Real Techniques Deep Cleansing Gel $8.99
I am not complaining here, but nobody told me Deep Cleansing Gel from Real Techniques was THIS good. Actually, I hadn't heard beauty bloggers/ YouTubers talking about this product much until I specifically searched for some reviews.
Whenever I purchase Real Techniques' products, I always order on iHerb.com because it's very cheap. Well, I believe the price is the same as RP in the US, but it's much cheaper than buying them on eBay or even from Boots in the UK. Real Techniques is an American brand apparently, which is why RP in the US is cheaper than what it is in the UK. iHerb offers pretty reasonable shipping rate, and it arrives within 3-4 working days from the states which is pretty good, so I shop there quite often. If you're interested and new to iHerb.com, you can use my referral code 'FQS584' to get $5.00 discount on your first order.
Anyway, I just purchased this cleanser because I was running out of my Dr, Bronner Magic Soap and was looking for something better to cleans my brushes with. Magic Soap works amazingly and I love how clean my brushes get after washing them with the cleanser, but it stinks. It smelt OK at the beginning, but as it gets older the smell changed slightly and I just cannot stand this weird smell anymore. I love Real Techniques' brushes, so I thought, why not?
The packaging is slim and pretty. The only thing I don't like about it is this lid. They should have made it with a pump rather than this type of lid, because the texture of the cleanser is pretty thick sometimes it doesn't come out. Every time I use it, I have to shake the bottle so that the cleanser comes down to the lid otherwise nothing comes out. Also with this lid, it's hard to control how much product to dispense.
The texture is pretty thick like I mentioned. I usually use it with Sigma Spa Express Brush Cleaning Glove. This glove is well handy that it makes me want to wash my brushes! I apply a cherry-sized amount on the glove, wet a brush with warm water and swirl it on the glove. I often wash 3-4 eyeshadow brushes together to save time and use of cleanser. You might struggle to distribute the cleanser evenly on the brushes at the beginning because of the texture of the cleanser, but once it's lathers up it should work fine.
The best part of this cleanser is the scent. I've read / seen some reviews on this product in the past but nobody -or nobody that I remember- mentioned how great it smelt. It smells very unique that I've never come across any cleansers smell like this. It smells like tea. You know tea-scented fragrance like Au the Rouge from BVLGARI or Penhaligon's Lothair...this cleanser has got a similar note which I believe is tea. The scent is pretty weak that it won't leave the lovely scent on the brushes once they're dry, but it makes the washing process even more enjoyable.
I'm going to show you how clean this brush would get with the cleanser and the glove. It's Sigma Flattop Kabuki which is my favourite brush to apply liquid foundation with. It's unbelievable how flawless it makes my skin looks!
As you can see, it doesn't lather up too much when the brush is dense. It creates loads of bubbles when I wash something like eyeshadow brush and blush brush, but buffing brush, kabuki brush and concealer brush are always harder to create lather with.
This glove has two sides by the way, one side shown in the photo above is for smaller brushes such as eyeshadow brush and concealer brush, and another side has bigger bumps designed to be used for bigger brushes. I personally like this side of the glove for some reason for any brushes -I feel this side cleans brushes better and quicker.
After swirling the brush for about a minute, I rinsed it with warm water and dries quickly with a towel. You still can see that the foundation is stained in the middle section of the brush, which I tried my best to get rid of but I assume it's stained. It didn't come off no matter how many times I washed it afterwards.
I still think Dr. Bronner's soap cleanses the brush better, but considering how great it smells Real Techniques is a winner in my opinion. Magic Soap leaves such a disgusting scent on the brushes which is a very big matter to me. Deep Cleansing Gel from Real Techniques cleans the brushes efficiently and quickly enough, and the pleasant scent motivates you to wash them regularly. The packaging looks pretty and the price is affordable. I will definitely repurchase it once I've run out of the current bottle. It's definitely worth trying if you're looking for a good brush cleanser!