Best Synthetic Brushes - Part 2

 Above are the five brushes you absolutely need in your kit. I don't mean that you specifically need these exact brushes, but you need these type of brushes. The top left can be used to apply foundation, blush (cream or powder) and to knock off loose powder from the face.  The second can be used to apply eyeshadow to the lid, or concealer under the eyes.  The third can be used to blend eyeshadow into the crease, or apply concealer under the eye.  The fourth can be used to fill in eyebrows with brow powder, apply gel, powder or cake eyeliner, and groom the brows with the spooley end.  The final is a synthetic push brush used to push liner into the lash line. It is important to note that while the brushes I have featured here are all synthetic, there may also be animal hair brushes available from that particular manufacturer, so it is important to read and know what you are getting.

 A closer look.

Below are another five brushes that are great to have, but not necessarily needed. I do, however, use this next set quite frequently. From left to right: Sephora Cream Blush Brush. I find this great for blending out stains such as Benetint. Next is a detailed concealer brush, which can also be used as a lip brush. Pictured below are ones from OCC & E.L.F..  Next are Kabuki brushes from MakeupForever & Tokidoki. Next is a smudge brush used to smudge eyeliner across the lash line, the one pictured below is from Urban Decay, and works beautifully. Last but not least is a finishing brush from BDellium Tools, I use this as the final step in makeup application to knock off any finishing powder that's left over on the face or to polish my foundation.

Here is a sampling of some of my eyeshadow blending brushes:

 Above are a large sampling of my eyeshadow blending brushes. This was by far the hardest brush to find in good quality synthetic fibers for me. I've listed them from favorite to least favorite. From left to right: Christopher Drummond (pro), Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush , Sephora Brand, Urban Decay, Tokidoki, The Body Shop, Urban Decay, E.L.F., Real Techniques Crease Brush (I find this too large to blend eyeshadow, but LOVE it for under eye concealer), Too Faced and Aveda.  The Christopher Drummond brush is hands down the best quality synthetic blending brush I have personally used. It is AMAZING.  I have two brushes from the Christopher Drummond line and they are truly stellar quality and very impressive looking. The second brush above is from Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman. This is a great synthetic dupe for the M.A.C. 217 which is nearly impossible to find. it is in fact the only synthetic I could find of its kind.  The last two are quite poor in my opinion. Nothing against Too faced. The brush is soft, but it doesn't give the proper bend for blending out eyeshadow.  The Aveda brush at the far right is awful, it is far too stiff to blend eyeshadow properly, which is a shame because some of their other brushes are quite nice. 

 My top 3 above

 A comparison of the best & worst blending brushes (side by side)

 The above picture shows the brushes that I can't live without regardless of price point.   I use these brushes nearly everyday. Also please note that I only listed Real Techniques as Beginner/Budget friendly because they are so inexpensive, but make no mistake, these are great quality brushes for personal use. Real Techniques are worlds ahead of the other two budget friendly brands I mentioned in my previous post in terms of quality.
From left: Real Techniques (this is a dupe for MAC 217), Sephora Anti Bacterial Powder Brush (pro), Christopher Drummond, Real Techniques blending brush (great for concealer under the eyes), Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil Blending brush (I use this to blend out eye pencils across the lid, such as NYX Milk Pencil), Hourglass Powder and foundation brushes are last (but not least)!  If I were to add one more brush here it would be the Christopher Drummond Air Blender Brush pictured in my previous post. It's a unique brush and applies both blush and highlighter to the cheekbone like a dream.

 In conclusion: Beginners should be buying Real Techniques (available at Ulta.com or Amazon.com), Mid level can purchase any of the brands I recommended and be good, Pros should go with Hourglass, Illamasqua or some of the Sephora brushes.  Sigma does have a vegan set called Mr. & Mrs. Bunny, but I have not tried those, I have only tried their synthetic Kabukis which are very good.

I really hope you found these posts helpful. If you know of any other quality synthetics I should try, please drop me a comment below. 

Best Synthetic Makeup Brushes - Part 1

I am extremely excited about writing this post. As you may have read in my previous posts, I do not use real animal hair brushes. All of my brushes are synthetic. However, I have not in any way sacrificed quality.  When I was looking for quality synthetic makeup brushes, I really had a hard time finding information online. I've learned what works, and what doesn't through trial and error. I have an extensive synthetic brush collection, and have decided to share the information that I so wish was available to me when I first started my quest. I hope this comprehensive guide answers all of your questions, but if it doesn't, please leave a comment in the box below with any questions. You'll notice, I don't show many foundation brushes here because nearly all are synthetic, and I prefer using a sponge for foundation on clients.

