The trick to Lisa Eldridge's concealer "airbrush technique" for silicone-free products

When I first saw Lisa Eldridge use, and recommend a tiny eyeliner brush for pinpoint concealing of blemishes I desperately wanted to make it work for me.

Who wouldn't want "airbrushed skin" after all?

But despite doing my best to replicate her technique, and even finding a tiny Pupa concealer brush (the little silver one in the picture), it never quite worked for me. The concealer would go on cakey and if I tried to blend it out, it'd just rub off.

My theory is that Lisa uses products that have silicone which makes blending a whole lot easier. My silicone-free concealer on silicone-free foundation however was having a much harder time of it.

Then one morning, I remembered a tip I heard once somewhere long ago, from a makeup artist video which I can't quite remember right now. It said that "The lighter a hand you use to apply your makeup, the better it looks". 

When nightmares come true - surviving a trip without your makeup kit (Part 1)

It happened, it actually happened. While on the plane from Hong Kong to Shanghai for a week-long visit with my boyfriend I realised, with spin-chilling horror, that I had left my carefully packed makeup kit, the one with all my brushes, with my perfect Inglot palette, with my foundations, with my foundation sponge... all on the little table by my bed.

Damn these red-eye flights!

I took stock of the little makeup bag I had with me. Thank goodness I had my ZA 2-Way powder foundation and my trusty concealer (Time Balm - I really owe the poor thing a review) with me along with theBalm's blush in Down Boy. I'd intended to freshen up before stepping off the plane and my vanity was saving my skin (literally!) then and there. 

In a state of mild panic I thumbed frantically through the in-flight shopping guide. "Should I get a palette? No wait brushes... good brushes are hard to find in a drugstore."

Eagerly I looked for the Bobbi Brown travel brush kit I'd been eyeing for several flights now. Ah hah! Slim, wallet sized and silver it was pretty and looked practical. (It's also known as the Bobbi Brown Party Collection Mini Brush Set for Holiday 2011 judging by this post by the Muse). 

US Haul Part IV: And finally the brushes!

Hello lovelies,

I guess the title says it all. This is pretty much the final installment of my US hauls. *grin*

As I've mentioned before, I did pick up quite a few brushes there, so they truly deserved a post on their own. Here goes!

Repurposing old buys:The brush for heavy cream undereye concealers

It all started with a post on Not Martha referencing The Muse's review of Sephora's Professionnel Platinum Concealer Airbrush. I looked closer at the brush and thought "Hey that looks like my barely used Everyday Minerals Kabuki Eye Brush!". Which in turn made me think "Why not?"

I gave it a try with Bobbi Brown's concealer and it was... magic.

New Fave: Etude Slant-tip Eyeliner Brush

Next to Silk Naturals slanted tip eyeliner brush (silver) for a size comparison

If you recall, I haven't just been looking for a perfect eyeliner brush, I've been looking for a CHEAP perfect eyeliner brush. Anyway I believe I've found it, in one of my steadily-more-favourite places, Etude House. ^_^

1. I love it because:
2. It's tiny
3. It's super fine
4. It's slanted (I work best with these)
5. It's soft
6. But not too soft
7. It works amazing with gel eyeliners
8. It only costs RM24.90

Could it BE more perfect? Happy!

Review & Application: Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation

It's finally happened. Much to my dismay, the latest version of Revlon Colorstay has too much silicone for my skin to take and it broke me out. In despair I turned to the net to find a dimethicone-free foundation and the only viable result made me despair more. 

I mean come ON. Laura Mercier's Oil Free Foundation costs RM169. 

But after a tester not only did not break me out but helped my skin clear up, I bit the bullet and bought the bottle despite the fact that the stuff is damned near IMPOSSIBLE to apply. 

Using a paint brush as an eyeliner brush

I was prowling around Cziplee+ and came across some high-quality paint brushes. As I was looking for a good eyeliner brush I decided to give this one a try. It only cost RM8.50 but the handle is so ridiculously long I had to use a pair of garden shears to chop off a length (just after the words).

Ecotools? Maybe not.

Hello lovelies,

Meet my latest brush acquisition. It looks like Ecotools, it feels like Ecotools, and it even holds like Ecotools. But Ecotools, it is not.

But it sure is an Ecotools wannabe, though.

