Techie?

When Sam Chapman of Pixiwoo announced she was creating a line of makeup brushes with Real Techniques, I knew they were something I just had to have. Her assurance that they would be affordable for all was a bonus, and to be honest had they been high-end brushes with high-end prices I wouldn't have objected.

After they arrived on Friday, I have spent the last two days obsessing over them and testing them out. While its too early to formulate my thoughts on them just yet, I'm pretty impressed by them. If you would like a review on them, let me know! Using synthetic taklon bristles in each brush means that they are 100% cruelty free. And they're "soft fibers help create a flawless, high-definition finish in any type of light – from sunlight to harsh indoor lighting". While the prices were slightly more than the American prices, they are very affordable at £18.99/22euro for a set.

Core Collection



L-R - Contour brush, Pointed Foundation brush, Detailer brush, Buffing brush

Contour brush - delicately applies highlighter to contour or create sheer, soft-focus.

Pointed Foundation brush - use with liquid to build custom coverage

Detailer Foundation brush - precision cut to effortlessly conceal problem areas; or use with lipstick for long-lasting shape and definition

Buffing brush - ideal for full coverage application of powder and mineral foundation

Eye Definition Starter Set

L-R - Brow brush, Deluxe crease brush, Pixel-point eyeliner brush, Accent brush, Base shadow brush

Brow brush - distinctive shape easily defines brows

Deluxe Crease brush - soft, oversized design for effortless contouring

Pixel-Point Eyeliner brush - tapered cut is ideal for dense or fine eyeliner application

Accent brush - designed for precision detailing, spotlighting, highlighting and smudging

Base shadow brush - applies a smooth, flawless foundation colour

Sam's collection for Real Techniques can be bought here.

Have you bought/ are thinking of buying these brushes? What do you think of Sam's efforts?

Happy Monday x

Sigma F80, you are my new favorite foundation brush.

Yes!  My Sigma F80 flat top kabuki brush finally came in the mail on Saturday!  I've had a few chances to use and wash it now, so I wanted to share with you my thoughts ASAP.  

I was really excited that this was the brush Sigma was sending me, because I've been wanting a good brush for stippling in foundation.  I was using my ELF Studio powder brush, but as I've mentioned a few times it's not love for me (I find it eats up too much product- it IS a good buy, though, just not my favorite).  I've read nothing but good reviews on this Sigma flat top kabuki, so I was hoping I'd have a similar experience!  

They wrapped it up nicely in the packaging- I think they do this with all their orders, from what I've seen in other reviews.  Nice!  I feel like I'm unwrapping a present, haha.

Yay!  The brush head is actually much smaller than the ELF powder brush, which I wasn't expecting (from other review photos I thought they'd be about the same size).  I like it, though- the bristles stick together better and don't "fray" out as much as the ELF brush.  It's also easier to get into smaller areas of my face.  It takes a little longer to apply products with because it's smaller, though.

 

F80 on left versus ELF powder brush on right- sorry for minor blurriness! 

I love that it doesn't absorb all my product.  I used it with my Maybelline Fit Me foundation yesterday, and was able to use less than normal.  In terms of the way my foundation looks after using this to stipple it in, I'd say it's about the same as when I use ELF's powder brush.  This one just feels like much better quality- the ferrule isn't coming apart from the handle and I don't foresee that being a problem, either.  The bristles are soft to the touch, making it easy to apply all over my face.

I washed this right after I opened my package and didn't experience any shedding of bristles.  I did, however, during the first couple of uses.  Just a total of two or three individual strands, but I'm hoping I don't see any more with continued use.

Overall, I say this is a quality-and versatile!- brush from Sigma.  I love that you can use it to apply both powder and liquid products.  It's the first of hopefully many that I will try in the future. 

If you're interested in trying this, it's available from the Sigma website.

Have you guys used the Sigma F80?  Any other brushes you'd recommend?  Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I was sent this product for review via Sigma Makeup's affiliate program.  I am not being paid in any way for my thoughts.  All opinions are 100% my own with no bias towards the company.  

