Brushes

Skip This: Sonia Kashuk Ombre Obsessed Brush Set

by

Unless you’re in need of a whole set and can compromise on quality, I’m generally against buying limited edition holiday brush sets. Even MAC has been known to sacrifice quality in their LE sets.

Currently, my favorite angled-bristle liner brush comes from Sonia Kashuk. The Target-exclusive, upper-tier-drugstore-price-point brand has a lot of solid contenders, both tool and product wise. They come out with limited edition sets from time to time, but this one, the Sonia Kashuk Ombre Obsessed Brush set, is a doozie.

Sonia Kashuk Ombre Obsessed Brush Set

The handles do look cool, but one does not buy brushes merely to marvel at the handles. Dye (especially red!) + brush bristles (or sponges!) = …you’re gonna have a bad time. Just ask the folks unfortunate enough to reach for the limited-edition red beautyblender.

And I love the beautyblender, but that was a miss.

Read more

Sephora Glitter Happy Brush Set

by

Even though I’m not blown away by the big brands’ holiday mega sets, the approaching holidays mean that Sephora tends to have a lot of interesting stuff (like the Bite duo minis).

During my routine browsing, I came across the Sephora Glitter Happy Brush Set.

Sephora Glitter Happy Brush Set
Sephora Glitter Happy Brush Set

Featuring six brushes with rosy handles and a cute (what appears to be) acrylic holder stand with rosy glitter embedded in it. Going at $85, it is not an inexpensive gift, but it is pretty and at least somewhat practical (the third brush from the left looks like it wants to be a blending brush, but I think the bristles might be a smidge long for controlled blending – but that’s a preference thing, that doesn’t make it bad).

But doesn’t it look familiar?

Read more

Spring Brush Cleaning

by
Spring (Brush) CleaningSpring Brush Cleaning

Nothing huge or substantial – I was slacking on deep-cleaning my brushes, having been resorting to spot-cleaning for weeks (yeah.) out of laziness (I normally wash them every 2-3 weeks, this was…longer). I knocked it out last night – over 20 brushes and 3 sponges, no small feat! There are actually more than what is pictured, but those were dry last night, so they were already put away.

I’m still washing my brushes the way I shared last year, so be sure to check that post out if you aren’t sure how to or if you want to see how others do.

Equally important for their longevity is drying them – which I also do the same way. “If it ain’t broke,” and so forth. Detailed list of what is shown here after the jump.

Read more

LAB2 I’m Turning Pro Brush Kit

by

front

This is the LAB2 Beauty I’m Turning Pro Brush Kit. Look familiar? It should! I found L.A.B.2 by chance in Wal-Mart and tried out an angled-bristle liner brush, and was excited to try more.

Before we go any further, though, let’s get the legalities out of the way. The folks at L.A.B.2 were kind enough to send me this I’m Turning Pro brush set after I expressed my delight at their liner and brow brush. This post is not paid or sponsored, but the brushes in the post were free.

There were no conditions or stipulations attached to the brushes. My opinions are my own and were formed in the same way my opinion would be formed for any other product whether I bought it or it was a gift. That’s how we do things here because we aren’t unethical scrubs who can be, “bought.” Got it? Good. Check the Legal page for more info, or comment or contact me if I can clear anything up.

Now don’t mind the banged up box – that is 1000% USPS’ fault. I don’t know if it happened en route or if it happened on the last leg (sometimes my Post Office could stand to handle things a bit more gently).
back

Like the previous LAB2 brush I reviewed, the I’m Turning Pro brush set has a lot of information on the back including an explanation of the set and what each brush does, a cut-out card of how to use the brushes – even a face chart.

The I’m Turning Pro brush kit is available on Amazon for $21.99 and includes:

  • Angled Contour Brush
  • Flat Foundation Brush
  • Shadow Brush
  • Buffer Brush

The Strokes of Genius set is more eye-centric and is available on Amazon for $19.99. More after the jump…

Read more

Real Techniques Sponge vs beautyblender

by

Real Techniques Sponge - Packaging Front

A couple weeks ago, I wrote that the Real Techniques Sponge had gone on sale at drugstore.com. I’m not sure whether or not it is still on sale there, but just like any drugstore, their sales rotate. If it isn’t on sale there, you can try other resellers of Real Techniques products.

I received the Real Techniques Sponge pretty quickly and was anxious to see how it compared to my tried-and-true classic beautyblender sponge.

Read more

Lambswool Paddle – What?

by

QVC is not my first stop when shopping for beauty products (often because I just forget), but they offer a lot of brands I’m interested in – Josie Maran, Philosophy, Clinique, Tarte, and a few more – so I visit every now and then because they sometimes offer impressive sales on products I like that beat the competition.

During one such curiosity-filled visit to QVC.com, I came across what looked like a bath sponge pouf on a handle:

Laura Geller Lambswool Paddle

Laura Geller Lambswool Paddle

I quickly realized that this is not a shower implement – after all, we don’t use wool scrubbers – but I still wasn’t sure what it was. I clicked through.

According to QVC this is a lambswool paddle for buffing and blending makeup to a flawless finish that is suitable for all skin types. The page continues to explain that because wool is a natural fiber, it can absorb excess product (if you were accidentally heavy-handed). Laura Geller does seem to be a Cruelty-Free brand, but vegans may want to steer clear of this because, you know, wool.

Anyway, as for use, QVC suggests that you apply your full face but before you set it with powder (if you do that) or setting spray, you should run it all over your face to blend and buff products in.

Natural fibers do tend to hang on to stuff (product, skin, oils, etc) more than synthetic, so this would be something you’d really need to keep on top of cleaning. For that matter, though, I wonder how you would approach cleaning it? It doesn’t seem like it would be the easiest thing to care for.

The Kenyan-manufactured lambswool paddle runs $17 (with like $5+ shipping) and, to my surprise, has mostly positive reviews. One reviewer complains that it is very small, the rest laud it, one going so far as to say that she is going to buy one for her daughter.

“Too much blush? Rub a bit o’ sheep on your face, honey, here you go.”

Maybe I’ve gotten complacent with my current methods (real talk: I’m not), but I can’t see myself ever dropping almost $20 on wool-on-a-stick to blend. I think it is a neat, unique idea and I’m happy if it works for other people who struggle with applying too much makeup, but it just isn’t something I’d be interested in trying or using.

I’ve seen bristled paddle brushes with a similar purpose, but never this. Have you ever seen any products utilizing wool like this? Have you ever used anything like it?