Last haul for a while! Holiday buys

I like to think that I'm all shopped out for a while.... now that I have basically anything I've ever wanted to add to my collection there is no need to buy anything for a loong time. Everyone was right about shopping in the US, everything is so cheap! Except there's one little thing that is not mentioned to often and that is service tax, a % charged on top of your purchase, for those who didn't know. But in the end that doesn't really matter too much because everything is much cheaper than home & it's just like if the GST wasn't included in our products.

So anyway, in almost each place we visited I went to Sephora more than once. My Fiancee didn't mind once he found out they had free Wifi so that was good to keep him happy while I shopped, and in some places where wifi was harder to find, he actually asked if we could find Sephora which is something I never thought he would say! So we both won. I also enjoyed visiting MAC on a few different occasions and loved what most of the drugstores had to offer. So let's stop blabbing & get into it!

**Disclaimer: Sorry for the huge post with lots of photos. Everything bought was paid for with my own money & over a period of 5 weeks. I'd hate to come off bragging which I'm not because I'm just so happy with my new goodies!

 Palettes: Wet n Wild Going into the Wild, Too Faced Pretty Rebel, Smashbox Masterclass Palette #2. I was kinda hoping that Urban Decay would have released a new palette that caught my eye, unfortunately not but when I saw the Too Faced & Smashbox palette I knew I had to have both. The Smashbox one wasn't a hard decision as it was I think $59 when it's worth around $269. Perfect for traveling & in a makeup kit.

 

Single eyeshadows & bases: MAC Swissh, Aquadisiac, Steamy, Parafit Armor, All that Glitters, Nylon, Naked Lunch, Woodwinked, Embark. MUFE #92, Urban Decay Last Call, Revlon Diamond Lust in Plum Galaxy, Stila Smudgepot in Kitten, Maybelline Colour Tattoo's in Inked in Pink, Electric Blush, Barely Branded, Bad to the Bronze.

I didn't plan to buy that many single eyeshadows, but they slowly crept up on me, especially as most times I visited MAC I bought one or two haha. I'm soo glad I bought MUFE #92 which I didn't buy until last minute, and I decided to get more of the colour tattoo's instead of paintpots because they are very comparable.

 Eyeliner & mascara: Jordana Best lash extreme, Maybelline big eyes mascara, Maybelline Mega Plush Lash, Benefit They're real, L'oreal voluminous smoldering eyeliner, Forever 21 Love & Beauty Shadow Stick, Tarte Amazonian clay waterproof gel eyeliner & brush, Maybelline Colour Tattoo Pure pigment in Never Fade Jade (forgot to include it with others) Kat Von D Taboo liner set, Sephora Deco daze glitter eyeliner

Lip Products: MAC lip pencil's in Cherry & Lasting Sensation, Top row: MAC Angel, Snob, Impassioned, Ruby Woo, Maybelline Vivids Vivid Rose; Bottom row: Creme d' Nude, Please Me, Candy Yum Yum, Girl About Town, Maybelline Vivid Fuchsia Flash. MAC Snob lipglass, Nyx Butter gloss Peaches & Cream, Rimmel Show Off Lip Laquer in Apocalyptic, Nyx Glam Gloss Aqua Luxe in The Last Party, Buxom Full on lip polish in Katie, YSL Glossy lip stain #19, EOS Lip balms, Sugarfresh lipbalms. Also forgot to include the Too Faced la creme in Juicy Melons

Brushes: Sonia Kashuk brow brush, Real Techniques Stippling & Expert face brush, Lash & Brow comb, Eye Shader brush. MAC 168, 239, 217, 268, Eco Tools Bronzing brush

 Blush: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 hr wear in Frisky, MAC Melba, MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Dainty, Stila Convertible colour in Petunia, Illamasqua Hussy, Benefit tints in Cha Cha, Sunbeam & Posie, NARS Torrid & Sex Appeal

Bronzer & Highlighters: Sonia Kashuk Undetectable in Rich Bronze, Benefit Hoola, Stila ALl over shimmer duo Kitten, The Balm Mary Lou-manizer, NARS The Multiple in Cocobana

 Foundations, concealer & powders: MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in light, Revlon Colorstay Whipped, L'oreal True Match, MAC Face & Body, YSl Touche Eclat, NARS Sheer Glow, L'oreal True Match powder, Benefit Erase Paste, Revlon Colorstay concealer, Benefit Fake Up, MAC Pro-longwear concealer, Clinique Airbursh concealer.
I think it's safe to say I wont be needing any more foundations or concealers in a long time! I thought I may as well stock up since a) most are not readily available & b) they are double the price.

