Products I Miss Most..

We all do it - we overpack when we're going somewhere, and we still manage to forget things or not think of a situation that may require different/more make up - am I right? :P I've definitely had that these past few weeks, and sure there have been several products I thought "dang, I wish I had that with me!", but there have been a couple that I thought that on several occasions!

Here are probably the ones I've thought of the most..

NARS Sin

(I thought it was an autumn/winter colour but it'd be a nice natural accent on the face when I'm not wearing e/s and having a tan. Pinks/corals makes me look a be clowny atm..) 

 28 Neutral Palette

(I want this for highlighting - not liking MAC Brule very much - and for matte light browns!)

Lipbalms

(I only brought my Body Shop Lip Roll On, which is lovely - but it's a bit wet. I miss that balmy feel! The ones in particular that I miss are the BodyShop Born Lippy, the LipIce ones and the Burt's Bees.) 

 OPI Coney Island Cotton Candy (centre)

(A sheer nude that when you have long nails, can make you look like you have french nails - compliments the lightness of summer! I've only got cream/opaque or bright colours atm!)

MAC Style

(Like I said, corals and pinks can look a bit clowny on me at, but MAC Style is relatively sheer - so it'd be a nice wash of colour on my cheeks right about now :( )

Sigma F80 (right)

(Getting a bit sick of applying foundation with my hands - it can get a bit dirty, and I always have to be cautious about streaks! At the same time, I'm not quite sure how often I would've used it cuz it doesn't seem to work with my Diorskin Forever.) 

Pirates of the Caribbean Box Set

(It's not make up but I've watched this set more times than I care to mention - atm I only have the third one, because it was what was in my laptop when I left the UK and as much as I love the film, it's getting a bit repetitive.. AND my favourite one is the second one.)

and finally..

Dior Amber Diamond

(No, I'm not quite sure you can miss something you never had - but I miss having a shimmery white highlight for my inner corner, and I miss highlighting my cheek bones. I actually only have 1 e/s shimmery highlight and 1 powder highlight and that one can look quite white on me when I'm tan, so I'm thinking it would be wise to invest in this at a early stage so I don't spend so much finding the perfect one. I've swatched it and it was a bit shimmery but I reckon it's cuz your finger picks up a lot! Other than that I thought it was perfect, esp cuz I've heard it can be used as eyeshadow too! So I'm debating using some vouchers to get this baby.. of course, after I try it on my face :))

A bit of a self-ramble there at the end, lol, oops. But I'm thinking this is proof that all these products are, or have been at one point, some of my favourite products, as I don't need to see them to think about them and how good they are, and they just pop into mind when you want something in particular!

It sucks, but it's also a good feeling cuz you know you've got some gems in your collection :)

What products have you missed when you were out and about? :)

<3yu

Review: ELF Bamboo Eyeshadow & Smudge Brushes

A few weeks ago, the lovely people from ELF sent me a few products to review - and by god I do love the brand so I was really really excited to try so many things out! :) The first of the batch are the 2 ELF bamboo brushes from the mineral line - the Smudge Brush and the All-Over Eyeshadow Brush.

The Bamboo brushes are a bit more expensive than the other ELF ranges at £5.50, which puts them at about par with other drugstore brushes - still very affordable. However, there is a very high ethical component to them, with their cruelty-free synthetic bristles, sustainable handles (very lightweight though) and recycled ferrules, which explains the difference in price from the normal range which they sell for £1.50, and Studio for £3.50. (If you haven't caught on - I do have a bit of a thing for ethics ;) )

ELF Bamboo Smudge Brush

ELF's website suggests using this to smudge colour along the eye, adding depth to the crease or highlighting the browbone. I found that while the size and shape is perfect for those (except highlighting browbone, I prefer big fluffy brushes for that), it was very difficult to use, as this brush is really stiff and the tip felt a bit harsh against the eyes for any powder products. I did use it for highlighting the inner corner, which was alright because the skin isn't as delicate there I find, and you can use it on its side.

The best way to use this product I thought was for smudging gel eyeliner. It resembles the Maybelline gel eyeliner brush (pictured bottom right corner), but it's a lot stiffer. I also tried this for concealer, and it worked fine for that as well, again, because your skin isn't as delicate on your face than around the eyes.

