review: diy makeup brush cleaner & ycc total immersion brush cleaning jar

hey guys! a review for you! this recipe was found on xsparkage.com (original post here), i have included a pdf of it in my "other" folder of my recipes (link above).

ingredients used:
2 cups distilled or filtered water
1/2 cup 91% isopropyl alcohol
2 tbsp leave-in conditioning spray -- use a thin, liquidy one; the one i used has the consistency of normal conditioner and doesn't dissolve very quickly..clumps.....
1 tbsp clear shampoo
1 tbsp dish washing liquid

additional items needed:
-large measuring cup or container with a spout that can hold more than 2.5c
-funnel (if needed)
-containers that can hold up to a total of ~20oz to store the cleanser

i made 1.5x the recipe to fit into these three bottles

in addition to using this diy brush cleanser, i've finally gotten around to trying out my ycc total immersion brush cleaner from sally's.

the dirties → the cleans..? (just to give you an idea of the beauty blender's size, dry & wet)

the results

the verdict: 

• brush cleanser: i think that this works great for larger brushes, when either powder or cream/liquid is used. works well on the beauty blender (i think the ud naked foundation stained it >.<). some brushes are more stubborn than others (like my concealer brush above, needed something more powerful after two washings with the DIY cleanser). but this cleanser is worth making and definitely less expensive than buying other brush cleansers/shampoos.
• brush cup: this cup is great for most brushes, containing powder or cream/liquid..with the exception of small brushes with concealer/foundation on them. like i said before, i believe the intent of this cup was for nail polish remover and nail art brushes (the brush drying holder part is very small), but it does work well removing foundation from my denser brushes. i don't like how the groves are are so high up, making you use more product. also, the cup is fairly small and short, so some of the liquid will come splashing out even if you're careful. it's height and circumference make it a little difficult to hold short-handled and fat-handled brushes in the cup and move them with ease. is it worth the ~$5? it's ok.

my thoughts on other brush cleansers/shampoos:

1. cover fx brush cleanser: this is my favorite liquid brush cleaner
2. london brush co solid brush shampoo: this is the best stuff ever. period. ever. the biggest problem is that it's so expensive!
3. blender cleanser (liquid): works great on brushes, but only ok on the beauty blender.
4. blender cleanser solid: i think this'll be my replacement for the london brush co solid shampoo!
5. mac brush cleanser: works ok, not my favorite. doesn't work super great on brushes with liquid/cream in them.
6. elf brush shampoo: pretty good for the price. definitely wouldn't mind picking up more.
7. sephora brush shampoo: pretty good shampoo. for the price and quantity, you could get the elf shampoo for less, so why not?
8. bare escentuals: my mom actually really likes this..or maybe it's just a keep-everything-the-same-brand kind of thing because she uses their makeup... i dunno. i didn't love it and, again, for the price and quantity, there's better alternatives.