The Brush Guard Review - Protect Your Makeup Brushes!

If I even knew how to turn on a sewing machine, I’d totally make my own brush roll with my choice of fabric, design and number of slots. Like maybe 20. There are makeup brush rolls sold everywhere, from pricey sleek black ones for professional artists, to those that come with a set of brushes like EcoTools 6-in-1 set and Sigma brush travel kit.

Then again, even if I manage to create my dream brush roll, it’d probably meet a fate like my EcoTools brush roll. I like flexibility and brush rolls just don’t give that. Just how many slots are ideal? Ideal for everyday use, ideal for a glamorous function, or ideal for a short trip? And there’s the putting back into individual slots that I don’t like, and lastly, the washing. Too troublesome!

I leave the house barefaced and only put on makeup in the office. I bring my makeup brushes and some essential makeup items home on Friday and bring them all back on Monday. Even though I know I won’t be going anywhere fancy over the weekend, I need to bring them back home. Just to feel secure. LOL. Some things I only just have one. Like the Shu Uemura eyelash curler and MAC #219.

All that transporting of brushes around in a plastic stationery folder used to leave them beautiful bristles squashed, crooked, and sometimes entangled in the zip! AHHHHHH! Horror of Horrors!

But I didn’t know what else to do. The EcoTools brush roll didn’t hold the brushes very tight and if I tried to squeeze in 2 brushes in 1 slot, the cloth would expand, making it more loose. Over time it got more dirty too. So the beautiful makeup brushes just went through torture week after week. So sorry guys. =(

Until one day... The Brush Guard came into my life!

Evvveerrrryyybody who watched Enkore or Michelle Phan review The Brush Guard on Youtube must have gone out and bought themselves a set or two of The Brush Guard. Didcha? Didcha?

*Waves hands high up in the air proudly*

So what are these Brush Guards that have stirred up so much hype within the makeup and beauty community and made themselves such an essential now for all makeup brushes users?

What is The Brush Guard?

The Brush Guard is a flexible, breathable sheath that slips over a brush’s handle and over the bristles to give makeup brushes the best possible protection.

Only The Brush Guard allows brushes to dry bristle-down so water can’t damage the ferrule. The brush dries in perfect shape and lasts longer!

With The Brush Guard in place, makeup brushes can go anywhere safely.

When I first got The Brush Guard Variety pack, I thought they looked like those foamy things supermarkets wrap apples and pears with (they’re called foam mesh fruit sleeves, btw). And they certainly work like so!

These ingenious tools are THE SOLUTION to keeping my brushes safe and sound, and in good shape, literally.

Protective layer

The brush guards create a snug protective perimeter around the brush bristles, to lightly cushion and protect them, especially great for someone on the go. The brush guards were my savior when I was travelling around in Taiwan. We checked in to different hotels every night so I had to pack my travel makeup bag every morning.

Toting brushes around only in a plastic stationery case would make them more vulnerable to fraying and squashing, so the guards definitely helped prevent such tragedies.

The brushes remained well in shape even though there was some fraying for the fluffier brushes like MAC #168. For brushes with bristles that do not extend beyond the width of the brush handle, which are most eyeshadow brushes, fraying is not as likely to happen as bigger ones.

Ventilation while drying

The expandable mesh vents allow ventilation. Some people like to use the brush guards to keep them in shape while they dry, and because the brush guards are made of hard mesh, the brushes can dry upright. This supposedly prevents water from entering the brush ferrule and damaging the glue that holds the bristles together. Once the brushes dry, they emerge in perfect shape.

The downside of this method is that it takes twice as long for the brushes to dry. Without the guards, my brushes can dry in 6 hours. I wash them at 1am and they are dry when I wake up at 7am for work. Thanks to the hot weather in Singapore, things can get dry rather easily. So with the brush guards, my Sigma F80 Kabuki Brush takes about 12 hours to dry completely.

These are some of the brushes (chose a few to fit into the picture) I leave to dry lying down. As they are smaller and less inclined to fray, I don't use the brush guards on them. I do, however, use the guards once they dry and put them into my Strawberry Shortcake plastic stationery case. =)

How to use: Choose the right brush guard size for the brush

Some people complain and hate that the brush guards make the brushes fray like crazy and damage the bristles. It is important to use the right size tube otherwise slippage will occur. Just imagine using foam mesh fruit sleeves on smaller sized fruits meant for much larger sized fruits. Gonna slip right through, yo!

You don't want to use a foundation brush guard for a blush brush!

To check if the brush guard is right for the brush, simply slip the guard in from the brush holder to the bristles (not the other way round!), then gently tap the end of the brush to see if it slides. If it does, change to a smaller size. To save money, I recommend getting the Variety Pack first just so you can see the sizes available and use accordingly.

Value for money

After spending good money on brushes, U$5.50 is a tremendously small price to pay for these little nuggets that will guard your brushes with all their life! ~~Too bad we don’t have Amazon in Singapore. It would have been so much easier to get my hands on these babies!~~ Doll To Doll Cosmetics now carries The Brush Guard!

The Brush Guards come in 5 different packs and you can get them at: