How-To: Clean Your Makeup Brushes!

Hi lovelies! Since my Makeup Brush 101 post a couple of weeks ago, I've been getting a lot of requests to  do another post all about how to properly clean and care for makeup brushes. Cleaning your brushes is absolutely essential for maintaining their quality, but more importantly, it keeps them sanitized (which prevents bacteria and oil from spreading around your face!). Please note that my way of cleaning brushes is certainly not the only way, I've just found that this is what works best for me.


I try to spot clean my brushes with an anti-bacterial brush cleaner every day after use. For spot cleaning, all you need to do is spritz some cleaner solution onto your brush and then wipe them off on a tissue or towel until you no longer see any product residue. Some of my favorite spot cleaners are Sephora Daily Brush Cleaner, Sonia Kashuk Brush and Sponge Cleanser, and e.l.f. Studio Daily Brush Cleaner.

At the end of each week, I like to give my brushes a more thorough deep cleaning. This process is definitely a bit more time-consuming, but it really does a great job of cleaning up all the makeup build-up and restoring your brushes back to their original condition. A lot of people like to use a shampoo specifically made for makeup brushes like Sephora Brush Shampoo or MAC Brush Cleanser. However, I've found that it's just as effective and a lot more affordable to just use baby shampoo (Johnson & Johnson will do the trick!).

Since we all know how much I love lists here at Sparkle & Mine, here is a step-by-step guide for deep cleaning:

1. Gather all of your makeup brushes that need cleaning near a sink. Also be sure to grab a towel and your brush shampoo.

2. Take a brush and run it under warm water, angled bristle side down. This is VERY important, as it ensures that water will not leak into the ferrule or handle of your brush. This can cause the glue holding your brush together to loosen, which will make your brush shed a lot more.

3. Place a small amount of shampoo in the palm of your hand, and gently rub the brush in the shampoo until you no longer see any product coming off.

4. Run the brush under warm water again, using your fingers to rinse out the shampoo.

5. Gently squeeze brush to release excess water and test it on skin to ensure there is no makeup or shampoo residue.

6. Place brush on towel to dry. Bigger, more dense brushes can take up to a full 24 hours to dry, while smaller brushes typically take just a few hours. That's why I try to wash my brushes on a night when I know I won't be doing my makeup the next day!

7. Repeat steps 2-6 with all of your brushes!

I'd love to hear your tips for makeup brush cleaning and care in the comments below! ♥

Photo: Made by Girl

Personal Shopping Boutique: Summer Fashion Under $30!

Hello lovelies! Today I am so excited to be starting a brand new series of posts, personal shopping boutiques! Thanks to the wonderful ShopStyle, I'll be showing you guys all my current favorites in my own little virtual boutique. Some of these pieces are things that I already own, and some are on my wish list. Either way, they are all things that I am loving right now! If you see something that catches your eye, all you have to do is click on the image and it will take you to the site on which the item is sold. Pretty cool, right?


I wanted to kick off the first edition of this series in signature Sparkle & Mine style- with affordable fashion perfect for summer! Hopefully you guys will find at least a few new pieces to add to your warm weather wardrobe, or at least draw some inspiration from these bright, summery pieces.

I'd love to hear about all of your summer must-haves in the comments below! ♥


P.S.- Be sure to use the right arrow in the middle of the boutique to view more of my summer fashion picks!

Cover Image: Lilly Pulitzer

My Best Money-Saving Online Shopping Secrets!

As much as I love spending the day surrounded by products I'm lusting at the mall, sometimes I just don't have the time or the energy to go. That's where online shopping comes in handy! It's quick, convenient, and there are tons of resources available to score some seriously amazing deals.

So today I wanted to share some of my all-time favorite websites and tips for saving money online! With these resources, you'll find coupon codes, cash-back, and so much more!


Before I get started sharing all of my favorite websites for deals, I want to give you guys a few tips I've picked up throughout the years for scoring the best bargains:

Check Your Inbox
One of the best ways to stay in-the-know about deals from your favorite stores is to sign up for their email newsletters. Not only will you be the first to know about their latest promotions and special offers, but a lot of sites will also reward you just for signing up. For example, Juicy Couture's online store is currently offering 20% off when you sign up for their emails.