Finally! ELF Studio Contour brush- a small crease brush on the cheap

I have been casually searching for an inexpensive, small, preferably "pencil" type of crease brush for what seems to have been the longest time.  I know Sigma has one along with Coastal Scents and other various online retailers, but it's hard to know exactly what they look like from a computer screen.  This is why I was really hoping to find one in person so I could see what I was getting (and I have a hard time convincing myself to buy stuff online... a story for another day!).  Well, it is like pretty darn difficult to find a large variety of brushes in stores that aren't as expensive as MAC.  EcoTools is great, love them, but they don't have all the different types of brushes that I want.  Sonia Kashuk has a crease brush that I own (it's pictured below), but it's not what I'm looking for.  When I was shopping at Target a couple weeks ago, I stumbled across the ELF Studio Contour brush that has been patiently waiting in my online shopping cart for me to place an order.  This is new, guys!  And I was so excited to see it because I've been wanting to try it for the longest time, but was hesitant to order online.  Long story short, I grabbed it right away.
Here are my thoughts on it!

(Left to right: ELF Studio Contour brush, ELF Eye Definer brush, Sonia Kashuk Crease brush)

From what I've used of it so far, this is the best crease brush I've been able to find and for the lowest price.  It's $3, and I was able to find it at Target, so I saved myself the cost of shipping, yes!  

Its small size makes it perfect for precise crease work and that "outer v" area of the eyelid.  For comparison, I pictured it next to the ELF $1 Eye Definer brush and the Sonia Kashuk Crease brush.  The Sonia Kashuk brush isn't a favorite of mine because of its roundness and larger size- it's almost too big for my crease.  The Studio Contour brush is small enough so it places color exactly where I want it.  It's also a little more pointed than the SK, which is really rounded.  

In an ideal world, I'd have the Contour brush pointed like the MAC 219, but that's probably asking too much for $3! The 219 has been on my wishlist this past year for its precision and ability to apply color to the lower lashline.  The ELF Contour brush is too rounded for the lower lashline, but it's still perfect for those of us with smaller creases or more deep-set eyes who just don't like doing too much in the crease (like me!).  

The synthetic bristles are firm and dense, which allows for more control.  They also pick up color well- I like to kind of "roll" the brush into my eyeshadows.  I find this picks up color the best way.  

I've also given it one quick wash, and no bristles came out.  

If you've been looking for a nice, quality crease brush that's inexpensive, definitely take a look at your Target for this one!  I'm really impressed so far. 

Have you tried this ELF brush?  I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

The 'hit' list- My least favorite/used brushes

Following my post about my favorite makeup brushes, today I'm going to share with you the ones I rarely reach for.  I love reading review posts about makeup brushes- especially those that are affordable that I might actually be inclined to buy or not buy.  Testing products in person is something I feel is really important, but with makeup brushes it's a different story.  Unless you're looking at MAC or another higher-end brand, it's hard to find affordable, quality brushes at brick-and-mortar operations (with a few exceptions, like Sonia Kashuk and EcoTools, to name a few!).  Anyway, these either didn't fit my specific need or I just plain don't think they're worth the money.

Left to right: High Definition duo-fiber brush (Walmart), ELF Studio powder brush, Sonia Kashuk crease brush, EcoTools angled eyeliner brush, MAC 252

High-Definition duo-fiber brush- I got this brush from Walmart last summer, for somewhere around $10 I believe.  I have a few problems with it.  One, it smells terrible every time I wash it (and it was RANCID after the first wash).  Two, the handle is pretty bulky and takes up a lot of room in storage.  Three, it takes forever to stipple in cream products and I don't really like using it to apply highlighters (I can't see them on the bristles so I don't know how much I'm using).  It's not that it's a terrible brush- it's the only duo-fiber stippling brush I've ever owned, so I'm glad I have it to see how it works- it just isn't high quality and for me, it probably wasn't worth buying.

ELF Studio powder brush- The biggest problem I have with this brush is that the ferrule is coming loose from the handle.  To me, that just screams bad quality (although I think mine might have just been defective).  This was also in my favorites post because I do like how it performs, especially for $3.  It's great for stippling in cream products.  The other thing I don't really like about it is that every time I move the bristles, they stay to one side, if that makes sense.  They don't go back into place.  Very minor, but still something to note.

Sonia Kashuk crease brush- I purchased this hoping it could work as a pencil brush, because when I started using it it had more of a pointed tip.  After several uses, though, it became really rounded and it's now too large for getting into the small part of my crease.  The bristles aren't very soft, either- I don't know if I'd say they're harsh (and that could be something you'd fix by washing them with some olive oil or baby shampoo), but I don't like using the brush for this reason.  I only use it if I really need to do a lot of crease color, although I'm looking around for a smaller/pointier brush.

