brushes

Sephora 2 in 1 Flex Kabuki Brush

October 19, 2011

Another brush review for you today! My collection is steadily growing again.. augh. I picked up this kabuki brush with my recent Sephora order back in August because the reviews were decent and it was on sale. This brush is still available online for the sale price and I would highly recommend you pick it up!



The name of the brush is derived from it's useful applications - the brush can be used as a powder or blush brush. There are two different conformations the brush can be used in, which is open or closed. The flexibility of the brush makes it as though you are getting two brushes for the price of one, but I really would recommend using it for either powder or blush, not both at the same time.



The reason being that .. I find the brush is most useful when closed, resembling a regular kabuki brush. When in the open position, the brush can cover a huge area, but it's almost the size of my face. Sephora designed this brush to be used for blush in the open position, and powder in the closed position, but I'm not a fan of mixing products onto one brush simultaneously. In the closed position, it is angled, and can nicely reach the areas around the nose and apply powder evenly over the entire face.



The hot pink bristles against the black handle of the brush are so eye catching as well. The bristles on this brush are natural goat hairs, so the brush is very soft! The bristles are not densely packed together, but there are enough there to make application easy and effortless. I haven't had any issues with fall out at all!



The only thing I would caution you about before using the brush is to make sure to wash it. When I first washed my brush, the water was pink! A lot of the dye in the brush seemed to be loose, so it was good to get that washed out instead of applied on my face. The size of the brush is perfect for travelling, or keeping in your makeup bag for on the go touch ups.

You can purchase the brush here on Sephora's website. Original price of the brush was $26, and at the sale price of $9, this brush is a steal! :)

brushes

Sonia Kashuk Pointed Eye Liner Brush

October 02, 2011

Eyeliners come in so many different forms and shapes. You've got pencil, liquid, gel, and a whole whack load of brushes you can try out to apply them all. Personally, my all time favourite eyeliner is MAC fluidline in backtrack - no smudges & longlasting!

I usually use a thin, angled eyeliner brush - similar to this one here from Sephora:



But when I saw this particular one by Sonia Kashuk at Target, the shape of it really drew me in, and the $5.99 was more than affordable, given that the brush was of good quality and functional.



The brush itself is similar in length and diameter to an everyday HB pencil, so it is easily to hold and manipulate. The brush hairs are dense, but still soft, and great for applying eyeliner smoothly without any issue. The lines come out straight, and it's so easy to use. The tip is pointed nicely and maintains its shape, allowing for creating a winged out look, but..



I feel like the brush picks up too much product :( While using this brush, I've noticed that it tends to pick up more gel liner than my thinner brush, and absorbs it! The excess gets sucked into the middle of the bristles, never to applied or seen again. Although the brush is at a great price and works very well, I feel that it ends up being more expensive because you go through product quicker.

It is a good quality brush for the price, and I would highly recommend it, but do factor in the expensive of the product you use - it might pan out better in the end if you pay a little more for a brush that won't waste much product :)

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I've got three midterms in the next 3 days - wish me luck! Have a good week everyone!

brushes

Bubbi Brushes!

September 28, 2011

I've had these brushes for a little over three weeks now, testing them and what not, so I feel like it's time to give them a proper, thorough review! And just to get it out of the way, I purchased these brushes on my own.

For months now, Bubz of Bubzbeauty & makeup guru on YouTube has been talking about releasing her own line of brushes, and that she had lots of influence in the design process, from the brushes themselves, and what materials they were made of. I was excited for the release of the brushes (if you can't tell already, I get just a tad excited when it comes to makeup brushes..), but honestly, a little skeptical. When things get hyped up, I almost always expect too much, and end up being disappointed. It's rare that something actually lives up to my expectations when it's praised and talked about so often.



So the day came for the brush release, and I was a little hesitant to order them. I ended up doing so anyway, and a couple days later, a cute little package made it to my house.

I only ordered three brushes from the collection, mostly the ones that I find myself using a lot - my powder & kabuki brushes. I chose the buffer brush, powder brush, and kabuki brush.



The buffer brush is designed to work with powders, whether foundation, blush or bronzer. The brush itself has a flat top, which works very well to pick up pigment and lots of product with a brief swipe.



As you can see, the brush hairs are packed and very dense on this brush, but the synthetic bristles are SO soft. They are flexible, but durable, and the way they taper outwards allows for reaching smaller spots around the nose area. As it is meant to be a buffer, it makes your product work better and blend into skin seamlessly, giving my face even and fantastic coverage.



The powder brush on the other hand, features longer synthetic bristles that are flexible, yet sturdy, to allow for proper control during application. Due to the longer length, it is not as rigid as the buffer brush, and much more flexible, giving it the ability to work over larger areas with one sweeping motion.



Because the bristles are spread further apart, it does not force the product to work into the skin as nicely as the buffer brush, giving a lower amount of coverage. However, this is probably one of the softest brushes I have ever felt on my face, and I love just feeling it sweep across my cheeks! The handle is easy to hold for good control - there isn't anything really bad about it! Bubz has said it can be used for blush, but I find that the brush covers too much of an area, putting the blush in places I didn't intend for it to go. In my opinion, it's best for setting powders.



Last up is the kabuki brush, which features its own zip up carrying case for travel. Unlike the other two I picked up, the kabuki is made of goat hair, so it feels a little rougher than the synthetic bristles. They are, however, still quite soft.



The hairs form a nice dome shape, allowing the brush to get to smaller areas, and those that are hard to reach with bigger brushes. The bristles are dense like the buffer brush, giving a higher amount of coverage for a flawless, even finish. This brush works well with blush as well, but be cautious as the bristles pick up quite a bit of pigment!



I have experienced no fallout with these brushes so far, which is amazing! I hate when I get bristles left over on my face. The brushes were hyped up for good reason, and did nothing less but impress me. Although I haven't bought the other brushes, I wouldn't hesitate to pick them up based on the performance of these three - thank you so much for making amazing brushes Bubz!!

The price for all three brushes including shipping to me was approximately $60 CAD - not a bad price for wonderful brushes!

Here is a link to the video Bubz made about all her brushes. Enjoy!

brushes

Bare Escentuals Jet Set Mini Brush Collection

September 15, 2011

Just wanted to say a couple quick words about this cute little brush set I picked up at Sephora lately!

Whenever I go on my travel adventures, it can sometimes be a pain when I have to clean my brushes, and put them into my makeup bag. Although I use brush guards to protect the brushes, there is the possibility of them shifting around and having the bristles bent! It's a mess sometimes.



With my last Sephora order I picked up the Bare Escentuals Jet Set Mini Brush Collection, which comes with 4 mini brushes and a brush roll that can be used to tote them around.



The case itself is relatively sturdy, but I know someday it's bound to fall apart. I love the hot pink lining on the inside though! It's such a beautiful contrast to the black. Only thing I don't like is that it smells like cheap plastic.. with time I do hope that goes away.



But the case isn't what I bought this set for - it's for the brushes. The bristles on each brush are super soft and fluffy, the way I like my makeup brushes. There's nothing that irritates me more than bristles that are course and make my skin itchy. Like really? Things like that should never be allowed to leave the manufacturer's factory.



The set comes with a line diffuser brush (4"), blush brush (4.5"), shadow brush (4.5") and a face brush (4"), all of which are easy to maneuver and pick up a good amount of product. Each handle is stamped with the brush name, and the company name in the same shade of hot pink as featured at the brush tip and inside the brush roll. I love this!



If you have a chance to pick it up in stores, do so! It retails for $25, but is on sale right now at Sephora for $15 right here. For the price and functionality, you really can't go wrong :)

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