All posts filed under: tools

Everyday Face Brushes

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Not that I wear makeup everyday, but you know what I mean. I’ve personally amassed a ridiculous amount of brushes, but having dialed back on the makeup obsession, there are just a few brushes that I regularly use now. Here are the face brushes that I’ve been using as of late. I am thinking about making a “Favorite Brushes” or “Most Useful Brushes” post sometime in the near future. Sigma F86 Tapered Kabuki Brush** This is the newest addition to my arsenal and I freaking love it for liquid bases that need more than finger action to blend out properly. The tapered end makes it easy for you to reach weird nooks on your face, like the space around your nose and all around under your eyes, and other places that need precision. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush This was my weapon of choice for liquid bases, but now I find I use it a lot for cream products like blush and bronzers. It still works great for your regular face base, but it also …

Simple Human Mini Sensor Mirror

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I received (jk, I asked for…) the Simple Human Mini Sensor Mirror for Christmas. It seems like a weird thing to ask for, I know, but I’d been wanting a circular vanity mirror that lit up for a long, long time. About a month or so into using this (I received and opened it early because I’m a cheater), I’m still on the fence about it, though I’m teetering more on the side of “I’m so glad I got this.” A part of me really, really loves it. The Mini Sensor Mirror has an LED ring light around a circular mirror that lights up with a motion sensor. You can completely turn it off if you want to, and it charges via a USB cable so there’s no need to use wasteful alkaline batteries. I love that it folds into itself and can be tucked into a case for travel. But, sometimes the 10x magnification is a bit too much for me. It’s very useful for reshaping eyebrows, getting rid of stray hairs, and precision …

Hakuhodo Brush Update: An Overview

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It was love at first touch at the sole Hakuhodo counter in all of Osaka. It was crowded when we got there, and all of the brushes I listed down to purchase weren’t available, except for one: the H601, which is a portable retractable powder brush. It wasn’t high up on my list of priorities, but it was so bleeping soft. It’s been six months since then, and I’ve finally decided to jump the gun and just buy the damn brushes, since I know I’m going to buy them eventually anyway. I was initially looking at Sigma brushes, but then I knew that I’d just be purchasing those to fill a gap that I would actually like to be filled ASAP. The gap is Hakuhodo-shape, predictably. While looking at the brushes, I considered getting one of the sets, since they cost less than individual brushes. But, like I said in a previous post, I ended up just choosing some of the brushes that seemed would fit my makeup “style” and routine the best, since you …

Quickie: Make Up Store Brush Soap

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I love this stuff. I have been using a facial cleanser for the past few months, but when I ran out of that, I made it a point to give the Make Up Store Brush Soap a shot because I heard somewhere that it was good. Holy crap. This is great. It’s a bit pricey but you only need to swipe your damp brush once or twice on the soap and it works up a pleasant lather that gets rid of all of the makeup. I actually kind of really like the smell, which is sort of a generic soap smell, kind of medicinal… if that makes sense. Like part of an apothecary, but it’s not very herb-y. I don’t know what I am typing, but I like the smell. It comes in a sleek, plastic case that keeps it from melting, which results in less waste. It also rinses out fairly easily, and provides decent conditioning to my brushes. It’s going to be a while before I use the bar I have up, but …

Quickie: Hakuhodo H601 Powder Brush

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The Hakuhodo H601 Powder Brush is one of my all-time favorite brushes. It’s a retractable brush that is intensely soft and fluffy. Whenever I wash brushes, this is one of those that take the longest to dry, because it’s so dense. The hairs are black and made from goat’s hair, I believe. I got the H601 in Japan, and it cost about $30 in Japanese yen. It was the only Hakuhodo brush on my list that I was able to get, since they don’t have the full range at the Osaka counter. I use this brush for most of my powder products for the face, so I feel like it’s such a great deal. I’ve used this for a pressed powder, a loose powder, setting powders, finishing powders, et al. and it has worked great every time. This is also an awesome blush brush, because it picks up and deposits just the right amount of pigment. The fact that it retracts makes the “head” of bristles smaller or bigger, catering to your needs. Big and …

Quickie: Wing It with the MAC 266

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When I asked Laura for help picking out MAC items, she remarked that since I seemed to be having trouble applying liner (I was), I should take a look at the MAC 266 brush, a very small, stiff angled brush. She recommended that I use a dark eyeshadow (e.g. MAC Carbon) and push the color into my lashline. I’m a little better at eyeshadow now, but this remains an astonishing little tool that I’m glad I ended up getting. I used it to apply my KATE Gel Liner for my NARS Paramaribo review. I cleaned the brush right away, since I hate it when gel liner sits on brush bristles. I’m sure the brushes hate it, too. The line is awesome, and I get a lot of control with it. I’ve sworn by the Marionnaud N°37, which is basically the same thing, only with a little spoolie on the other end. They’re the same brush, in theory, because they are both stiff, angled brushes for the eyes. I use the N°37 all the time for …

Quickie: Illamasqua Blush-Up Brush

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Here’s a super quick post on one of my favorite tools as of late: my recently-acquired Blush-Up Brush from Illamasqua! It’s a very tightly-packed, narrow brush with short, soft bristles and a long handle. It’s supposed to apply blush in a revolutionary~ way, eliminating the need for a contour. Here is a tutorial from the Illamasqua team, explaining how. As you can see, it deposits pigment in a different way than brushes usually do. Going by the shape of the Blush-Up Brush, it’s supposed to apply blush in an angular way. When placed right under the cheekbone, it creates a stark line that highlights the hollows of the cheeks, which I suppose is what they meant by it “eliminat[ing] the need for contour.” I don’t know if it works all that well for me if I use it like that, but it does really well for normal blush and contour application, which I think it should be recognized for. Tarte’s Exposed used to be my “standard” for a good blush brush. If the brush can …