July 22, 2009
July 18, 2009
NYX Caribbean Collection Palettes
I Dream of Jamaica
I Dream of St. John
I Dream of St. Kitt
Depotted and placed in a 15- pan palette together:
(Top to bottom: St. Kitt, Jamaica, St. John)
My thoughts:
I really like all of the palettes. Although some of the colors are similar, they are all a bit different. The finishes are mostly satin, some having a bit of shimmer and some frost. The darker shades fall between a satin and a matte finish in that they are smooth and non- chalky. Definitely worth checking out!
I Dream of St. John
I Dream of St. Kitt
Depotted and placed in a 15- pan palette together:
(Top to bottom: St. Kitt, Jamaica, St. John)
My thoughts:
I really like all of the palettes. Although some of the colors are similar, they are all a bit different. The finishes are mostly satin, some having a bit of shimmer and some frost. The darker shades fall between a satin and a matte finish in that they are smooth and non- chalky. Definitely worth checking out!
July 6, 2009
Auraline Beauty Pro Black Brushes
Face Brushes
How I use them:
125- On days when I need more concealing, I use this brush for applying heavier coverage of mineral foundation onto acne scars and redness.
130- My every day under eye concealer brush (I use it to apply NYX concealer in a jar).
108- I don't really use this one- it is more like decoration! The ferrule is imperfect in that the left and right sides are not cut symmetrically.
127- My absolute fav. blush brush!!! It is extremely soft and is the perfect size.
128- I use this on rare occasions for contouring my cheek bones. When my 127 is dirty, I'll also reach for this brush. It is slightly less soft than the 127, but still feels very nice.
166- I use this occasionally for setting powder over top of my foundation. This badger hair brush is THE SOFTEST natural bristle brush I have ever used in my life. I love it! However, I must mention there is s defect in the brush handle. See below for a closeup and description.
155- I use this for application of powders to my body. It is very very plush and dense with bristles. A downfall is that it bleeds tremendously when washing. It also sheds from time to time; however; both shedding and bleeding lessen after several washes. Please see below for a close up photo regarding a defect in the handle.
kab1- A very soft, plush kabuki brush. Similar in size to no. 155, but slightly smaller and slightly less dense.
Eye Brushes
How I use them:
213- My absolute fav. boar bristle brow brush! It is perfect for me because it is thin enough to fill in my brow tails. Similar to Smashbox's no. 12 brush, but slightly smaller and thinner. I prefer the 213!
317- A good lip brush that would be perfect for travel. The cap slips off of the bottom to cover the brush.
244- A disappointment for me :( See below for close up shots and comparisons to better alternatives.
231- Great for gel or cream eye liner.
224- Awesome for setting eye liner with powder, or for lining the lower lash line with powder or cream liner.
219- An invaluable crease brush for small eyes. I use this almost every day.
252- Another invaluable brush for small eyes. Great for the crease, for a soft smolder on the lower lash line, or for brightening the tear duct.
222- My everyday lid color packing brush. Great for small eyes. I love it!
221- Slightly bigger than the 222, great for medium to large eyes.
254- A perfect supplement to the 219 for blending out colors. Also great for soft blending when precise lines are not desired.
235- Very fluffy soft eye brush that works great on the brow bone. Also wonderful for contouring small areas of the face, like the nose.
279- I love this brush! I use it to set my under eye concealer with powder, and to conceal blemishes with mineral concealer/ foundation.
161 Duo Fibre compared to Sigma SS187
I found the 161 to be a disappointment. The synthetic fibres are much to sparse. While I have learned that I am not a duo fibre brush girl, I would say that for those looking for an alternative to MAC's 187, the SS187 is your best bet.
I
244 compared to Crown Brush's C217 from Coastal Scents
The 244 was another disappointment. The barely- bent ferrule is clumsily stamped and is does not compare to the C217. The synthetic bristles are too agile to precisely apply gel liner. I highly recommend the C217 as an alternative to Smashbox's bent liner brush.
