Hits or Misses: It Cosmetics for Ulta Airbush Essentials Collection Brushes

Hello friends! Today I am sharing with you my thoughts on these four It Cosmetics for Ulta Brushes from the Airbrush Essentials Collection. These are currently the majority of my high end brush collection (minus the Mac 217 and two Anastasia brow brushes). I have been buying them slowly, usually waiting on a 20% coupon  from Ulta on prestige brands before I bought them. I have not regretted any of the brush purchases I have made, these four are soft and don't shed when you wash them. Also, another benefit of these brushes is that they are all synthetic!So for those of you who were wondering how these brushes were, hope you find my thoughts here useful!

Product Smackdown: Blush Brushes!

Blushes Shown: Nars Guy Bourdin One Night Stand Cheek Palette (Review), Physician's Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose, Sleek Blush by 3 in Pumpkin, Benefit Box Blush in Rockateur, Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hr Blush in Exposed, Wet n Wild ColorIcon Blush in Pearlescent Pink, Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso, The Balm Blush in Hot Mama

Hey guys, so today I will be introducing a new series to my blog! Today, I will be sharing a Product Smackdown: Blush Brushes Edition.

I don't know how you guys feel about blushes, but I love them. The picture above is just showcases a fraction of the blushes I own. However, my application of blushes isn't always the best. As such, I felt like sharing which blush brushes I own gives me the best blush application. In this post, I will be discussing EcoTools, Elf, It Cosmetics, and Real Techniques blush brushes and letting you know what I think is the best out of the ones I have tried (PSA: I returned my Mac 109 brush that I used to use because the bristles were WAY too harsh).  Keep reading on to find out what brushes I like and what I don't like so much.

Review: Too Faced Everything Nice Palette

Claims: Create any makeup look you desire for the holidays with this versatile, must-have makeup palette. The deluxe-size Better Than Sex Mascara and 20 pigment-rich eye shadows with exclusive new shades are perfect for creating show-stopping eyes. Brush on a winter glow with the two blushes, including Papa Don’t Peach and two bronzers, featuring the antioxidant-rich Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. This set includes three gold glitter, Cruelty-Free Teddy Bear Hair brushes that make perfect beauty tools for completing any look. The limited-edition party-ready, pink glitter zip bag makes for a fun party clutch, and the step-by-step, how-to glamour guide with three beauty looks helps you get ready for every occasion.
Price: $56
Size:
- 20 x .06 oz Eye shadows
- 2 x 0.14 oz Bronzers in Chocolate Soleil and Inner Light
- 2 x 0.14 oz Blushes in Papa Don’t Peach and Sweet Pink
- 3 mini Gold glitter Cruelty-Free Teddy Bear makeup brushes
- 0.17 oz Better Than Sex Mascara

Where to Purchase: Sephora  

Hello my loves! So today I am doing a review of the Too Faced Everything Nice Set. This review marks the first time where I have reviewed Too Faced products! I've been eyeing this set for awhile now, unable to decide whether or not I should pick this up or not. Last year I missed out on the My Favorite Things palette from them and I really regretted not picking it up! I eventually caved in and bought this palette! I've only tried two things from the set prior to purchasing this palette, the Better than Sex Mascara and Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. Everything else from this palette is brand new to me (I have never tried any of their eyeshadows, blushes, and highlighter)! So, stay tuned for this lengthy review of this makeup set!

Favorite Makeup Brushes

Hello guys! I am sharing with you my favorite makeup brushes that I use on a consistent basis. For the most part, these brushes are drugstore, but I do have two high end brushes in here! While I do not have an extensive brush collection, I do feel that the brushes I do have to talk about are well worth mentioning. I can foresee myself sticking to these brushes for a long time (provided that they don't fall apart on me of course!) The only things that I may have to add in the future are smaller eye brushes to focus on more precise blending! With that being said, I hope you enjoy the video!

