Tom Ford Eye Shadow Contour Brush Photos & Review

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Brooke

Tom Ford makes some pricey, yet excellent eye shadow brushes. I definitely don’t have the funds for a huge multiple purchase of these, but they looked amazing and fellow bloggers have given them high praise. Because of this, I decided on a tried and true firm brush that I’d be able to use for multiple looks – the Eye Shadow Contour Brush.

What Neiman Marcus says about the Tom Ford Eye Shadow Contour Brush:

Tom Ford’s brush collection is designed to bring ease and luxury to the process of creating your look—they make expert makeup application completely effortless.

The Tom Ford Eye Shadow Contour Brush, developed with natural hair, ensures a flawless crease and corner eye shadow application. A perfect companion for the Tom Ford Eye Color Quads. Handle is designed for true comfort and balance.

This brush is very, very firm. Even more so than the MAC 239. It packs on the pigment of the eye shadow so that all of the color hits the lid and you’re not left with dusting or fall-out all over your cheeks. The slight angle makes it ideal for getting just the right outer V shading.

The Tom Ford Eye Shadow Contour Brush retails for $55.00 and is available at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.

An Introduction to IT Cosmetics Makeup Brushes!

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Brooke

Press Sample

IT Cosmetics has some amazing and high quality brushes. This post is just going to be a quick run-down of some of the brushes available for purchase right now and what you can use them for!

Heavenly Luxe Mega Fan Brush

This brush is also known as the double chin remover. Primarily you’ll see this brush used for face contouring and body bronzing, but I have also found that its size makes it a great brush for highlighting certain areas of the face as well.

Jumbo Heavenly Luxe Power Brush

This brush is also known as the big daddy. It’s perfect for applying powders, body makeup and blending.

French Boutique Blush Brush

This brush is also known as the Ooh La La! Brush. This brush is primarily used for applying blush to the apples of the cheeks. The fluff makes it easy to apply the color as well as blend.

Heavenly Luxe Wand Ball Brush

This brush is also known as the Illuminizer Wand. It’s primary use is for light powder application. So this would be a good one to use with an illuminating powder, or a highly pigmented powder that you don’t need a whole lot of product on your brush to achieve that subtle look.

Dual Airbrush Foundation Concealer Brush

This brush is also known as Dual Foundation. It’s primary use is for applying liquid foundation and concealers as well as for contouring.

No Tug Heavenly Luxe Dual Eyeshadow Brush

This brush is also known as The No Tug. Also known as The No Tug this brush is known for all over eyeshadow application, blending (fluffy side) as well as smudging and lining (smaller side).

Heavenly Luxe Buffing Airbrush Foundation Brush

This brush is also known as the Flat Top. This brush is fabulous (and also my personal go-to) for buffing on powder foundation and for blending powders.

Large Angled Radiance Brush

This brush is also known as the Angle Brush and is perfect for applying highlighters sparingly and also contouring.

Heavenly Luxe Powder Brush

Also known as the Heavenly Brush, its primary uses are for full powder application, bronzing and blending.

What are some of your favorite daily brushes to use from IT Cosmetics?

Purchase these brushes and other products from IT Cosmetics on the website.

Chantecaille Eye Brow Perfector Brush Photos & Review

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Brooke

I don’t own anything from Chantecaille (except for maybe a mini-gloss), so why not start off an obsession with a makeup brush? The Chantecaille Eye Brow Perfector Brush grabbed my attention because of the of the jaw-like look to the brush end.

Isn’t that neat? It made me think, wow… that must really do some wondrous things to brows and be super innovative since I’ve never seen anything like it before. It sat in my Nordstrom cart for about a month before I went for it.

What the Nordstrom site has to say about the Chantecaille Eye Brow Perfector Brush:

A small, dual-ended brush, ideal for maintaining eyebrow shape and blending color. Made of luxuriously soft boar hair.

This brush manages to pick up the perfect amount of powder and makes it simple to dab along the brow and then blend. Flip it around to use the spoolie side to comb through the brows and you have the perfect eye brow every time.

If you tend towards getting too sharp of a line with your regular angled brow brush, consider this to make the brow look more natural and refined.

The Chantecaille Eye Brow Perfector Brush retails for $23.00 and is available at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales.

Japonesque Touch Up Tube Makeup Brush Set Photos & Review

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Brooke

For the month of October, Japonesque is doing their part in the fight against breast cancer. For all purchases made from the Pink Collection, Japonesque will be donating $1 to Breast Cancer Awareness Research.

One of these items is the Pink Touch-Up Tube Set, which contains a lip brush, a blush/powder brush, two eye detailers and a foundation brush, all housed in a sleek and light purse-friendly travel case.

Japonesque brushes are always nice for application of your powder and cream products and affordable. This particular set comes with a nice assortment of brushes that you’d need for travel, though I’d have liked to have seen a larger firm brush for shadows. The case feels like tin and is sturdy but light. This is the perfect and girlie set for your desk drawer at work or to keep in your locker at school!

The Japonesque Pink Touch Up Tube Set retails for $19 and is available Ulta.com and Ulta Stores Nationwide.