Brush Defects
The finish of the handle on my 166 has a 1/4" rounded crack in it. I do not know how this occurred. While it has not affected the performance of the brush, it does make me sad as I love this brush. The crack has not worsened in the 4 months since I first noticed it.
The 218's ferrule has a stripe of silver showing through. I do not know why the finish has worn away. This has not occurred on any other brushes.
More Cracks! The 155 has very tiny shallow cracks from the ferrule to the bottom of the brush handle. No peeling has occurred, but I worry about that in the future.
How I use them:
125- On days when I need more concealing, I use this brush for applying heavier coverage of mineral foundation onto acne scars and redness.
130- My every day under eye concealer brush (I use it to apply NYX concealer in a jar).
108- I don't really use this one- it is more like decoration! The ferrule is imperfect in that the left and right sides are not cut symmetrically.
127- My absolute fav. blush brush!!! It is extremely soft and is the perfect size.
128- I use this on rare occasions for contouring my cheek bones. When my 127 is dirty, I'll also reach for this brush. It is slightly less soft than the 127, but still feels very nice.
166- I use this occasionally for setting powder over top of my foundation. This badger hair brush is THE SOFTEST natural bristle brush I have ever used in my life. I love it! However, I must mention there is s defect in the brush handle. See below for a closeup and description.
155- I use this for application of powders to my body. It is very very plush and dense with bristles. A downfall is that it bleeds tremendously when washing. It also sheds from time to time; however; both shedding and bleeding lessen after several washes. Please see below for a close up photo regarding a defect in the handle.
kab1- A very soft, plush kabuki brush. Similar in size to no. 155, but slightly smaller and slightly less dense.
Eye Brushes
How I use them:
213- My absolute fav. boar bristle brow brush! It is perfect for me because it is thin enough to fill in my brow tails. Similar to Smashbox's no. 12 brush, but slightly smaller and thinner. I prefer the 213!
317- A good lip brush that would be perfect for travel. The cap slips off of the bottom to cover the brush.
244- A disappointment for me :( See below for close up shots and comparisons to better alternatives.
231- Great for gel or cream eye liner.
224- Awesome for setting eye liner with powder, or for lining the lower lash line with powder or cream liner.
219- An invaluable crease brush for small eyes. I use this almost every day.
252- Another invaluable brush for small eyes. Great for the crease, for a soft smolder on the lower lash line, or for brightening the tear duct.
222- My everyday lid color packing brush. Great for small eyes. I love it!
221- Slightly bigger than the 222, great for medium to large eyes.
254- A perfect supplement to the 219 for blending out colors. Also great for soft blending when precise lines are not desired.
235- Very fluffy soft eye brush that works great on the brow bone. Also wonderful for contouring small areas of the face, like the nose.
279- I love this brush! I use it to set my under eye concealer with powder, and to conceal blemishes with mineral concealer/ foundation.
161 Duo Fibre compared to Sigma SS187
I found the 161 to be a disappointment. The synthetic fibres are much to sparse. While I have learned that I am not a duo fibre brush girl, I would say that for those looking for an alternative to MAC's 187, the SS187 is your best bet.
I
244 compared to Crown Brush's C217 from Coastal Scents
The 244 was another disappointment. The barely- bent ferrule is clumsily stamped and is does not compare to the C217. The synthetic bristles are too agile to precisely apply gel liner. I highly recommend the C217 as an alternative to Smashbox's bent liner brush.
Brush Defects
The finish of the handle on my 166 has a 1/4" rounded crack in it. I do not know how this occurred. While it has not affected the performance of the brush, it does make me sad as I love this brush. The crack has not worsened in the 4 months since I first noticed it.
The 218's ferrule has a stripe of silver showing through. I do not know why the finish has worn away. This has not occurred on any other brushes.
More Cracks! The 155 has very tiny shallow cracks from the ferrule to the bottom of the brush handle. No peeling has occurred, but I worry about that in the future.
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