Cleaning brushes is one of the least favourite parts of my make-up routine.  Finding something that makes it that little bit easier – and quicker – is always welcome.  I recently picked up the Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette and think it is a fantastic little tool for helping me to deep clean my brushes quickly and effortlessly.

The cleansing palette comes with a little hand slot at the back so that you can, well, slot your hand in to hold it.  It’s sturdy but also comfortable, as the plastic is slightly rubberised.  It’s hand-sized, so it’s fairly dinky and easy to use on the go (fantastic if you are travelling or on holiday).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are different surfaces on the palette to help you get dirt, oil and residue make-up out of various sizes of make-up brushes.  The smaller grooves are great for cleaning eye, lip and concealer brushes, whilst the larger round bits are perfect for all types of face brushes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I notice such a big difference when I use this palette.  The surfaces really work into the bristles and effectively remove the make-up residue from my brushes.  It does all of this really, really quickly.  No having to stand for aaaaages by the sink working and working baby shampoo and water through the brush again and again to try and get the gunk out.  Using a tool for cleaning also means I don’t have to lather the brush on my hands, stopping them from getting all dry and wrinkled from the shampoo suds.

All I do is run my brush under the tap to dampen the bristles, dip it into some baby shampoo (I squirt a small blob out on a clean plate or plastic lid) and then gently swirl the bristles over one of the surfaces.  You can really see how much gunk has gathered in the bristles when using this tool! I normally hold the palette slightly over a running tap while I am swirling the brush to help rinse out the soap suds.  Once the water starts running clear , I gently squeeze the brush bristles to remove any water and place it flat on a clean towel to dry.

The cleansing palette also comes with two sachet samples of the Real Techniques Brush Cleanser.  I have used one sachet so far.  It seems reasonable but I actually find that I prefer the baby shampoo.  It’s a lot cheaper (always a bonus!) and the formula is thinner than the Real Techniques Cleanser, which I find to be better for cleaning brushes.  That’s just my personal preference, though; you might well use the brush cleanser and love it.

The Real Techniques Cleansing Palette costs £12.99 and is available from Boots, Superdrug, Amazon and various other online retailers.

Have you used this cleansing palette before? What do you think of it? Or do you have any other good tools or tips for cleaning make-up brushes? Let me know in the comments section below.