Inspired by blue with Concrete Minerals, Sugarpill and MAC

Hi everyone!

Last week I was having the blues again…literally. For some reason, I kept pulling blue e/s out of my stash… and, only now do I notice that I there is also a purple note in both looks.

The first makeup look combines a lot of Concrete Minerals e/s: both from the mineral and pro matte lines:

I wanted to try out one of the samples I got in my last package: Storm (swatch here). I am finding it difficult to describe the colour, but I’d say a muted dark purple. To me, Storm makes a killer crease or blending shade, which is how I used it here.

I further combined it with: CM White Rabbit (inner 1/3 of the lid), CM Daydream (middle) and CM Bulletproof (outer 1/3), thus making a transition from white with a slight pink sheen, to baby blue and ending with the matte royal blue colour.

I lined my waterline and lower lash line with the Urban Decay 24/7 glide on pencil Rockstar and set that with Sugarpill Poison Plum. 

I am not sure you can see it, which is a shame, but after winging a liner I sprinkled Sugaprill Stella on top to add some sparkles (Stella is a black loose e/s infused with rainbow glitter, absolutely gorgeous!)

On my cheeks and lips, I used two Tarte products…but more on those in the near future 😉

For the second look I would like to show you, I pulled out a pigment I had not used in ages: Lucky in Love by MAC. I think it’s a limited edition shade…a light turquoise awesomeness which oscillates between green and blue.

Somehow the photos do not justice to this makeup because I think, in person it looked stunning! I am extremely self-critical and often end up thinking, “Gosh, why did I post this makeup look?! It’s bloody awful!” When I look at photos later, it always seems to me like the blending isn’t good enough, or the liner isn’t perfectly winged, or I am not satisfied with the shape of the crease…the list goes on and on…And don’t even get me started on my photography skill…those gravitate around 0 and below. I am doing my best to get better 🙂

Every now and then, though, I look at the mirror and almost want to pat myself on the back nodding in approval. It’s rare, but it happens. And I feel super mega happy then 😀

That was one of those times…eh, I wish the camera had captured my moment of glory better…

Anyway, for this look I used: Lucky in Love (MAC) and Starling by Sugaprill on the lid. Starling is a mid-tone blue with a very metallic finsih.

I kept the crease neutral and used Inglot #112R. 

For the lower lash line, I pulled out another precious I had been neglecting lately: my Sleek Snapshots palette. I used the lavander and the dark purple shades in it.

I used the same trick with the liner: Stella on top of the black for some more sparkles.

Not sure what I used on my cheeks and lips…

Do you like using blue shades in your makeup? (I know a lot of people creep away from those, as they remind them too much of the 80s, but I think blue is a gorgeous shade, especially on brunettes).

Which is your favourite blue-shaded product (e/s, liner, lipstick)???

 

Mortal combat: budget vs. high-end glitter

Hello!

Do you like glitter? I do! Love it actually…It can easily take a smokey eye from ordinary to glamorous…just like that, in one simple step! If you don’t believe me, you should try it once 😉

So, then let’s talk about glitter for it is an interesting topic indeed…

I have quite a few glitters now, and still a few are on the way. They range from cheap (Chinese stuff from ebay), to average-priced (LA Splash) to high-end (MAC, Make Up Forever, Inglot) and the question is => is there a difference?

The best way to decide it is to show you, right?

Let’s start with the Chinese and LA Splash Cosmetics glitter.

As you can see, in the jar they all (red is Chinese no name glitter, the green and fuchsia glitters are LA Splash) look very nice and sparkly.

Now, given the price difference – a pack of 12 glitters from ebay cost me around 5$, whereas a single jar of LA Splash glitter is 6$ – I expected a difference in quality. Sadly, that turned out not to be the case 😦 What’s in the jars from ebay feels exactly the same as the more expensive LA Splash version…Both give you the impression of finely-cut confetti. Of course, given the main ingredient is PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) perhaps I should have seen this coming…

Both of these “glitters” really need something to stick to, otherwise they fly all over the place and DO NOT stay on your eyelid.