EcoTools angled eyeliner brush- This is the only specific eyeliner brush I own, and I use it with gel liners and powder eyeshadows as liner (or eyeshadow on my lower lash line).  I just recently realized it's part of the reason I can't make perfect "wings" with my gel liners.  I think the brush is a little too thick, making it difficult to get very precise.  I'm in the market for something smaller in width and thickness.  This one does work alright for applying eyeshadow on top of eyeliner to set, or for achieving that "smoked-out" eyeliner look with eyeshadows.  I do this quite a bit as I don't usually like very precise lines.

MAC 252- This brush isn't bad in quality at all, it just doesn't suit all my needs.  It's great for an allover wash of color blended up into the crease, but anything more precise is a bit tricky.  This is the reason I end up grabbing my ELF $1 eyeshadow brush over the 252 on most days, because it's smaller.  I think if you have bigger eyes and more lid space, this would work just fine as an eyeshadow brush (it is what the MAC associate recommended to me for an eyeshadow brush when I got my makeup done at 13!).  

Any of these that you don't have problems with?  I'd love to hear!

(PS- happy weekend!  I'm going to spend it with my boyfriend, starting tomorrow through Sunday- who I can only see on the weekend due to distance- and I can't wait!  I find myself constantly counting down the days until Friday, when either I go to his town or he comes here.  Tomorrow morning I'm doing the makeup for my friend's film, and then going to the sewing lab at school to finish up my darts for a project.  So much homework, so little time!  How have you guys been?)

<3

Can't live without them- my favorite makeup brushes

Good makeup brushes are one of those things that are absolutely essential, but I seem to always hate dishing out money for.  I own two MAC brushes, the 224 and 252, and they are ones my mom bought for me the first time I ever got my makeup done (My 13th birthday.  Aw, good memories!).  Those are my only "high-end" brushes; the rest are all very affordable.  I'm not sure yet where I stand in the "drugstore or high-end debate" when it comes to brushes, because although I don't think you should have to spend top dollar for them, my MAC brushes are pretty amazing- and I'm sure they will last me as long as I want them to (with care, of course).  With my lower-end brushes, I'm constantly wondering how many years I will get out of them before I have to repurchase.  But I digress!
Today I'm going to share with you my favorites from my (small) collection and what I like about them.

(Left to right:  MAC 224, ELF essentials definer, ELF essentials eyeshadow, Bare Escentuals concealer, EcoTools bamboo bronzer, ELF studio powder)

Eyes:

MAC 224-  I love, love, love, love this brush and am so glad I own it.  I've never had problems blending out eyeshadows, because this is perfect for doing that "windshield wiper" method and eliminating harsh lines.  If you take good care and wash it regularly, it will keep it's slightly pointed tip which allows it to work well in the outer corner area.  It's in line with the high-quality everyone talks about with MAC brushes.

ELF essentials eye definer brush-  I go through phases where I love and feel indifferent about this brush, but it needs to be in my collection nonetheless.  It is perfect for doing outer corner/"v" work, especially when you do the index card trick (holding up an index card along the line of your eye to make the perfect winged eyeshadow look).  And, like my other ELF brush below, it's only $1.

ELF essentials eyeshadow brush-  For $1, this eyeshadow brush is a great buy for your standard application of lid color.  I've had mine for almost three years (I'm pretty sure?) and it's kept its shape and has yet to shed.  It's also a good size for my lid area- my other MAC brush, the 252, is a little too large unless I'm only doing a wash of one color.  

I wish I could say I had more favorite eye brushes, but 1) my collection isn't too big, and 2) these are the ones I would actually recommend to others.  I definitely have a list of eye brushes I want/need to purchase!

Face:

Bare Escentuals maximum cover concealer brush-  This was in my Bare Minerals starter kit that I received for Christmas.  I've never used brushes for concealer prior to owning this- I didn't think they would be any better than my fingers.  Well, when I need any extra help covering pimples or dark spots, this guy works wonders.  I love using it with my Bare Minerals foundation on the redness around my nose and underneath my eyes.  And it hasn't shed or bled once.

