Save & Splurge: Daiso Dupes for the Brush Egg and Sigma Brush Glove

Confession – I had no idea what I was going to blog for today. I’ve got a crap-load of stuff to get through but I didn’t feel like really talking about makeup which regulars might notice is how I usually kick off the week. We all need something pretty to start the week with right? 🙂 But I’m wallowing in a rut so I was going to take the day off, when the weekend brought a fortuitous blog post idea – Brush Cleaning Tools!

Huh? I can almost hear some of you think. Do you need tools for cleaning your makeup brushes? Isn’t it just soap and water? Well, the trend sort of started out with Sigma who came up with their Spa Brush Glove – basically a silicone glove with raised dots, that was supposed to help you speed up the cleaning process of your brushes. It also cost US$35 (RM115) *choke*

I wasn’t going to spend that sort of money on what was basically a non-slip silicone oven glove (which you can get from any kitchen shop at less than Sigma’s price if you really want a glove for washing your brushes) but I was curious as to how it worked. So one day while at that paradise of all things cheap, cute and tacky i.e. Daiso I picked up something I thought would do the trick.

When I posted about it on Instagram, @Jeninec commented that I could find a dupe of the Brush Egg (another popular brush cleaning tool, it seems!) at Daiso too! So off I went again to Daiso to pick it up and here we are! Let’s talk brush cleaning tools, how it works and why you can easily save on them rather than splurging 😀

The science behind makeup brush cleaning tools

Well ok that sounded serious, but it isn’t really. The real science behind makeup brush cleaning tools like the Sigma Spa Brush Glove or the Brush Egg or any other tool out there is similar to that of a laundry washboard. Those of you who have never seen one thanks to having washing machines at home may not quite get it, but essentially, it’s a board with raised lines that allows you to scrub dirty clothes against it. What this does is agitate and loosen the dirt from clothes more quickly than scrubbing them by hand.

Transfer that simple technology to makeup brushes and you have the idea. I used to wash my dirty makeup brushes by wetting them in a solution with brush cleaner or by just using soap and then swirling the brush against my palm. This helps get the dirt out but it can be a slow process especially when dealing with very dense brushes or in my case, very dirty brushes.

When you brush your dirty brushes against a rough surface, the dirt is dislodged more quickly and you get the brushes clean faster and using less cleaner as well. If you see my white Hakuhodo brush above, it was stained pink before (it’s a blush brush) and I got it white in just under a minute after brushing it against the waffle print of the pot holder. So in gist, here’s how to use one of these products:-

• Wet brush in cleaning solution or soap
• Brush against rough surface of any Daiso dupe of your choice
• Rinse and dry

Of the popular makeup Youtube gurus, I noticed that Wayne Goss was less than impressed with the Sigma Brush Glove, while Lisa Eldridge liked it because it also keeps your hands dry. But note also that unless you are a makeup artist, most of us will rarely have to wash 40-50 brushes at one go so save your money and get one of these items from Daiso 😀

SAVE: Daiso Silicone Non-Slip Pot Holder RM5 (SPLURGE: Sigma Spa Brush Glove RM115)

Daiso has a fairly large range of these silicone pot holders or non-slip mats which you can easily find in the kitchenware section because that’s what it’s meant to be for – the kitchen. But if you just think out of the box for a bit, I noticed how the raised waffle pattern in the one I chose, or in the cases of some other pieces, raised dots, could also serve as a rough surface against which to wash brushes.

Yep, it works a treat!

The raised waffle print worked really well for larger brushes – blush and powder brushes – because there is a larger surface to work with. It surprised me just how quickly I got my brushes clean so that made me happier, and maybe would make me a little more diligent in washing my makeup brushes 😛

Smaller brushes like eyeshadow brushes or eyeliner brushes are harder to use with this pot holder, because the gaps between the lines are quite big. To get around this, I just brush them over a wider area. Problem solved. In the picture, I’ve placed the pot holder in the sink because I only have 2 hands and one needed to hold the camera. But when I use it, I hold the pot holder in my other hand so if you cup it a little, it helps create a little more friction.

This isn’t a true dupe for the Sigma Spa Brush Glove, more of a very cheap alternative that works in the same manner. For a true dupe, go to any kitchenware store and look for a silicone oven glove. They usually have raised dots and lines on the surface for a non-slip grip and that is a true dupe. But hey, you don’t sniff at a RM5 alternative right? 😀 If you look at my Instagram feed, I’ve got a couple more alternatives I spotted.

Where to find this: Kitchenware department in Daiso stores – lots of similar items available in different designs

SAVE: Daiso Egg Laundry Board RM5 (SPLURGE: Brush Egg RM26) EXACT DUPE!

The Brush Egg is something I noticed on Instagram but I’d never really read any review on it. When I did my research however, I noticed that there are quite a lot of reviews out there, mostly positive. Rightly so, I guess because it isn’t expensive, coming in at just US$8 (RM26) (without shipping). But how about getting an exact dupe for RM5?!

Thanks to Instagram friend @Jeninec who told me about the Daiso dupe, I went off to Daiso and picked up the Daiso Egg Laundry Board. Daiso intended for this mini washboard to be used to scrub your dirty clothes – collars, cuffs etc but it is basically, the same item that is also marketed as the Brush Egg! The picture above should convince you.

It isn’t very big, as you can see, and there is a hole where you can insert your fingers, just like the Brush Egg. Or you could also just hold the domed part. I prefer just holding it. Sticking fingers in it is weird! 😛

The mini Laundry Board has a lined area which you can use for larger brushes and a smaller area with raised dots that you can use for smaller brushes. Personally, I found it too small and fiddly for use with blush and powder brushes so I prefer using something larger, like the pot holder. This size however is useful for eye and lip brushes because the gaps between the lines and dots are smaller so it’s easier to get smaller brushes clean.

Daiso mini Laundry Board does double duty as a Brush Egg dupe!

Do note that the hole doesn’t have a drainer so be sure to shake out all the water before allowing it to dry properly or it might get icky inside the holder. Another reason I’d rather just hold the domed bit 😛

Where to find this: Laundry department in Daiso – comes in various colours

Do you use a similar tool when washing your makeup brushes? Do you own either the original Sigma glove or Brush Egg?

So there you have it! My little experience with makeup brush cleaning tools, which I never needed before but now that I’ve used them, can see why they are very useful. You do end up using less cleaner and it does speed up the process of brush cleaning. Also, dense brushes come clean very much quicker so I don’t have a headache (nor wrinkly hands) anymore when washing my Hakuhodo or Shiseido or similar foundation brushes 😀 So, who’s headed to Daiso now and how much are things in Daiso where you are? 😉

Paris B

Things at Daiso in Malaysia are priced at RM5 each and I realise the prices are different in different countries but if you have a Daiso in your area, you’d know the local price which would be very affordable and much more so than the Splurge items listed