Mineral Makeup Series - Face Brushes

My experimentation with mineral makeup has led me to even more and better makeup brushes. The team of brushes I had previous to my mineral purchases were no longer good enough for the job. I thought hard because I knew that by purchasing more brushes for the purpose of applying mineral makeup, that it would open up a whole new world of makeup. One that I was not sure I was ready for.

Now, with the help of my team of face brushes (and lots of practice) behind me, I can truly say that I am comfortable with mineral makeup. So please let me introduce you to my personal team of face brushes:

Lumiere's Original Kabuki
I love to use this to apply my first layer of all over mineral foundation. The synthetic hairs on this brush are very densely packed and are really as soft as everyone says. The rounded shape of a classic kabuki allows the brush to follow the contours of the face particularly well. This makes it simple to work with and great as an all over buffer. The only trouble I have with this brush is that it is difficult to rinse clear after washing because of how densely packed the hairs are. Because of that, it dries slower than all of my other brushes.


Everyday Minerals Flat top buffer
I use this to apply an additional layer of mineral foundation to any particular areas that need extra coverage. The soft, flat top on this brush allows for a more concentrated and controlled application of powder. I have also found it great for buffing out blush that may have been applied unevenly or heavily.


MAC Heirlooms Face Brush Set
This was probably the best investment I have made on makeup brushes. I have raved about this set before so I will just tell you what I use them for.

187se - great for light and even application of any powders and liquids. I simply cannot do my makeup without this! It is used with everything from my liquid primer and foundations, to my powder blush and setting powder.

190se - a 'cushiony' liquid foundation brush. I do use this to smooth on extra mineral foundation on specific areas.

168se - I swirl this into contouring powders or all over lid colors and shake it out alot before using on my face. The angle allows precise contouring and blending of upper lid colors.

194se - this concealer brush has longer bristles and a more precise angle than most others I have seen. This is used for spot application of mineral concealer (undereye & spots/scars).

Sonia Kashuk Blusher Brush
Lovely and soft. It allows me to apply concentrated blush color or for packing on highlighter on top of my cheekbones. I really don't get sick of looking at this brush either!





Credits: Grayburn

Random Poll

Makeup in shimmery or matte formulas: Shimmery

Current fragrance: Gucci by Gucci

Favorite makeup artist: Jane Bradley (for Leona Lewis)

Nail polish: Hema's #184 (best polish under 3 euros!)

Music: Kylie Minogue's 2 Hearts

Lips: The Body Shop Almond lip butter, MAC 3N lipstick, MAC 2N lipglass

Blush: Everyday Minerals blush in Apple

Looking for: good face makeup primer, new fragrance (recommendations?)

Weather: sunny and cold in Amsterdam

Accessory: big ring and ponytail


What about you? Let me know about yours in comments!


picture credits: elle.com

Coastal Scents Sale

There is a major sale happening at Coastal Scents this weekend only - 20% off all of their makeup brushes! I just happened to be in the market for another duo-fiber brush (the third one from left) as I need a backup for my MAC 187. So I have just made my order for that and their eye shadow brush as well. For those of us who do not live in the US, don't worry, they do ship internationally. My order of 2 brushes and a sample of pigment plus shipping came to about 16 dollars. I will let you know what I think of the brushes as soon as I have a chance to try them.

Photo: Coastal Scents

Mineral Makeup Special

Photo: the weekend bag from Chanel

Hello! Just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to those of you who drop by to visit my blog. I am so glad that we have an interest in common and that you are not shy to tell me about it as well!

I want you to know ahead of time that I will be doing a series on mineral makeup in the coming weeks. I have been hiding this one for a while because I wanted to gather information, try out many many products and finally share my successes and failures with you. As someone who is equally skeptical and faithful in the idea of 'natural products', I hope to share my findings and personal experiences with you. The details of the ups and downs will not be edited out.

I hope you will be here to join me! Have a wonderful weekend!

Grayburn

Paul & Joe - Effortless Chique

No one does effortless together with decadence so well like Paul & Joe. The designs are often fresh with a bit of je ne sais quoi. If I can have only one thing to get me through the remainder of the chilly days we have before the arrival of warmth, it would be this sweater.

This piece is so irresistibly sexy, lush and versatile. The stormy blue, white and deep bronze set amidst light gray makes it great for adding interest to any old pair of skinny jeans, leggings or as a sweater dress as shown here.

Do you have an essential piece of clothing that you love to live in?



Credits: Grayburn, paulandjoe.com

The Lonely Product In My Makeup Drawer

Lots of respect goes out to a cosmetics company that puts out some stellar products, that are cannot-live-withouts for many of us. I got a question recently regarding some of Benefit's products. As much as I adore alot of them (i.e. Dandelion blush, Boi-ing concealer, High Beam highlighter etc.), I cannot seem to use up this tiny nail polish bottle of cheek and lip stain.