I'm not 100% sold on this brush - I do think it's a bit too stiff for powder around the eye, I'd stick with a a pencil brush like the MAC 219 - it's good for emollients, but don't find myself reaching for it everyday.

ELF Bamboo All-Over Eyeshadow

This brush, however, is rapidly climbing its way to being my favourite eyeshadow brush. As you can see from the pictures, it's pretty freaking fat, and is a lot more tapered than the MAC 239 and the normal line ELF eyeshadow brush (both pictured). Although I compared it to these 2 brushes for the sake of being eyeshadow brushes, the functionality is completely different.

This brush is AMAZING for less finely milled eyeshadows like MAC Lustre finishes (finally, a solution!). I can't put my finger on why, but I think it's the extra bristles that are exposed because of the tapering, which allow for more 'pick up'. I think the denseness of the brush helps too.

Extremely hard-packed eyeshadows like MAC Frost finishes and mineral eyeshadows that are pigmented but sometimes difficult to pick up colour on flat brushes, also work extremely well. The bristles are a bit stiffer, which allows for more 'scrapage' (is that a word?), but this stiffness doesn't come across as scratchy when used on the eye like the Smudge Brush.

Because it's hyoooooge (huge), it lets you apply colour faster and to a bigger area. I think the best way to describe it would be the MAC 217 in an eyeshadow brush shape - just stiffer.. if that makes sense, lol. Because of the dense-ness and fatness, it is also usable as a blending brush which makes it extremely convenient for travelling - you only need this brush, because it's also big enough to do your brow highlight, and turn it on its side, and it can slide right in your socket.

I genuinely do love this brush, I think it's so well designed - for people who have had issues with MAC Lustre finishes, TRY THIS. I am a bit sad to say that I've been reaching for this more than my MAC 239 - which I paid loads for! I also think it's worth the extra £4 to upgrade from the normal line eyeshadow brush - which I haven't used much since I got my MAC 239.

***

So.. that was a bit of a bipolar review, haha. I hope you guys found it helpful - needless to say, the ELF Bamboo Brushes are a great way to get around natural-haired brushes and do your bit for the environment, but they do seem to be a bit of a hit-or-miss range so I recommend checking out some other reviews too :)

Have you tried any brushes from the Bamboo range? Which are your favourite, and which do you want to try? :)

<3yu

I can whole-heartedly promise that this review was completely honest, despite the things being sent to me :)

Review: Sigma Miss Taylor Kabuki

A few weeks ago, Sigma sent me their Miss Taylor Kabuki brush as part of the Sigma Affiliates Programme. Since it's starting to get warmer and powdering is becoming more of a necessity, and with the holiday season coming up, I thought this might be a good time to review this baby :)

This brush retails on Sigma's website at $25 which works out at about £15 without the shipping. I've always found Sigma's shipping services to be really good, and even to the UK most parcels only take about a week, which is always a plus that doesn't put me off ordering from abroad :)

In terms of the product, it's basically the F80 in a purple tin. I love several things about this, but the packaging is something I'm a bit mixed about. I think the tin is a little bit cheap-feeling for £15, but the metallic purple is very flashy and nice. I also love how the casing functions. If you see the little bit sticking out at the bottom of the bristles, that actually comes up to cover up the bristles, therefore protecting them and making it really easy to put the lid back on.

L: Miss Taylor Kabuki, R: F80

As for the actual brush, it is almost exactly like the F80 in terms of the size, but it's just a little bit wider and also a little bit lighter. I feel like the bristles are thinner and it's not as densely packed, which I was really pleased about. It's a LOT easier to swirl than the F80, in that it doesn't drag on your skin and powder application is a lot nicer which I think is a must with a travel brush. With the F80, powder application was a bit too heavy for my liking. With the Miss Taylor Kabuki, I felt it wasn't as cakey and a lot more 'dusting'-like, which is what I prefer.

This also means that other powder products like blushes and bronzers work as well, which really did make this an excellent brush to have when I was away for a weekend, or just in my purse. Although the flat top was a bit difficult for bronzer/blusher, it was still do-able.