Products Mentioned:
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
Real Techniques Buffing Brush
Elf Studio Complexion Brush
Elf Studio Eyeshadow C Brush
Mac 217
Elf Studio Angled Brush
Real Techniques Contour Brush
Elf Studio Small Stipple Brush
Real Techniques Setting Brushes
Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush
Real Techniques Accent Brush
Mac 228

Posts Mentioned:
Hits and Misses Elf Cosmetic Makeup Brushes: http://bit.ly/RxHeje

Any makeup brush recommendations for me that I must try? Let me know in the comment section below!

PS. Currently in Toronto, Canada! If you have any recommendations on things to do/see/eat please let me know! (Yes, I will be blogging when I'm on vacation...because unfortunately I did not get the chance to pre-write my blog posts!)

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Review: Sephora Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner and Makeup Brush Shampoo

Hey guys! So today I am going to do a review on a product that is not sexy at all in the makeup and beauty world. As essential as cleaning brushes are, for many of us (or maybe it is just me) brush cleaning is the most hated tasks that I do about once every other week. Because I wasn't sure whether or not I would like the product, I opted to by the smaller version of both makeup brush cleaners (even though I ended up paying more than if I got the bigger size). After over two months of using these two products, I am ready to give you a review!

Claim: Sephora Brand Daily Brush Cleaner is an anti-bacterial daily brush cleaner designed to quickly remove light traces of makeup between applications. Just spray this purifying formula onto a tissue or directly onto brush bristles, then lightly swipe your powder, blush, eye, and lip brushes across tissue for a fabulous dose of freshness. No rinsing needed!

Price: $7 (for 2 oz), $15 (for 6.75 oz)

Size: 2 oz and 6.85 oz 

Now lets start with the Sephora Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner. This is designed to use in between makeup applications and doesn't need washing. The product is dispensed in a spray nozzle. In my experience of using this product, I find that one to two sprays is enough to clean most eye brushes and three to four sprays for most face brushes provided that you don't have several days worth of makeup sitting on the brushes. After I spray the brush cleaner on my brushes, I rub the brushes on either a paper towel or a rag for max of thirty seconds. During that time, I will say the brushes are about 95% clean (especially if it is powder products that was lingering on the brushes)! If there were liquid products, the brush would be about 80% clean. The brush air dries within three minutes, and then they are ready to use again!

I find that there is no foul scent that lingers on the brushes after I clean them (a huge plus, I hate it when my brushes are smelly). Overall, I really like this product! I primarily use it to clean my eyeshadow brushes on a daily basis, so I can have the best eyeshadow application! I can stand using dirty face brushes, but not eyeshadow brushes (cause it makes my eye makeup look really muddy). I would recommend this to you if you are looking for a quick method to clean your eyeshadow brushes! Will definitely be purchasing a full size of this when I finish it up!

Claim: An anti-bacterial brush shampoo designed to deep clean your brushes once a week. 

Price: $7 (for 2 oz), $15 (for 6.75 oz)

Size: 2 oz and 6.85 oz 

Next, we have the Sephora Makeup Brush Shampoo. Looking at Sephora's website, this has been renamed to the Purifying Brush Shampoo (not 100% sure it is the same product...but it probably is!). This product has a gel-like consistency and is dispensed in a pump. For eye brushes, one pump of the product is suffice to cleaning out all the makeup out of it. For face brushes, it will take between two to four pumps to clean the brushes thoroughly. To clean, I first run the brush under warm water. Then, I dispense the shampoo onto the palm of my hands and using swirling motions I rub the brush onto my hands. Then, when I feel like I have enough product onto the brush I rub it in water to rinse out the shampoo. When using this shampoo, I find that my brushes will dry completely overnight and not be wet at all the next day (huge bonus considering how I only use the same couple of brushes!)

Like the Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner, this does not have a scent linger on the brushes (unlike the Sonia Kashuk one which did). For the majority of my brushes, the Sephora Makeup Brush Shampoo does wonderfully, cleans it out completely! However, if you are a fan of dense brushes like the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, this brush shampoo does not clean it out completely unfortunately (I'd say about 80%). The brush is still useable and works fine, but I would've really liked it if the shampoo could penetrate the brush a bit more. I have tried cleaning the Expert Face Brush a multitude of times (repeating the motions I have stated above up to three times) with this shampoo and I can not get it completely clean! For other brushes though, I can get it 100% clean with only two pumps with this shampoo. While I do like this makeup brush shampoo, I will definitely try out other makeup brush cleaners to see if there are any that works better! I am almost finished with this product with so I can try out a new makeup brush cleaner soon!