EcoTools bamboo bronzer brush- If there is one brush I would recommend from all of these, it's this one!  I take this everywhere and probably couldn't live without it.  It's unbelievably soft, it never sheds, and it gives me the best application of mineral powder foundation/blush/bronzer ever.  It's bulky which is annoying for travel, but I still think it's well worth it.  And it's around $10 at most drugstores.  

ELF studio powder brush-  This brush is a love/hate (it's also in my "brushes I wouldn't buy again" post to come).  I'm glad I have it because the few times I use tinted moisturizer or any liquid foundation (hardly ever), I stipple it on using this.  It's also great for applying loose powder.  However, the ferrule of mine has partly detached from the handle, so I have to hold it in place.  It just really makes the brush feel cheap.  I can't complain since it's only $3, but something like that is annoying.

Stay tuned for my post about the brushes I'm "meh" about!  

Any of these that you like or dislike?  I'd love to hear from you. 

Bare Minerals- My initial thoughts (Prepare for a long one!)

Hey everyone!
First off, I'm sorry this is so late.  I meant to have it up the day or two after Christmas, but a couple things ended up getting in the way: 1) I realized I wanted to do a little comparison between the Bare Minerals and my Maybelline Mineral Power powder foundation, and 2) we went out of town for a few days.  I'm home now, though, so I wanted to share this with you ASAP!

My sister got me the Bare Minerals 8-piece customizable starter kit for Christmas, which gives you:
-the choice of one full-sized foundation (0.28oz, either matte or original finish) in your shade
-a smaller sized Mineral Veil (0.07oz)
-Warmth all-over color (0.05oz)
-Full Flawless Face brush
-Flawless Application Face brush
-Maximum Coverage Concealer brush
-mini-sized Prime Time foundation primer (0.5oz),
It also comes with a DVD that explains everything about the makeup, which I haven't watched yet.

I suggested her just getting me the full-sized foundation and Mineral Veil, but she surprised me with this.  She really loves the concealer brush and wanted me to be able to try it, too.
For this review I'm just going to go over each individual product and tell you what I think about them so far.

The brushes:

Top to bottom: Full Flawless face brush (what you use to 'buff' in the foundation), Flawless Application face brush (for Mineral Veil/other powders), Maximum Coverage concealer brush

I'm not sure if when you buy the brushes individually the handles are longer, but these brushes are all travel-sized.  The Full Flawless face brush (I'll just call it the foundation brush) is about the length of my entire hand laid flat.  The powder brush is the smallest in length, with the concealer brush being skinnier and just a little longer.  

Now, I had heard these brushes were on the scratchier side from brush comparison posts I'd read.  For other powder foundation/powder product applications I use my EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer brush, which is one of the softest things I've ever felt.  Comparing the two brands, these are definitely scratchier, however they aren't overly so and I do like the way they work.  My EcoTools brush IS great for buffing in powder foundation, but it's a pain to travel with and for other powders, it buffs them in too much.  It's perfect for when I need  a light application of bronzer, but not when I want high pigmentation.  

I really like how the Bare Minerals powder brush applies things like highlighters.  I just got the MAC Too Chic beauty powder (post coming soon!), and it actually shows up well as compared to when I use my EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer brush, which buffs it in too much.

The concealer brush is a new favorite!  My sister was right.  Now, I've never really used a brush for concealer, but my sister told me she uses a lighter shade of Bare Minerals as a spot concealer and loves this brush for it.  I've been using mine in the same way and this brush works really well.  

The Products

Left: travel-sized Prime Time, Right: Fairly Medium foundation (Original SPF 15 finish)

Left: Original Mineral Veil (0.07oz), Right: Warmth all-over color (0.05oz)

The foundation: I tried the Fairly Medium shade along my jawline while at Sephora, and I thought it would be a perfect match.  However, I've used it a few times and I'm going to go back today and see if I can do a darker shade.  It's not terribly light, but I know as soon as spring comes I'll get darker and I'll need to rely on bronzer.  

As far as the formula goes, I love it.  Keep in mind my skin is normal-dry and sensitive, and for foundation I look for something light-medium coverage, mainly to cover up mild redness and acne spots.  This evens out my skin tone perfectly and gives my skin a nice "glow", especially after using the Mineral Veil.  It doesn't cover up my acne spots enough, which is why I use the concealer brush to dab it over them.  The one downside is that this doesn't last all day- you'd need a fuller coverage concealer if you care more about the staying power. 