For size, it's not too big and would fit in most make-up bags. The lid is very secure so you can even throw it in your bag and you wont have the fear of the lid falling off and crushing the bristles.

L: Miss Taylor Kabuki R: F80

If I had to choose between this Miss Taylor (flat top) or Miss Audrey (round top), I think they both have pros and cons. Miss Taylor can be used for all absolutely anything, but I think powder, blush and bronzer may be better with Miss Audrey's round top. However, I think liquid foundation/blending out concealer is easier with a flat top. Miss Audrey is probably better for the purse and for touch-ups during the day, but Miss Taylor would be more universal cuz you could use it on weekends away and holidays for liquid foundation/concealer. Although I suppose you could use a round top for liquid foundation - it depends on what you need it for!

I was actually quite afraid to wash this, but I found that filling in the sink, and dipping the ends in the water was the best way to do it. Because there's a gap between the tin and the bristles, it's easy for water to get down there and near the roots of the bristles, so I made sure that the brush was always facing down - wasn't as hard as I thought :)

Overall, I'm impressed with this brush, as it's really well built, multi-purpose and it's really handy to have. I can see myself always having it in my make-up bag from now on, it's just so handy :)

The only downside, again, is the packaging which I think feels a bit cheap, so really the only concern is price - and that's the reason why I never bought it myself. However, if you can afford it, I say go for it - it's an incredibly handy brush to have, and it'd be very hard to go wrong with this! :)

Have you got one of the travel kabukis? Any other lusts from Sigma? :)

I'm hoping for the Travel Set in Nice for my holiday this year!

<3yu

Spot Cleaning with MAC Brush Cleaner!

When I first got the MAC brush cleaner, I was a little bit confused - how do I use this? In the end, I gathered some tips from YouTube, and found a way to use it that works great for me so I thought I'd share it with you guys :)

I know a lot of people are going to be like, why would you spend so much on a bottle of MAC's brush cleaner if you can use a baby shampoo? Well, I do use baby shampoo! But I don't have the money or the need to buy more than 1 of each brush, nor do I have the time to deep clean my brushes every night. I also started wondering if all this deep cleaning was even that great for my brushes! And for those of you who still don't think I can justify the £8.50 - honestly, I want the best for my brushes considering the amount I've spent on them, and don't want to risk it with a brush cleaner that might be cheaper but more damaging to the bristles.

Anyway, on to the 'tutorial'/review! Basically what I do, is fill a spray bottle with 50% MAC brush cleaner and 50% water - you can see the difference in colour here:

And then spray it on the bristles (not the ferrule!) against a dirty towel who has kindly dedicated his life and soul to assisting me in brush cleaning.. I wouldn't suggesting spraying the towel, because it would absorb most of the product and not transfer to the brush. This is my Sigma E35.

And then swirl it gently on the towel until bristles are clean! Remember to always go with the grain,  and spray and reswirl (?) as necessary.

So there you have it!

This dries in like a minute, and I can safely say it's been a very good addition to my vanity! I would rate this product 8/10, mainly because it's kind of hard to use, a bit impractical for foundation brushes, and also because it's not amazing in the sense that my white bristles still stain over time.

But with this method, because you dilute it with water, and you get 235mL in the first place, you get a LOT of use out of it for £8.50. Would recommend! :) Nothing but the best for those pricey brushes <3

How do you spot clean?

<3yu

P.S. This post is very pink, isn't it.. lol.

Review - Sigma F80 :)

A week or.. probably even more ago, I received the Sigma F80 from Sigma Beauty's Sigmax HD Brushes range from the Sigma Affiliate scheme. I know I have a lot of UK readers, and for us it's quite a big decision to order from Sigma because sometimes the shipping can add up. So I wanted to make a quick video to tell you what I think to help you decide if you should invest or not :) Enjoy!

You can get these brushes from Sigma Beauty, where if you spend more than $30 you will also receive a free gift! I also have a review on the E35 and E50 here if you are interested :)

Hope that helped!