Meet Fenling.

Spotted: Ecotool Lookalikes

When I first spotted these last week, I thought I was seeing things.

"Since when," I mumbled to myself, "did Ecotools come to town?"

Then I realised that "FenLing" was stamped all over the packaging and handles. They may look like Ecotools brushes and are packaged like Ecotools but these are not Ecotools.

Or so they claim.

I didn't buy them but if you feel like checking out these Ecotools lookalikes, the 5 piece brush set is selling for RM29.90 and the handled kabuki sells for RM16.90. I have only seen these at the Jusco pharmacy in Midvalley though so don't bother searching Guardian, Watsons or Sasa for them.

And if you do get them, don't forget to report back to us at So Loverly. ;)

Of brushes and combs ~

Every girl knows the importance to having the right hair brush or comb in her arsenal of hair-styling tools.

What kind of brush you use, or what kind of comb you'd need would need, would depend entirely on the type of hair you have, and of course, what you're going to use the brush for.

I once had a guy friend ask me, "What's the difference between a comb and a brush?"

A simple answer would be that while a comb can do a great job of parting the hairline, or detangling the hair, it could hardly do the styling-duties of a brush.

There are also great benefits to brushing. It helps blood circulation on your scalp, and apart from getting rid of the day's dust from your hair, brushing also spreads out the hair sebum from the roots of the hair to the tips, which can help produce a healthy sheen. Sounds good, eh?

My hair, thankfully, is rather low maintenance so there aren't many styling tools in my arsenal. Just two brushes and a wide-tooth comb! Check them out after the jump!

The Body Shop Cushion Pin Large Hairbrush (~RM35)


This one really looks like a cushion with pins all stuck onto it, hence its name. TBS says this brush is best used for brushing and styling mid to long hair and especially good for penetrating thick hair. It's also my favourite hairbrush as it's soft enough to not scratch my scalp, and I feel like I've just given my hair a nice polish every time I'm done brushing.

Foxy Wooden Quill Brush (~RM35)


Picked this one up in Greece because I couldn't resist the name. It's alright, but the quills are a little hard, so I have to be careful when brushing. A previous favourite of mine was a Miine wooden quill hairbrush I picked up from Watson's (in Phuket) for only 70 baht (RM7)! That one was a real joy to use. When I'm back in Thailand, will surely go a-looking for it.

Wide-tooth comb (can't remember price)


I've had this comb for a really reeeally long time. And I simply love it. I use it to part my hair and to comb out tangles. When I travel, sometimes this is all I bring with me as it's all I need to get my hair right again.

And just in case you were wondering, my hair routine is uber simple. Washing and conditioning, towel wrap to dry it a little bit, part hair with wide-tooth comb and air dry. Once it's dry, just apply a teeny weeny bit of Frederic Fekkai's glossing cream, a good brush and I'm done! Shiny, shiny hair. *winks* No styling, no hot irons.

Now spill it. What's in your arsenal?

Review: EcoTools Blush Brushes

While time and again, I've always declared my love for my MAC #129 (which has always been my go-to blush brush), over the last couple of weeks, I realised that two brushes were slowly but surely catching up in reporting for blush duty.

Enter the EcoTools blush brushes. I picked them both up in separate sets - the 5-piece (the Makeup Mix Shop for ~US$10) and 6-piece (Aust trip for ~AU$23). And in both cases, the blush brush is the one I headed straight for.

In fact, I've been using these two rather frequently that it's almost quite up there in the Favourite Things category together with my #129. Awesome.

Mineral Powder Brush (aka Short-handle Blush Brush)


Okay, so this isn't really a blush brush, but heck it works perfectly fine as one. Since the set it comes in has a baby kabuki, I'd recommend you use that for powder and use this for blush.

Size wise, it's purrfect. I've been using this for my blushers of late, and it picks up blush and applies them very well. It's short handle also makes it really great for when I'm on the go, and for travelling.

Blush Brush (Long-handle)


This is an actual blush brush, which you can pick up with the set, or individually. Of course, the set gives you more bang for your buck. While the handle is longer, it isn't particularly heavy, and allows for a comfortable hold.

