Happy Birthday!

'Today' is my oldest brush's birthday- it's turning six. The birthday is actually an occurrence from around the end of september but i figured the time's up anyways. I purchased it while vacationing in Italy in the autumn of 2004 and it's the oldest thing in my makeup stash. It's been through quite a lot-bouncing around in my makeup boxes during five tempestuous moving processes, two years of dorm life, migrating from one city to another, one country here, another one there. I purchased it at UPIM, an Italian CCO (i guess that's the best equivalent i can find).

It has definitely seen better days. The handle is scratched a bit, the bottom part of the paint has chipped off a long time ago (silly me, i didn't think of the clear nail polish trick..), and it has shed a low number of hairs over the years.

I got paranoid one day and fixed it with a pair of pliers- thought the hairs were 'loosening' and didn't want to lose the brush. 

 I didn't, it hung on for dear life, despite all the mistreatment and abuse it's been subjected to (scalding hot water baths, improper storage, combing the hairs to make them 'straight', yep, a lot of bad stuff has happened to this little fellow). 

Against it all, the brush is still soft, has about 90% of its original hairs (it shed a tiny bit only) and perfectly workable. I still use it for blushing the cheek apples because it's quite 'small', it fits perfectly for contouring or blushing on small areas when i don't wanna do the 'swipe' thing. 

I paid about  €12 on it, which at that time was quite a bunch of money. It's hand-made in India, the hairs are natural (goat i suspect, they're not incredibly soft to be something else) and the handle is sandalwood. The transparent paint coat would have lasted even longer if i hadn't stored it in a mug (!) where i kept my toothbrush as well (!!!), therefore it chipped because of the water on the bottom of the mug...and moist residue, and everything else. Sorry i mistreated you little fellow. Happy birthday.

Today's Makeup Brushes

.....are from Ikea. I can't believe i am going to include Ikea in my makeup blog tags.

Basically i've eyed these brushes a long time ago but never mustered the strength to pick up a drawing brush and use it as a makeup tool. After watching EnKore's YouTube video i almost slapped myself...and today i got 'em.

The set is Ikea Måla (Swedish for 'to paint') and contains six brushes- three uber-soft and three made of harsh plastic i couldn't possibly use for anything so they're off my list (..perhaps i'll use them to clean my hair brush? who knows). The soft ones exceeded my expectations, they're really perfect for makeup application and i'm thinking perhaps they are too soft for actually painting with them... I was checking out Smashbox's blending brush, the fluffy rounded one, but i didn't want to shell out 25 euros....for a brush, a small, eye brush.

Smashbox #10 Crease Brush

The Ikea ones are soft (already said that but seriously, you have got to try them) and the handles are a bit too long- that's my only problem with them, i don't know how am i going to chop the excess off. Chainsaw, anyone?

The bristles are quite long and densely packed, they don't shed hairs, no wacky smell or other nuisances.  I trimmed the stray hairs with my nail scissors- they had some three or four bristles that looked a bit messy but problem solved. The price for the entire set was 20 Swedish crowns, which means approximately $3 or £2. Nice deal if you ask me.

The three (workable) ones are a small, a medium and a large. I'd say the small and medium can be both crease brushes, eyeshadow, contour and concealer, while the largest one could be an undereye powder brush, blending brush (wherever i feel necessary) etc. Too small for blush/bronzer (obviously), a bit large for the eyes but perfect for an overall lid wash-champagne eyeshadow, bases, you know. Perfectly universal. 

The medium-sized

Small

Large

The medium one seems to be the least perfect in the sense that the bristles are a couple of mm longer than the usual crease brush; i guess it's a bit harder to be precise with this tool, especially if you're doing some millimetric makeup look. I think it's perfect for adding color all over the lids, blending, and even applying concealer and powder on top of it. It's not very dense either, so i am not sure this is a tool a professional makeup artist would praise as much as i do. But it's perfect for me and my needs, so i figured i'd blog about it. I'm actually surprised by these brushes and very satisfied with having purchased them. Definitely recommended if you want to experience the 'fluffy blending brush' feeling without having to hemorrhage money at some Smashbox/MAC counter.

Sephora Platinum #44 Stippling Brush

 Where do i begin.

I received this in a swap, a while ago. Lured in by the reviews, i really tried making this tool work on my face, with my foundations, bronzers, powders etc. An important thing about this brush is that it's marketed in two versions-the European one, i.e. uppercase and my version as well, and the US (and other parts of the world i guess) version, which looks like this:

The brush is originally intended for powder use- or at least that's what the 'poudre diffuseur' says (embossed on the handle). However, most people compare it to MAC's stippling brush and either love it, or feel disappointed, etc, you know, the usual story. So i figured i might also try to get airbrushed complexion and benefit from owning this little tool. I'll start shooting then:

1. The handle is a bit bulky and non-ergonomic because it's cone-shaped and not straight. I always feel like it's too hard for me to grasp it on the thicker side and prefer to grab it by its metal joint, which isn't very comfy either. If the brush would have the same handle as the US version (straight, MAC-type) that would be a different story, at least for me. 

