Make Up: Brushes

Les Mini de Chanel: Holiday 2015 travel brushes set

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Les Mini de Chanel

How I came to own this travel brush set is amusing, as I actually bought it on my return journey after I spent a month abroad. I did not get to enjoy the Les Mini de Chanel Travel Brush Set while travelling, but as soon as I saw it on that airport shop I knew that it was a pretty nice set to add to my collection and that it would be really useful in the future.

The first thing that I noticed was that some of the brushes had shapes that one does not see that often in travel sets and that they would nicely complement my Laura Mercier Travel set. I also noticed that these brushes are really small, even for travel brushes, and that they have really soft bristles.

The set has five brushes, of which two are face brushes and three are eye brushes. It came in a a round mesh black toiletries bag which also contained a round mirror (both not pictured here).

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Chanel Powder brush and Face Contour brush

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Sunday Summary vol. 7

~ tirurit ~ 2 Comments

Sunday Summary

 

And here we are, as another week has flown away! I sometimes truly have the feeling that time slips through my fingers like sand. I am already stressing over what to do once the season is over: holidays, visit family, study…

In any case, today I have completed my #rainbowchallenge on instagram. This colour themed series of posts has been lots of fun to prepare as I have gone through my stash and rediscovered some old loves. And call me vain if you want, but I think it has beautified my grid! 😉

While we are on the topic of instagram, I have recently started following makeupmouse. So creative! I specially like this crying glitter look here.

On the same social network I discovered that there is a brand out there that does Harry Potter nail plates! Gorgeous nail art here as an example. And yes, I too am still waiting for my letter to arrive almost 20 years late.

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New Mac brush: 135

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Mac 135 brush

My new addition to my brush collection is just gorgeous! Have a look at it!

I was really excited about the launch of the Mac 135 brush. You could say that I am always excited about new brushes (except those odd toothbrushes look alikes they launched a year ago) but I was specially excited about this one as it had a shape that I love and tend to go for.

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Mac 135 brush, Clinique powder brush, Dior blush brush

My current favourite setting powder is the Clinique powder brush pictured above. I like the flat paddle shape and use it to gently sweep and pat powder all over my face. As you can see the Mac 135 is very similar, just a tiny bit smaller overall.

I also compare it to one of the old Dior blush brushes. The Dior one is a fuller brush with a flatter top and thus picks up more powder. I use it for a higher coverage or even to apply blush with the tip.

In my opinion the hair feels like very nice goat hair. Perhaps the fact that it is not dyed helps in this regard. It feels the softest of these three if you gently swipe it, however if you hold it perpendicular to your face you will feel the bristles.

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New MAC brushes: 221 and 137

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MAC brush 221 and MAC brush 137

I can resist anything except temptation

Oscar Wilde

If the witty Oscar Wilde had had the (mis)fortune of meeting me, he might have changed that phrase onto “She can resist anything except brushes”.

When I entered my local MAC Store to have a look at the MAC So beauty collection, my eyes were immediately drawn towards these two beauties.

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MAC Pro brush 205

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MAC brush 205

 

 

In my recent visit to the MAC Pro Store I grabbed one of the Pro brushes that I had been curious for a while. The MAC brush 205 is a small synthetic fan brush that is intended to be used to apply mascara.

 

 

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MAC brush 205

 

 

As you can see above, there are two lenghts of bristles, and to me the short ones feel stiffer than the long ones.

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Bye bye: various brushes and 28 neutral palette

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For some time now I have been decluttering my stash of lower quality products, those that did not work for me or simply those that for any reason I did not reach for.

In the case of the ones featured in this post, we could consider them my training wheels, as I am putting aside to give away or throw away some brushes that I bought when I first started and a cheap basic palette that has allowed me to play with different colours without breaking the bank.

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Kiko has some decent brushes and at affordable prices. They have both permanent and limited edition brushes, which are worth a look if you are in the market for basic brushes (specially if you take advantage of the frequent sales).

Above are pictured the face 102 brush and two limited edition brushes. The powder brush is quite dense, works well to blend powder on the face but is scratchy. I have found nicer substitutes to this one.

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MAC Pro Brush Canisters

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If you love brushes, how to store them is the natural question that follows to the excitement that the arrival of a new brush induces.

Many a solution can be found around the net, many of them very pretty displays  that showcase them.

I did try the whole jar filled with rice, but the truth is that the rice attracted insects and that the brushes would quickly acumulate dust. I also kept my most valuable brushes in a brush roll, only to discover that some of them had had their shapes slightly deformed.

So while I waited for the ideal solution, I kept mine in the plastic containers that sugar sackets came in as a cheap, unbreakable and lightweight option.

I would surf the net and find wonderful storing options like displays and lined drawers in this forum, but I would moan my lack of storing space. Then I found this post and I found solutions that would work for me: keep the brushes dust free, not take up much space and do not risk flat sides by keeping them upright.

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Latest discovery: Zoeva 142/Concealer Buffer

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Zoeva 142/Concealer Buffer

  I must say that the Zoeva 142/Concealer Buffer brush (8.80€) had picked my curiosity for a long time. I had seen it in various blogs and I thought that the size and shape could be something interesting to play with.

It is a small round shaped and tapered brush made of synthetic bristles. It is quite dense, and so you can really buff products in. However, it is also very soft, so no fear of irritating your skin.

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Zoeva 142/Concealer Buffer

 

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Bye bye: MAC Fabulousness collection travel brush kits

~ tirurit ~ 4 Comments
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MAC Holiday 2012 travel brushes

 

At one point I thought that these travel brush kits were a good inversion; even if they were not of the same quality as the regular brushes, you still had the same shapes with shorter handles. Plus, how cute are these kits? A lot!

Well I stand corrected. I have brought these with me on some trips since I purchased them in December 2012, but they have been used more out of despair (no other tools available) than true enjoyment of the items.

These brushes are mass produced and it shows: some do not retain their shapes properly, some are scratchy, some have inaccurate shapes. In short; do not bother!

Perfectly Plush Brush Kit/Essential

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MAC Perfectly Plush Brush Kit/Essential

 

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New: Laura Mercier Luxe Travel Brush Collection

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Laura Mercier Luxe Travel Brush Collection

 

Since I first had news of this Laura Mercier Luxe Travel Brush Collection (100€) being launched in time for the Holidays, I have been not so secretly coveting it.

I am weak, oh so weak, so December 2014 shall enter the annals of this blog as the month when I went brush mad and not only purchased the Wayne Goss brushes from my previous post, but this set as well.

I was in the market for a concealer brush, so I headed to my local Laura Mercier retailer thinking about getting the Secret Camouflage one. They did not have it in stock, so I asked them to order it for me. While I was waiting I kept glancing at the brush set and even petting the blush brush.

I went home, thought about it, and since the set included the concealer brush that I wanted and I had read some fantastic reviews about it (here ) it seemed only logical to get the set (the lies we tell ourselves!).

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