How do you guys clean your makeup brushes? Let me know in the comment section below!

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Review: Essence of Beauty Crease Brush Duo Eyes

Left to Right: Fine Crease Brush, Crease Brush

Claims: Eyes. Professional tools for beautiful results. Essence of Beauty brushes and accessories are made from the finest quality materials to achieve flawless results, every time. Create the perfect look for day or night with brush tips that fit right into creases. Made of animal hair.
Price: $5.99
Where to Buy: CVS

Hey guys! So today I am doing a review of the Essence of Beauty Crease Brush Duo Eyes. I initially discovered these brushes due to EmilyNoel83 (hands down one of my favorite beauty gurus) consistently rave over these brushes. Naturally, a year or so back, I picked these up when CVS had a sale on these brushes. After more than a year of using these brushes, I am finally giving them a review!

These brushes are a bit on the shorter side length wise. The majority of my makeup brushes tower over these, which makes it a bit difficult to fine when I am searching for them. Personally, I would've preferred the brushes to be a bit longer in length, but that is not a big strike in my books. I have notice slight shedding during the first couple of washes, but after that I have not experienced any shedding. The brush hairs are soft, not harsh or scratchy when I use windshield wiper motions across my eyelids. Both of these brushes pick up product very nicely, there is no need to go back and forth excessively to pick up more eyeshadows.

Left to Right: Fine Crease Brush, Crease Brush

Essence of Beauty Crease Brush:
Hands down, one of my favorite brushes for crease work. This brush works wonders on my small Asian eyes. It is not too big to cause eyeshadows to creep way too close to the browbone, but not too small where I spend forever blending out my eyeshadows. This brush is perfect to work on darkening up the outer third of your eye. The brush fits right into my crease with ease and while it does not blend out eyeshadows as easily as my Mac 217 Brush it still does a very good job in blending out color without spreading it everywhere. I also like using this brush to place bronzer along the sides of my nose to contour! If I'm in a pinch, I could use this brush also to blend out, but I prefer going in with another brush to blend out the contour!

Essence of Beauty Fine Crease Brush:
This is the only pencil brush I own, after grabbing this early on in my makeup hoarding days I never felt the need to purchase another pencil brush (although of course, that can easily change just because... I am after all a hoarder). This brush is wonderful for adding eyeshadows onto the lower lash line, something that most traditional smudge brushes (like the Elf Essential Smudge Brush) are incapable of doing because they to big for my petite eyes. This brush is also great for precise placement of eyeshadow into the outer corner of your eye (which is very important when you are creating smokey eyes)! I also like using this brush for smudging out any eyeliner on both my upper and lower lashline!

Final Verdict:

Forget walking to CVS to get these, RUN...especially if you have small eyes like I do. They made me not lose hope on finding crease brushes that were just right (Goldilocks style) for my eyes. Trust me, they will be a makeup game changer! 

What are your makeup essential brushes? Recommend me some eye brushes, I'm always on the look out for those!

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Recap of Makeup MAYhem: My Experience and Favorite May Posts/Videos

Hello guys! So today I wanted to do a recap of the Madness of Makeup MAYhem. For those of you who are new to my blog and are visiting, the whole 31 days of May I was either frantically blogging or editing. As a result, depending on the day you stopped by I either had a blog post or video up! It was an insane month, where I spent the majority of the time glued to my computer or glued to my camera. Tough times yo. I had an amazing experience with my first month off of school being productive in my favorite way possible, blogging and bvlogging! I'm going to share with you a couple things I've learned about myself and my favorite posts and videos that I did in May.

