Products I Regret Purchasing

What I Use To Clean My Brushes

As you know, I have a ton of makeup brushes.  In the past, I've used just the MAC Brush Cleaner.  While it is an excellent brush cleaner, I felt that I was going through it too quickly for the price.  I believe it retails for about $12 for 7.9 oz and I was seriously going through a bottle a month.  Then I read somewhere that it was better to put a sprayer top on the bottle of the cleaner.  That helped but then I felt like I wasn't getting enough cleanser onto my brushes.

Behold Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap.  I have the Tea Tree version. This is an 18 in 1 multi-purpose soap that can be used for a variety of things, from shampoo to detergent.  It is loaded with good oils like Jojoba and Tea Tree.  I purchased this specifically to cleanse my brushes and let me tell you it works great.  It gets cream products out of my brushes like no other and it leaves my white goat brushes clean as a whistle.  I literally only takes a drop to get the brushes to lather and get clean.

This bottle was only $9.99 for 16 oz at Target and I highly recommend this product to clean your brushes with.

Crown Brush 7 Piece Synthetic Travel Brush Review

Crown Brush was on Haute Look again, so I went ahead and placed another order.  This time for the travel brushes as I will be doing some traveling for work soon.  I opted for the synthetic brushes as I have not been so pleased with their natural hair brushes in the past.

The set consists of a powder brush, blush brush, spoolie, angled eyeliner/eyebrow brush, lip brush, domed blending brush, and a flat eye shadow brush.  They all come in a black nylon case.  They have a matte unlabeled black short handle with a silver ferrule.  The handle measures 5 1/4 inches long.  Tiny in comparison to a full sized brush.

When I first opened them, they had a pungent smell and had powdery residue coming from them.  The powder brush had a few loose bristles.  I washed all of them immediately and the smell went away and there was no more shedding.

The face brushes are very soft and dense.  I really liked the finish that the powder brush gave when I used it with my MAC MSF natural.  The blush brush wouldn't be my ideal blush brush as it is so dense but it did get the job done.

The eye brushes are also very soft.  The flat eye shadow shader brush packs on color nicely on the lid.  And I was very impressed at how well the blending brush blended.  I do not like the angled brush for eyebrows, it works much better as an eyeliner brush as it is very stiff.  The spoolie is a spoolie, nothing much to say about that.  The lip brush I found works better as a detailed concealer brush.  I used it to cover tiny blemishes that I had.

Overall, this brush set impressed me way more than the original three brushes that I ordered.  This set was $25, purchased from Haute Look.  If you're looking for a travel set, this is a good one to check out.

My Makeup Brush Collection Overview

Another requested video from a friend.  This is for you R.B.  Hope this helps!

Crown Brush Review

I purchased three Crown makeup brushes from Hautelook (also check out my Crown travel brush review here) some months back and have been using them consistently enough to do a proper review.  The three I purchased are the C433 (pro blending fluffy brush), C404 (small duo face brush), and the C405 (contour blush brush).  Now lets get down to the good, the bad, and the ugly.

C433 brush

C433 Pro Blending Fluffy brush-In short, I HATE it.  It is supposed to be similar to the MAC 217 which is my go to blending and crease brush.  It has the same shape and the white goat hair.  That is where the similarities end.  It is the scratchiest brush I have ever used!  I have tried conditioning it several times to no avail.  And then it has the nerve to shed.  NOT GOOD!  I would not recommend this brush.  I will be sticking to my MAC 217 thankyouverymuch!

C405 brush

C405 Contour Blush brush-This one is nice though it does have its ugly side.  It has white goat hair and is used for contouring and blush application and similar to the MAC 168 (which I don't own).  It is soft and not at all scratchy like the C433.  It applies color beautifully.  But...it sheds.  I can say that it is shedding much less than it did in the beginning.  I would say purchase this brush but you have been forewarned.

C404 brush

C404 Small Duo Face brush-I LOVE this brush!  It is similar to the MAC 188 (which I don't own) and is a duo fiber brush.  It can be used for liquid foundation, cream blush, and powder blush.  I use it for my highly pigmented blushes (ahem NARS) as it does not pick up too much color.  I have nothing negative to say about this brush.  It is soft and does not shed.  I would HIGHLY recommend this brush!

Crown brushes can be purchased from their website http://www.crownbrush.com/ .  I do not believe I paid more than $15 in total for the three brushes, but then again, it was purchased from Hautelook.  Have you tried any Crown brushes?  If so, what are your thoughts?

Update: How I Cover My Dark Circles

This was filmed late at night so the lighting is yellow and my bags are worse than usual.

Best Of 2010-Beauty Edition

It's 2011!  And I hope this post finds you in the best of health and happiness.  With all of the "best of" list that pop up for the end of the year, I wanted do my own beauty edition.  These are the products that were truly my favorite products for 2010.

Skin Care:  I can't say enough about the Clarisonic Mia.  It was the best beauty related item that happened to me in 2010.  It has changed my skin for the best!

Face:  2010 was a great year for me and NARS.  I discovered my Holy Grail foundation in their Sheer Matte.  It is so worth the $42 price tag.  I also have a love affair with their blushes.  Truly some of the best on the market.  If you haven't already, treat yourself to a NARS blush in 2011!

Brushes:  My two favorite brushes in 2010 were the MAC 130 short duo fibre brush and the Essence of Beauty smokey wide brush.  The MAC 130 brush is outstanding for cream blush as well as liquid foundation!  I love how it blends out my cream blushes to provide such a natural looking flush.  The Essence of Beauty smokey wide brush is a drug store gem.  Sold only at CVS, the wide side is a perfect  brow bone highlight brush and the thin side is perfect for outer V work on the eye.