<3yu

P.S. The items were sent to me for free, but this did not affect my opinion expressed in the video :)

Review - The Brush Guards

Brushes are probably one of the most expensive cosmetic products you'll ever buy, and it came as such a surprise when I found out that only one company has thought to create a product to protect these babies. Anyway, I decided to invest in some, considering they are quite cheap and they seem very useful.

The main uses for the Brush Guards are to protect them during travelling or washing. I haven't travelled with them just yet, but I did use them for a wash and pictures will be below :)

I purchased the Variety Pack which comes with 6 guards - 1 big one, 2 medium ones, 2 small ones and 1 tiny one, and including shipping, it cost me about £5.50. Bargain!

So here is how I used them. After I washed the brushes, I stuck on the appropriate Brush Guard, and then dried them upside down in a cup.

As you can tell, this is a major plus, in that you can dry them in a way you KNOW that the water wont get down in the ferrule and ruin your brush. Can't do it without these!

The picture on the left is right after I washed the brush and put the Brush Guard on, and the right is how it came out. The Duo-Fibre brush was a bit disappointing as it did not dry completely overnight. I'm not sure if it has to do with the ventilation of the Brush Guard, as it usually dries fine on its own. However, the other brushes I did this with (which are all smaller) dried completely fine.

The second thing I noticed was that you really need to get the size of your Brush Guard right to make sure it doesn't make your brush shape strange. I had this issue with my Sigma Large Flush Brush E50, but it was fine after I wiggled it about on the back of my hand a few times. Of course for most brushes, like my Sigma E35, the result was actually less splay-ey than usual after a wash:

 

The third thing I noticed was that the bristles seemed a lot softer than usual. I'm not sure if the Brush Guard had anything to do with it but they seemed REALLY soft.

So would I recommend these? Yeah, I would. Especially if you travel a lot, and also cuz they are cheap and they give you a sense of ease because your brushes wont splay. However, I'm not sure they are a necessity if you don't travel, if you already have a travel brush kit, or if you don't have pricey brushes that you are insistent on keeping for 5 to 10 years. I'm personally glad that I bought them, as I really am keen on taking care of my small collection of expensive brushes.

Also, I would recommend the Variety Pack for starters, as you really have no idea what size your brush would be suited for and whatnot. I think after this pack, if I were to get some more as time goes on, I would probably stick with this pack because there are some brushes that I have no fear of splaying (eyeliner brush, stiff shader brushes etc.,) and I don't have a massive collection of small brushes or big brushes.

Hope that helped! You can purchase these from Diane and Malcolm here.

<3yu

To Buy or Not To Buy - the Duo Fiber Brush.

I think when you are just getting into make-up, the duo-fiber brush can come across as a bit of a - do I really need it? product, as it's not necessarily a 'classic' brush that you see and recognize everywhere. It's one of those things that you know about if you are actually into make-up.

At least that's the feeling I had at first, and so that's why I decided to make this video to kind of outline why you would get it, and why you wouldn't..

Image from www.maccosmetics.co.uk

Here are the main reasons why..
- You have multiple foundations - different foundations need different applicators! :)
- You aren't happy with how your foundation applies at the moment.
- You can get it for really cheap, and so there's not much to lose.. even if you don't like it..
- ..you can use it for powders, blush, highlighter and contour as well.

Here are reasons why you shouldn't..
- You are already happy with how your make-up applies.. basically, lol.

Take a look at my video for more details.. :)


(Great screenshot, I know! :P)

I personally bought one because I heard about the "air-brushed" finish that you can get, and I've never regretted it. It's such a versatile brush that I think no matter what price-range brush you get, it is a good investment. It broadens the potential of your products, and gives them a different finish from another tool that you may already have. I fully recommend it! :)

Here are where you can get some stippling brushes:
- MAC Cosmetics
- Superdrug
- Ebay
- Sigma Make up
- E.L.F UK
- GOSH (Thanks Christina :)) 

Hope you guys found this helpful, and let me know if you have any questions! :)

<3yu

MAC Haul - Winter 2010

Hi guyssssss - I'm 2 away from 100 followers! Woo, thanks everyone! :)

So the 'hiatus' has gone tits up - I'm finding that I'm not going out as much because I've gotta save my mula so I'm home trying to do work and.. this is where I usually end up - on Blogger.