Timing Is Everything
According to Woman's Day, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are the most popular days for online retailers to offer discounts or put new items on sale. This is more than likely because most people tend to do their shopping on the weekends, and good deals that go up right before then will entice customers to buy more.

Another Reason to Celebrate
We generally think of holidays as a fun time to spend with friends and family. However, for online stores, they are an opportunity to lure in customers with deep discounts. Besides the obvious sale days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, many stores will also offer special deals on pretty much any major holiday like St. Patrick's Day, 4th of July, New Years, and tons more.

Never Leave It Blank
Nearly every online retailer has a coupon code box at checkout, and it should definitely never be ignored or left empty. Promotion codes can provide serious discounts that are worth the time and effort it takes to track them down. I'll be listing some helpful resources below, but if for some reason there are absolutely no codes available at the time, wait for one to become available or try finding the item you want to purchase on another site that does offer a code.

Now on to the fun part! Here are some of the best websites I've come across for finding amazing deals:

1. Student Rate- If you're a college student on a budget like me, this website will seriously become your new best friend! They offer tons of exclusive discounts on clothes, makeup, textbooks, home decor, and a lot more. Student Rate is also unique in that they offer cash-back on purchases from some of my favorite stores like Sephora, Forever 21, ASOS, and e.l.f.! The best part of this website for me is that they don't require a credit card to get the cash back. It's simply deposited in your account on their site, and after a 60-day period they'll send the money to you through PayPal.

P.S.- StudentRate also has a really useful blog you can follow here!

2. Shop It To Me- This site works kind of like a virtual personal shopper. You tell them all your favorite brands, stores, and your size, and they customize a page full of sale items for you. Once you're on the page, you can also narrow results by item type, price range, and a bunch of other options. So for instance, if you're looking for a black Rebecca Minkoff handbag under $200, you'd just put in all your preferences and Shop It To Me will show you what online stores offer one on sale. It's pretty much the best idea ever, and I'm on the site way more than I'd like to admit!

3. RetailMeNot- So I know I've mentioned this site before, but I couldn't write a post about online deals without mentioning one of the best resources out there! RetailMeNot is basically just an online database of every coupon code available at the moment. This is the website you would want to go on when you're searching for a coupon code before checkout, because they keep a constantly updating record of every code out there. I also love that you can browse promotion codes by category as well. So if I want to see what beauty website is offering the best deal right now, it's as easy as just a few clicks.

4. ShopStyle- ShopStyle is essentially the Google of online shopping. When you search for something on their homepage, it only gives you results from major retailers that have the item in stock right now. It also lets you know if there are any deals currently available on the product you're searching for. For example, if you do a search for Clinique High Impact Mascara, ShopStyle will show every store that it is available at and make special note of any stores that have special offers going on like free shipping. Needless to say, it's a really great tool!

And those are some of my best online shopping secrets! I hope this post helps you guys score some great deals! I'd love to hear all of your tips for online shopping in the comments down below! ♥

Budget Beauty: MAC Dupes!

Hi girlies! It has been way too long since I've given you guys a new drugstore dupes post, and this time I wanted to give it a bit of a twist. So I decided that this post will be dedicated to all my favorite MAC dupes! For those of you who don't know, MAC is a brand of professional-quality cosmetics known for its insanely huge selection of colors. Unfortunately, with all that awesomeness comes some pretty high prices as well. Although there are some MAC products that cannot be duplicated and are worth the splurge, I've found tons of great drugstore alternatives to others!

As always, please keep in mind that prices and availability are subject to change depending on when and where you buy. It's also important to remember than the pictures you'll see below are not a completely accurate representation of the colors of these products. So if you see two items that do not look like a match here at all, I promise they do in real life!

With that all out of the way, let's go ahead and jump into everything!

Both of these cream eyeshadows make an amazing base for eye makeup! The shimmery champagne color also makes a gorgeous highlight color for under the brow or on the inner corners of your eyes.