I tried making swatches just to show you what I mean. Below, La Splash’s Fuchsia Fusion and Pineapple Coral glitters (over Essence e/s base, otherwise they fly around immediately):

Do you see what I mean with finely-cut confetti?

Fortunately, I also have three high-end glitters in my collection: MAC Reflects Pearl, Inglot Body Sparkle #65, and Make Up Forever (referred to as MUFE from here onwards) diamond powder #14, meaning we get to compare them to the lower-budget ones 🙂

These three glitters are completely different animals, guys! They have another texture, they stick to makeup even without an additional base, and give that subtle extra glam to your look…

Maybe a photo will deliver the message better – swatches of Inglot and MUFE glitters over Essence e/s base:

Do you see the difference with the lower-budget glitters?

I am all about budget alternatives, but in this case, I will have to give it to the more high-end brands. True, they are more expensive, but they are a better worth of your money.

Don’t get me wrong, the confetti-like version can be acceptable…I mean 5$ for 12 glitters on ebay, no shipping costs…for the occasional user of glitter, or for the sake of experimenting, why not?!

What I do not accept, however, is repackaging those same glitters and selling them x more expensive with a brand name! (I am not angry, just disappointed)

With this experience at hand, my advice to you would be: if you would like a nice jar of glitter to use on occasion, get yourself a mutli-purpose high-end glitter (for instance, MAC Reflects Pearl can be sprinkled on pretty much any look) :).

See my detailed review of LA Splash and Eye Kandy glitters here.

XOXO

P.S. I recently ordered a few glitters from Eye Kandy Cosmetics, which are also in the average price range…Fingers crossed they are not a let down! I will keep you posted on the topic.

My makeup brushes: part 2 (eye brushes)

I sincerely hope you have time now…for this is shaping up to be an eve longer post than the one I did yesterday on my face brushes (if you haven’t read it yet, and you are interested => click).

So, without further blabbing, let us begin…

The brushes here are mainly flat shader and slanted ones.

From left to right:

• Makeup Studio eyeshadow brush #15 – for those of you who do now know this, Makeup Studio is actually a Dutch cosmetic brand. They have good quality products, a bit more on the high-end, in terms of prices. But getting back to the brush…It’s a large flat shader brush. It’s very handy if you have to pack on colour on the whole lid. It picks up a good amount of product. However, due to its size it doesn’t allow all that much precise work, although it you go in with the tip of the brush into the eyeshadow, you can also line your lower lash line with this brush. I wouldn’t say this sort of brush is a must-have. I have no idea what the price of it, as I didn’t purchase it myself. I couldn’t find it online either.
• Makeup Studio eyeshadow brush #21 – unlike the previous one, this is a small shader brush. It’s made of pony hair. I absolutely love love love this brush! I had no idea before I got it, that I would need it so much. It’s really tiny, but it picks up an excellent amount of product..works really well with both e/s and pigments. I use this brush all the time! Again, apologies…no idea what the price is.
• MAC 239 flat shader brush – I assume plenty of you don’t even need me to say more. It’s one of the most popular MAC brushes, and for a good reason. The bristles are made of natural hair, very soft, and they are very densely packed. Thanks to that, this brush is amazing for packing colour on the lid with a gentle patting motion. Of course, I love it ! I bought this brush from an online store for $22 without shipping costs (because in the Netherlands it would cost me at least €25, without the shipping!).
• Hema shader brushes – the two white brushes are from a local store, Hema. They are pretty cheap, made of synthetic hair, and work so-so. They are quite stiff so you can’t pick up a lot of e/s with them, but they do work well with pigments…especially chunkier ones because you can smash them with the hard bristles. Overall, you don’t really need these brushes. A good shader brush must be thicker, with densely packed bristles…not too soft and not too stiff (like the MAC 239 and that small Makeup Studio brush)
• Slanted brushes – girls, you need slanted brushes…yes, more than one! They are extremely useful. You can line your eyes wet or dry, do your brows, draw precise lines, smudge pencil/eyeshadow/gel liner/etc, or even blend with these…What you are looking for is a thin slanted brush (I have seen thicker ones too, and those are not what works best). The first two are Chinese (they came in with a roll-up pouch I ordered on ebay), they work eh, ok. The next brush is a dual ended Catrice brush. I use the slanted part only, the liner end is useless…the bristles stick out, so there is no way you can draw a straight line with it. The slanted part is fine…I use it often. The slanted brush from The Body Shop slanted brush came in as a part of a travel set and works very well..only the short handle is a bit of a bother sometimes. But then again, I also have the Makeup Studio #22 slanted brush…very good brush! The prices vary, but you really don’t need to spend €20 on a brush like that..You should rather do that for a nice blending brush…

