazing idea but to me it didn't work as well as it should. You place your brushes in the brush guard then place your brush facing down to let it dry. I am aware that due to the density of some brushes it might take longer to dry. The vents on the vase allow the air to circulate. This to me is an excellent. The 3 vents are spaced about 1/2 inch apart,I would have made more vents and spaced them closer to maximize the airflow. I also placed the vase and brushes on a window slick and after 4 hours the brushes were not any dryer than my other brushes that I had placed (on a slight angle) on my window ledge with out the vase.3) The Washing cup: I liked the idea but I to me it has a huge design flaw. Inside the cup the cup it has the textured bottom (note the texture is a little hard - I almost hurt myself when I first ran my figures). However I did feel my brushes were nice a clean afterwards. The biggest issue I had is the size (3 ¼ in diameter and 4 in in height). Note I have small hands my ring size is a 4 ½. So when it came to washing my 3 kabuki brushes I was frustrated. My hand barely fit in the cup for me to place the brushes close enough to the textured bottom to swirl it around. I am also a huge fan of the Bdellium travel size brushes; which measure around 5 inches in length. After I cleaned the two different size brushes (travel and Kabuki brushes). I felt that I put way too much effort in this process. However - I do own full-length brushes and I cleaned them with ease.3A) the actual cleaning part (the textured bottom). Overall I felt the brushes felt clean. I cleaned the brushes at twice a third time if the brush is used for concealers or liquid products.4) The Blotting Cloth. Please wash the cloth before using it. I wet my cloth and found that after I rung it, the water was teal. So I washed it thoroughly. I like the cloth. I was using a small washcloth before. Again no biggie for me.5) The Squeaky Clean Brush Shampoo: This was ok. But to be fair - I have used many brush cleaners and have found them to be similar. This one cleaned the brushes as expected but when it came to the concealer brushes I felt I needed to clean them again, and I used my own preferred soap. The liquid dispenses nicely. I squeeze the bottle a small blob comes out and that's enough to add water and start cleaning your brushes.Would I purchase again or recommend this item? Answer is no. I have been cleaning my brushes for years and have been happy with my method. I will not return the item as I can certainly use it again and to be fair it did clean my brushes. First of all the idea/concept is fantastic, but I would change a couple of things. The vase and cleaning cups are small. They need to be wider to accommodate all size brushes not just some (see details above). I would also like to see different textures instead of just one (inside the bottom of the cleaning cup). I don't particularly care for the color teal. Between the teal (which is the washing cup), and the dark charcoal grey (which is the drying cup), it made me feel like it was smaller then the actual size. Also not sure why it comes in teal -white, pink, or clear... would have been nicer choices. I will add that the cups are made from a sturdy plastic, acrylic feel which I felt was sturdy.Update: September 17, 2013After 5 months I have found that I don't use this product at all. The cups I use to place my dirty brushes to wash. I finished the brush shampoo and I would not re purchase. I use the brush cloth and the brush guards. Unfortunately, overall this product did not work for me.

I expected to receive the graphite mesh but I got the white ones as in the former kit. I like the brush shampoo because it’s easy to rinse. The plastic cups are great ( you can see them one inside of the other in the picture).The green cup has a textured bottom to gently scrub the brushes. The grey cup is ideal to let them dry because it’s striped open. I place the brush facing down standing on the brush guard (mesh) that is consistent enough to support the brush weight.No other brush mesh can hold the brush weight or keep the brush shape like this brand. I use the soft bamboo cloth as a towel to dry the water excess but it can also be used to clean brushes on the go. Always insert the brush guard by the handle to protect the bristles.You have everything you need to clean your brushes with this kit. It’s travel friendly because everything can go into the grey cup (4” H x 3” D).

There are two cups. The teal colored cup has is textured at the bottom of the cup so that you can scrub your brushes at the bottom and remove the makeup and bacteria off the brush hairs. Also, I like that the other cup has openings to allow the brushes to dry. However, I only put my eyeshadow brushes in there because my face brushes takes too long to dry in such an enclosed space. Even though the towel is small, it feels really nice and great for wiping off excess water from the brushes before putting it in the brush guards. The brush guards are amazing. A classmate had originally given me a set for free. I love that they have a variety of sizes to fit big, medium, and the smallest brushes (eyeliner and brow brushes). The brush gaurds can be sold separately. Its nice that they include some in this kit. They are also stiff so it sits up in the cup rather than sliding downwards. I am not a huge fan of the cleaning solution. Its really thick and difficult to get out of the bottle. I like the bare minerals cleaner a lot better. But overall, this is a great deal for a cleaning kit!! I LOVE it!!

This kit was such a great purchase. I used to rub the brush head with brush shampoo on the palm of my hand to create a lather which made my hands very dry and the lather was not that great. The brushes that I used with cream or liquid make up had to be washed two or three times with this method. With this kit, the textured washing cup made a great lather that really broke up the make up and even the got rid of the cream and liquid make up in one wash!The drying cup is nice, but to me it is just a cup with holes which is always good to me :) The blotting cloth is very soft and absorbent. The brush guards are awesome. I love the shape that it gives my brush after it dries and it is a great tool to dry my brushes upside down. I can't comment on the brush shampoo because I didn't use it. I wanted to finish using my Sephora brush shampoo first. This kit is awesome. I would recommend it to anybody that likes to wash their make up brushes regularly without over drying their hands.

i bought the whole kit because i really needed some nice cup to put my brushes in normally, and i figured this would be the perfect opportunity with all the extras (shampoo, washing station, towel and guards). while i will never repurchase their brush shampoo (olive or baby oil and dish soap are much cheaper and work just, if not more effectively), i like having a towel i know is specifically for brush drying and a washing station (it does work better than a hand). when my brushes are guarded and drying i use the cup for that, and then dry it out and store my brushes upright on my desk. it's not too costly for what you get, since i know that everything is specifically for my brushes. if you are on a budget however, buy a mixed pack of guards and substitute everything else. i just wanted to buy the kit so i had everything specifically for my brushes.