While the long and the short-handle brushes don't look terribly alike, they do share several similarities:

1. Both should appeal to tree-huggers, what with bamboo-handles, and recycled aluminium for ferrules. The brush itself is made from synthetic taklon bristles, which are 100% cruelty free.

2. Both brushes are also insanely and incredibly soft! It's so nice to brush it against the skin. *hehe* Granted, the brushes are rather new, but they have never felt scratchy, unlike the #129, which can be a little annoying, once it's in need of a wash. I have also not noticed any shedding or bleeding.

3. Both are really good, especially for pigmented blushers. I notice they tend to pick up a little less pigment, so using these brushes with pigmented blushers allow you to slowly build the colour up instead of going bada-bing-bada-boom on your cheeks, if you know what I mean. If your blush is not thaaat pigmented, an extra swipe or two is all you need. No problemo.

(L-R: MAC #129, short-handle and long-handle. You can see the difference in the density of the brushes here. The MAC is still the most dense, which is likely why it picks up the most pigment of the three.)

(L-R: Short-handle, long-handle, MAC #129. You can see how the brush heads are shaped from their side profile. MAC is the most tapered, but the other two blend rather well too.)

In conclusion, if you're looking for a blush brush, I'd highly recommend these two. They perform wonderfully, they're nature-friendly, and they won't burn a hole in your pocket, unlike high-end brushes which can cost anywhere between RM100 to over RM200 a piece.

My MAC #129 is facing some stiff competition indeed.

Monday's Beauty Bits

Kahani is on leave this week so I will be feeding you our Monday beauty bites, err, I mean bits.

Not a beauty bit but a reminder to stay cool. The Sydney heat wave started over the weekend, with temperatures hitting 40 C on Sunday. Goodness knows how the rest of this week will turn out but don't forget to carry water, facial spray and sunscreen with you to cool down. I have a stash of face masks cooling in my fridge as I write this.

I hate wastage so it always irritates me whenever I get a perfectly good product in terribly inefficient packaging. Half the time, I end up cutting the bottle in half (if I can) and decanting the remainder into an small tub. This isn't a new idea as most of our mothers do it but I was just wondering how many of you bother doing this as well.

Remember this Skunk Brush? I mentioned in my review that it bled quite a bit and it took a couple of washes to get the dye out. Guess what? The dye is STILL coming off and after an indefinite number of washes, I have given up on this brush. Into the bin it goes.

I try to keep my hair off my back as much as possible because of bacne. This poses a bit of a problem in the shower so after applying a hair mask or conditioner to my hair, I bundle it up into a shower cap, leave for a bit, rinse and put my hair back into the (rinsed) showercap. Not only has this reduced the number of pimples on my back, but allows my conditioner to penetrate the hair shaft more effectively.

While I am on the subject of hair, the curly girl routine is working great for me. It has been 4 months since I started and while I don't get great waves and curls everyday, my hair has been looking better since I gave up shampoo (well, I still do shampoo my hair but only once in a reeeeeeally long while). Not only do I have less split ends, but my hair seems to be growing faster -- which may be a minus point for some people.

Buffy, the kickass Elf Studio Powder Brush!

Over the years, I have somehow managed to amass quite a few makeup brushes (along with the other makeup stuff). There are the amazing ones, the good ones, and the meh ones. But only a select few make enough of an impact that they get the daily cuddles and usage.

I guess it can be likened to making headlines on the front page of the papers - every day. Awesomeness.

And today, I will introduce you to one such brush: the Elf Studio Powder Brush.

If you're going, "Haven't I already read about this brush somewhere in this blog before?", then the answer is yes. Kahani very briefly reviewed it before here, along with several other Elf Studio products.

I had purchased it a while back together with Kahani, but it was only recently that I fell head over heels with it. Which was when I decided it deserved the honour of getting a review all on its own. So here goes.

After reading Connie's raves about this brush, it somehow stuck in my head that this brush is awesome for liquid foundations. Which sounds great. With the only problem being, I hardly ever use liquid foundy. My daily go-to has always been ZA's two-way foundation.

Call me dense. But it just never occurred for me to try the brush with the powder foundy earlier.

*smacks forehead*

Until one fine day sometime last week. And then it was aaaalll lurve. This synthetic haired Taklon brush is dense, yet so unbelievably fluffy and soft, it is such a joy to use. It's chubby handle makes for a pretty easy grip. It doesn't smell, it doesn't bleed, and it sheds very, very minimally too. Which makes it one heck of brush.


