Review: Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

I'm not the type of person to hop on the band wagon when it comes to anything beauty related. I like to wait for YouTube or blog reviews before I actually go out and buy them, at least most of the time =P

 I've never owned any real techniques brushes despite hearing all the rave reviews on YouTube and the blogosphere. If you asked me why, I couldn't give you an answer but a couple weeks ago Ulta was having a BOGO half off sale on Real Techniques and I also saw that there were 3 new brushes, one of them being the expert face brush with reminded me of a Royal and Langnickel brush that one of my best friends loves. I believe it was the Silk Pro Super foundation brush BC142.

 The expert face brush sort of has a paddle shape but instead of being flat, it's rounded which makes it perfect for buffing in your foundation and doesn't leave any lines because it has no edges. It's also small enough to get into those hard to reach places like around the nose and even under the eyes for concealer if you wish. I've tried this with liquid & cream foundation which applies it effortlessly. Even with cream blush and contouring, I couldn't find any faults. If I could point out something I didn't like about this brush, it's probably the wide base which makes this brush somewhat of a hassle to store but I can look past that fact because it doesn't affect the performance of this brush at all.

Like all of the brushes in this line, they're cruelty free made of synthetic taklon bristles. It's super soft, dense and doesn't absorb foundation. The bristles also don't bunch together as fast as some other foundation brushes so you don't have to wash it every other day( I'm talking to you Sephora Airbrush #55!) washing this brush is a breeze and it dries pretty fast too!  The way the expert face brush performs, you would think it costs more then the low $8.99 price tag it has.  Ulta is always having sales so be on the look out when they have these on sale. Even if it wasn't, I'd still purchase it because it has become my favorite way to apply foundation.

 I hope you found this review helpful if you re in the market for a new foundation brush but are on a budget. 

Have you tried out this brush or any other real techniques brushes?

April & May MyGlam bags

I know I'm super late on posting April's myglam bag so I figured I'd include it in this post.  These 2 bags are better then what we got for the February and March Glam bags but despite that, it still leaves something more to be desired.

The theme of April's bag was girls night out which came in this pink metallic bag. Not my style as it seems like it was for a teenager and it was cheaply made. I had trouble trying to zip it back up but the zipper kept getting stuck.
I received :
Urban Decay 24/7 travel sized liner in Radium- This was a good sample, I was going to purchase a bright blue liner anyways but I wouldn't say these are long lasing on my oily lids.
All-Belle lashes- These lashes were alright but I wouldn't repurchase them anyways but if I did, I'd have to order them online since they don't sell them in the US.
DermStore Lip Quench-I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's a nice color to wear everyday but it's so hard to squeeze the product out.
Myglam brushes-All over eyeshadow brush and angled liner brush- These are not the best brushes but they work fine.

May's Myglam bag theme was Love is in the air. Not sure how they got that since it's May and the contents of the bag seemed like it would be more suitable for February. The bag seems better then April's bag but still not something I would use.
I received:
Studio Gear Complete color Lipstick in Winter Red- It was a decent color but I'm not big on wearing red lipstick. I think a lip gloss would of been a better option for the bag since its usually easier to wear if it was a bold color or not. I just gave this to my mom so that's not going to waste.
Philosophy Love Sweet Love eau de toilette sample- I actually like how this smells but I can get a sample of this at Sephora or Ulta
Miss Beauty Nail Bling- I never got into the nail sticker thing like those Sally Hansen ones which are cute but these seem cheesy and juvenile. I tried to Google this brand but nothing came up. So even if I wanted to purchase more, I can't.
Myglam brushes-Concealer brush and eye defining brush- Again, not the best brushes and these are the type that just gets tossed to the side and collect dust. If anything, I can use them as lip brushes.

I've been with MyGlam since the very first bag back in December and had no issues with not recieving a bag like some people did in January. I wanted to give them a chance since it's still a new company.  I know a lot of people bashed on them so much but there are bound to be mistakes when you're just starting out. That's just how it is. I stuck with them even after the not so great stuff in February and March's bags with the coupon codes they tried to pass off as gift certificates and the samples that were far from being deluxe sized samples, hoping for improvement and they did somewhat but I thought the whole point of a subscription or sampling service is to try out products first given that the products were well known and easily accessible. The brushes you can't get anywhere else but on myglams website if you wanted them. The lashes in last months bag would have to be ordered online and I can't even find any info on the Miss Beauty Nail Bling. It just seems like they aren't putting much thought into what they put in the bag.

Did I keep my subscription? No. I'm sure or at least I hope they will only get better but for now I just decided to cancel and save my money for something else.

Collective haul

Over the last few months, I've been hauling things here and there and realized that I never posted the pictures. If you would like swatches, just let me know but I know there are plenty of swatches all over the Internet =)

L-R: Designated Driver, Tropicalia, Club Havana, On a Trip, Through the Grapevine

All I have to say is these are great drugstore polishes. The wands are a lil too wide but nothing that some nail polish remover and a q-tip can't fix!

