Marissa's Pick of the Week - Brush Savers

I love, love, love The Brush Guard! ($5.50 per pack) They help to expand the life of your cosmetic brushes by preserving its shape and allowing upside down dry time (!) after washing.
Caring for your makeup brushes the right way can save you hundreds of dollars in the long run. The most important thing to know is how to wash them. Use baby shampoo, antibacterial dish soap, or makeup brush cleanser to thoroughly cleanse each bristle until water runs clear. Never leave your brushes to dry standing upright. This can cause water to drip back into the ferrule (look at the diagram below), loosening the glue that holds the hairs together. The result? Your $50 powder brush starts balding. Until I discovered these money savers via Michelle Phan, I laid my brushes flat to dry.

To use, slip the appropriately sized Brush Guard over your cleansed brush extending the tube about 1/2" over the bristles. Place the brush upside down in a cup over night. When your brush is dry, slip the tube off (upwards, not down the handle) and your brush is good as new!

If you can't purchase brush guards right away, you can do wonders with rubber bands! :)

Marissa's Pick of the Week - Best Sunscreen!

Since May is both Skin Cancer Awareness month and Asian Pacific American Heritage month, I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone feed two birds with one pine cone for this week's pick.
IQQU Advance Sunscreen ($28.99) by Michelle Phan is unlike any other sunscreen I've seen. It's oil free, paraben free, fragrance free, and won't clog your pores. The consistency is kind of dry- not so much powdery, but not creamy either. (You have to feel it for yourself.) It's got an SPF of 35, protecting you from both UVA (aging rays) and UVB (skin burning rays) damage. What makes this formula even more special? You can apply it on top of makeup without messing it up!

Important Sunscreen info:


SPF doesn't last all day. In fact, to calculate when to reapply your sunscreen, take the SPF and multiply it by itself. The answer is how many minutes your protection will expire. For example: SPF 35 x 35 = 1225 minutes (just under 21 hours). So for those of you who think SPF 15 is enough, I hope you are only outside for 3 hours a day. Remember that some indoor lighting is also harmful to your skin.

Putting a foundation with SPF 10 on top of a moisturizer with SPF 20 does not equal SPF 30! This is a common  misconception. You will only have the protection of the highest SPF you are wearing.

Sunscreen is not sunblock. Sunblock disables your skin from absorbing almost all sun rays. Sunscreen actually absorbs some of the ultraviolet rays. This allows for a tan, but protects from burning.