Makeup Wars – My Favorite Makeup Brush (aka MAC 168 Large Angled Contour Brush) Review

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Brooke

It’s time for the next installment of Makeup Wars! I really hope you all are enjoying these posts as much as all of the bloggers in this group are. It’s really cool to see what everyone comes up with every other week! Last week, we did up our Most Expensive Face. I know, right? The crazy part is, after everyone posted and it was all said and done… we all thought of things we had forgotten to add in. We may have to do a part 2 lol

That being said… Time to battle it out over favorite makeup brushes!!! Betcha thought I was going to go for some sort of eye brush? Nope.

While I do have some serious LOVES of an eye brush (MAC 239, 219, 226… etc), the makeup brush that I reach for every single day… no matter what product… come rain or shine… is the MAC 168 Large Angled Contour Brush.

I know you love those photos. I left it dirty to prove my love. Dirty equals love. That’s your lesson for the day.

From the name, you’d imagine that the MAC 168 Large Angled Contour Brush is for contouring only. No no no, grasshopper…

Sure the 168 makes it effortless to contour… but the fluffiness of this brush makes blending effortless. Also, the precision of the angle makes it perfect for applying color to the cheeks AND adding highlight to the cheek bones. It’s pretty much a $35.00 do-all.

As you have probably deduced from the pics, I love this brush so much I have three of them, and wouldn’t be opposed to having one or two more.

The MAC 168 Large Angled Contour Brush retails for $35.00 and can be found at maccosmetics.com as well as at your local MAC Counter or Store.

Check out the links below to see the beautiful bloggers that participated in this installment of Makeup Wars! What will we think of next?!

MAC 286 Duo Fibre Blending Brush Photos and Review – MAC, Naturally

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Brooke

No brushes have hit my radar since I got the bum 226 repromote from MAC Me Over. Oddly, since that, I haven’t felt the urge to even look at brushes. The 286 Duo Fibre Blending Brush from the 2012 MAC Naturally Collection looked cool, but I wasn’t lemming. Then I read somewhere (I want to say on Twitter) that this was THE brush for Mineralize Eye Shadows. Hrm… you don’t say?!

What the MAC Website has to say about the 286 Duo Fibre Blending Brush:

With its soft dome shape, this two-toned, duo-fibre brush of goat and synthetic fibres provides a sheer, more controlled application of M·A·C Mineralize Eye Shadow.

The 286 isn’t quite as tapered as the original 226, but it’s MUCH nicer than the repromoted 226. I used this with the Mineralize Eye Shadows I got from Naturally (to be reviewed) and it worked well for both applying to the lid, and in the crease. It actually made applying and blending the two shades together a breeze! Mineralize Eye Shadow can produce a lot of fall out, but I experienced none while using this brush. It’s a good one to have for MES or for any type of blending in general.

The MAC 286 Duo Fibre Blending Brush retails for $30.00 and has released with the MAC Naturally Collection. This collection is available at maccosmetics.com, MAC Stores, and counter locations. Click to view the official press release.

Le Metier de Beaute WHISPER Radiance Powder Rouge & Blush Brush Swatches & Review

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Brooke

For the longest time I’ve been wanting to check out Le Metier de Beaute Makeup Brushes. I’ve only ever used brushes from MAC, but I’ve been hearing some excellent things about the ones made by LMdB. During this years Neiman Marcus Beauty Event I thought it was a great time to bite the bullet and make a brush purchase.

From the Neiman Marcus website:

This Blush Brush, made with 100% natural goat hair, is tapered for natural blush application.

Crafted by master artisans, Le Metier de Beaute Master Brush Collection are the tools every woman needs for exemplary professional cosmetic application.

The LMdB Blush Brush is super soft and the perfect size for applying just the right amount of blush. It is definitely an investment piece, but one that you would use daily.

The Le Metier de Beaute Blush Brush retails for $55.00 and is available at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Bergdorf Goodman.

Along with the LMdB Blush Brush I also purchased Whisper Blush.
From the Neiman Marcus website:

Adjustable coverage, transparency and intensity.
Shine-absorbing, oil-free.
Safe for all skin types including sensitive skin.
Includes universal shades.

About Le Métier de Beauté:
Le Métier de Beauté (which translates to “the craft of beauty”) is known for its award-wining Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Complexe. The line also features stunning makeup and has collaborated with couture and ready-to-wear designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig of Marchesa on a fashion-inspired color collection.

Whisper Blush is a beautiful luminescent pale pink. The powder is smooth and soft, very easy to blend onto your cheeks and into another color.

You can layer this to make it a bit more pigmented, though I think if you’re very dark it will be more of a highlighter. I like to use it alone when I’m having a neutral day, or over the apples of my cheeks when I’m wearing a bronzer.

The Le Metier de Beaute Radiance Powder Rouge retails for $30.00 and is available at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Bergdorf Goodman.

MAC Sweep Me Off My Feet Brush Set for Holiday 2010

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Brooke

I rarely buy the MAC Brush Sets. The brushes simply aren’t the same quality as the full size. You hear that everywhere, and it’s definately true. The Sweep Me Off My Feet Brush Set ($49.50) is part of the MAC Holiday 2010 color collection Tartan Tale. If you’re just starting out with brushes, or simply love the bag, it’s a great item to get. Originally I wanted A Lady And Her Tricks but in person this one seemed more ideal for me once I saw it all in person.

From the MAC site:
Love sweeps you off your feet – so do these! The five most wanted brushes for that perfect application of powder or blush: the 129SE, 190SE, 212SE, 227SE and 275SE. Presented in a multi-tartan/black patent bag, with heraldic crest and metal rivets. Bag Measures: 7.25 ” x 7.25″.