Thursday, November 19, 2009

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MAC VS Sephora : An Ultimate Brush Cleanser Battle

We should and need to clean our makeup tools on a regular basis. Research studies have shown that an unwashed sponge is even dirtier than the toilet, meaning that there are millions of germs on it for sponges and brushes are the perfect places for these bad guys to grow. If you want to know more about how to properly maintain your makeup tools, please check out my blog post series Dear Brush Junkies (Part 1) and Dear Brush Junkies (Part 2). Now we have learned about the importance of cleaning our brushes, it is time to pick out a good cleanser. Today, I will be doing a comparison review on two very popular brush cleansers, the MAC Brush Cleaner ($11) and the Sephora Daily Brush Cleaner ($6 - $14), which are both on the go cleanser that can be used daily on makeup brushes in between deep washes.


More about MAC cleanser : This one product will clean, disinfect and condition the brush fibers so that brushes will last longer. It is convenient to use and is specifically designed to extend the life of high quality brushes. Brush Cleanser leaves your brushes smelling fresh and and clean, and helps shorten their drying time.

More about Sephora cleanser :Sephora Brand Daily Brush Cleaner is an anti-bacterial daily brush cleaner designed to quickly remove light traces of makeup between applications. Just spray this purifying formula onto a tissue or directly onto brush bristles, then lightly swipe your powder, blush, eye, and lip brushes across tissue for a fabulous dose of freshness. No rinsing needed!


MAC : $11 for 7.9 oz
Sephora : $14 for 6.75 oz

MAC clearly wins this round since you pay less for more product. MAC actually offers one of the cheapest brush cleansers out in the market.



MAC wins again this round because it takes much more product and swipes to completely remove all makeups from the brush. The Sephora one takes twice amount time than the MAC one.



Sephora caught up and wins this round because the lower alcohol content in the Sephora cleanser is much less damaging to makeup brushes. It also does not turn brush bristles stiff and hard like what the MAC one does.



Both have a similar packaging of spray bottle, and both are widely available so it will be a tie this round.

The winner, MAC, is not hard to pick out. It gives you a good bargain and has a much better ability to clean makeup brushes. Unfortunately, being the winner is not permanent because I will be taking other products for more battles in the future. Well, until we find the best.

20 Responses to “MAC VS Sephora : An Ultimate Brush Cleanser Battle”

.blushfully. said...
November 19, 2009 at 6:23 AM

Hi hi... I've only recently got myself into the whole makeup addiction and these days, if I want to deep clean my brushes I use either my deep cleansing face wash/foam or The Body Shop Olive Shampoo...
For spot cleaning, I just use one of my toners. I put some on a cotton pad and run/brush the brushes on top of the cotton pad and it cleanses it and dries real fast. It works for me. ;)

I have never tried MAC brush cleaner though.

Cheers
dana
http://blushfully.blogspot.com/


Ashwini said...
November 19, 2009 at 8:44 AM

I have made my own brush cleanser by following EnKore's YouTube video on it. It's quite easy and works well on little eyeshadow brushes. But it doesn't work too well on bigger face brushes. I only spot clean on e/s brushes anyway, and deep clean my face brushes, so it works for me.


Unknown said...
November 19, 2009 at 9:15 AM

I also use the brush cleaning formula from EnKore and it does quite a good job cleaning small brushes. You should give it a try, it can save you lots of money.


Beautygirl24 said...
November 19, 2009 at 9:49 AM

great comparison! i have the mac cleanser and i love it. however, i am also really lazy at times to rinse them afterwards, and i hate the stiffness! i guess the solution is to not be so lazy and rinse my brushes with water.


FriendzCentury said...
November 19, 2009 at 10:56 AM

Nice review! I use the MAC Cleanser as well, the main reason for rinsing is because the alcohol volume is quite high, hence it makes the brushes stiff, so it's most definitely a must to rinse with the MAC. Have you tried baby shampoos? Apparently it's suppose to be quite good.


Babybubblz said...
November 19, 2009 at 11:21 AM

Baby wipes or any type of wipes to immediately remove makeup after I use the brushes. This prevents buildup. Then every other week I do a shampoo+condition wash.

Great comparison! I didn't know MAC was pretty good value here!