 Setting Spray & Powder: MAC Fix +, Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, MAC Prep & Prime, Benefit Porefessional + mini & That gal, Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer

 Nail Polishes: Julie Nail Colour Cabana Boy, Wet n Wild Fergie Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night, Sally Hansen Instadry, Essie Pop Art Pink, Tart Deco, Bikini So Teeny, O.P.I Koala Beary. So I didn't go too crazy with nail polishes, as it was quite hard for me to decide on colours so it was a bit overwhelming. I do wish I bought a bit more O.P.I, I got this one as a backup because it's one of my faves!

 

 Perfume: Ni Amore XOXO, Brittney Spears Believe, Vera Wang Princess, Chloe.
I will be doing a more detailed post on my perfume collection which is now never going to run out haha as well as separate reviews on these ones.

Brush Cleaner- So I wish I had a look at the one from MAC but by the time I remembered I was after a brush cleaner it was a bit late but I found the Sephora brand brush cleaner & bought a few because they were quite small & cheap haha.

 So from the first time we visited Sephora I signed up for their club card... which was such a good idea because over 5 weeks I ended up earning over 600 points lol. I was also able to get a 'birthday gift' which was the Sugar fresh lip balms up with the other lip products, and at the end I used up most of the rest of my points with the MUFE sample pack. One happy customer =)

So umm I said there would be a lot & I think I delivered on that statement- and in case you're wondering I packed light but had to buy a smaller bag anyway, & kept all the powders in my carry on so I knew I would be handling them safe- especially as a (cheap & old thank god) blush broke in my beauty bag!!

Oh and to let you know, I think I stuck to my wishlist pretty well- considering that I didn't list everything I wanted, but I think I bought 7/10 items as I found some to be overwhelming or found other things instead. I also wish I went to Inglot!! But, no regrets! (I've also ordered a couple of limited edition palettes but that will be it!!

Finally- pat yourself on the back even if you scanned through everything I had written, & please let me know what you're most interested in hearing about first, but I will eventually get around to reviewing everything!

Take care loves
xx

Mini Review: Beauties Factory Brush Cleaner

I've needed a new brush cleaner for the longest time, & when I came across the Beauties Factory Brush Cleaner it was the perfect price to give it a go.
Brush cleaners are awesome for spot cleaning in between use although it should not be replaced with deep cleansing which I do not get to do as much as I'd like.. although it is quite the chore!

 This bottle has an opening at the top, instead of a spray... which is ideal for me because the last brush cleaner I tried using didn't squirt so I would have to undo that every time I wanted to use it! It is easy to control how much comes out as it has a reasonable opening that ensures that it wont rush out all at once. It is easy to pour out by tipping it upside down against a paper towel or tissue, where you can run the brush over it.

This brush cleaner has a reasonable drying time, however, depending on how dense the brush is it may take longer. Like with my Real Techniques contour brush (which I use for blush), after swiping it on the paper towel it took a while as there was a lot of hair, but it is ideal for small eye brushes that need to be used for a different colour while doing your makeup.
You can see that it did a really good job of cleaning the pigment out of the brush but it does look wet.

I bought this on eBay for $9.99 with free shipping so it is worth a try!

Hope this is helpful to someone out there.

xx

Also please be sure to check out my giveaway! Ends in 3 days.

Brush Haul: Sigma, Real Techniques & Brush Storage.

Typically after showing you my foundation routine, I have to go and buy new brushes, huh! Not that I don't do the same technique but anyway, I thought I would treat myself to a few new brushes as I haven't for a while. :)


Real Techniques
I ordered these from Iherb.com, shipping was very reasonable at $12 for next day shipping or $4 for the usual waiting time. I received mine in a week which I think is the best shipping time I've ever had! Plus you cannot beat the prices online to instore at priceline!