It works really well in picking up powder evenly, and using it in a buffing motion results in a smooth, flawless, even application. Absolutely gorgeous.

It might jolly well be my imagination, but I did notice that my face also stayed oil-free for a few good hours longer. Where my face would have been oil-slicked by lunchtime, I can now wait until well after, before I really feel the urge to blot. Hot damn.

I haven't really tried using it for blush, as I've nary strayed from my MAC#129, but I can definitely see it working as a blush brush too.

And the bestest part of all? It costs only US$3 (~RM10). Serious.

I've already bought a back-up. And now I'm thinking of getting a back-up for the back-up. It's madness, but I really am in love.

This brush definitely kicks ass.

Beauty DIY: Pretty Brush Rolls (Part 2)

Another shot of my brush rolls all tied up. The mini one was empty at the time and I actually ran out of ribbon so I held it closed with a hair pin from Laos for this shot.

You can't see it clearly but there's a picture of Pegasus etched on the hair pin. I love fairy tales and flying horses.

Anyway, lets get back to making those brush rolls, shall we? Where did I leave you hanging?5. Sew the cover to the lining. Okay. Here comes the fun part so look at the pics carefully as my fuzzy explanation might throw you for a loop. Fold the edge of the cover into half so it meets the edge of the lining. Press or iron this down all along the edge. Once you are done with this, fold the cloth over again on top of the lining. Iron or pin this down.Secure the hem to the lining with either a whip stitch or a slip stitch. I have tried to show these 2 stitches are done in the pictures. They are both variations of the same thing, really. I personally prefer the slip stitch as it looks tidier.Now, because you are bound to hit a corner sooner or later, this is what you do: Use the corner to first fold a triangle down towards the edge of the lining before continuing to fold down like before. This creates a tidy little edge without any raw ends sticking out. Fine, maybe not so tidy in the picture but try it out and you'll see what i am trying to get at.

6. Many pricked fingers later, you should end up with something which looks like the above. Don’t worry; we are nearing the end soon.Now, flip the cloth the other way around and fold along the running stitch you made earlier in attaching the backing and the felt (I didn't take a pic of this step while I was sewing the pink roll so you will have to make do with the blue; sorry for the confusion).

What you have is an inside-out pocket for your brushes. Whip stitch the edges together (try to keep this set of stitches as close to the hem as possible), tie off and then turn the pocket inside out.Most of you will be smiling by now. =) The end is close in sight!

7: Creating individual pockets. With your tailor’s chalk, mark off at regular 1.5 inch intervals. Or, you can slip your brush into the case to estimate the pocket size.Then, pick up your needle and thread again and make running stitches down the lines you just marked. I used a modified overhand stitch which can be a bit fiddly for some people and has a higher chance of creating pricked fingers.

As you stitch, try not poke your needle all the way through the backing and through the other side. Your running stitches will be seen on the cover which doesn’t look very nice. Try to just pick up the lining over the backing with your needle. Don’t worry, the stitches will still stay secure.
8: Just sew the ribbon on one end of the case and you are set! If you are too lazy at this point of time, a pretty hair tie will do in keeping your brush roll together.

Now, show it off to your friends and let them ooh and aah over how crafty you are!

Leave any questions in the comments section. This half of the tutorial is a heck more confusing than yesterday's so I am expecting lots of puzzled faces. Does anyone think that this is Etsy-worthy?

*Looks around furtively to whisper behind Kahani and Syen's backs* Does anyone here want to pay me for one?

Beauty DIY: Pretty Brush Rolls (Part 1)

This was originally supposed to be a single post but there were so many pictures and steps, I decided it would be less mind-boggling if I divided it into 2 separate posts instead. Even I got confused after a while.

I had the picture tute for my brushroll lying in my HD for ages but completely forgot about it until Plue blogged about the brushroll her mother made for her here.

You don't need a sewing machine or superb sewing skills to make this. The only stitches you really need to know are the whip stitch and the running stitch. It only takes a day to make (about 15 minutes if you have a machine) and you can use any piece of cloth for this - from an old t-shirt to a bedsheet.