The Original: MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study- $18.50
Drugstore Dupe: Maybelline Eye Studio Metal Color Tattoo in Barely Branded- $6

I absolutely love this classic pink lipstick from MAC, so when I found a Revlon dupe I was pretty excited! It's not an identical match, but similar enough that I can put them side-by-side on my lips and there is almost no difference. They are both a super flattering, cool-toned pink that's perfect for everyday wear.

The Original: MAC Lipstick in Snob- $15
Drugstore Dupe: Revlon Matte Lipstick in Pink Pout- $8

These two shades are almost completely identical, other than the fact that the L'Oreal eyeshadow has a bit more shimmer to it.  The Infallible line has an amazing selection of shadows (with tons of MAC dupes!) so I would definitely recommend looking at their full selection of colors.

The Original: MAC Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe- $15
Drugstore Dupe: L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe- $7

As you guys know, I typically stay far away from cream blushes because of my oily skin. However, something about MAC's cremeblend formula makes it really wearable and long-lasting for me. And although NYX's version is not quite as high-quality, it's still a great product as well and the color is dead-on!

The Original: MAC Cremeblend Blush in Ladyblush- $21
Drugstore Dupe: NYX Cream Blush in Natural- $6.50

I used to be absolutely obsessed with MAC Fluidline, but I always just felt like $16 was a little overpriced for a tiny container of gel liner. Thank goodness I found Maybelline's alternative! The formula is super creamy, and the quality is just as good as Fluidline if not better (for half the price!).

The Original: MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack- $16
Drugstore Dupe: Maybelline Gel Eyeliner in Black- $8

This shade of lipstick is definitely not something I break out for everyday wear, but for the right occasion it can be completely stunning! If you're looking for a dark lipstick perfect for Fall and Winter, there is nothing better to me than Black Cherry...or Dark Side if you'd like to splurge a little more.

The Original: MAC Lipstick in Dark Side- $15
Drugstore Dupe: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry- $7

Lately I have just been a complete highlight junkie, so MAC Lustre drops is just one of the many items I've been playing with. Although it gives a super gorgeous glow, I just can't justify repurchasing it for the price. Which is why I am so glad I found a nearly identical dupe in Boots No7 Skin Illuminator! It has the exact same lightweight liquid formula that gives off an incredible natural glow.

The Original: MAC Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel- $21
Drugstore Dupe: Boots No7 Skin Illuminator in Peach- $10

Russian Red (and it's dupe!) is one of the most flattering red lipsticks I have ever purchased. It definitely has a cool tone to it, which I think is much more flattering. Revlon really is amazing for lipstick dupes, they have a huge selection of colors that seriously rival high-end brands for quality.

The Original: MAC Lipstick in Russian Red- $15
Drugstore Dupe: Revlon Matte Lipstick in Really Red- $8

And those are all of my favorite MAC dupes! I'd love to add some reader-submitted dupes to the list, so feel free to share all of your dupes in the comments below! ♥

Makeup Brush 101

Hey lovelies! I am so thrilled to finally be publishing one of your most-requested posts- Makeup Brush 101! I think the reason this topic has been requested so much is that brushes can be a really intimidating subject. There are just so many sizes, shapes, brands, types, etc. and I can definitely see how it can all get a little overwhelming! 

Long before my makeup obsession kicked into high gear, I was one of the many girls out there completely perplexed by the world of makeup brushes. I had a grand total of three brushes in my collection, and at the time that was good enough for me! Then as I started getting more into cosmetics, I started realizing that the limited selection of brushes I had just weren't doing all my awesome products justice. So I went online and ordered my first-ever makeup brush set, and I've never looked back! 