Prime Time: The only primer-type of product I've tried is the Monistat Anti-Chafing gel.  I've never really felt the need for a primer, though, so I didn't use it very much.  I've been using Prime Time since I got this set, and so far I like it.  I'm kind of basing this off of what my sister has told me her problems are with Bare Minerals- that it doesn't last all day on her oilier skin.  I think using Prime Time would really benefit her over me.  I have no problems with the foundation wearing all day on me since I've been using this.  However, it doesn't make my skin feel oily/greasy which I like.

Original Mineral Veil: I've heard so many raves about this product, so I was so interested in trying this! It's translucent, but it does give your skin a little extra "something", and nicely finishes the foundation.  The only thing I worry about is it leaving the smallest white cast- I usually wear some kind of bronzer highlighter on top of it so I haven't noticed it yet, but I also haven't really taken pictures or anything since using it.

Warmth All-Over Face Color: Dislike.  It's definitely too dark for my skin tone (I'm sorry I forgot to swatch this, I can do that if anyone would like!).  It's hard to buff in and makes my cheeks look reddish, which is one of the primary reasons I wear face makeup at all.  This is probably because it's too dark for me, but anyway, it will probably go in the trash or to my friend who's darker.  

Overall: I really like Bare Minerals and I'm so happy my sister got it for me to try.  It's perfect for someone like me, who wants something lightweight and easy.  This set is really nice because it allows you to try out all their top-selling products- unfortunately for me, the Warmth color will go unused, but I think anyone darker will find it works better (I'm around a MAC NC25 for reference).  Otherwise, I love the foundation, Prime Time, and Mineral Veil, as well as the brushes (even though they aren't as soft as my EcoTools).  They work really well and are SO convenient to travel with!

Whew!  I was going to include a comparison to my Maybelline Mineral Power powder foundation too, but seeing how long this is I'll save it for another post.  

Hope this is helpful for any of you considering Bare Minerals! 

August Favorites

Can you guys believe August is over already?  It seems like it came and went way too fast!
I stopped doing my Wednesday Weekly Favorites awhile ago because I wasn't buying new makeup as often, so this month I feel like I actually have something worth sharing.  I've talked about most of these products at some point before, but now I've gotten a chance to really use them on a regular basis.

1.  Maybelline Mineral Power powder foundation in Light #2- I think I've declared my love for this foundation before on this blog, but I've fallen head over heels for it all over again!  It's a perfect match for my skin (The closest I've found in my foundation experiences, anyway), and it's super quick to apply.  You just swirl your brush in it, tap it off, and buff it into your skin.  No effort required.

2.  MAC Retrospeck eyeshadow- This is a really pretty, really sparkly light nude-gold eyeshadow.  MAC describes it as "bleached blonde" which is a great description IMO.  I love this as an all-over wash of color on the lid.  

3.  Wet 'n' Wild new Color Icon eyeliners in Amethyst, Purple, and Olive- I didn't like these at first- they smudged and disappeared when I tested them just by themselves on my eyes.  I guess I needed to try them with a full eye look, because when I use them now they're really nice.  The colors are stunning, and the formula is creamy and just overall so much better than the old one.

4.  ELF Eye Definer brush- I've been using eyeshadow as eyeliner a lot lately, and I love using this for it.  It makes a nice thicker line, and it's easy to blend the eyeshadow up into the outer corner.

5.  EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer brush- I raved about this in my review of my other EcoTools brushes, and I still love it just as much!  I sometimes end up using this for all my face makeup- my Maybelline powder foundation, my blush, and bronzer.  It leaves a really light finish, and the bristles are buttery smooth.

(Top- MAC Retrospeck; Bottom- Wet 'n' Wild eyeliners, Amethyst, Purple, Olive)

Do you guys have any of these?  Have you had a different experience?  Let me know!

EOTD: How-To Using EcoTools 6 Piece Eye Brush Set

This is going to be my first "tutorial" EOTD.  I usually explain the basics of how I do them, but I think this step-by-step version will be a little easier to understand.  I wanted to do an EOTD showing how I use each of the brushes that come with the EcoTools 6 piece eye brush set, so this is a really easy, neutral look using purple to add a bit of color.  You'll see that I show the brush in the picture to demonstrate how and where to place the eyeshadow.  I hope you like this and I hope I did an ok job at my first step-by-step tutorial!  Like always, I'd love to hear any feedback you have.  

Products I used:

- EcoTools 6 piece eye brush set (All of them!)