Eyes:  My go to shadows for 2010 has been MAC Woodwinked and Ricepaper.  Woodwinked is a great all over lid color, perfect to give you that "awake" look.  Ricepaper is the perfect natural looking brow bone highlighter for tan skin.

Mascara:  I fell in love with 2 mascaras in 2010 and I am on my second tube for both.  Lancome Hypnose mascara and L'Oreal Voluminous are both outstanding mascaras for volume.  I love them both!

Lips:  I have found my go to nude lip combo with MAC Viva Glam II and Spree lipglass.  Viva Glam II is a pinky brown, great for tan skin and Spree just gives it that extra glitz when applied over it!

Perfume:  I fell in love with Juicy Couture (the original) perfume.  So much that I have a purse size for my hand bag for touch ups.  It was my favorite daytime fragrance for 2010.

Nails:  Essie polish took the trophy this year for its superb formula and awesome staying power.  I can't get enough of Essie polish.  The absolute best top coat is hands down Seche Vite.  Talk about making a manicure last and giving that great glossy shine.  It is a must have for my manicures!

These products have been staples in my daily life for 2010.  What were your favorite beauty products for 2010?

How I Apply Under-Eye Concealer

I recently saw a good friend and we were discussing our horrible dark under eye circles.  And she asked me, how I apply my concealer.  So I decided to do a post about it (This is for you Ashley G!).  I use MAC's Select Cover-Up Concealer in NW35.  I use a NW shade even though I am a NC shade because the pink undertones in the NW shades counteract the blue tones in my dark circles.  I first prep my under eye area with an eye cream and then L'Oreal's Magic Perfecting Base.  I then take a bead size amount on my ring fingers and apply it to the area using a dabbing motion.  I take my MAC 224 brush and blend it starting from the inner corners and working my way down and out.  After, I check to see if it is enough coverage and apply more if needed.  I then set it with my face powder.

No matter how many hours of sleep I get or how many expensive creams I use, I will always suffer from dark circles.  So concealer is a must in my routine.  After I finish this tube of concealer, I want to try Bobbi Brown's Creamy Concealer next.  What concealer do you use?

Collective Haul-I came, I spent, I hauled!

Warning: Picture heavy post

I have been doing a bit of shopping lately and I picked up a few things from MAC, Lancome, Target, Ulta, Sally's Beauty Supply, and the drugstore.

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So this is what I picked up:






From left to right clockwise we have:

1. Bourjois Contour Clubbing Waterproof eyeliner in Black Party
   
2. MAC lipsticks in Thrills and Pink Nouveau


3. MAC blush in Honour


4. L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base (primer)


5. MAC Brushes 224, 129, & 116
   
6. Sonia Kashuk small multi-purpose powder brush
   
7. China Glaze nail polishes in V, Awakening, and II


8. Eco Tools retractable kabuki brush
   
9. Lancome Hypnose mascara in black

Lipsticks: Pink Nouveau (top), Thrills (bottom)

Pink Nouveau is from MAC's permanent collection. It is a true pink color. I do not wear it that bright, I put a light coat on with a pink lip gloss layered on top. Thrills is from MAC's To The Beach Collection. It is a rosy coral with gold shimmer. It is my favorite summer color for the moment!

Honour blush

Honour is also from MAC's permanent line. It is a golden beige with gold pearl. I use it as a highlighter as it is far too light to use as a blush on my skin tone.

Left to right: V, Awakening, II

V is a orangey (is that even a word?) coral and has fast become my summer pedicure color. Awakening is a raspberry color with golden iridescence. II is a sheer shimmery nude color.

From bottom to top: Sonia Kashuk brush, MAC 224, MAC 129, MAC 116, kabuki

Yes, I picked up a second MAC 224 brush as I realized that I needed one for blending and one for concealer. The 129 is a powder and blush brush and the 116 is a dense blush brush. The Sonia Kashuk brush, available at Target, is great for the crease and also a great at applying powder underneath the eyes. The kabuki brush, also available at Target, is a travel kabuki that retracts so it fits perfect into my makeup bag.

Well you see what I've been up to. What have you purchased lately?

The Quest For The Perfect Brushes

This is my inaugural post! I am currently on a quest for the prefect makeup brushes. I am now using Royal Brushes(http://www.royalbrush.com/). I purchased these about 3 weeks ago from their site. I got the 15 piece essential brush set and ordered the foundation brush and the crease brush a la carte. The set included a powder brush, blush brush, fan brush, eyeshadow brushes, eyeliner brushes, lip brush, eyebrow brushes, lash brush, and eyebrow brush/comb combo. It was a steal for the set at $39.95 plus shipping. The set includes brushes made of goat hair, sable hair, and synthetic fibers. Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the brushes. With that being said, I find the face brushes leave a lot to be desired. I have had numerous bristles shed each use and even during washing. I am hoping that this will subside as I am getting tired of picking goat hairs off of my face in the mornings! The eyeshadow brushes are excellent, no complaints, no shedding.

I also have acquired the Sonia Kashuk synthetic flat blusher brush available at Target for $14.99. I must say, this brush is a dream! I use it for my liquid mineral foundation. It blends my foundation to a flawless, airbrushed like finish. I am so in love with this brush. It can also be used for cream blushes and foundations and I've even used it for powder blushes.













I am determined not to purchase any MAC brushes unless I find them at a CCO (separate post about CCO to come). While I am very aware they are some of the best brushes around, I also feel you can get the same quality for a lot less.