This product was originally made to give a rosy stain to nipples. It is recommended for use on our cheeks and lips as well for a natural tint. The tint itself smells like rose water and is supposed to be water and kiss-proof. However, my trouble with it is that it interferes with the makeup I am wearing underneath it. I also find the method of applying a watery liquid with a nail polish applicator messy and weird.

Every time I look into the "cheek products" section of my makeup drawer, this one sits there staring up back at me, neglected and alone.


Tell me, do you use and like cheek/lip stains? Or do you prefer them in powders, creams or gels?



Credits: Grayburn, benefitcosmetics.com

The Bare Escentuals Brushless Mascara

I am intrigued by the brush-less-ness of this mascara from Bare Escentuals. I know that many mascara-users are devoted to their Diorshow, but I don't even want to think about getting close to such an enormous brush head! I can already imagine myself throwing a fit, because I have just poked myself in the eye with smudged mascara everywhere!

Bare Escentuals promises to give long falsies with this mascara. To put this on, we are supposed to 'blink into' the wand, rather than using the conventional method of wiggle and stroke. From experience of having used numerous mascaras, a lengthening mascara must have certain characteristics. The first and most important is the mascara's formula. The formula must be slightly stickier (if you can imagine that) than regular formulas and, it must contain fibers. A slightly sticky formula allows you to smoothly attach the fibers to your lashes. It also gives the time needed to really lengthen the lashes, and to shape and sculpt them. Be careful of the mascaras who's formula is very wet though, because the attached fibers may not dry fast enough and will have a tendency to go 'wonky'. The second important feature is the brush head itself. Skinnier brush heads tend to be better at lengthening than larger ones.

So it seems that this mascara from Bare Escentuals may work. I'm not really in the market for a new mascara because I am still devoted to my Imju Fiberwig Mascara. However, if someone has tried this and/or thinks that there is a great mascara out there for lashes with the 3 's' (short, straight & sparse), please do share with us!








Credits: Grayburn, bareescentuals.com

Skincare Staples Stash - Part Deux

With so many creams, lotions and potions that flood the beauty market each month, it is really hard to keep track of all of them and, to choose the best out of the bunch. I have personally even found that some products do more harm than good.

In the name of beauty, I tested out a serum that contains a vitamin A derivative. This particular formulation I tried has really done more harm than good to my skin unfortunately. My skin completely flipped out!

To nurture my skin back to its normal condition, I am relying on my trusty Anti-Aging Moisturising Elixir Cream from Alqvimia. This along with this, are the staples in my skincare stash. Not only does this cream smell amazing, the texture is extremely nurturing and comforting. I can also use this around my eyes as well so this product really is an all-purpose one.

The listed ingredients are:

Almond, hazelnut, St. John’s Wort, rosehip and wheatgerm oils; rose and orange blossom water; essential oils of lemon, orange, bois du rose, incense, myrrh and patchouli; glycolic extracts of iris and benjui, beeswax, honey, Xanthan gum, emulsifiers, natural antioxidants, preservative agent and water.

Can you see why I think it smells so heavenly? If you love essential oils and natural products as much as I do, you will totally fall in love with this cream!

Credits: Grayburn, alqvimia.com

When A Fashion Trend Collides With Cosmetics

Do we all know who McDreamy is? His other and real name is Patrick Dempsey. His wife, Jillian Dempsey and the former brains behind Delux cosmetics (a brand favorite of Kristin Davis, of Sex in the City), has recently designed 2 blush compacts for Avon.

These 2 blushes are wonderfully now, for two main reasons. The blushes home in on the trend of the season: tie-dyed clothing (don't say or think "uggh" just yet!) . Second, they come in vivid colors of fuchsia and coral. If you look closely, you'll notice that the color of the blushes gradually go from dark to lighter from left to right (reminiscent of the tie-dye effect). This gives us so much more freedom to customize and adjust the color as we like.

Avon's Pink Horizon does remind me of one of my favorite blushes from The Body Shop , called Solar Duo Blush (LE 2007) in Radiant Pink. This is such a favorite of mine because it gives great luminosity and flush of color to the skin when used mixed. Mixing is achieved by swirling a brush to grab equal amounts of both the darker and the lighter colors. And when the colors are used individually, the darker color acts as the cheek color (applied to the apples of your cheeks), and the lighter color performs as a matching highlighter (applied to the top of your cheek bones). Both Avon's and The Body Shop's are so pretty to look at, as well as being functional (sadly, The Body Shop's is no longer available).

Out of curiosity, do you like the use of tie-dye in haute-couture?











Credits: Grayburn
Photos: Grayburn, Avon, Louis Vuitton,
Alexander McQueen,
Prada