From Real Techniques I got the Face & Eye starter kit & Setting brush. The kits were around $18 when they are $50 here (!!) As much as I wish I could shop locally nothing compares to online prices. The setting brush was $8 when I believe its close to $20 here.

Both starter kits come in cases that double as a stand but I'll probably only use them for traveling.

Face Core Collection kit- Buffing Brush

Here is the buffing brush compared to my old foundation brush, E.L.F Flat Top Powder brush. The difference's are in the handle lengths & the buffing brush is more rounded and not as dense as the E.L.F. It somehow leaves my fdtn feeling wet while the E.L.F one made it feel dry & completely buffed into the skin. Does that make sense?

Contour Brush

 If I knew I was going to order RT brushes I wouldn't have ordered the sigma, but they are both good anyway. The RT contour brush is more rounded while the Sigma one has more of a flat head. As the RT one is synthetic you can also use it for liquids, too.
Pointed Foundation & Detailer Brushes (top & bottom, respectively)

When I first saw the sizes of these (compared to my eco tools concealer brush) I thought how one could use it for their purposes without taking a lifetime!? However I've found the foundation brush is perfect for under eye & around the nose concealer. The precise detailer is indeed good for precise application for small blemishes & for correcting around the lip line & eyebrows.

Eye Starter Kit- Deluxe Crease Brush

 Seriously let me tell you now, unless you have eyes the size of saucepans you do not want this for your crease. In comparison to the 217 brush you can hopefully see that it is huuuge. It would be good for under the eyes as how pixiwoo use it but I quite like it for cream eyeshadows that you blend over the lid & into the crease. It is quite round & dense so it's ok for anything unless you want precision.

Base Eyeshadow brush

 This is nice for a wash of colour over the lid, but as it is quite floppy it isn't good for packing on colour. It is however good for blending in the crease or highlighting.
Pixel Perfect Eyeliner brush

Yeahh um please don't take notice of this name either, because I could not imagining getting perfect eyeliner out of this. I think it would be good for drawing roughly into the crease & the outer v. You can see compared to my Sigma E05 that the tip is not as precise therefore winged eyeliner would be impossible. As the hairs are so long it would be too flimsy, too.

Brow Brush

Once again I think this brush is too big if you like very defined eyebrows but its nice for a more natural look. It's compared here to my old random brow brush & hopefully you can see how much more thicker the hairs are & the size difference. It would be good for smoking colours onto the lash line & blending out the crease slightly.

Accent Brush

This is pretty good for well, precision detailing as it is small & good for the lower lashline if you don't want colour every where. You could also use it for smudging although it's probably too thin for that.

Setting Brush

Loove this, perfect for setting under/ on the eyes, around the nose & lips, and it would also be perfect for highlighting. And its so soft! Compared to the sigma tapered highlighter it is much more smaller but both sizes are good.


Notes
-Wish I also ordered the lash & brow groomer as it has metal bristles on the comb side & also comes with a protection cover.
-Ordering from iherb the first time gives you 10% discount woohoo! I also have a voucher for you: HKD726 that you can enter before checkout for 10% off (However I am not sure if these expire or not, huge apologies if it has!).
-Click here to view my review on the RT Blush Brush

Sigma
Some of you may or may not have noticed that I am now a Sigma Affiliate! Although I haven't done too much about it apart from adding a couple of pictures links. All that means is if you do buy from my page I get 10% profit from what you buy (don't worry it doesn't mean you have to pay more!) So if you'd like to support me I'd really appreciate it but I'm not forcing anyone to. :) Just to let you know I paid for these with my own money & was not sent them to review etc etc.
You can purchase sigma here 

 Tapered Highlighter F35- To replace using my fan brush for highlighter. Love this brush and it's shape, it applies powder highlighters perfectly.
Small Contour F05- I have been wanting a contour brush like this for ages, and I love it for contouring my cheek bones & nose. As you can see in the pic below it has quite a square shape which fits in the hollows nicely. However if I knew I was going to order the RT face kit I probably wouldn't have bothered with this... just to save some $.