Why use synthetics?

• It's the only way I can be sure that no animal suffered in the creation of the brush
• They are easier to clean
• They repel bacteria better than animal hair. 
• Many people have allergies to animal hair brushes.  
• Synthetic brushes work with both cream and powder products.

Quality synthetic brushes are available at ALL price points. I will show you the best of the best (pro level), Mid level (makeup artists just starting out, or someone who wants to invest in good quality brushes), and the perfect inexpensive ones for someone just starting out.

I will also show you my personal favorites regardless of price point.

First up, is Professional Level / Luxury: Hourlgass, Illamasqua, Christopher Drummond, Sephora Brand.

Others to note:
Branded J, OCC, and Cozzette also make very high end synthetic brushes that are supposed to be amazing quality, but I have not tried them other than the OCC lip brush, so I can't comment on their quality. In my personal opinion, the brushes listed below are superior quality.

From left to right: Hourglass Powder Brush No. 1, Illamasqua Blusher Brush 2, Christopher Drummond Air Blender Brush (this brush is awesome for applying blush or highlighter), Sigma Precision Flat -P80, Sephora Brand Pro Airbrush #55, Sephora Brand Pro Angled Blush Brush #49, Crease Brush from Sephora Brand Advanced Airbrush Set, Concealer Brush from the Sephora Collection Deluxe Antibacterial Brush set

Mid Level Price Point (Makeup Artists, or for a makeup lover who wants really good quality brushes):  BDellium (I only buy their synthetics or Green Bambu series which is a totally vegan and environmentally friendly line), Urban Decay, Tokidoki. In no way am I saying these are of poor quality by calling them mid level. These brushes are excellent quality. However the price point is much more affordable when compared against the Hourglass brushes above. The quality of these brushes are great, but they are not a luxury line and it's really like comparing apples and oranges to compare one of these against an Hourglass brush (for example). However, these are superior among their price point. For comparison; the Illamasqua Blusher Brush 2 above retails for $41.50, and the Hourglass Powder Brush retails for $65 while the Urban Decay Good Karma Blush Brush below retails for $32, the Good Karma Powder Brush (not pictured) is $36.  The handles are also much shorter on the Urban Decay & BDellium brushes when compared to the pro brushes above. There is nothing wrong with this, it is simply a matter of personal preference. Some makeup artists prefer a shorter handle and use it as an extension of their own fingers/hands, while some prefer a longer handle.

From left to right: Urban Decay Blush Brush, Tokidoki 24K Brush (discontinued), BDellium Tools Eco-Friendly #957 Precision Kabuki 

Personal Use (For Beginers / Budget Friendly): This price point probably is the most difficult, because there are so many poor brushes out there.  Just because you don't have a lot of money, doesn't mean you can't still have a quality makeup brush. These brushes come highly recommended by me, and if I were someone just starting out with makeup, these are the brushes I would (and did) buy.  I wasted a lot of money buying garbage brushes before I found ones that are worth the money.  I am trying to save you the trouble, by offering you my honest review. I still use these brushes when I am doing my own makeup, or want some extra precision brushes to throw in my bag.

From Left to Right: E.L.F. Blush Brush (Stuido Collection), E.L.F. Powder Brush (Studio Collection), E.L.F. Large Powder Brush from their Mineral Collection, Real Techniques Powder Brush, Real Techniques Blush Brush, Real Techniques Stippling Brush, ECO Tools Flat Top Kabuki, Eco Tools Eye Shader Brush

Of these brushes, Real Techniques are hands down the best quality brush in this category. They are extremely affordable, and EXCELLENT quality.  These were created by makeup artists Samantha Chapman. I am extremely impressed with the quality of her brushes.  If you invest in one set, this should be it.  However, I realize that due to price constraints, different interest levels in makeup, availability etc, you may want a different brand.  E.L.F. brushes are very good, and very affordable as they frequently have sales. The one thing I will say about the E.L.F. brushes, is that I have had several come loose at the Ferrel, some with the bristles falling off completely. However, I was able to just glue those back in to place. These brushes do have a place in a makeup artists kit as well. I do buy the concealer brushes from the Essential Collection and treat them as disposables, using them until they break because they only cost $1 each.  The Powder Brush from their E.L.F. Studio Collection is a cult favorite and for only $3 it functions very much the same as the BDellium brush I have listed above in the mid level section. The difference between the 2 brushes is going to be mainly seen in how long the brush lasts. For example, my E.L.F. one did come apart (though was fixable), while the BDellium is showing no signs of breaking anytime soon.  ECO Tools is in many ways the brand that first raised awareness about quality synthetics. This is the brand that is most available (carried at Walmart), and the one most buy as their first brush set. Some brushes, most notably the Alicia Silverstone collection are quite good, and will work very well for beginners. 

