BH Cosmetics - 10Pc. Pop Art Brush Set

 

 

So I ordered this Pop Art Brush Set from BH Cosmetics and I was super excited to receive them. It is my first time using brushes from BH and I can say this set in particular is very well made.  The barrel is very sturdy, the bristles are very soft to the touch, I love the fun neon colors, and they come in a travel brush holder which is very convenient to take them on the go.

I have listed each brush name in the photo below and your basic brushes needed for every day are included in this Pop Art Set.  Brushes included in this set are: Powder Brush, Angled Powder Brush, Foundation Brush, Complexion Blending Brush, Flat Complexion Brush. Eye Blending Brush, Fluffy Angled Brush, Angled Liner/Brow Brush, and a Lip Brush. 

 

 

Every brush works great  but I would have to say that my favorite brush is the powder brush.  This brush applies powder foundation beautifully and because the bristles are so  dense and soft a medium to full coverage finish is easily achieved.

I would absolutely recommend these brushes not only because they are a great quality but also because they are affordable.  You can purchase these brushes at www.bhcosmetics.com  and regular price for this set is $24.95.  BH is always running great sales so keep checking their site regularly and I am sure you will find this set and other products at a steal.

 

 

Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm

 

"Big Apple"

 

 

 

 

This was a product that I was looking forward to trying....and I must say that right off I love the packaging.  The lip balm comes in a glass pot similar to a gel liner with an extended lid that houses a lip brush. I am glad that this lip balm includes a brush because it is very convenient and is great for sanitary purposes since you do not have to dip your fingers in the pot.

 

Although this is a lip balm I think that it is far from...lip balms are for the most part very sheer and this has the consistency of a lipstick.  "Big Apple" is a very beautiful red and applies very smooth and is not dry at all.   In the photo below I applied only one coat of the lip balm and it was moisturizing and long lasting.  A second coat of the lip balm can be applied to intensify the color and achieve the true color of the lip balm.

 

 

I fell in love with this lip balm and I will definitely be trying out more colors.  These lip balms currently come in 18 different colors and can be purchased at www.cailyncosmetics.com  for $19.99.

 

 

 

 

 

Jesse's Girl Liquid Liner vs. Essence Super Fine Eyeliner Pen

 

 

I Just received the Jesse's Girl liquid eyeliner in my September Ipsy Glam bag (www.Ipsy.com)   ...I must say I was excited because I have always wanted to try it out but never got around to buying it.  I am currently using the Essence Super Fine liquid liner and decided to compare  the two.  

                                                                                                                                                              

      

Jesse's Girl           Essence

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the photo above both eyeliners are very pigmented.  Jesse's Girl is more of a brush tip and according to the packaging it is similar to a Chinese calligraphy brush.  I was a little concerned when I saw how much Jesse's Girl bled when swatching it on my hand. It  is very inky releasing a lot of product as I was applying the liner. If you are not use to using liquid liner this may not be as easy to control during application.  

 

The Essence liner has a felt tip and does not release as much product as Jesse's Girl which gives you a bit more control in the application. 

 

 

On the packaging of Jesse's Girl it does say that it has an "all-day" water proof formula.  I did run my hand under the faucet and rubbed over both swatches on my hand 3 times. (see image below) Immediately Essence rubbed off and Jesse's Girl for the most part stayed.

 

 

  After an hour I rubbed both of my eyes (dry hands)  about 4 times to check for smudging...Essence did rub off a bit and Jesse's Girl cracked a bit but not much.  Both liners can be long wearing as long as you are not rubbing your eyes.

 

Essence dries to a complete matte finish while Jesse's girl has a bit of a shine to it.   Both of these are great liquid liners and I would recommend both.  Essence can be purchased at Ulta stores and costs about $3-$4 and Jesse's Girl liner cost $6.99 and can be purchased online at  www.jessesgirlcosmetics.com.

 

 

 

Real Techniques Starter Set

Samantha Chapman of YouTube channel Pixiwoo has created a line of makeup brushes called Real Techniques. I have heard many great things about these brushes and had to try them for myself. This is the starter set...which contains five eye brushes.  The brushes from left to right are:  Base Shadow Brush, Deluxe Crease brush, Accent Brush, Pixel-Point Eyeliner brush, and a Brow brush.  Included is a panoramic brush case, it is a 2-in-1 case + stand and the brushes are ultra-plush, synthetic taklon bristles and are hand-cut and 100% cruelty-free.

 

I have been using these brushes for a week now and they are very soft and great quality, and I couldn't be happier.  This set is $18.00 and can be  purchased at Ulta or on their website at realtechniques.com.  They also offer a Core Collection set which is a set of face brushes for foundation,blush,etc. which is also $18.00.

Real Techniques also offers a selection of individual brushes as well.  My personal favorite so far is the eye liner brush.  It is the best liner brush I have used and it is very easy to create the finest line up to a thick line as well, Definitely check out these brushes.  Not only are they amazing but they are very affordable.

Salon Perfect- Perfect Brow Defining Kit

So I kind of have thin eyebrows and like to try different brow products to fill them in. I am not too crazy about some brow pencils because some of them tend to look a little too fake and obvious that they are filled in. I found this brow kit at Wal-Mart for only $7.97. It comes with three brow colors to custom mix your own brow color, and a brow highlight along with a dual end brush and brow wax pencil.

To apply this you groom your eyebrow with the spoolie to even them out and then apply your choice of one or a mix of the powders, after applying the powder the instructions say to then go over your brows with the brow wax to set in place.

On my right eyebrow I tried a mix of the brown and black and set it with the brow wax . For me personally the right brow just looked too fake on me and was clear that my brow had been filled in, I felt the wax did not help it. The wax made the color look painted on, The black however looked a bit more natural on me which I used on my left brow with out wax.

 

Overall this is a good product...I am not against using the brow wax; however, I would recommend that it be used lightly first to groom and set your brows in place and then apply your color.

Stilleto Tape Dispenser

So i thought this was soo cute...I had to buy it for my desk/vanity. Aside from its purpose I can also use it to tape off the outer side of my eye to get a straight edged line when doing my eye shadow. I don't do this on my everyday makeup but for more dramatic looks that need a straight edge I will use it.

I originally saw this on Officemax.com but they do carry it in stores, Online it is $9.99 and in the store it is about $11.00 or $12.00 dollars. It is still cheaper in store because you will not have to pay shipping

NYX Cream Shadows

 

I saw these cream shadows at Ulta and the colors were so vibrant and beautiful that I wanted to try a couple of them. They were buy one get one half off so it was a pretty good deal. Ulta almost always has a special on their cosmetics and prices are reasonable. I dont typically like cream shadows because they tend to crease but i liked these. They are long lasting and do not rub off easily. I would definitely recommend these. These can be used alone as a shadow or can also be used as an eyeshadow base for blue and purple shadows.

When swatching these cream shadows I noticed that the blue shadow is a bit thinner than the purple one and needed two or three coats to get it to show up more but as you can see in these pictures it still looks a bit thin. The purple however swatched in one slide...i did not have to dip into the shadow anymore

With an eyeliner brush these can be applied as liquid liner.