My Makeup Brush Collection: Face Brushes

Meet my babies!!! Haha 

For this post I'll just be doing my face brushes so this isn't forever long. The little holder these brushes are in is from Target and it's actually meant to be for cotton balls and q-tips.. But it works even better for makeup brushes if I do say so myself :) 

So... Here we go. I just wanna mention that some of these brushes are dirty from using them so, I'm sorry!

This is an update to my foundation brush. I started using this Sedona Lace brush when my Sigma F80 brush got a little run down (after about a year). This is the FB 07 Flat Top Buffer, I love love this brush! It is so soft and applies foundation so beautifully. This brush is really dense, but not quite as dense as the Sigma F80.

I use this for liquid foundation every day. I press the foundation into my skin with this rather than buffing it in in a circular motion. This is great for liquid foundation because it is made with synthetic hairs so that the product is not completely absorbed back into the brush during use! 

This is $18.95 but I got it during a 1/2 off sale.

Here is my favorite brush to apply concealer with. This is the Sigma F86 Tapered Kabuki. I use this to apply concealer on my eyes, under my eyes, between my brows, and my chin. This brush is extremely dense.

This brush is also synthetic so it's ideal for applying cream and liquid products because it won't absorb too much of the product.

This brush is $24.00 and there are always numerous coupon codes available for this brand, they usually change every month. Just Google "Sigma coupon code" to find an active code (Retail Me Not is great)! 

I use this big fluffy tapered brush for setting my under eye area and other areas where I applied concealer. This brush is meant to use with powder products. 

This is the Sigma F25 Tapered Face brush. The recommended use for this brush is to contour with, but as I said I use it to set the under eye area with powder. This is great because the tapered shape of this brush fits right into the inner corner of the eye and other hard-to-reach areas of the face. 

This brush retails for $33.00 and I got it as a gift for Christmas. Again, be sure to Google coupon codes first! 

Okay, this gigantic brush is my favorite!! I use this all over my face to apply powder. Obviously, this brush makes it so easy because it's so huge. This brush is also incredibly soft, it literally feels like I'm petting my cat.. Okay not weird.

This is the It Brushes #211 All Over Powder Brush. This brush is synthetic brush hair and ideal for powder application. For the size of this brush being so large it is very lightweight. The hairs of this brush are so so dense and fluffy.

This brush is sold exclusively at Ulta stores online and in-stores. It retails for $40.00 What is great about this brush is that for every purchase IT Cosmetics will donate one brush to the Look Good, Feel Better program to help women face the effects of cancer treatments and gain more confidence! I thought that was very sweet. 

I use this brush on days when I want more of a harsh contour for my cheekbones. The shape of this brush allows for a very precise application and a straight line if you want your contour to be more noticeable. 

This is the Morphe M460 Flat Contour brush. This used to have the writing on it saying what brush it was but that quickly washed off, maybe they have changed how they do that since then but that's just something I noticed. However, I still love this brush and use it all the time.

This brush retails for $13.95. Morphe also has a few other great contour brushes available! 

I use this brush also for contouring/bronzing. I realize this brush isn't ideal for bronzing because it's flat and doesn't give a very natural bronze to your face. I am still searching for a good bronzer brush! I do love it for contouring though! This brush is also fairly dense!

This is the very very affordable e.l.f Studio Powder Brush and I get mine at WalMart or Target. This brush is really great because you can use it for liquid or powder products. It is an anti-bacterial, synthetic, Taklon brush.

This brush retails for $3.00!!! Seriously, I know. It's awesome. So, if you can't afford an expensive foundation brush I would recommend this one for that as well. 

This brush is perfect for applying blush, not to mention that it's super cute. I love the pink dip-dyed tip!

This brush is not available for individual sale because it only comes in a kit. This is from the BH Cosmetics 12 Piece Pink Brush set. I really love BH for their brush sets because they are so beyond affordable and good quality. 

This brush kit retails for $24.95 and is currently on sale for $7.95!!! For 12 brushes! This brand always does amazing sales so check out their other kits as well.

This is a brush I recently purchased and started to use to apply my blush. This is super soft and of course I love that it's pink! 

This is the Real Techniques Blush Brush. This brush would also be great for contouring. This is made with synthetic bristles and therefore is 100% cruelty-free. The handle of this brush is really comfortable to work with. 

This retails for $8.99 and I got mine at Ulta! Love this brush. 