Before we get into what brushes you should have, I want to give you guys a quick overview of my favorite brands and places to buy brushes from. Keep in mind, good makeup brushes are an investment. If you care for them well, they can last you for years. That's why I don't mind splurging a bit on good quality brushes. However, there are also some really great affordable brushes out there as well! Whatever your budget, here are some amazing options:

Luxury: MAC, Sephora, Sigma

Budget: e.l.f. Studio, Eco Tools, Real Techniques, Coastal Scents, Sonia Kashuk

Rather than write a novel-length explanation of every brush and its use, I decided to create this handy infographic to show you guys everything you need to know! Of course, there are more brushes out there than just the ones I have included, but these are all of the makeup brushes I have found to be the most useful in my daily routine. If you see something that catches your eye, a link for each photographed brush/tool will be included below! 

Fan ♥ Powder ♥ Kabuki ♥ Foundation ♥ Beauty Blender ♥ Contour ♥ Liquid Foundation ♥ Concealer ♥Angled Liner ♥ Dome Shadow ♥ Fluffy Shadow ♥ Mini Shadow ♥ Angled Shadow

That's all for Makeup Brush 101! I'd love to hear what your must-have brushes are and what brands you think are best in the comments!

Click here for a full post on cleaning your new brushes!

Cover Image Background: Lilly Pulitzer 

My Favorite Things! ♥ May 2013

Happy June everyone! June is one of my favorite months of the year because it means that summer is finally here! That means beautiful weather, more time to spend with friends & family, and best of all...more blog posts! 

Before I get too excited over all the fun stuff coming up in June, I thought I would give you guys a quick look at all my favorite things from the month of May. As usual, it's a pretty random mix of makeup, fashion, and various other things that I've been loving this month! 

So with that being said, let's get started!

Beauty:

Wet n' Wild Color Icon Collection Eyeshadow Trio in Walking On Eggshells- Oh my gosh, I can't even express how in love I am with this little eyeshadow trio! The shadows are buttery smooth and super pigmented, and the colors are absolutely beautiful. The soft pink lid color is actually one of the best dupes I have found for Stila Kitten Eyeshadow, which is my all-time favorite. And did I mention this little palette is $3? Needless to say, I'm pretty excited about it!

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder- I know setting powder isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but it can really make the difference between a shine-free face and a complete oil slick. This powder by Rimmel is one of the best I have found for keeping makeup in place all day, and the best part is it's really affordable as well! The only thing I'm not crazy about is the packaging. There is no way to lock the plastic lid in place, so if you tip it over at all or carry it around in your makeup bag, the lid will just pop right off. I solve that minor issue by keeping this powder at home and using my Maybelline Dream Matte Powder for on-the-go touch-ups. 

Maybelline Eye Studio Master Precise Liquid Liner-  I think I may have finally found a liquid liner that beats my e.l.f. Eyeliner Pen! What I love about this liner is that, like the name suggests, it has a super precise applicator that can produce anything from a pencil-thin line to something a lot more bold and dramatic. As you guys probably already know, I am absolutely horrible with typical liquid liners. So if I can use this one, anybody can!

Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso- I kept hearing other beauty gurus absolutely raving about how amazing Luminoso was, so this month I decided to finally give it a try! And let me tell you, it is definitely worth the hype! The color is a gorgeous shimmery peachy-pink that gives my skin the most incredible natural flush. If you're one of the few hold-outs like I was, you really need to go out and get this blush...like right now.

Fashion: 

Victoria's Secret Pink Wide Neck Crew in Coral- I have seriously been living in this pullover all month! The weather around me has been super random lately, constantly jumping from cold and rainy to hot and humid, then back again. So this lightweight crew has been absolutely perfect, and crazy adorable as well! 

"Love" Signature Bracelet- Okay, how cute is this bracelet?! I love that it matches everything like a basic gold bangle, yet the script running through it adds such a girly, fun touch! I've literally worn it almost every single day this month, and at this rate it may end up being a June favorite as well!

Movie:

The Great Gatsby- So I actually went into the movie super skeptical, just because I love the book so much and I was afraid that they would ruin it by changing too much or trying to modernize things. However, I have to admit that they did an amazing job! The party scenes were absolutely breathtaking, they really made you feel like you were right in the middle of the action! And of course, Leonardo DiCaprio in a tux certainly doesn't hurt!

And those are all of my favorites for this month! I'd love to hear about all of your favorite things in the comments down below! ♥