 Pencil E30- I bought this more on the wanting & not needing side- I don't think it's really much of a necessity as I have plenty of smaller brushes that do the same job. But it is good for very precise highlighting & crease & lower lashline work.
Short Shader E20- Another type of brush I have needed for ages that I use similarly to the pencil brush & to smudge liner/shader or whatevers. Good brush to have on hand.

Compared to my MAC 217 brush so you can see the size differences in the handle & brush head.

Lip L05- A really nice basic lip brush that comes with a cover so it's great for travelling or keeping in your handbag. In the closeup I've compared it to the RT Precision brush and its smaller than that so it's really good to use to line your lips with lipstick, too.

I also got this along with my brushes- the brow powder was my free gift which matches quite nicely, I will save that for traveling so I don't always need to lug my Sleek Storm palette around. I also got a fall look book which will be hand for next year for inspiration.

Brush Storage
So finally I have an almost completed storage for my brushes. My eye ones used to be in a smaller container & my face ones were lying on their sides in a makeup bag which was annoying to find them in. I bought these pots from Red Dot (discount store) between $5-$10 depending on the size & they fit in nicely! However the big pot is too big for some of my shorter face brushes. I did try them in the smaller one too & they fit so I might get another one & use it for them.
But does anyone know where I can buy some small plastic beads preferably on eBay with international shipping to fit in the bottom of the pot to hold the brushes in place (if I can't find them anywhere I will try popcorn kernels as I've seen on youtube lol). ATM I have some small earring beads in the small pot but not enough for height.

Thanks for looking I hope this helps if you plan on purchasing any brushes from RT & Sigma.
XX

Real Technique Blush Brush

Real Technique brushes by Sam Chapman (One of the talented ladies behind pixiwoo) is available in Australia at selected Priceline stores. I had a look in a few but as far as I know it was available in the pharmacy's only, but it doesn't hurt to ask if. This retails for $9 (I think) in the US but I got mine for $25 which is a price I'd normally pay anyway so its NBD to me.
About the brush: It is super soft & fluffy for applying blush. It has a tapered end that is perfect for a light contour, not something I'd replace my contour brush with, however I'd use it for a light dusting of bronzer. As for using it for blush, I apply it on the side of the bristles, that way it is large enough for my cheeks & the blush is distributed nicely. Otherwise it can end up only on the apples of the cheeks, becoming hard to blend.

I like the handle on it, it is super sleek and feels nice to hold lol, and the bottom is rubbery and wider at the base so it's able to stand up on it's own if that's how you like to store your brushes, the only annoying thing is that it's harder to fit into my brush roll & it takes up more room. The handle is long enough so you can apply blush without pressure, which is what can lead to the appearance of clown cheeks so that's a good thing :P

As for the other real technique brushes you can get, I found Priceline didn't have the biggest selection. You can get the starter kits of $50 I think, but on the real technique's website they are only $18! I have heard you can buy them at iherb.com for a decent price and they ship overseas, the RT website also now sells them online but I couldn't see if they were international or not.

Overall I do recommend this brush, and I definitely want to purchase the eyes starter kit & setting brush when I have finished my no-buy, if I can last that long!! At the end of the day, the prices may be jacked up heaps here but it's better then nothing! :)

 Compared to the Eco Tools blush brush. You can see the shapes are totally different.

And since you've seen them, here are my NOTW :]

 Yes, my pinky nail broke and my ring finger is not far from the same destiny =/

I lovee this colour combo, It was a bit too orangey without the NP from FaceIt over the top, which gave it a nice peachy sheen. Don't get me wrong I love orange polish but it wasn't for my dress on the weekend lol.
The colours from L-R are C'est La Vie & OR202

Thanks for reading, I hope this was  usefull!
xx

Makeup Brush Essentials: Eyes & Lips

This is a post that is hopefully helpful to the beginners out there who cannot decide what type of brushes they should be looking for. Don't get me wrong, my brush collection has taken a loong time to slowly build up, but as long as you start with the basics you can keep adding to it later on. You also don't need to buy the most expensive brushes for a great result.
However today I will not be focusing on the brands, simply on the type of brushes. I hope that makes sense lol.