How do the various price points hold up against one another? I tried to show you comparison across brush type. If you'd like to see a more in depth comparison let me know.

 Angled Blush Brushes left to right: Sigma Angled Kabuki -F84 (Pro), Sephora Brand Pro Angled Blush Brush (Pro), Illamasqua Blusher Brush 2 (Pro), E.L.F. Angled Blush Brush (Beginner), Urban Decay Blush Brush (Mid)

Note how much fuller the bristles are on the Illamasqua brush compared to the E.L.F. one.

 Above you can see E.L.F on the left, compared to Illamasqua on the right (beginner vs pro)

 E.L.F. on left, Illamasqua on right - a closer look

You can really see that the Illamasqua brush head is much fuller when compared to the E.L.F. (above).

 Flat Top Kabukis: Sigma (pro), BDellium (mid), Eco Tools (beginner), E.L.F. (beginner), The last 2 are Real Techniques Buffing Brush & Stippling Brush (beginner)

 Blush/Powder/Foundation: Sephora (pro), Tokidoki (Mid), Aveda (Mid), Real Techniques (Beginner), E.L.F. (Beginner)- please note that since these brushes are synthetic they can be used for both powder and cream products.  They can all be used to apply foundation, blush, or dust off powder.

This is part one of my very long brush review. I honestly hope you find it helpful. I'll post part 2 shortly where I will show you the top 5 brushes you need,  and the best and worst synthetic eye blending brushes (VERY HARD TO FIND!).

Nuance By Salma Hayek - Proper Skin Care

I have recently started using, and have fallen in love with a skin care brand called Nuance.  This line was invented by the actress Salma Hayek. I know, I know....a skin care line created by an actress? Weird right? I've noticed other celebs jumping on the skin care bandwagon. Jessica Simpson has a line now, I think Cindy Crawford has one etc. I have not tried any of the other lines, nor do I plan on it, but so far I have tried several products from the Nuance line and I am more than impressed. The actress took 3 years off of acting to focus on the line which was inspired by her grandmother's home recipes. One of the keys to good makeup application is having a good base to apply it to. While a large part of how good or bad our skin is is due to genetics, there are things we can do to help. I think that skin care is a worthwhile investment, and would not hesitate to spend money on creams that truly work. I have tried some of the most expensive brands on the market, and let me tell you, this drugstore brand is just as good, if not better than most of the creams I've tried. Furthermore, Nuance does not test on animals and is paraben free! What more could a woman ask for. Wallet friendly, and delivering true results, this skin care line should not be missed. Nuance also has a line of cosmetics out as well, so I hope that this review helps you navigate your way through the line.

*I have not received any compensation for this review.  All items seen in this post were purchased by me.

Here is a collection of just some of the standout items I own from the line.  From left to right: AM/PM Anti-Aging Super Cream, Just behind is the Intense Hydration Overnight Rejuvenator, Renewed Radiance SPF Moisturizing Day Cream, Overnight Retinol Capsules, Rose Petal Hydrating Balm, and the 2 items in the front are the Anti-Aging Wrinkle Filler Eye Serum and Smoothing Anti-Aging Eye Cream

If you only try 1 item from the line, I recommend the AM/PM Anti-Aging Super Cream or the Retinol Capsules. Both are amazing stand out products. As a test, I applied my usual night cream on 1 side of my face, and Nuance on the other side. The side where I applied Nuance was still moist & hydrated the next morning when I woke up. The Retinol Capsules apply like a primer, making skin look instantly matte and smooth. However, this is recommended as an evening use product due to retinol's ability to increase one's sensitivity to sunlight. If you do use the Retinol during the day, be sure to follow with a sunscreen, such as Nuance Moisturizing Day Cream which contains an SPF of 30.  This cream has Jojoba, Natural Licorice Extract, Shea Butter & Sunflower oil.