Essie nail polishes in Barefoot in Blue, Shine of the Times, As Gold as it Gets & Pure Pearlfection

I received the barefoot in blue from a facebook giveaway that Essie and Tom's were having. Gotta love freebies! The rest of the Essie polishes I picked up in January from a local nail supply store for $4 bucks each. It's where I get all the higher end brands like OPI, Zoya, China Glaze cause they sell them for a lil over 50% normal retail price. These are from the Luxe effects collection. I was tempted to get the ones with the chunky glitter but it's just a pain to remove so I passed.

NYC Matte Me Crazy, Revlon Royal, Sinful Colors Hazardous, Zoya Shay

I never got on with the matte polish trend but I saw the NYC matte top coat and I figured I can make any color matte. I was looking for a royal blue polish and Revlon's Royal fits the bill but I had to apply about 3 coats of it to be opaque. I've been trying to find the perfect coral and although the Sinful Colors nail polish In Hazardous is coral, it leans a bit neon. Zoya Shay, which I believe is from a collection last year is just a simple pretty nude.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Fierce and Tangy & Edgy Emerald

I wanted to pick up more of the color tattoos since I only had one which was Tough as Taupe. Due to all the hype and frenzy over this product, these were somewhat hard to find cause they are new and really that good! So I waited a few months for the craze to die down before I picked up more. Plus they're permanent. I only wish Maybelline came out with a nude base.

MAC Redhead Mineralize Skin Finish

Back in January, MAC repromoted this in the Naturally collection and at first I wasn't interested but after seeing this on other gals with my complexion, I placed an order online since it was sold out at my local counters and store.

Illamasqua Lover blush

NARS Madly blush

One of my sisters gave me a gift card to Sephora for my birthday in February so I picked up a Illamasqua and NARS blush. I've always wanted to try both brands and everyone knows NARS for their blushes, especially Orgasm but I went with Madly instead. It doesn't look like much in the pan but on the cheeks is a different story. I just love this blush!
I haven't tried anything from Illamasqua yet but I heard good things about their blushes. I looked up swatches and settled with Lover because I didn't have anything like it in my stash. Plus I want to add more blushes to my collection =) I know MAC came out with their Tres Cheek collection and there was a blush I wanted called Immortal Flower  but after seeing swatches of Lover and Immortal flower next to each other, I skipped out on it. They look similar but people kept mentioning that you really had to build up Immortal flower for it to show.

Revlon Super Lustrous Coral Reef & Wet 'N' Wild Megalast Purty Persimmon

Tangerine Tango was named color of the year and I wasn't sure if Orange would look good on my lips so I picked up Wet 'N' Wild's Megalast lipstick in Purty Persimmon which was released this year with a few other new shades. I love the megalast lipsticks for their color payoff and formula. If you wanna get into wearing bold lips, I'd say this line of lipsticks is a great product to start with.
I also got Revlon's Super lustrous lip gloss in coral Reef which I've been eyeing for the longest time. It's nice on its own but I love it over a nude lipstick to add a hint of color.

Here's Purty Persimmon on the lips. I like it more then I expected. It's not full on Orange but more of a red-orange. If you want MAC's Morange, try this first. They look almost identical from the swatches I've seen.
 

theBalm Sexy Mama

theBalm continues to impress me with their products and this isn't an exception. I'd say this is a more expensive version of Maybelline's Dream Matte powder. It doesn't really add any color to my skin, maybe just a hint but I don't know how it would fare on deeper complexions.

Clinique Moisture Surge Intense

This was a freebie when I ordered the blushes from sephora. Clinique wasn't kidding by naming this moisture surge intense. I have a few dry spots on my face and this kept them from getting flakey.

MAC Reel Sexy and Tres Cheek haul

First off, I'm sooooo sorry for the lack of posts! My nephew's 1st birthday party just recently past and that's what has kept my attention. Helping my sister plan and of course his cute self is a big part of being distracted. With that already done, Now I can clear my head and blog again =)

No matter how hard I try, as of lately anyways, I can't help but get something from one of MAC's LE collections. This year I am interested in adding more blushes and Lipsticks to my stash so when I heard that MAC was going to have an all blush collection, I heavily stalked specktra's forums to see what people were anticipating and if anyone had uploaded swatches.

I initially had my heart set on getting at least 3 which were Modern Mandarin, Immortal Flower and love cloud but after seeing so many swatches and comparisons, I settled on Modern Mandarin solely because it looked like the most unique blush out of the collection and I didn't have anything like it. Everything else seemed dupable.  People kept on saying Immortal flower wasn't that pigmented and I saw a swatch next to Illamasqua Lover which I recently acquired, and it looked similar enough to pass. I also saw a comparison swatch next to Tarte's Dollface and they looked very close so that was a skip as well.