Chomfifi said...
November 19, 2009 at 12:30 PM

i used to MAC cleanser too :) i used to use the from clinique because it has a spray application while MAC doesnt but MAC is cheaper!


Shop N' Chomp said...
November 19, 2009 at 3:11 PM

Ooh, I love these comparison posts! I'm a soap and water girl (I know, totally old-fashioned) and have been wondering which brush cleanser to buy. Now I know! :)


Viva La Fashion said...
November 19, 2009 at 5:20 PM

i hear from several people that mac is really good. :)


Anonymous said...
November 19, 2009 at 8:06 PM

I use MAC too but I put it into a spray bottle. Less wastage IMO.


Content Director - Strong Female Leaders said...
November 19, 2009 at 9:06 PM

Thank you for stopping by my blog at http://thegirlieblog.blogspot.com. And leaving such a nice comment!

I like your blog too - gorgeous background!. Will be stopping by often.


Anonymous said...
November 19, 2009 at 11:26 PM

Great review!
I love the MAC brush cleanser; it's the best I've tried thus far. I don't mind rinsing afterwards, but then again, I am a clean freak.


Alexa said...
November 20, 2009 at 7:37 PM

i agree the MAC one actually is not that expensive at all! and i dunno...i just dont have a good impression of sephora brand products (except the opi line & the brushes)!

and about the zoya, did u get any of the mattes from ur last zoya purchase?? 1st i thought i wouldnt like the matte finish looking, so i just got one to try it out. but it looks way better than i thought! i cant get enough of it now. haha :)


~Lisa said...
November 20, 2009 at 8:28 PM

I think it's best to rinse it out because sometimes the makeup might still be in your brush and you would want to rinse it all out. And it shouldn't be too hard to rinse assuming that you're deep cleaning at a sink.

I use baby shampoo and it works alright. I don't see anything wrong with it


immarafrancesca said...
November 21, 2009 at 8:53 PM

Hey Angela! Thanks for dropping by my page! :) I love your blog as well!


Karen said...
November 22, 2009 at 12:08 PM

Hey Angela, how is it like for you right now after graduating? I'm not sure whether to look for a job or go straight to grad school.. hmm I think you are right that more financial aid will be given out, but the increase will take a toll on many families that don't or barely qualify. I have two siblings that are going to college in 1 or 2 years and I know it's going to be stressful for our fam :\


vanilla said...
November 23, 2009 at 8:14 AM

hunney,thanks for joining my giveaway !
wish u luck !hehe
*hugs*

btw,LOL i use my facial wash to clean my brushes
so inefficient !lol


Angela said...
November 23, 2009 at 9:30 PM

thanks everyone for all the tips

@DANA: hows the face wash working for deep cleansing brushes? I want to use face wash too but really afraid they are not strong enough to remove all the makeups.


@Clearly Beautiful Blog:
@Dao:
I've also tried the home made brush cleanser by EnKore, but I did not like it at all. It actually kind of sucks...lol


@Beautygirl24: I guess the solution to me is the same...I shouldn't be lazy and should just rinse afterward...but I can't help with me being lazy....lol


@FriendzCentury: thanks for the tip. Now it makes sense because the sephora one seems less concentrated with alcohol...thats probably why it doesn't make my brushes stiff


Angela said...
November 23, 2009 at 9:37 PM

@Babybubblz: thanks. I will definitely try baby wipes. It seems a lot easier.


@Chommie: how do you feel about the Clinique one? I actually really want to try it last time I was shopping at Clinique but they sold out -.-"


@Alexa Hayden: no, I didn't get any matte polishes because Im just afraid they look bad on me...lol....but i am really tempted to get some...may be after im done with project 10 pan...o man...i still have a long way until I finish using 10 items....lol


@Sarah x: thanks for the award


@Miss K. You: It's pretty good so far. Im thinking about working a few years before grad school. But then, the economy and the job market is really bad right now. I think the fee increase really hurts most of us who are in the middle of the income distribution. The low income families will get more financial aid anyways, and the riches don't care. It is us in the middle that get hurt the most. Im quite glad I graduated before the fee increase.


lindah said...
November 26, 2009 at 11:31 AM

clearly makes MAC the winner :P I use the beautyblender cleanser :) It's pretty okay for deep cleaning, but I think I need something for in between cleaning LOL xD