Which brings us to the next part:

Again, left to right:

• Makeup Geek stiff dome brush – this brush I bought a long time ago, because it was meant to be dupe for the MAC 217 which I didn’t have at the time. I will come back to the MAC 217 in a bit. It cost around $7 from the MUG website. I think they don’t even offer that same brush any more…it’s another version of it. In short, this one  does blend shadows quite ok, but it’s not a MAC 217. It’s less dense, the bristles are actually quite rough and it sheds a little.  I do, however, use it.
• The Body Shop blending brush – this brush is very soft, the bristles are quite dense and stiff, and I do like it for blending. It costs €12.
• MAC 217 brush – this is the holy grail of brushes simply because it is quite unique. I cannot lie to you…if you want a good blending brush, the best of the best…save up and get this baby! I have not come across a good, cheap dupe for it. When you blend with this brush, you hear angels singing in your ear. It is THAT awesome…and oh so soft ! I bought it online, again from rockthecatwalk, for $20.
• Kruidvat crease/blending brush – Kruidvat is the local drugstore, and since recently they have a pro brush makeup line. But this sort of brush is easy to find from other brands as well. I am pretty sure Essence has one too. These brushes are nice and soft, they go very well through the crease, and they blend too. Both this version and the Essence one, don’t cost more than €2-3. If you don’t want to spend on a MAC 217 brush and you don’t plan on doing complicated makeup, these guys are a great alternative.
• Makeup Geek small crease brush – the next brush in the list is also a MUG one, again not sure if they still offer that very same brush. It was a couple of dollars and I got it a long time ago. It’s a bit like a crease, maybe a pencil, brush but more pointy. It’s very handy for precise work, drawing the outer V, smudging, a bit of blending and applying product on the lower lash line. The bristles are a bit rough and scratchy, but I still do like this brush. It picks up quite some product. For the price, it’s worth having.
• MAC S219 – this a limited edition version of the regular MAC 219 pencil brush. It’s an ok brush, but I can achieve the same with the MUG small crease brush. It’s a bit scratchy and it sheds. I am not sure whether the quality is lower compared to the regular MAC 219 though, perhaps it is…I heard that the limited edition versions are machine cut, whereas the normal ones are hand cut…This one was also cheaper, I think $14 (vs. regular one which is about $20). Again, I got it online.
• The Body Shop Line Softener Brush – this is a spongy pointy brush which smudges liner quite well. I also use it for just drawing a fine line with e/s…I don’t remember the price any more…maybe €8,50, definitely not much more.
• the next two brushes are from Makeup Studio and Makeup Geek – liner brushes. I definitely like the Makeup Studio one better. The bristles are long, sturdy and you can draw very fine lines with it. The MUG ben liner brush had very good reviews on the website, which is why I bought it. I don’t know if I got a bad one or something, but mine has very short bristles and some of them poke out…no chance for a fine line with it! I was sort of disappointed by it. I try to use it every now and then, but I  reach for the Makeup Studio one more often. As a matter of fact, if you have an old liquid liner, you don’t even need to buy a liner brush…just recycle the one from the old liner 😉
• Makeup Studio #10 lip brush – ok, technically this is not an eye brush, but I forgot about it yesterday. I think a lip brush is very useful for any girl who likes to wear bright lipsticks. I really love applying richly pigmented lipsticks with this brush because it settles them so well into the fine lines of my lips.

Like I said, long long post…and I didn’t even include my Bdellium eye brush set, which I already discussed extensively here.

Again, I really hope that this post helps some of you in their quest for the perfect makeup brushes. What are you favourite eye brushes?

XoXo