 Lid brushes

*Apologies for the brushes not being in the same order, D'oh!*
Top: Synthetic Flat brush: This is not absolutely essential, but it is good for applying primer & cream eyeshadows to the eyelids. Synthetic is best for creams as it will not soak up all the product, making it easier to clean.
Middle: Large Stiff Shader brush: This is good for packing a whole lotta colour onto the lid.
Bottom: Small Shader Brush: Simply used for the same method as the larger one, however it is better for precise application of different colours to the lid.
Stiff shader brushes are also good for using the very tip to apply eyeshadow to the lower lash line.

 Eyeliner

Eyeliner brushes come in different shapes depending on the look you want to achieve.
Angled liner brushes: In this picture these are the same type of eyeliner brushes, however I use the top one for eyeliner and the bottom one for my eyebrows. That way I don't have to worry about cleaning them all the time & getting black on my eyebrows, lol. You can use this with Gel Eyeliner but I prefer to use it to pack on eyeshadow on top of my eyeliner for longevity.

The top 2 are thin brushes great for Gel & liquid eyeliner. You can see the only difference to the bottom ones are that the handles are shaped normally.
The bottom 2 are Bent Eyeliner brushes. I simply have 2 for light & dark colours. These are great because you can easily do your eyeliner without worrying about the handle getting in the way. Please note you do not need to own all of these. Whatever your preference is fine. Once again these are good for cream & gel eyeliner. You can even dip it into your liquid eyeliner if you wish.

 Crease Brushes

These are a few different types of brushes which are good for applying colour to the crease & outer v.
Top: Fluffy crease brush: This is good for applying & blending colours to the crease.
2nd: Pencil Brush: Good for precise application to the crease & outer v. Also good for the lower lash line if you have larger eyes or for smudging out eyeliner.
3rd: Pointed crease: (I had washed this the night before so its a bit out of shape). Really good for precise crease work e.g. for cut creases
Bottom: Pointed crease & Outer v: (again lol) Same concept as the one above, but especially good for the outer v because of the size.

Blending

Top & 2nd: Stiff dome blending brushes: TMakeup Geekhese are really versatile for applying a wash of colour over the lid & crease, blending colours on the lid & crease while depositing colours.. I recently purchased a second one because it doesn't take long for them to get dirty lol.
3rd: Soft Dome : This one is slightly pointed however because it's not stiff it's great for blending colours together on the lid or blending out in the crease. You can live without it if you have a stiff blending brush.
4th & 5th: These are just a couple of other different brush shapes good for blending. Once again they are not needed,but I think the more the better, especially if you are doing a look where you need a clean brush to blend out & one with colour to add more colour on at the same time. Hope that makes sense ;)

Other Eye Brushes

Top: Brow & Lash brush: Just any run of the mill brush like this should do, good for combing through your brows & lashes to get rid of clumps.
2nd & 3rd: Highlighting Brushes: These are good for highlighting on the brow bone & tear duct. The 2nd brush is good for blending it out as it's applied & the 3rd, because of the angle & being stiff, is good for precision.

Lips

The top brush is good for applying your lip colour all over, the bottom is good for precise application right around the lip line. If you use a pencil lip liner first you don't exactly need the 2nd brush.

I hope this is helpful & not confusing. All in all you do not have to have everyone of these brushes especially if your starting out, you can use certain brushes for different things. You also don't need to spend the big bucks for great brushes. I'll post some websites for great affordable brushes (all are non affiliated).

Makeup Geek As far as I know these are crown brushes that have been repackaged (Please correct me if I'm wrong) but they are so affordable & offer worldwide shipping.

Sigma They offer a great selection on many different types of brushes, duping the famous MAC 217 brush (Sigma E25, one I bought not too long ago)

Eco Tools The 6 piece brush set is great for starting out (I love the eyeliner brush)

Tip: DO NOT buy MAC brushes (or really MAC anything) on eBay. Most of the stuff on there is fake. You cannot buy a whole set for the price of one brush, haha. Just a warning!