1) I bow down to the people who can take amazing photography of makeup. I am decent in landscapes and portraits, but with objects (in specific, makeup) I have a long way to go before I am happy. Purchasing a Nikon D5100 is a brilliant move, but I can't seem to get the hang of taking object photography. That being said, I have made it a goal for June to improve my photography skills in that aspect! 

2) Blogging at home sucks, and I am not the efficient at home. Basically, spend more time in little coffee shops and boba tea houses to write my blog pictures! Maybe I can get pretty pictures taken there as well!

3) Video editing is nasty. And by nasty, I do mean it. I've taken up to four hours editing a video...and I have a feel like with how some of my videos will be in the future, it'll be a miracle if I can edit under three hours. That being said though, I do like how my videos are turning out!

4) I have no idea how some bloggers and bvloggers can turn out videos or posts every day. Mad respect for those who shoot, edit, and publish with consistently amazing content. There were days where I barely made it, where my blog posts or videos were about an hour away from being considered the next day on my timezone. Mad props to you guys ^_^  

So those were a few things I've learned throughout May (beauty blogging and vlogging wise of course)! Now I have a two posts and two videos to share that were my favorites that I posted in May!

Hits and Misses: Elf Cosmetics Brushes

Thinking about buying Elf Cosmetics Brushes? Check out this lengthy post where I detail what I recommend, what I don't recommend, and some alternatives for you guys! I have a good portion of their brushes from their Essential and Studio line, so it's pretty comprehensive of about 70% of those two lines (if not more!)

Makeup MAYhem Day 31 - Review of Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade

Probably the most detailed review I have to date, the Anastasia DipBrow Pomade is a game changer in my makeup routine. When I say game changer, I mean it. Staying power wise, this beats the rest of my brow products hands down, and I find no need to use a brow gel to set it. Unsure of whether or not you want to fork over $18? Check out the review!

Makeup MAYhem Day 18 - Review of Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Finally got around to doing a review of the cult favorite, Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation. I've given this foundation about six months of testing before I reviewed it, making sure that I wouldn't be swayed by what I've heard from other beauty gurus and bloggers. If you are thinking about making the splurge, check out the review!

Makeup MAYhem Day 30 - Summer Foundation Routine

Summer is the time where most people tend to go for virtually no makeup or a very lightweight coverage one. Well, I never said that I fit with the mold did I? This summer foundation routine is provides medium coverage, and can easily be built to full if I added an extra layer of foundation on certain problematic areas of mine. Think that your oily skin and rising temperatures will cause your face to melt off? Think again. I can safely guarantee you that your makeup will look flawless from dawn to dusk with this routine (trust me, I've tested it out myself)!

How was your month of May? Let me know in the comment section below!

Be sure to check out my giveaway here (open internationally)!

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Makeup MAYhem Day 11 - Review of EcoTools Retractable Kabuki Brush + Mother's Day Shennigans

Claims: This versatile brush can be used with powder, blush or bronzer for a fresh complexion anywhere! Use the cap to easily cover and bring along for on-the-go touchups.

Price: 8-10

Where to Buy: CVS, EcoTools, Walgreens, Walmart, Whole Foods

Hey guys! Today I have another brush review for you, featuring EcoTools Retractable Kabuki Brush. I purchased this brush over a year ago and now I am ready to share on you my thoughts!

Brush Quality:

The brush is made out of synthetic hairs and is very soft; I have not any irritation on my skin. However, I have noticed a bit of shedding with the brush hairs when I both apply makeup and when I wash the brush. 

Packaging:

The packaging of this brush is both a hit and a miss.  I love how sleek this product is and how easy the outside is too clean! Another pro of this packaging is there is an inner compartment that helps maintain the shape of the brush when you first remove the lid from it. However, I do not like how the lid doesn't lock on the brush, I would've preferred it if there was a mechanism to lock the brush to secure it. This brush is durable, I have dropped it several times and there has not been a dent in packaging!

Shape:

The brush shape is not what I would expect for a Kabuki brush, it is very dense and making it very difficult to blend out products. While this product is great for applying foundation (liquid or powder) all over the face, applying blush or bronzer is difficult because this brush has a tendency to pick up too much product and not blend it out thoroughly.

