After discovering the newest beauty store to open up in NYC, I kind of lost my mind and wanted to buy E V E R Y T H I N G. Kenig + Aclone is a professional makeup store so they carry lines that are high quality and effective, in addition to more consumer facing brands that are supremely hard to find (think Sigma Makeup brushes, Lucas Paw Paw Ointment, and Sugarpill Cosmetics). When I saw the Cinema Secrets Professional Brush Cleaner, I instantly thought of Nicole Guerriero’spost so I picked up the 4 fl oz.
I tend to have really stubborn foundation left over on my face brushes and no amount of Dove soap could remove it (I blame my laziness which allows foundation to cake up on my brushes…gross I know). Since I do wash my brushes regularly, I was pretty annoyed that my foundation brushes weren’t fully ever clean.
The first thing that attracted me to Cinema Secrets cleaner is the slight vanilla scent. It wasn’t overwhelming and or overpowering (plus the scent doesn’t cling on to your brush so no worries). To clean the brush, I poured a bit of the solution into a cup, submerged my brush and then swirled it on a clean paper towel. For the next brush, I only dipped the brush and didn’t let it sit. Both ways are effective but I’d recommend simply dipping your brush because the hairs will soak up the product and dipping still gets the job done.
Safe for use with natural and synthetic hairs, the cleaner immediately dissolves all traces of residue from brushes. Not only that but it removes bacteria and condition all hair types to extend brush life. Once you’re done cleaning the brushes, they dry in under 30 minutes (compared to the full 24 hours I’ve been known to wait with the traditional water and soap method.
The only cons are the price and staining. If you have brushes with white hairs or white tipped, the blue from the cleaner will remain on our brush. Not cool. The 4 fl oz will set you back $13 and as someone who owns a lot of makeup brushes, I can see this finishing pretty quickly if I’m not careful. That said, I’ll likely use this on brushes that have a lot of product left over or on days where I’m super duper lazy. If cost isn’t an issue, I’d recommend snapping up the 8 fl oz bottle ($24) since it’s bigger and will last you a while.
I’m 99.9% sure that beauty is hard wired into my system because I can spot a makeup brand or a new beauty store a block away (and that’s without my glasses!). During my usual rounds of exploring the city, I spotted a new store along 6th avenue and decided to walk in. All I needed to see was the word “Alcone” to get excited because that meant they had to carry professional products or tools. Imagine my delight when I saw a Sigma brush display in the window - I practically ran inside the store!
Kenig + Alcone is a new venture founded by Ricky Kenig (as in THE Ricky of Ricky’s NYC). The store is about two weeks old and they were still setting up boxes and displays so I’m definitely going to go back in a few days. As I perused the store I actually bumped into the man himself! There, in front of me, was Ricky schlepping boxes and asking customers if they needed help. No longer part of the Ricky’s franchise, he started up his own place with a bit of fresh air. He explained the concept: a professional makeup store where you can walk in and buy your Alcone products- not in bulk- but sort of like a candy store where you can cherry pick what you need and how much (all placed in a handy tin) along with all of your other professional needs. There’s way more to it but he and I started talking beauty (him: why do people love Sigma brushes so much? They’re synthetic! Me: YouTube, I swear). The downstairs level is primarily haircare (shampoos, conditioners, extensions, etc.) while upstairs was heaven for a girl like me.
From pro brands like Kryolan and Cinema Secrets to the hard to find like Lucas Paw Paw Ointment all the way to the brands of YouTube beauty guru-land (Sigma, Velour lashes, Sugarpill Cosmetics) - this place is it! The staff was super friendly and inviting (I spent a solid five minutes chatting up an artist upstairs about Jaclyn Hill and Camila Coelho). I ended up walking out with a small haul consisting of Ben Nye Chestnut Finishing powder (to set my under eye concealer), Cinema Secrets brush cleaner (review tomorrow!), and Sigma F80 and F86 brushes (again Jaclyn Hill).
I can’t wait to see what other brands they will carry. It’s great to finally have access to these hard to find or predominantly online only brands on the East Coast (at least the West Coast has Naimie’s!)
Kenig + Alcone Beauty Curators is located on 538 6th Avenue in NYC; 917-261-2640; www.kenigalcone.com.