Anyway, on the last day of term and yesterday, I went to MAC to get a few things, so I thought I'd do a haul post because they were both too small to do one each :P Being an airhead, I now realise I'd already shown you guys one of my lipsticks that I got in a blogsale, and also that I'd gotten an eyeshadow called Tempting in the end of October that I forgot to include in the photos.. ugh.

The items here are..
- MAC Creme Colour Base in Hush
- MAC Lipstick in (L) The Faerie Glen (LE from the Tartan Tales) & (R) Creme Cup
- MAC 239
- (imagined) MAC Tempting E/S

Tempting E/S:

I got this in Oxford, and I had an awful MA who did nothing in helping me choose between this and Woodwinked. I concluded that Woodwinked might be too orange, and if not, it's a bit lighter than what I was looking for anyway :) I love this colour!

(This picture is from My Gorgeous Pink Cheeks on her post.)

Creme Colour Base in Hush:
The CCB was a semi-impulsive buy, triggered by Tanya's video on contouring, highlighting and blush. I'd never really heard of CCB's before, and I haven't really used it yet, only swatched, so I'm really excited to give it a go.

The funny thing was, the MA there (this was bought in Japan) kept on insisting it was an eyeshadow-only base and that I shouldn't use it on my face.. what the.

The Creme Cup & 239: was bought in Birmingham during Christmas shopping with my lovely boyfriend (who puts up with my make-up obsession all the time.. bless <3).

I figured that an eyeshadow brush which I will use everyday should be a high-quality and long-lasting investment. I was very disappointed the first two times I used it, as it seemed so flat, not picking up any colour and kind of squeaky against my eyelid.  However, after 2 washes it's starting to warm up to me ;P.

As for the lipstick, I went in to buy Angel, but I was very surprised at how blue-toned it looked on me. I had the same issue with Creme Cup but my boyfriend really really liked it, so I decided to get it. I've found that under different lighting, it looks different.. so atm it is a very mixed lipstick, with lots of confusion mixed into generally happy-times.. :P

I also got another free make-up kind of bag as well as a sample of Prep & Prime but Idk if I'll use it.. I still have the last tube left!

So there is my MAC haul saga.. Well done if you've read all the way down to here lol! I actually have a few more items waiting for me back in England that I ordered, so keep your eyes peeled for that and until then..

Let me know what you've gotten from MAC recently :)

<3yu

Favourite Products of 2010!

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your lovely comments on my Hiatus post. I've been having a great time with my family, but today we're having a chill night so I thought I'd take the time and figure out what my favourite products of 2010 are :)

This is honestly my first year being truly into make up and I think I started around March/April-ish, and it completely sky-rocketed after the creation of my YouTube channel in May. So you'll find that a lot of the things I put in here are things that I bought in the last half a year so.. excuse me if it's not ALL of 2010 :P

Enough babbling I think! :)

The Runners Up - in no particular order are..

(Top L clockwise: MaxFactor False Lash Effect; MAC Satin Taupe e/s; Duo-Fibre Stippling Brush; ELF Eyeshadow Brush; Sleek Storm Palette)

MaxFactor False Lash Effect Mascara I think it just a great all-around mascara, that helps to enhance rather than make me look unnatural. Love it.

MAC Satin Taupe deserves all the raving it gets - it's a brilliant colour, hard to dupe, and has been one of my go-to autumn/winter colour!

The Duo-Fibre Brush is something that changed how I see foundation - it's so much more fun and stress-free because of this brush :)

The ELF Eyeshadow Brush is the best e/s brush I had for a while in terms of quality and price, and is something I wouldn't throw away even if I have the MAC 239 now.

The Sleek Storm Palette probably leading the way as it is one of my first palettes, incredibly useful, and just so well-rounded.

Tied for 4th Place are..

