One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, "How do you clean your makeup brushes?" It seems like it would be a really simple task, but with all of the levels of cleaning and various methods you can do, it can easily become a daunting endeavor.

Here, I show you the methods I use most frequently broken down into 3 levels: spot cleaning, basic cleaning, and deep cleaning.


Products mentioned:
Wet Ones
Parian Spirit (Japonesque version here)
Sigma Dry & Shape (use code 0112XJML for 10% off through 1-31-11)

American Apparel turtleneck dress
Hollister ponchor (similar / similar)
Headband is from Forever 21 (similar / similar)
Nailpolish is Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Tyin' The Knot with Sephora for OPI Traffic Stopper Copper on top




For spot cleaning I actually learned the Wet Ones trick from another makeup artist and I've found it to be a really great tool not just around the house but absolutely in my makeup kit as well. It can clean up little mistakes on the face as well as wipe down and disinfect makeup tools and brushes. When I need to apply makeup to many faces in a short period of time, I always do a quick disinfecting of my brushes between clients using these wipes as well as a spray of rubbing alcohol if needed.



Parian Spirit is a liquid cleansing system that I bought at IMATS last year. It's great for cleaning & disinfecting brushes in most situations as long as you don't have a million brushes to clean at once. Just pour the citrus-scented liquid into the small glass jar, swirl your brush on the plastic mesh, and wipe down on a paper towel! I like this method the most because brushes dry quickly and it removes even the toughest gel liners and residue of brushes. You can even use this to remove eyelash glue off of lashes!



For deep cleaning I use several methods. Since I have my bad habit of going through a million brushes before I finally deep clean them (as evidenced in the video) I showed you the method that I use most often since I don't want to waste my MAC brush cleanser. With a simple mixture of olive oil, dish soap, and water, you can get through a large batch of brushes while disinfecting and conditioning them at the same time.

I also wanted to mention my new best friend for brush bath sessions, the Sigma Dry & Shape! Oh man was I so happy that this thing actually works. You guys know how much I love my F84 brush for foundation but those buggers (and most synthetic brushes) take a lot longer to dry than their natural bristle counterparts. With the Dry & Shape it takes brushes that would still be damp in the morning to being totally dry in 4 hours. The only downfall is that with hardcore use, some of the elastic bands on mine have started to become unstitched so I'm going to need to buy a replacement soon.


I finally went through nearly all of my brushes and deep cleaned them on the day I recorded the video and let me tell you, it took hours. Ridiculous, but necessary for a fresh start! For the first step of my New Years resolution to pare down my brushes to my favorites, I'm putting most of these into storage to try my first grouping of just my favorite brushes. Wish me luck!

Disclaimer: Sigma Dry & Shape was kindly gifted by the company. All other items were purchased myself. This post and video are not sponsored in any way. :)

Hello everyone! I just wanted to share with my Korean readers this recent article from the Korea Times Los Angeles newspaper. I feel very honored that they would feature me and I feel like it's extra special since it's in Korean. My parents aren't the type to give me tons of accolades for my online achievements, but somehow if it's written in Korean they seem to become very proud of me, which means a lot. ^_^


To my Korean and international readers, thank you so much for all of your love and support! I would never believe in a million years that a small midwest girl like me could reach so far around the world and receive such great love and kindness back. It's a truly incredible thing to know that we can touch each other's hearts simply through a computer screen. That, to me, is magic!

I love you guys and with my humblest and joy-filled heart, I want to say thank you!

Hello early January! It's time for another monthly hits & misses! Last month I found myself consistently grabbing the same products over and over but I think that is partially because of the fact that a few new products I bought have easily integrated into my daily routine. It's always a good sign when a new item steps in so easily, and I have a few of those in this month's favorites. :)


Products mentioned:
L'Oreal Paris Infallible Eyeshadow 890 Bronzed Taupe (swatched here)
Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch
Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara
Milani Liquif'eye Pencil in Black
NARS Immaculate Complexion Concealer
Diorskin Poudre Shimmer in Amber Diamond


On me:
Nailpolish is Sally Hansen Diamond Strength 32 Tyin' The Knot (bought in this haul) with Sephora for OPI Traffic Stopper Copper on top
Lipstick is Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch
Sweater vest and coral blouse are from LOFT (recent, on sale in stores)
Sequined collar from H&M
Ring is YSL Arty in lapis

So one of things I really want to highlight this month is Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch. As you can see, in the tube it's an almost intimidatingly Barbie blue-pink.


Thankfully this is one tinted lip balm that truly does feel more like a balm than a lipstick and it swatches to a pretty, translucent pink that is still pigmented enough to make the lips super girly without drying them out.


Overall, I'm really loving this lip product! It sells for around $4 at drugstores and I've seen it for around $2 at Target so it's very affordable. I'm not a huge fan of the childish-looking packaging (I can do princessy childish but bright yellow puffy letters aren't really my thing) but I'll forgive it since it's a good all-in-one product that I can throw in my purse and easily apply on an everyday basis.


