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Worth it? Tao Clean Sonic Brush Cleaner

September 27, 2025January 19, 2021 by Beauty Skeptic

Here I am, flirting with danger by reviewing a potentially gimmicky product: the Tao Clean Sonic Brush Cleaner.

How Do You Clean Your Brushes?

You do clean them, don’t you?

Are you a sociopath that enjoys cleaning your brushes? It’s okay, this is a safe space. If you’re like the rest of us, though, there’s a whole subset of the beauty industry targeting the rest of us. There are a whole host of brush cleaning gadgets on the market. Some of them appear to me to be gimmicks, or to be scarcely more efficient than washing individually by hand.

For ages, I ignored them. Like a unitasking kitchen appliance, I wasn’t sold on their value. Furthermore, some seem harsher than doing so by hand. Your tools are an investment: you don’t want to be rough on them by subjecting them to a violently whirring apparatus. Many makeup brush cleaner appliances fall into this category.

Noting my bitching (and negligence), my husband got me the Tao Clean Sonic Brush Cleaner ($ 95) as a birthday gift last year. Thoughtful. Practical. And a good present because I’d never have purchased it for myself at that price point (remember?). But finally, I’m actually keeping my brushes clean at a regular interval.

Tao Clean Sonic Brush Cleaner

So, first things first about the Tao Clean Sonic Brush Cleaner: it isn’t a smol boi. Nearly a foot tall and a touch top-heavy, the appliance comes in two pieces with a detachable A/C power supply. The run time for a single cycle is 2 minutes – in that time, it subtly moves each brush back and forth 50 times a second – or 6000 times.

I don’t know about you, but my manual cleaning (even with this mat) doesn’t result in fifty motions per second.

What I Didn’t Buy in 2020

January 12, 2021 by Beauty Skeptic

Last year posed changes for nearly everyone, and for me, that meant there was a lot I didn’t buy in 2020. If you escaped unscathed, good on you. Since this blog is largely about beauty, we’ll keep it in the realm of changes in that regard:

Although we all should have been wearing masks when out, if you were not able to work from home, you wore one more than most.
If your employment situation changed, perhaps you didn’t have to leave home at all or be on camera.
If you transitioned to working from home, you might have found yourself on camera more than you have before.

I’m in the third camp, though I was required to report to the office periodically. All of these things represent, in one way or another, a likely change in your grooming processes: if you have a mask on all day, maybe you’re skipping foundation to avoid, “maskne.” You’re almost certainly skipping lipstick. If you’re on camera, you might be fighting looking pallid and exhausted/sick/etc.

I’ve advocated, for those WFH, to try to continue getting ready – even if not identically – to maintain a routine. It’s good for your mental health! My routine has changed considerably – which has altered my buying habits.

Here’s what I didn’t buy in 2020:

IT Cosmetics Star Foundation Brush

February 16, 2023October 20, 2020 by Beauty Skeptic

On Sunday, I opened an Ulta email to find this IT Cosmetics Star Foundation brush.

First, let us deviate for a piece of personal trivia. Some people like hearts and heart motifs. Some people like polka dots. I, however, am partial to stars. I don’t necessarily want to wear them (okay, in pajamas I do), but I find them cute and enjoy looking at them.

80% of the time I am in a store (wait…what are stores? Do you remember stores? Pepperidge Farm remembers.), when I go, “Oh! That’s cute,” I’m reacting to something silly with stars on it. A mask? A lampshade? A throw blanket? 3-ring binder? As the trendier youth would say, “Fuck me up, fam.”

…so, all of that to say the IT Cosmetics Star Foundation Brush fully, unapologetically triggered my, “AHH, cute!” reflex. The bristles! The ferrule! the print on the handle!

–but, don’t worry; I didn’t hit my head. It also triggered my, “You guys serious?” one.

L’Oreal Voluminous Deep Burgundy

August 18, 2020 by Beauty Skeptic

Like many mascara-wearing people, black is my go-to. To be precise, my perennial favorite is L’Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black ($9), is always in stock in my vanity. Last time I stocked up on mascara, though, I decided to try something a little different for me: non-black mascara. L’Oreal Voluminous Deep Burgundy ($7) comes in a washable formula and is a little different, but not shocking.

So Edgy Of You (Not)

We’re not talking Euphoria-level adventurousness, here, though; L’Oreal Voluminous Deep Burgundy does not excude drama the way bright yellow, pink, or blue do. Indeed: I would wear navy but not bright blue.

Burgundy is not generally considered a soft shade, but when applied to lashes it comes across as a neutral. It is just slightly more fun than brown and note even remotely loud.

To most onlookers, it looks like any mascara; for me, a little softer than my usual, but still definitely providing richness and definition to my lashes. To you, the wearer, and to those with an eye for detail, though, it is ever so slightly burgundy.

For those of you living in a video-conference-centric world, most webcams in use by us mere mortals aren’t going to betray your departure from the norm. If anything, L’Oreal Voluminous Deep Burgundy comes across a little softer – so I tend to reach for a black so I look more awake on camera.

From the Draft Folder: Euphoria Makeup

July 26, 2020July 21, 2020 by Beauty Skeptic

I have a slew of things in my drafts folder, stubs of pieces that didn’t pass my perfectionist B.S. I’m trying to get better about that, so here’s one from Octoberish 2019.

Have you seen HBO’s Euphoria?

If you haven’t (especially now in 2020), you’re wrong. The show is fantastic. Run, don’t walk.

Beyond the show itself, the makeup in Euphoria is phenomenal. I haven’t felt particularly inspired to do anything, “fun,” or out of my norm in a while; my handful of daily, go-to looks make me feel professional, polished, and pretty.

But damn, Euphoria has me craving neon and rhinestones. As I am neither Gen Z nor extraordinarily fun, my existence doesn’t afford me occasions to do this ridiculous stuff.

But!

October 2019 Favorites

February 16, 2023November 5, 2019 by Beauty Skeptic

October 2019 Favorites
1. Becca Backlight Priming Filter, $39 / 2. Pointed Cotton Swabs, $3 / 3. The Ordinary 7% Glycolic Acid Toner, $9
/ 4. The Ordinary 10% Lactic Acid + 2% HA, $7 / 5. Makartt Nail Drill, $58

It’s been six months since I made a favorites post. Ayeee. Just in time to take advantage of the November Beauty Insider sale, though, if the prestige items intrigue you! Let’s jump into it.