 (L: Rimmel London's Nude Delight No. 700 & R: Coastal Scents 28 Neutral Palette)

Rimmel London's Nude Delight Lipstick No. 700 is my perfect nude that I have been searching so long for. I've never looked back on the day I got this and it was my go-to lipstick over the summer! It's hybernating atm and replaced by MAC's The Faerie Glen, as Nude Delight is very much a summer nude, but it will come back in a couple of months I'm sure :)

Coastal Scents' 28 Neutral Palette - you've heard me rave about this in the review. Go check it out here! :) In short, extremely usable, value for money, alternative while I grow my MAC collection, allows for new looks with matte colours, and everything else wonderful :)

3rd Place is also a tie with..

(LOL I'm such a cheat!)

 (L: MAC Blush in Style & R: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus)

MAC Blush in Style is my one and only MAC blush, and it has been that way for so long because it's my go-to blush, I love it, I know it looks good on me, and.. well, I love it.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish is like the stock room people in stores that you always forget exists but would be hopeless without! :P Something I reach for everyday, and something that is just so beautifully subtle and unnoticeable. It's light, it's barely there but has very good coverage.. I'm not sure what to say, I think other lovers out there know what I mean lol I forget its existence but does its job.. this is making me confused! LOL!

2nd Place goes to..

The Bodyshop Seaweed Series

This changed my skin. I'm sure the meds from the dermatologist did too, but this just cleanses my skin and maintains it so well. It just washes it to the right level - not too harsh, not too useless. It does the perfect middle ground for me, I feel like I'm just washing my face with water but.. better lol. God I really am confusing myself here..

& Favourite Product of the Year goes to..

MAC Studio Finish Concealer with SPF 15 in NC35

Alongside the Bodyshop Seaweed series, this concealer helped repair my teenage-acne prone skin both physically and emotionally (too deep Yu, too deep). Whenever I used other concealers and saw that they didn't cover my scars, I was very conscious of it and felt like my scars were too big to be covered, and therefore I required more coverage than everyone else cuz everyone else didn't seem to have scars. Guess they were using MAC Studio Finish Concealer :P

So there ya go! :) My lovely best friends of my make-up bag & sink (haha) - hope you guys enjoyed!

If you have any questions about the products, do feel free to ask :) & don't forget to link me to your yearly favourites! :)

<3yu

P.S. Keep an eye out for a video on this :)

Mini-Haul/Mini-Review: SIGMA! :)

I was so excited yesterday when I picked up my Sigma package because this is my brand new start to main-stream brush collecting. I have one Ben Nye, a few E.L.F, and random drugstore/ebay ones.

These are from the Black Friday sale that Sigma had, where they offered free world-wide shipping which is an absolute bargain for people outside of the US. The last time I tried to order from Sigma (didn't go through with it for this reason), they had pretty crazy shipping prices and it wasn't worth it to order anything less than 2 or 3 brushes (it makes sense now because they sent 2 brushes in an almost A3 sized envelope.. just, why?). And I know that Love-Makeup.co.uk has Sigma brushes but they are also pricier than the US site and I just never really feel like being so blatantly ripped off :P.

Anyway.. here are the beauties :)

 

(Top: Tapered Blending Brush E35/SS222 & Bottom: Large Fluff Brush E50/SS227)

E35/SS222:
This is your average tapered blending brush, and this is what I really really wanted from Sigma. However, I was expecting it to be extremely fluffy and more like what I imagine the SS224 to be. But it's actually rather stiff, and I find it better to apply crease colour than it is to blend.

E50/SS227:
This was supposed to be my additional 'goodie' and not the real reason why I ordered from Sigma. I just thought it was really cute and just something different that you can't really find in drugstores. It is SOOOO much more than that. In the 24 hours (even less!) that I've had this brush, I've found multiple ways to use it. Highlighting brow bones, all over lid colour, face highlight, blending eyeshadow, but my favourite way to use this is to powder areas where I'd applied concealer with my MAC MSFN. I've stopped powdering my whole face and was finding it difficult to get the precision and coverage I need with my other brushes (powder brush, Sigmax-ey brush, kabuki etc.,). This provides excellent coverage, and can get right under your eyes, and around the nose, as well as general surfaces. This is probably a brush I cannot live without anymore :)


I know I've had ridiculous amounts of hauls but the best is yet to come.. MAC Birmingham tomorrow :)

Have any of you guys tried Sigma before?  If you live in the UK, what do you find to be the best alternative to MAC?

<3yu