Do I Use This Brush Often?:

To be honest, no. This brush isn't something I reach for, even when I am traveling. While it has its perks, I have better brushes in my collection to use to touch up and travel with (Elf Studio Complexion Brush, I'm looking at you ). 

Final Verdict:

If I could go back in time, I wouldn't buy this brush. I initially purchased it thinking it would be a great brush to travel with, where I can use the brush to apply foundation, powder, blush, bronzer, highlighter, as well as blending and harsh lines that I have. However, I find myself relying on other brushes first, and would rather use dirty brushes that this brush  (yes, I did just say that). If you are looking for a dense brush to apply your powder, I would recommend this to you. If you are looking for an all-in-one brush, I'd say skip. 

I hope you guys are had a wonderful mother's day. Today, we pampered my mom twice! For lunch today, the family went to PDQ, a chicken restaurant where mothers ate for free on Mother's Day! Later on in the evening, we pampered my mom with foods you saw above! Filet Minion, Grilled Corn, Caesar Salad, and last but not least 30th Anniversary Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory was served! I wish I can claim that I cooked the Filet Minion, but alas, that was my wonderful father who can cook steaks better than restaurants (thanks to his experience working at restaurants during college).

Be sure to check out my giveaway here (open international) and let me know if you have any EcoTools Brush to recommend me! 

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Makeup MAYhem Day 9 - Hits and Misses: Elf Cosmetics Makeup Brushes

Hey guys! So today I will be doing a post on the Hits and Misses of Elf Cosmetics Brushes! While I do not own all of the brushes, I do own a decent amount of brushes in their collection...and I plan on owning more brushes in the future! The brushes in the line are very affordable, ranging from $1 to $6. You can find these brushes over at Target and eyeslipsface.com. I have also spotted a very small selection (one to five brushes)at Dollar Tree, Kmart, and Walgreens of Elf Brushes, but your best bet of getting the ones I have listed here are online or in stores at Target. Keep on reading to see what I like, don't like, and what I recommend instead!

Elf Essential Brush Collection:

Elf Essential Blending Eye Brush - $1
I hardly ever touch this brush for a couple of reasons. It sheds like crazy when I use it and when I wash it. The brush is also too dense to be used as a blending brush, my eyeshadows don't blend effortlessly as with the Elf Essential Eye Defining Brush (mentioned later in this post)! This brush is a miss for me.

Elf Essential Blushing, Bronzing, and Blending Brush - $1
I recommend you skip out on this brush, if at all possible. While this brush can deposit color somewhat decently, the brush is SO scratchy and uncomfortable to use. The brush doesn't get softer after washing either...which doesn't help its case.

Elf Essential Concealer Brush - $1
This brush is very reminiscent of the Real Techniques Detailer Brush, but it is a bit smaller. This brush is great for precisely placing concealer on you face as well as being a good lip brush! While this brush isn't meant for blending out concealer that is placed, I do recommend this brush. For a dollar, this can't be beat at all!

Elf Essential Eye Defining Brush - $1
This is one of my favorite brushes out of all that I own. I love using this brush to blend out my eyeshadow and placing a highlight eyeshadow underneath my brow bone. Definitely pick this brush up if you get a chance!

Elf Essential Eyeshadow "C" Brush - $1
Think a $1 eyeshadow brush sucks? Think again. This brush can pack on color just like any other fancy pants eyeshadow brush. So, question you may want to know...should I pick up this one up or the Elf Studio Eyeshadow "C" Brush? It honestly is a personal preference, while I prefer the Studio Eyeshadow Brush more this one, I know some people are the other way around. My advice, if you can, pick both of them up and decide for yourself! Then, once you have that figured out, stock up! Both are uber affordable, and it won't hurt your wallet much at all!