2. The hairs ARE duo-fibers and robust enough (you can turn the brush upside down and place it with the bristles facing down, like sitting on its own 'head', and it will stay like that with no deformation of the bristles whatsoever) but not dense at all. They're just too few hairs with this brush, once you 'squeeze' it you're left with a very small 'ponytail'. 

3. Harsh bristles. They scratch my face and i feel like i'm poking myself every time i want to 'pixelate' my foundation.

4. The color bleeds (well...) a little; it doesn't disturb me that much because it doesn't settle into the white fibers. I'm mostly worried about the quality of the hairs and the possibility of them absorbing too much water thus ruining the adhesive at their base; it doesn't shed hairs and it doesn't smell bad (my swapper washed and sanitized it before, but most reviews claim the brush still reeks of 'goat hair' even after repetitive baths. It didn't happen to me).

5. The hairs are so scratchy they streak. I can't achieve pixel-type coverage or anything remotely similar, it's just a bunch of streaks on my face and i have to come back with circular motions and blend them in...which defeats the entire purpose of a stippling brush. 

6. It's very expensive. 

7. The hairs get messy after i wash the brush and i always have to use a little brush guard (fabric, not plastic) to keep them in shape, otherwise they'd fan out on me.

I guess this is the less successful version of the brush and i ended up being stuck with it. I really don't recommend this brush; as everybody else said (or most reviewers), get yourself an extra $10 and a MAC stippling brush instead of this one. 

I'm definitely sticking with my old The Body Shop kabuki and my Kicks €10 foundation brush. This one is going on my swap list right now.

Save the Brushes

I can't believe i didn't remember the old clear nailpolish thing...to protect the lettering on your brush! And not only. I decided to cover the brush 'joints', where the metal touches the wood, to prevent water from getting in...i can't stand when that happens, as if it wasn't enough the water that makes its way up to the base of the bristles!

I used my H&M clear nailpolish that has decanted and become a nice purple with silver glitter deposits (from the glittery trick...):

It didn't matter because the polish is still transparent despite that blue-lavender-ish tint it got. Most of my brushes have black and silver handlers so that wasn't an issue at all. 

Here's the result- couldn't be happier. Hopefully the polish won't crack anytime soon. 

Powder brush

The subjects

Concealer brush

It's not that visible...unless you squint...and maximize (always click on the photos)...nevertheless, i feel better now. And the silver glitter left the most adorable trace on the Elizabeth Arden brush. *sparkles*

Look what i found today!

*cough*
.....I finally go the brushes that were on sale. Now i forgot to ask what brand are they, i know, i know..
The brushes are Kryolan, the newest 'collection'-that's what the makeup artist told me today (i obviously came back to ask, haha!).


The shop i bought them in is a professional makeup store that sells 80% Kryolan, Glö Minerals and Bionsen...and MANY beauty tools. The guy who works there is fantastic, so friendly, fun to talk to and helpful, and they had a ton of stuff on sale, so i did what i had to do.

I would have expected the brushes to be expensive because they looked and felt like a big deal-long, soft, 100% natural bristles. In fact, they were on sale (as 99% of all the brushes in the store) because the company was moving. I paid €5 on the blush brush and €8 on the powder brush. And they're gorgeous.

The bristles are long, soft and in two colors- dark brown tips and straw 'blonde' lower half. The handler is slender and long, very handy; they feel light yet heavy at the same time, perhaps it's the thinness of the wand combined with the weight of the bristles.

The big brush is the 'Powder Brush', as it says on the handler, but the other one has 'Cheek Brush' embossed on and not 'Blush' or 'Contour'. The small one is an angled cheek brush, as you can see (i.e. duh duh duh).

I like their thickness, the bristles are tightly packed and soft, same type of soft rigidity my Body Shop kabuki has; the top is slightly domed and resists pressure, which means they'll do a great stippling/buffing in job. 

Face/eye v. brush comparison

Since i got brushes, and i have five or six types of face powder i currently use, i thought of sprucing up my blush collection with a beautiful 'piece' i always wanted to get but felt the color was too vibrant- Isadora Perfect Powder Rouge in 04 Coral Blossom.

It comes with a tiny, soft brush that i'll probably never use, but comes in handy in case of emergency; the packaging isn't all that but the blush is incredibly pigmented, perhaps as pigmented as a MAC one. There are several reviews on Makeupalley of people actually complaining about the pigmentation-you do have to be rather light handed with these blushes, especially with the matte ones.