 Here are some items from her makeup line including Lights Camera Action Eye Trio, a brown gel eyeliner, lip quad and the Shape & Define Brow Kit in Medium Blonde.  The eyebrow kit comes with 2 little brushes and a mirror for easy travel.

 Here is a closer look at the lip quad, I believe there are 2 different quads available. I have never seen a product in a unique design like this. You get 4 lip colors, that feel very creamy and are very pigmented. In the center is a little lip brush to apply it with.She also makes eyeshadow quads in this format, but I have not tried those yet.

 This is the Hydrating Balm for your lips. This reminds me of the Rosebud Salve that comes in those little blue tins, but this comes in an adorable little jar. I use this on everything from lips, to dry elbows, to cuticles and it works like a charm. This balm contains evening primrose, which is rich in essential fatty acids and helps condition the skin to ease irritation. I found this lip product to be very long lasting, and is a staple for me as a before bedtime ritual.

 Here is a closer look at the Eye Trio. You get a white shimmery highlighter great for under the brow bone or inner corners of the eyes, a black eyeliner and a cream shadow.  This is great for travel as you have all 3 products in one connecting wand.

Here I have swatched them for you. This took no pressure at all, and was just 1 swipe of each product.

 This is the Anti-Aging eye Serum which comes in a rollerball squeeze tube.

 This is the Anti-Aging Eye Cream which has a slanted tip applicator for easy application directly to the eye area.

 So in conclusion, if you are thinking of spending a lot of money on anti-aging products, DON'T!  This line is affordable, and works just as well if not better than most high-end brands I've tried.  There are wonderful natural ingredients in them, they don't contain parabens and best of all, they don't test on animals.

If you try these products, I'd love to hear how they worked for you!

Summer Color Block - BH Cosmetics 120 Color Palette

I used colors from the 120 color palette: using yellow on the inner corner, orange, red, and hot pink on the top lid moving out toward my outer corner and blending in the crease. The bottom lash line has colors from the palette of green, teal and blue, with a little yellow in the inner corner brought down to the inner lash line.  I lined the top and bottom lash line with black eyeliner and finished with 2 coats of mascara to complete the look. I blended 2 blushes from the blush palette on the cheeks

BH Cosmetics is hosting a contest on their website.  I decided to enter, just for fun and thought I'd share my entry with you here!  I used their 120 Color Eyeshadow Palette (2nd Edition), Their 10 Color Blush Palette, and their 66 Color Lip Gloss Palette.

All of these products were purchased by me, and I am receiving no compensation of any type for this posting.

For those who don't know, BH Cosmetics is a makeup company that makes really affordable cosmetics and they are most known for their eyeshadow palettes. They are really fun if you want to create a variety of looks, but don't want to break the bank doing it.

All of the eyeshadow used in this look were from BH Cosmetics and can be easily duplicated using any highly pigmented bright eyeshadow.

As many of you know, color blocking is really popular right now in fashion, and the look has now also translated over to makeup.  This is my take on a fun summer color blocked eye:

 This gloss is from the BH Cosmetics 66 Color Lip Gloss palette, topped with a clear gloss for extra shine.

 Closes up of the eyes


I think this would be a really fun summer look to try.  For an even more daring look, I could have gone further up on the lid with the colors, and further down with the shadow leaving the rest of the skin bare and the lips pale to really make the eyes pop.  I used a white eyeshadow base from NYX to help make the bright colors show up brighter. I recommend using some sort of a base when you are working with these shadows to give the colors something to adhere to. I used colored eye pencils underneath the powered shadow in some areas to help intensify the effect.

Here is the finished look!  I hope you enjoyed this post! Leave any comments in the comment box below. Comments/suggestions/questions are highly encouraged!

Urban Decay Give Away WINNER CHOSEN

Congratulations to Erin who commented on my "Summer Trends" Post.  Thanks to all who participated.

Erin-please email me with your mailing address so I can ship your prize!

Alexis Vogel Inspired Makeup Look

This is a requested look from someone on Facebook. She sent me some looks created by a makeup artist I really like named Alexis Vogel. Alexis is responsible for giving Pam Anderson her signature look. This is my take on that look, and how I created it.  You can use any products that work for you. I've only included the type of product I used so you can choose a brand that works with your budget.