- VS eyeshadow primer

- ELF eyeshadow quad in Nouveau Neutrals (All but the olive color)

- Revlon Perle eyeshadow in Violet Starlet

- Mary Kay eyeliner in Amethyst

- L'Oreal Bare Naturale mascara in Black

(I meant for these to be larger, but they didn't fit in the post very well.  Click to enlarge any of them)

1.  Apply a light shimmery neutral eyeshadow all over your eye area, using the Large Eyeshadow brush.

2.  Apply a light brown eyeshadow on your lid area and blend it up just below the crease, using the Angled Crease brush.

3.  Apply a medium purple eyeshadow into your crease, using the angled side of the Angled Crease brush, blending down into the outer half of your lid.

4.  Blend them all together using the Highlight brush.

5.  Apply a light highlight color to your inner corner using the Petite Eye Shading brush.

6.  Apply the same highlight color to your brow bone using the Highlight brush.

7.  Apply eyeliner along your upper lash line and inner half of lower lash line, and smudge using the Smudge brush (LOL, really?).

8.  (Before I did this step I re-applied any of the colors to make sure I didn't blend them all away)  Curl your eyelashes and apply your favorite mascara!

I'm still just loving this set of brushes.  I know when I first reviewed them I said they would make a great travel set, but I'm getting use out of them at home, too.  Totally worth the money.

Hope you all have a nice day- Happy Friday! :)

My First EcoTools Brushes (I might have a new obsession)!

So, yesterday I drove to the other side of town where my big Target and Walmart are located.  I was hoping to check out their selection of brushes (The Target and Walmart that are on my side of town are a little smaller, and I've noticed they sometimes have more/less product).  I mainly wanted to see if they had any other interesting brushes (The unknown brand-named ones from Walmart, and Studio Tools from Target) that I "needed"!
On my way, I passed by a ShopKo.  The only reason I really go to ShopKo is because they sometimes have one or two different LE displays than I usually see.  This time I didn't see any cool displays, but I did see the EcoTools brushes!  And I finally found the bamboo bronzer brush in person!  (I really didn't want to have to buy it online)  They had the largest selection of EcoTools I've seen- my Walgreens and Target only have a couple of those travel sets.  They had two eyeshadow brushes, an eyeliner brush, several face brushes, the sets I've seen around, and even that Alicia Silverstone set that I've read reviews for.  I was excited!  So I purchased the bamboo bronzer brush and the eyeliner brush.
Then this morning I had to go to Walgreens to get notebooks for school (They have them all BOGO free!), so I of course wandered over to where the EcoTools are.  I picked up the 6 piece eye brush set- they just looked too cute and cozy sitting in their case (Besides, this set looks perfect for travel, and I currently don't have any travel brushes).

They are so soft!  I know almost every single review of these boasts about their softness, but it's like a luxury putting on your makeup with them.  And I only tried them out just now.  I'm not hesitating to wait until I've washed them, because they just feel and look so sturdy/high-quality.  

Bamboo Bronzer:

I hope you can see how soft this is.  I used this to apply my powder and bronzer this morning, and it is wonderful.  I haven't had a chance to wash it yet, but from the reviews I've read and my first impressions they seem to be sturdy and durable.  

This was $8.99 at ShopKo.

Eyeliner brush:

I didn't have an angled eyeliner brush before, so this was much-needed.  It makes applying eyeshadow as liner (something I do often) so easy and creates a precise line.  You can see how thin it is!

This was $3.99 at ShopKo.

6 Piece Eye Brush Set:

This set comes with 5 travel-sized eye brushes.  From left to right, a large eye brush, an angled crease brush, a highlighting brush, an eye shading brush, and a smudge brush.

This set was $7.99 at Walgreens.

(Large eye brush, Angled crease brush)

(Highlighting brush, Eye shading brush, Smudge brush)

The large eye brush is supposed to be used for applying and blending eyeshadow.  This is an oddly-shaped brush, but I'm curious to see how I like it.  The angled crease brush is quite a bit larger than the other angled eyeshadow brush I have (ELF $1 eye definer), so this will also be interesting to try out.  I think the highlighting brush will be the one I use least out of all of these, mostly because I don't like that style brush for highlighting and I already have good blending brushes.  The eye shading one will be good for the inner-corner or other precise areas, and I'm happy to finally have a smudge brush that isn't a sponge!  

