I've just cleaned and dried 30 makeup brushes in record time with this £30 tool

I’m not a gambling woman, but I’d guess most people find cleaning their makeup brushes a bit of a faff. It’s one of those long-winded tasks that, despite knowing that dirty tools have a serious negative impact on both your makeup application and your skin’s health, is all too easy to put off.

That’s where Stylpro’s Original Makeup Brush Cleaner & Dryer came in handy for me recently, making the process, dare I say it… fun? Founded by Tom Pellereau, who you may remember won The Apprentice back in 2011, Stylpro makes various beauty gadgetry and tools. I’ve bought and used the Makeup Brush and Beauty Tool Cleaning Spray to refresh my best makeup brushes between washes.

But it wasn’t until recently that I tried the aforementioned Makeup Brush Cleaner & Dryer to see if it really does speed up the process.

A beauty editor's full Stylpro Makeup Brush Cleaner & Dryer review

Ahead is my full, in-depth beauty editor guide to this innovative machine, from how easy it is to use to the costs involved. Let me tell you, readers, I am now a convert…

First impressions

When you first open the box, you’ll find the main STYLPRO bowl, a spinning tool to which you attach your brush, a selection of 'collars', two sachets of brush cleaner and the instruction manual. Now, this isn’t a tool you should leave to your instincts; you will need to take some time reading the latter. But the process is easy enough to get the hang of.

How does the STYLPRO Makeup Brush Cleaner and Dryer perform?

First, you put a small amount of cleanser into the main bowl – enough to cover roughly half the length of your brush. The cleanser will vary depending on the brush type. Makeup brushes for powder products, such as eyeshadow or blusher, can be cleaned with soapy water. Brushes that have been used to apply oil-based products – i.e. liquids and creams like the best foundation – can be cleaned with STYLPRO’s cleansing liquid. Two sachets are included with the original set or a small bottle with the gift bundle, but you can purchase a larger 500ml bottle for £15.

Then, you choose the appropriate 'collar' to secure snugly onto the end of your brush handle, which also attaches to the main STYLPRO gadget. When you turn this on, it spins the brush at high speed. After that, the cleaning process is very straightforward: dunk your brush in your cleaning solution and turn the tool on to whizz it around, manoeuvring it up and down slightly to encourage the cleaning process. Finally, hold the brush above the solution and turn the tool on to dry it off, like the makeup brush equivalent of a salad spinner.

It may seem like a lot to get your head around initially, but once you’re familiar with the attachments and process, cleaning each brush is an absolute breeze. It really is as easy as dipping your brush in the liquid, turning the tool on to clean your brush in the solution, and repeating the process to dry it. Each brush barely takes 30 seconds. Within an hour I’d cleaned and dried 30 makeup brushes after my first go – no leaving them out for hours to air dry.

Should you buy the STYLPRO brush cleaner?

Nobody’s perfect and there are a couple of downsides to the tool. One is that, while I’ve managed to clean dozens of brushes with no issues, some very large-handled tools didn’t fit either of the two largest holders (one was too big the other was too small), meaning they require cleaning the old-fashioned way.

Another is that, when it’s time to change your cleansing solution, you have to take the main bowl apart to tip the dirty liquid away, which is a bit tricky – make sure you do so over the sink. You will also need to repurchase some kind of cleanser for continued use, so the upfront investment isn’t a one-and-done deal. But it’s still very reasonably priced considering. Half of a bottle of the cleanser cleaned around 30 brushes for me, and I probably refreshed the fluid more regularly than was necessary.

Overall, I truly recommend giving this tool a go. It has saved me so much time in manually washing my makeup brushes and takes the faff out of the process, making it especially worth the investment if you can’t stand this particular beauty-related chore. You may even look forward to cleaning your makeup brushes going forward - which I imagine will be quite the turnaround for most people.