What I used:

• Full coverage foundation
• Under eye concealer 1 shade lighter than your foundation
• Pressed powder
• Gray eyeshadow
• Two pigments: nude & pink shimmer powder
• Gray shadow pencil
• Shimmery eyeshadow primer
• Light pink lip stain
• Nude lip pencil
• Light pink shimmery gloss
• Black Mascara
• Black cake eyeliner
• Peach shimmer blush 
• Matte Bronzer 
• Universal brow pencil
• Brow sculpting gel

How I created the Look:

•      Apply foundation, concealer & pressed powder as usual
•      Define brows with brow pencil & set with brow gel
•      Prime eyelids (top and bottom) with eye primer
•      Take the gray eyeshadow pencil and trace along your lower lash line. Smudge with a smudger brush or qtip
•      Trace along the line you just created with some gray eyeshadow 
•       Take a folded tissue and hold against the side of your eye touching your outer brow and bottom corner of eye. This will be the guide for your cat eye.  Apply a gray eyeshadow (I used Urban Decay Mushroom) of your choice pushing the shadow down into the lash line.  Take the shadow into your crease, and the outer corner of your eye. The tissue will prevent you from going too far with the shadow
•         Moisten a qtip and clean up any edges
•         Take a wet slanted eyeshadow brush and apply the cake eyeliner going in toward the lash line.  Stroke the color down into your natural lash line
•  Use a blending brush to soften any harsh edges and blend the shadow to desired softness
• Curl your lashes with an eyelash curler
• Apply 2 coats of mascara to top and bottom lashes
• To polish off the eye look, apply a tiny bit of pink shimmer pigment just under the brow bone and to the very center of lid if desired 
• Apply blush to the apples of cheeks
• Apply bronzer to temples, cheeks and under the jaw if desired
• Apply lip stain to lips
• Outline lips, slightly over drawing the lip line with nude liner
• Top with gloss
• Apply a tiny bit of nude pigment to center of lips to make lips look fuller

 This is a dramatic eye with a pale lip. The look is very sexy, and fun and super feminine. I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you have any other looks you'd like to see or any questions, please post in the comment box below.

WIN IT! NEW FROM URBAN DECAY!

Urban Decay Give Away!!!:  I will be giving away an Urban Decay Super Saturated High Lip Color pencil in the brand new color Naked.  All you have to do is comment on one of my posts.  That's it!  I will ship anywhere in the United States. Good luck! 


**** CONTEST CLOSED*****

Summer Makeup Trends: Bold Colors

Today's post will be about 2 very popular summer trends that are basically completely opposite from one another. One draws the attention up to the eyes, and the other makes a statement with a bold lip.  Both looks where inspired by looks my cousin sent me as inspiration. She also has a beauty blog, focusing on beauty on a budget; how to look beautiful without breaking the bank.  To see her take on the Icy blue shadow look below, which is a great example of how to do it on a darker skin tone click here: http://makeupmaverick.blogspot.com/ .  While the colors are not exactly what I used,the concept is the same.
Look #1: Icy blue shadow, nude lip

As you can see this eyeshadow is quite bold. The nude lip, helps balance the look out, so it doesn't look overdone.  Highly pigmented shadow like this can be difficult to work with, so I usually recommend doing the eyes first here, so that you can clean up any fallout without ruining your foundation. I used a mix of many different shadows to create this look, but most notably a dark matte blue (NARS Outreamer) & E.L.F. Studio Line Eye Transformer.

Another popular look this summer is a bright lip, paired with a slightly more subtle cat eye.The inspiration was the look seen on Rhianna below:

Look #2: Hot Pink Lips, cat eye:

 I chose to go a bit more glossy with the lips, and a little less of a wing on the liner. I think this look looks better on tanned skin, so used a bit of self tanner & bronzer so it wasn't such a stark contrast against the bright lip.  Instead of using only black eyeliner, this look uses a little bit of navy liner as well. this helps to really make the whites of the eyes pop. On lips, I did a layering effect to make the look last all day.

 I started with Stila lip pencil in Obsessed, topping that with a hot pink lip balm.  I then layered on a hot pink lip stain. For the base color, I mixed OCC lip tars in the colors Anime & Trollop to get the exact shade I wanted. For shine, I used Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lip Gloss in the color Crush.  You could also obviously use a clear gloss, but I wanted to really add another level of intensity. It's very important when rocking a bold lip like this to make sure your lips are properly exfoliated & moisturized.

Urban Decay Give Away!!!:  I will be giving away an Urban Decay Super Saturated High Lip Color pencil in the brand new color Naked.  All you have to do is comment on one of my posts.  That's it!  I will ship anywhere in the United States. Good luck!