Each of the brushes in this set has the name on the handle, which is convenient.  You'll always know how to use each one.  ;)

Do you like and use EcoTools?  Do you own any of these brushes I mentioned?  I'd love to hear your thoughts, like always!  Thanks for reading.  

(I'm so happy to have more makeup brushes, finally :)

New Face Brushes: Studio Tools & Walmart

I said earlier that if I got off work early today I'd make a trip to my 'big' Target and look at their selection of Studio Tools brushes, but I had a migraine (Wisdom tooth removal pain) and didn't want to go across town.  I ended up going to Walmart and checking out their selection of brushes.  I'm not exactly sure what the name of this brand is, but they have blue labeled packaging and are really cheap.
In this post I'm going to talk about the two brushes I got from this brand (Not a full review on these, as I haven't had a chance to fully use them yet), and then my Studio Tools kabuki brush I got yesterday.  I'm proud of myself for building on my face brushes!  :)

First up is my Studio Tools kabuki brush, which I believe was $4.99 at Target:

This brush is actually a lot softer than it looks in these pictures.  I took the second one to show you how dense it is.  It covers about half of my cheek, and makes mineral powder a breeze to apply (and does it in half the time!).  It's not the softest brush.  If I wasn't somewhat desperate for a kabuki and seriously curious about Studio Tools, I don't know if I would have picked this up, but I certainly don't regret it.  

This works just fine for me at the moment (Read: if you already have a nice kabuki I wouldn't recommend going out and buying this one, but if you can't afford to spend much more like me, this is a good bet).

Next up are the brushes I just got tonight, from Walmart:

Duo-fiber highlighter brush, angled contour/blush brush

This blush brush was $5.98 and is seriously so soft!  I'm trying not to jump to conclusions about it, but I think I'm going to love this.  The only other angled blush brush I've owned is the ELF $1 one, and it was scratchy and shed hairs everywhere.  I looove how soft this is!

Update: This applies a subtle amount of pigment.  I used it with my ELF Studio blush in Blushing Rose,  a pretty pigmented blush, and it gives me a softer look.  Which means I won't always have to go back and buff out my blush.

This is the Duo-fiber highlighter brush, which was $4.98.  This one is very soft too.  The handle is a little shorter, something I'm not thrilled about, but I'm trying not to complain because of the price tag.  It's supposed to be used for powders (blush, bronzer, highlighter, setting powder), but I've been dying to try out a duo-fiber brush for its "airbrush" effects.  I'll have to decide later whether this one could work for that.  It's a little small.

Update: Having never used a brush specifically for highlighting, this one applies highlighter powders really nicely!  None of my regular powder brushes pack on pigment this well.

Have you tried any of these brushes?  What are your thoughts on them?  I don't know if I'm going to end up getting more Studio Tools brushes from Target, however I need an angled eyeliner brush and they have one for around $2.  

Also, check out my last post on the VS eyeshadow primer- I updated the pictures.  Hopefully you can tell how well it worked a little better!

Coastal Scents Brushes: Thoughts?

I'd love to hear any advice/thoughts you have on Coastal Scents' line of brushes.  I've done a lot of researching on youtube and various blogs recently, and so far they seem to be pretty decent (Especially for the low price tag).  These are the brushes that are in my "cart":

All photos from coastalscents.com

Small pencil crease black/silver

I've been wanting a pencil crease brush for the longest time.  I thought my Sonia Kashuk crease brush was it, but after washing it, it's just not pointed enough.

Synthetic deluxe crease brush

I have my MAC 224 crease brush already, but this one looks shorter and more compact.  I'm hoping it will blend faster than my 224.

White angled liner brush

MakeupbyTiffanyD on youtube recommended this one for making that perfect line with eyeliner.

Silver duo fiber stippling brush

I want a duo fiber stippling brush so badly for that "airbrush" effect!

Synthetic angle blush and define brush

I wanted one I saw on youtube reviews that was an 'italian badger angle blush brush', but couldn't find it on Coastal Scents.  This one got decent reviews on the webpage.

Pink kabuki brush

I read positive reviews on this one, too- that it's super soft and fluffy.  And pink!

These all together come to only about $30, but I'm still hesitant to place my order.  So if you have any recommendations on other brushes I should get, or ones I've listed here that I shouldn't get, please do let me know!  Thanks so much.