This brush is one that I don't reach to so often. But, this is great for applying highlighter and ensuring that you can't be too heavy-handed with it. The shape makes it easy to highlight the cheekbones and bridge of the nose. This brush could also be used to contour the nose.

This brush is also from the BH Cosmetics 12 Piece Pink Brush Set and is the fan brush.

The kit is available now for $7.95!!

This brush right here is the reason I don't reach for that fan brush too often. I use this brush to highlight my cheekbones, bridge of the nose, chin, and cupid's bow. The tapered shape again allows for easier application to those hard-to-reach areas.

This is the Sigma F35 Tapered Highlighter. I know that some people also like to use this to set that under eye area as well. I just love to use it for highlighter :) 

This brush retails for $24.00, be sure to Google a coupon code before purchasing!

Lastly, here is a brush that I used to always use to apply my powder. I haven't reached for it as much since I purchased the IT Cosmetics #211 though. This brush is great for powder, liquid, or cream products and also for blush. 

This is the BH Cosmetics Duo Fiber Stippling Brush. This is one of the first "professional" brushes I ever purchased and I have always been in love with it. The duo fiber brush is made with both synthetic and natural hair fibers. So, this brush may absorb more than a purely synthetic brush. The white, longer hairs are synthetic and the black hairs come from the belly of a goat. This brush isn't particularly super dense. 

This retails for a whopping $3.95 right now on the BH Cosmetics Website!!

So that is my face makeup brush collection (the ones I actually use anyway)! Also, If you're wondering where the sticker on my brush holder is from, it came with a purchase I made through Time Los Angeles, which is a company that makes makeup-themed products. 

Thanks for reading this post, I hope you enjoyed & learned something! Be sure to share this post with all your friends! You can follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and like us on Facebook! 

Jaclyn Hill Favorites Palette Review & Swatches

Hello!!

Some of you might know Jaclyn Hill from her YouTube channel. She is a professional makeup artist and she does beautiful makeup tutorials. She recently collaborated with Morphe Brushes to create this palette of 28 eyeshadows for $27.99 (Discount code JACATTACK makes it $25). That is a about a dollar a shadow people!!

This is better quality than any eyeshadow you could buy at the drugstore for a dollar. These are so pigmented, smooth, blendable, and buttery that I don't understand how they aren't losing money from selling these babies for one dollar in the palette. Morphe Brushes mentioned that they want to be known for their brushes and not for the shadows which is why they are so inexpensive. 

There are some really nice warm tones in here. I love the pops of color in here like the green, purples, and purpley-pinks! The highlight shades in here are perfect. I have used the very first one on the top row every day since I got this for my brow bone and inner corner highlight.
One thing about this palette is that the packaging it's in feels a bit breakable. If I travel with this I'll have to be careful to put it back into the sleeve it came in. 
Another negative to this palette is that it is limited edition. But, the shadows in this palette can be purchased individually on their website, it just might be difficult to figure out the names/numbers of the shadows (see below). Also, some of the shadows are more pigmented than others.

Swatches of the 1st and 2nd columns on the left

Swatches of the 5th and 6th columns

Swatches of the last column on the right

Swatches of the 3rd and 4th columns

So, if you're looking for something more than worth your money then check out Morphe Brushes and their eyeshadows. Normally their shadows run for $2 for a single shadow but if you get a palette from them you get an even more awesome discount :)

This palette particularly stuck out to me just because I am a huge fan of Jaclyn Hill :) Morphe has many other palettes available at similar affordable prices so check them out! 
The colors from this palette can also be purchased individually on their site for $2. 

I apologize that this palette is not available at the moment. It will be restocked one more time (February) but then once it sells out it is gone! So be sure to watch for that if you are interested in this particular palette from them.  

BTW for those interested & cannot get a hold of the palette, here are the single shadow numbers by @alaurajade.

Have an awesome day :) 
xo 

DIY Metallic Painted Chest

Hi guys :)

For Christmas last month I received a wooden chest from my boyfriend. It was not painted which I was really excited about because I had the chance to do a little project and pick a really awesome color! This chest is from Porter's Craft and Frame.

 I browsed through Pinterest for ideas when I came across a few metallic painted home decor items. I went to WalMart to look for metallic spray paint (because spray paint is so fast and easy) and I found the perfect gold color.

 I chose a metallic gold by Krylon. The color of the lid on the bottle was really deceiving and I didn't like it until Paige and I sprayed the shelf with several colors to see how they really applied (yes we are those really annoying people who spray on the shelves of WalMart spray paint isle.. sorry not sorry). I'm so glad I tried that though because I wouldn't have bought it if I hadn't seen the true color of it. I also picked up a clear coat to prevent the paint from chipping. These were really inexpensive (about $4).