The other product I wanted to mention is the NARS "Immaculate Complexion" concealer in Custard. After being disappointed with quite a few concealers after the discontinuation of my favorite Lancome Photogenic potted concealer in Camee, this is the first one to be an adequate replacement. My biggest concealing concerns are my acne blemishes and post-acne hyperpigmentation spots and the dry formula works to cover these quite naturally. It doesn't give me breakouts or look cakey. I wouldn't recommend this for just undereyes but I find that even wearing just this over bare skin looks flattering on non-foundation days.

The only disappointment with this concealer for me is the value for the size. For $22, a 0.06oz product is super expensive! My Lancome favorite was $27 for 0.16oz which is over twice the amount of product. Knowing that the NARS one used to come in a larger lipstick bullet and downgraded the amount for the same price is only salt in the wound! For now, this is going to be my go-to concealer replacement but I'll keep my eyes out for a more affordable HG.


You may have also noticed that I was wearing an accessory that I've been lusting after for years, the YSL Arty ring. Hubby and I both had late arriving Christmas presents for each other and I am completely in love with this one! I received the lapis blue color which has gorgeous flecks of gold in it with medium-to-deep mottled royal blue. As a ring collector, I am totally obsessed and in awe of my new acquisition! The size 4 fits perfectly on my right middle finger.


That's it for this month's hits & misses. Hope you enjoyed it and please let me know in the comments some products I should try... Maybe someone out there has a perfect concealer for blemishes suggestion? A NARS dupe maybe? ;)

Ahh, 2012 is finally here! Last night as the seconds hit to midnight, I was already busy tweeting away wishing everyone a Happy New Year. 2011 came to a delightful end as we spent time surrounded by friends with a taco and Dance Central party. Could I ask for anything better? ;)

Today is officially the first day of January, 2012 and it's time to slough off the old and begin anew with brand new goals, hopes, dreams, and ideas for self improvement for another year. In this video, I share what my personal goals for this year are.


My New Years Resolutions for 2012:

1. Redesign my blog, Youtube, twitter, etc.


I designed my current blog layout about 3 years ago and it's really in need of a good facelift! As much as I do love this layout, it reflects the person who I was three years ago and I think I've really changed a lot since then. I want to focus a lot of my energies into visually expressing the person I am now, as well as improving the usability and navigation of the site. I'm not a web designer so it will be a challenge for me, but it's a challenge I am looking forward to tackling. Any of you coding gurus out there are free to e-mail me if you might be able to help. ^_^

2. Get on a regular sleep schedule


I'm a night owl by nature and I've always had trouble falling asleep ever since I was a child, so going to bed "on time" has always been a challenge for me. I just feel more awake and productive at night! Unfortunately, this leads to tired, unproductive, and long work days where I just feel like I'm not operating at 100%. I really want to change that this year for my health and workday efficiency. 7-8 hours of sleep every night! Bright, productive days full of energy! Yes, please!

3. Gold star every song on Dance Central 2 on Hard


My current favorite method of exercising is playing the XBOX Kinect game, Dance Central 2. In the game, if you do very well you can 5 star the song. If you do extremely well, almost perfectly, you can gold star the song. I want to make it my goal to gold star every song in Dance Central 2 on the hardest difficulty. Hopefully this will keep me motivated to go through each song and stay fit at the same time! Although I don't diet, I try to live a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise is an important part of that regardless of age, weight, and body type. :)

4. Use and wash only my "favorite" brushes regularly

I honestly detest deep cleaning my brushes. It's probably one of my least favorite things to do when it comes to makeup maintenance. I have a ton of brushes and this fact has enabled me to go through brush after brush before I finally use them all up and am forced to deep clean the whole lot which takes a very long time. Since it's annoying using second and third-tier brushes that I don't love as much, I've decided that I want to curate a selection of favorite brushes which I can stick to and deep clean once a week. Hopefully soon, I can share with you this group of favorites as well as showing how I both spot clean and deep clean my brushes!

5. Read more books!


I know this really isn't beauty, health, or blog-related but I want to get back into reading. I've always been a big nerdy bookworm and really enjoy delving into some nice fiction about free-thinkers breaking from a socialist society (o hai Hunger Games, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Anthem) or children rising beyond their youth and maturity levels to be the hero (Ender's Game, Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia) or even guilty pleasure reads (Charlane Harris's "True Blood" vampire series, Twilight). My goal is to finish at least 1 book per month with the key word being finish, as the past year saw a few books half-read and abandoned. I've listed a few books above that are in my queue but let me know your suggestions of good page-turners!

Fingers crossed I will stick to all of my goals this year! Do you have any resolutions for 2012? Let me know in the comments!