As you can see, I made 2. The pink one holds my big brushes while the little one carries my mini brushes, eyeliners, mascara and lippies for when I go a-travelin'. Tiny and compact - I just love it.

What you need: 2 pieces of cloth, a length of felt(I am wondering how did the felt go missing in the picture), ribbon, a pair of scissors, a ruler, some tailor's chalk, thread and a needle.

I used the black fabric for the lining and the pink for the outside. Felt was used as backing. You don't HAVE to back the brush roll but I feel that it gives more protection and makes the finished product less floppy. I know that felt is hard to find in Malaysia (think I stumbled across some in Daiso though) so you can use a stiff piece of material instead.

If you are doing this by hand or are a newbie to working with cloth, I highly recommend using cotton for this project. Silks may look lush but they are much more slippery to work with. Cotton is easy to cut, iron, pin and sew. You will get on much faster with cotton.

1. Cut the backing. Estimate how large you want your brush roll to be and cut it out. I winged the measurements by picking up my longest makeup brush and laying it out against the felt before drawing the outline with a ruler. For my baby brush roll, I used an A4 sized paper, snipped it to size and pinned it to the felt. My big one is about 11" by 20" while the little one is 7.5" by 10.5"

If you are wondering about the excess cloth on top, it's for folding over your brushes later so they don't slip out of their pockets.

2. Cut the lining. Lay out your backing against the lining then place your makeup brush against the backing again. You want the length of the lining to be longer than the backing as you need the excess for your brush pockets. Pin the backing and lining together then cut.

3. Sew the backing and lining together. The reason for doing this is so that the backing doesn't slip out of place when you are sewing later or get crumpled inside when you toss your brush roll into the washing machine. You don't want to unpick this thing apart after your first wash, trust me.

You can either do a simple running stitch along the sides of the cloth or whip stitch the edges together. For me, I whip stitched the three raw edges together and did a running stitch where the backing met the excess lining. (I don't have a pic showing what I am trying to explain so you will have to make do with this one where the cloth has been partially flipped. *groan*)

If you have a machine, just run close along the edges. Try to keep your stitches as close to the side as possible.

4. Cut the cover. First, pin the lining + backing to the cloth. You can even baste it (i.e. use BEEEG BEEEEG running stitches to hold the cloths together) like I did. Trace out an excess of 2 cm all around with your tailor's chalk and then cut the cloth.

Now, LEAVE EVERYTHING PINNED/ BASTED TOGETHER. I notice that immediately after cutting, people have a tendency to pull everything apart before asking "What's next?". So leave everything as it is for now.

The last bit is coming tomorrow. ;)

Budget Beauty: Awesome eye brushes from Carrefour! - Living & Companion Eye Definer and Eye Contour brushes

Meet the brushes that completely cured my lemmings for a new MAC 224 brush (my SE version is spiky with split hairs) and MAC's pencil brush. And here's the really great part. They only cost RM8.50 each.

You'll find them in Carrefour's beauty section in plastic packaging that looks like this (pic on left). I first learnt of them thanks to Dollie Pomme's rave review, and when I was researching Essence of Beauty's Eye Contour Brushes I found that they were comparable to Living & Companion's thanks to Puss in Heels.

You can bet I tore down to Tropicana Mall and snatched these babies up!

I've been using them a week and I absolutely could not be happier. They are soft, soft SOFT... and unlike most budget brushes, these are made of animal hair. Which animal? Can't tell you, it doesn't say. But so far these two brushes have performed wonderfully. Love them!


Eye Contour Brush
To me, this rounded countour brush is the real steal of the two. Densely packed, its tapered shape makes it great for everything from smoking out to precision work. I find I can use it in my crease, to blend out my darker shadows and even along the lower lash line. It's shape is absolutely brilliant!

Eye Definer Brush
I use this loose and soft brush much as I did my MAC 224 - to apply a sheer wash of shimmery shadow and blend it out. It's not much good for defining in my opinion, but I love it for blending lighter shadows over darker as it applies just the right amount - enough to see, but not enough to obscure the darker colour beneath. It also works great for blending shadows up and out so that the shadows blend seemlessly into your skin.

Conclusion
I've washed both brushes twice so far and no shedding although both have a few hairs wandering out of place. I love these two so dearly I'll probably buy backups. And at this price, I can afford to!