Elf Essential Foundation Brush - $1
For a flat foundation brush, this isn't that bad in comparison to other foundation brushes. Like every other foundation brush, this can cause your liquid foundation to lightly streak on your face. When I first started using makeup, I used this brush and it worked fine for me. If in a really tight budget, I'd say go for it! You can blend out the streaks with your fingers or a cosmetic sponge. If you have bit more money, I'd say go and grab Real Techniques Travel Essential Kit for the Essential Foundation Brush (or if you want to be fancy, grab the Expert Face Brush from Real Techniques).

Elf Essential Smudge Brush - $1
For me, this brush was a miss. I was unable to get this brush to smudge well with the small eyes that I have, on both the upper and lower lash line. As such, I recommend skipping this. I have had better luck with a tiny pencil brush (I recommend Essence of Beauty Crease Brush Duo, the smaller pencil brush has worked wonders for me!)

Elf Studio Brush Collection:

Elf Studio Angled Eyeliner Brush - $3
One of my favorite eyeliner brushes to use for gel eyeliner. This eyeliner brush is very precise, provided that you don't pick up too much excess product. If too much product is being picked up, your eyeliner can be a lot thicker than what you intended. Other than that, its one of my favorites.

Elf Studio Angled Foundation Brush - $3
Surprisingly enough, I prefer the Essential Foundation brush more than this one. I have found that there is less streaking with foundation using the Essential Foundation brush then when using this brush. However, I like using this brush for blending out concealer more than the Essential Foundation brush.

Elf Studio Blush Brush - $3
Such a wonderful blush brush! This brush is most effective when it is clean, the dirtier the brush the more likely it is to make your blush application a bit patchy. I recommend this brush for blushes that with light to medium pigmentation. This brush can pack on color well, but it doesn't blend extremely pigmented blushes out well. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this brush!

Elf Studio Complexion Brush - $3
One of my go-to brushes for powder application! I love to use this for powder foundation, setting powder, and translucent powders! It applies product beautifully on the skin. I've also used this brush for applying blush and bronzer (just to warm up my face), and it also works really well.

Elf Studio Contour Brush - $3
This brush was great for placing the contour along the sides of the nose and placing eyeshadow in the outer V of my eyelids. Other than, that it isn't the greatest for much else. This brush doesn't blend well, and is too small to use face contour. I'd honestly not purchase this brush again because it can only be used for two tasks.

Elf Studio Eyeshadow "C" Brush - $3
My preferred flat eyeshadow brush. This picks up eyeshadow very well, better than the Essential Eyeshadow "C" Brush in my opinion. While this brush is more dense and bigger than the other brush, it is not something that has effected my makeup application. I own two of these brushes, which states how important this is in my brush collection!

Elf Studio Fan Brush - $3
I have a love/hate relationship with this brush. While I do enjoy this brush for applying powder lightly on my face, this brush isn't the most dense to apply highlighter very well (unless the highlighter is very pigmented).

Elf Studio Kabuki Face Brush - $6
This brush is by far one of my favorite brush I've purchased thus far. It is a very versatile brush, I can use it to apply powder and blend out harsh foundation, blush, or bronzer. It's a great brush to have and for six dollars it is a bargain.

Elf Studio Powder Brush - $3
Another holy grail powder brush in my collection. This works just the same as the Studio Complexion Brush, I use it to apply powder foundation, setting powder, and translucent powder. I typically don't reach for this brush for blush or bronzer, but I do love how this brush can buff in powders really well! I also use this brush when I have over applied blush and bronzer on my face. This works very well to blend out any harshness that may have haphazardly occurred when I underestimated how pigmented a blush and bronzer is.

Elf Studio Small Angled Brush - $3
This is the other preferred gel eyeliner brush. I tend to use this one more than the Angled Eyeliner Brush, because it does not pick up excess product like the other brush does. Highly recommend this brush!

Elf Studio Small Stipple Brush - $3
This brush is absolutely wonderful for applying cream highlighters and blushes. I also like using this brush for powder highlighters and blush, because it doesn't apply too much product on the skin. I have tried to use this with liquid foundations and it hasn't been that effective. However, I still recommend this product!

What elf brushes have you guys tried? Let me know in the comment section below!! Be sure to check out my giveaway here.

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