MAC Modern Mandarin

Now this is a purchase I most def don't regret Purchasing. At first, I was a bit intimidated by this considering the swatches I've seen online looked way too red and just over the top but I got it anyway and I'm glad I did. It is soooo pretty on the cheeks and just gives this fresh, warm youthful glow to your complexion. I've even seen it on some girl who was about an NC or NW 15. Don't let it's vibrancy fool you. With proper application, I think anyone can wear this! Just build up the color to your liking. This was the first to sell out but as of right now, all the blushes are back in stock on the MAC website if you're interested.

Here are some not so great pictures I took with my iPhone 4s on my cheeks and arm swatches:

MAC Modern Mandarin - Left: heavily swatched, Right: applied w/angled blush brush

MAC Modern Mandarin - Left: heavily swatched, Right: applied w/angled blush brush

I waited too long to decide on getting Watch Me Simmer from the SHOP MAC, COOK MAC collection and then it was gone. Surprisingly enough, MAC put this in their Reel Sexy collection only 2 months after it's release so of course I ordered it right away. Application was smooth and not streaky, at least for me. I can already see it being a favorite of mine.

MAC Watch Me Simmer Lipstick

MAC Watch Me Simmer

Last but not least is Reel sexy. it's a pretty BRIGHT and I mean BRIGHT light coral. I find that if I just swipe it on, it comes out looking neon and chalky on me which is not a look I like on myself so I found that by patting it on with well moisturized lips, looks more flattering on me in my opinion. None the less, it's a lovely color.

MAC Reel Sexy lipstick

Reel Sexy patted on the lips

Did you pick up anything from these collections?

NOTW: Water Marble Nails

Hey Everyone! I attempted to try the water marbling technique for the first time on my nails the other day and it wasn't too bad at my first try! I messed up on 1 finger which you can see in the picture but everything else came out fine.

It was pretty simple but the only thing I didn't like was that it's time consuming! If you're wondering what nail polishes are on my nails,  used Sally Hansen Xtreme wear in White On as a base and then for the marbling process, I used Wet 'N' Wild Tropicalia and the ever so popular For Audrey by China Glaze.

Last week I put polka dots on my ring fingers using the same colors. I really like how these colors contrast one another!

Cotton Candy Inspired Look

Spring has Finally sprung and I'm trying my best to play around with more colors. I've also been craving something sweet and saw a picture of a cupcake topped with cotton candy and so I used this picture as inspiration.

 I don't have a bunch of crazy colors but I busted out my 88 palette that I got a few years ago that's been sitting in my makeup drawer, collecting dust. I also used 2 colors from the Wet 'n' Wild Lust Palette for this look. I hope you all like it!

 Products used:

Face

Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer

MUFE HD Foundation 127

MAC Studio Finish concealer NW25 (under the eyes)

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

theBalm Bahama Mama bronzer

MAC Dollymix blush

MAC Accentuate Shaping powder ( cheek bone highlight)

Eyes

MAC Pure White Chromaline

88 palette (blue and pink)

Wet 'n' Wild Lust Palette:

Matte medium purple for the crease

 white color on the top right for the inner corner and brow bone highlight

Essence Midnight in Paris Gel liner

MAC Fascinating Eye Kohl (water line)

L'oreal Voluminous False Fiber Mascara

Ardell #118

Brows

MUFE Brow Corrector #3

Lips 

MAC Budding Love Lipglass

The first picture above was taken with my iPhone 4s and I posted it to instagram. I'll try to post there first before I would post on my blog since it's easier. Do any of you guys have instagram? If so, you can follow me and vice versa.  My user name is Krystyles

Btw, I was thinking of getting one of the 120 palettes but considering there are  5 versions, I'd love to hear your opinions on which to get.

Anyways, I hope you all have a  great week!

Subtle St. Patrick's Day Makeup

I've been in such a neutral rut with makeup lately and since St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, why not paint my face green! Well, a small portion that is. This is something easy to wear without looking tacky especially if you plan on wearing a lot of green clothing. I didn't want to make it complicated so I just used some colors from my Shady Lady Palettes. I threw this look on real quick because I have a cold so please excuse the lack of pictures and sloppiness! Hope you like it!

Products used: 

Face 

MUFE MAT Velvet plus 40 mixed with L'oreal True Match W5

Sheer Cover Duo Concealer in Light/Medium under the eyes

Maybelline Dream Matte powder

theBalm Bahama Mama bronzer

MAC Dollymix blush (applied lightly)

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

Eyes

UDPP

theBalm makeout Mary (lid/lower lash line)

theBalm All about Alex (outer half of lid)

theBalm Jealous Jordana (outer corner/lower lash line)

theBalm Jet-Setting Jennifer (inner corner)

MAC Wedge (crease transition)

Inglot Matte #353 (brow bone)

Essence Midnight in Paris gel eyeliner

L'oreal Voluminous False Fiber Mascara

Miss Adoro lashes #82

Brows

Revlon Colorstay Brow Enhancer in medium brown

MAC Brun e/s

Lips

NYX Pinky Slim Lip pencil

MAC Viva Glam Nicki

 

I Hope you all have a fun and safe St. Patricks Day weekend!