Review: Artiste Manicare Skunk Brush

I love and adore my MAC #187 to bits. It does such a wonderful job of applying and buffing my BB cream and liquid foundations to an air-brushed finish, I want to marry it and have little skunk brush babies named Flower. (Don’t tell my boyfriend I said that)

Anyway, the point I am making here is that I really, really, really like my MAC skunk brush and was seriously thinking of getting a second #187 for my cream blushes. The idea of spending another AUD85 stopped me in my tracks though so I had a poke around Australia for other skunk brush alternatives (sadly, we don’t have an Etude House outlet or I would have got this) and ended up getting a dupe from Artiste Manicare instead.

As you can see, the Manicare version (top) is a slightly stubbier version of the #187. Both brush heads are about the same size in length and fluffiness – I can’t tell the which is which in the second picture but I think the Manicare brush is the one on the left as it looks whiter.

Let’s start with the cons of the Artiste Manicare stippling brush.

Cons
First off, the bristles bleed. It took me about 5 washes to make sure that all of the excess dye had run off and just to be doubly sure, I washed it twice more.

Secondly, the brush sheds like a sheepdog in the summer. It sheds when I wash it, it sheds when I dab the tips into my blush and it sheds when I apply blush to my cheeks. I am constantly picking black bristles off my cheeks and out of my cream blushers; it gets pretty darn annoying.

I tested this brush for softness on the back of my hand before I bought it but as it turns out, my facial skin is a lot more sensitive than I thought. This brush is scratchy! It makes me wince a little each time I use it on my cheeks. I haven’t dared to try and use this brush for applying BB cream as I bet my skin would start making banshee-like wails if I did.

Pros
The slightly shorter handle makes this brush a lot more travel-friendly and the price tag of AUD17.95 – about a fifth of a MAC #187 so you will still have change for gum from a twenty – makes me a lot less paranoid about throwing this little guy around my travel bag or worrying that I am going to drop it down the loo by mistake.

As this dupe is made with synthetic bristles, it thankfully does not smell like goat. My only grouse with the original #187 was the strong goat smell – it reminded me of childhood weekends spent getting into trouble on my grandparents’ farm.

(Yes, I had a typical budak kampung upbringing where my cousins and I chased chickens, flew kites, played in paddy fields, splashed around in rivers and on one occasion, got chased by water buffaloes. I still have no idea how I went from playing in the mud to playing with lipstick)

Despite the scratchiness, this brush does get the job done. It picks up blushes well – both cream and powder – and does a pretty good job of stippling and blending. As the synthetic bristles are a little stiffer than the #187, I dare say it does a slightly better job at picking up cream blushers as there is less “give”.

Verdict
I guess this isn’t too shabby if you want a stippling brush and can’t afford or justify spending so much money on a MAC #187. The Manicare option is very much more affordable (think of what you can do with the remaining AUD64.05!) and it does do a pretty decent job. The only bones I have to pick with this brush is the scratchiness and the continuous shedding; both of which you can live with if you have slightly tougher skin than me and are a lot less grouchy.

You can buy Artiste Manicare brushes from most Priceline, Myers and Target outlets. I have not checked David Jones so I am not sure about that. Does anyone know where else you can pick up Manicare brushes in Australia?

Btw, photo credits for that unbearably adorable baby skunk picture at the start of my post goes to LadiesWhoKill.

This is LOVE!: House of Etude Dual Fibre Cheek Glow Brush

Yet another reason for me to adore the virulently pink House of Etude store! I'm so in love with this brush I used it for a week, and went out and bought another one. YES I have TWO and use both daily! I found it thanks to Plue, read her wonderful review in which she even compares it to the MAC 187 brush here.

So why did I buy two? For starters it's only RM39.90, is incredibly well made and applies everything, from liquid to powder, with an air-brushed finish.

When you buy it it comes packaged like this, which does squish the bristles somewhat. A wash though and it springs back into shape. I've washed them a couple of times now, and at most they've only shed one or two black bristles each. No bleeding, no massive shedding.

I bought two because I wanted one for blushes and bronzers and the other for liquid foundation and face powder. As you can see the bristels are fairly dense so it does pick up pigmented blushes with just a touch. I stipple it evenly onto my cheeks, and use the brush to buff in it. Voila! A really pretty natural glow!