I love the strong, coral peach color; didn't have anything like that in my makeup case. The photos were taken during daytime, window light, but somehow the real color of the blush failed to transfer perfectly. Here's a pic that best captured this blush:

I can't remember where i found the picture!

I'll come back later to quote the source.
'Nyways. This is a great product, highly pigmented (i said that but that's why i love their blushes). It isn't that cheap (€13 for a drugstore blush, hmmm) but you get a little more than with a usual blush (5 grams).
Can't wait to see what a FOTD with peachy cheeks will look like!

Yesterday's Loot

There are some products i will always come back to...and two of them i repurchased yesterday (+a new addition).

H&M Angled Brush

I use it with face powder, blush and bronzer, 3-in-1. It's a very good brush considering the price and other alternatives available (do you remember the first Sephora brushes, the scratchy ones that cost an arm and a leg? I think they're still selling those..*gulp*!!)

I was never a brush snob and if i found something i liked, i bought it without thinking about the brand; what i am interested in is a) soft bristles, b) thickness (or whatever decent 'volume' there is to it) and c) handler- i've had problems with too short/long/thin/thick, etc, ultra non-ergonomic brushes. I already own several H&M brushes and i've had them for about 2 years; some of them (the old line with silver handlers) have gone a little bit too harsh for my taste but none has ever shed a hair. I remember getting a quite expensive (15€) brush from the pharmacy line, especially designed for i don't remember what kind of bronzer, for sensitive skin, natural bristles, sanitized hairs, etc etc. Pure crap- it started shedding a week after (from the 1st bath i gave the poor thing). This H&M little thing is gorgeous.

First, it's soft (did i already mention this?), second, the hairs aren't cut, so it gives a more natural effect, third, it's CHEAP! Yay!

The hairs look a bit messy but it doesn't feel like the typical synthetic brush that scratches your face and streaks or spreads powder everywhere and would better work as a duster than a makeup tool.

 One final thing about all H&M brushes, eye, lips, face, etc, would be that they NEVER shed. Never. Not a single hair. Which is wow for me. Some may go a bit harsh, some may need extra care (shampoo+conditioner), some may lose their initial shine but they never shed on me.

Elizabeth Arden Mineral Powder Foundation Brush

I know, i know...just as i was praising some cheap drugstore brush i had to get this one, too...well, it's worth it, if you ask me. It's the uber-soft, densely packed brush that comes with the Pure Mineral Powder Fooundation (and the mineral makeup line) from Elizabeth Arden. The collection is this one:

The big brush comes in a beautiful, travel-friendly plastic case that mimics the 'Red Door' design, and is completed by a mini-kabuki brush addition that splits in half (yes you have it in the pic above) to perfectly fit any powder/bronzer case and be used with blushes, powders, but also for contouring and buffing in (when it's packed together).
The mini brush is as soft as the full-size one plus the funky-ness and the adorable element ('ooooh!'-s and 'aaaaaa!'-s)- i didn't know it was going to be sold with its big sister altogether. I haven't yet unpacked mine (am trying to figure out a way to save the brush guard it comes with-read protective foil-and manage to put it back on after every use). It is, after all, quite (VERY) expensive (€25) and i absolutely love it. So far it's my favorite brush (because of the accentuated slant-it's very angled) and i'm planning on taking good care of it.

Pretty travel case, huh?

Shiseido The Makeup Mascara Base

This is one of my cult products and an absolute must-have. Expensive,hard to remove, doesn't last that long in the tube, hard to work with (to a certain extent), but it's worth every penny.
Will transform the crappiest mascara into a dreamlike product and give figure and length even to the shortest, baldest lashes out there. This is my second tube (1st one almost finished) and i just had to have it. I was actually looking for a mascara when i remembered this (it sometimes happens that i go totally oblivious of products i have and absolutely love and start looking for other stuff. Bleh), how wonderful it is and that i actually own this little fellow. A bit of nervousness because they're always sold out (i felt this need to have it right there and then the same instant i thought of it), but when i met the pretty case, my heart melted :)

(upcoming review)

 The stash:

Mini-kabuki, Elizabeth Arden brush, Shiseido Mascara Base and H&M angled brush

Courtesy of one of the kindest SAs ever, i also got three foundation samples:

Clinique Even Better & Superfit and Lancome Teint Idole

Never used any of these so trying them on is quite interesting, although my current shopping mood is set on getting THE perfect match of Estee Lauder Double Wear (i'm wearing something a tad darker..sigh). I just love that foundation too much to betray it *blink*. It's so fantastic i keep thinking about stashing up...what if they discontinue it??? But i'll probably try Teint Idole (i'm not THAT curious, but well...) and who knows.