DIY Brush Cleaner

If you're a makeup junkie, fan of beauty vloggers/bloggers, or anyone in between, you've no doubt heard of the Sigma brush cleaning glove. It looks like an oversized, silicone over mitt, with raised patterns on it, for washing/rinsing/refining your makeup brushes. It's a great idea, it's pretty cute, and the sucker actually works. Thing is, it's nearly $40. For a bumpy oven mitt.

Really?!

I've seen a few resourceful types find cheaper alternatives (some have actually been oven mitts), some making squiggles on plastic clipboards with hot glue. If I've realized two things during brush-clean-a-palooza, it's A) I'm a lemming and B) my brushes can be SO MUCH CLEANER!! And without the hefty price tag!

I loved what SecretLifeofaBioNerd did for hers, with the clipboard and glue gun. I have no glue gun, even less cash, but still managed to pull off a similar project with I think decent results. Instead of glue, I used puffy paint. Yup, good ol', relic of the '90s puffy paint. I know for a fact this stuff will hang on until/unless you practically take a chisel to it. My mom "personalized" some insulated cups for us for Christmas one year, and after many, many dishwasher trips, the big C on my cup is just as gobby-blobby as the day she did it. Plus, glitter. My puffy paint has glitter.

I do not own lots of brushes, and none are really that large, so the different areas for each pattern aren't that big. I just dabbed until it looked right. I did roughly follow, to the best of my abilities (puffy paint bottle and arthritis permitting), the patterns on the actual gloves. It's obviously not exactly like the original, but I'm ok with it. Plus, if there's an area that doesn't work that well, I can try again on the other side, or scrape off and start anew. The best part? This puppy didn't even cost $4 to make! (Including tax!) So, if you're pining for that silly mitt, but can't/don't want to shell out the bucks, try making your own! These clip boards come in several colors, and puffy paint in even more, so you're likely to get a combo you love. And on the super-cheap!