It's also amazing with bronzers giving a sheer, natural and even wash. But be careful when applying as it does pick up a healthy amount of pigment.

The head is smaller than my Everyday Minerals Flat Top brush, and the handle is slightly longer. It applies mineral foundation in a lighter finish than the flat top brush so when I use mineral foundations, I still prefer my good old EM.

When I apply liquid foundations though this thing is amazing! I swipe the foundation onto my face and use it to blend in. This creates a truly even, lovely airbrushed finish. It also works great to stipple on and blend liquid and cream blushes.

For the price, you really can't go wrong. This brush has settled all my MAC dual-fibre brush cravings.

Video: Friday is for fantastically useful - CS Brushes Vs Mac!

Hey everyone, I know updates have been scarce this week, and I'm sorry. Promise things will be back to normal next week. =)

Meanwhile, I found this video very useful! I've already bought a foundation and dual-fibre brush from House of Etude based on the descriptions I've seen here of the Mac brushes. Warning: She monologues. Skip to 1:36!

(Another) Brush Haul: Coastal Scents

Since Christmas is now behind us, and the next one is still some ways yet, I will happily admit that I've been a bad girl. A very bad girl. (Let's hope Santa has a short memory.)

Because I've been hauling you see. From makeup to skincare to brushes, I've been busy hoarding my lovelies up. Like how a squirrel might hoard up acorn, you might say. =P

So when Kahani said she was going to make a Coastal Scents order and asked me if I wanted anything, how could I say no? I had managed to steer clear of 'em palettes (for now), but it was the brushes that got me.

Ok, so this is a teeeny brush haul, but a haul nontheless.

I found myself wanting the Italian Badger Blush Brush (because a girl can never have too many brushes either), and the Pink Deluxe Oval Shadow Brush.

When Kahani received the haul, the brushes got her going "WHOOAAA" due to their sheer size. LOL.

Italian Badger Blush Brush (US$8.99)


I have no idea why it says Chisel Blush on the handle, but after going through the Coastal Scents site again, it is the closest in shape to the badger brush, so I guess it must be one and the same.

It is HUGE, and I'd say it could work as both a blush brush and a powder brush. It also measures about 20cm from tip to tip, which makes it about as long as the MAC#129. But the brush itself is bigger, as you can see in the pic.

(Lengthwise it's about the same as the MAC#129.)

(Comparing the two brushes, it's easy to see how big the Coastal Scents badger brush is. You can easily use it as a powder brush too.)

I've been reaching for this a lot too since I got it. Mainly to lightly dust on the blush base. It's a little big to apply the pop, but my MAC#129 has got that covered. I also use it for a light dusting of highlighter, and it's great for that too.

And o.m.g it is so soft. So silky soft I can't stop stroking it on my face, and on my palm. Seriously. For it's price it can't be beat.

And now for the bad news - it stinks. Or at least it DID stink. Until I washed it with my Johnson's Head to Toe wash. Twice. The moment I brought it home, I took a sniff and I could tell it smelled funny. And you're talking about someone who's nose doesn't even work very well, ok? Washed it once, and it still smelled a little weird. So I washed it again, and this time it smelled varnish-y (Kahani said it might be the glue.) But the foul odour cleared up once it was totally dry. Thank heavens.

So now that the smell is gone, and the brush is clean (didn't bleed, shed only a teensy bit), I loves it! Love it as much as my #129. In fact, I think they're a perfect couple.

Pink Deluxe Oval Shadow Brush (US$1.99)


As for this brush. Sigh. I had wanted the Oval Fluff Shadow Brush thanks to Nikki's review. However, silly me had gotten the brushes slightly mixed up and I had ended up with the HUGE Oval Shadow Brush. *hehe*

But no matter. I love it all the same. For US$1.99, you really can't complain much.

To Kahani's question of "What on EARTH do you plan to do with that MASSIVE brush?", I find that it's worked fine for me to do a quick wash. I've even been able to use it to highlight under my brow. =P

The brush is really soft too, and fortunately, has none of that foul-smelling offense the badger brush has.

And oh well, if nothing else, this sable-hair blend brush is comes in a really pretty pink. And it looks good in my brush collection. So there.

*grin*