 So first I removed all the metal details from the box with a handy dandy screwdriver so I wouldn't ruin the color of them. I didn't apply a primer.

 I'm no professional at painting but this was really easy, especially with this color. I just tried to keep the bottle a safe distance from the chest so that the paint wouldn't start to drip. I sprayed as slowly and as evenly as I could. I actually sprayed four layers of the gold color and two layers of clear coat!

 

Above is what the paint looks like in indoor lighting and here on the right is what the paint looks like in outdoor lighting. It looks even more gorgeous in person! I just love the details of this chest too.

So after screwing back on all the beautiful details this is the final result! I'm really happy with how it turned out! This would also look great with some type of stick on decal :) 

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xo

New Years Eve Makeup Look

Hi guys!
As you can probably tell from the majority of my posts I love makeup. I have been watching makeup tutorials on YouTube for probably 2+ years now and finally feel comfortable playing with makeup looks. I did a really fun look inspired by Jaclyn Hill for New Years Eve this year!

 You may have seen this post on our social media pages. I posted this look on Instagram and Twitter first and had no idea it would get so much love. Carli Bybel very sweetly liked this post and shared it to her page which really helped this reach so many more people. I was also asked on Instagram to do a makeup tutorial on this look so I decided I should definitely mention what I used. Thank you all so much for your support!

I started off using MAC prolongwear concealer in NW20 as a base for my eye and under eye area. I blended this in using the Sigma F86 Tapered Kabuki. Next I applied the color Vanilla Bean from Makeup Geek using the Sigma E40 tapered blending brush to the crease of my eye and brow bone to help blend the colors I'll use next.

Next I applied the colors Creme Brulee, Birkin, Cocoa Bear, and Fresh Peach to the crease for dimension.Yes that amount of eyeshadows is really excessive.

Now I started to apply blue colors on the lid as a nice blue base for the pigment later on. I started from the outer corner of the eye with the darkest blue and went lighter with the blues as I went in. I used, in order from outer eye to inner eye: Mermaid by ABH, Houdini, Dragonfly, and Mermaid by Makeup Geek on the inner corner. I applied these using the duo ended brush that came with my Urban Decay palette.

I used the same ombre technique on my lower lash-line using the Sigma E30 Pencil brush.

Now for the fun part! I applied Bitten eyeshadow with my Sigma E40 starting with the outer corner of the eye and bringing it into the rest of my crease. Bitten is such a beautiful deep red color. To further deepen the outer corner I applied Rosette and Deep Plum by ABH. 

It's time to apply the Insomnia pigment! This is the star of the show. Take some glitter glue (I used Too Faced Glitter Glue) or wet your brush with some setting spray, apply this with your finger. Then immediately dip your finger or a brush into the pigment and apply to the center of the eye where you applied the glitter glue. The glitter glue will really just help to keep the pigment from falling on your face, which I had a problem with previously. This pigment is seriously my favorite ever!! Thank you Makeup Geek for making this (very similar to blue/brown pigment from MAC but far more affordable)!!

I really wanted to make the lower lash line pop with blue color so I applied NYX Gypsy Blue retractable eye liner. I also applied the Maybelline Master Kajal Liner in Onyx Rush to the waterline.


As a brow and inner corner highlight I used the color Bling and applied with my Sigma E30.

To finish off this look I applied Velour Lashes Carli Lash designed by Carli Bybel. These lashes are absolutely beautiful and such great quality. I want to wear them all the time but try to save them for special occasions :) I applied using tweezers and Andrea lash glue from WalGreens but any clear or black lash glue will work. Then I applied Physician's Formula eye booster 2-in-1 lash boosting eyeliner and serum right above the lashes just to ensure you can't see the lash band.

So that's the most complicated part :) My brows are in Dark Brown Dipbrow by Anastasia Beverly Hills. For lips I used Tawny lipliner and applied Dose of Colors Berry Me matte lipstick. To set this whole look I sprayed Urban Decay de-slick Makeup Setting Spray for oil control all over my face. This just ensures that my makeup will stay in place and not become too oily. Love this spray.

Phew! Did you make it through all that? I swear it doesn't take me an hour and a half just to to my eye makeup.
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Here are pictures of all the products I used: Just click to visit the site (some products may be sold out):