Favourite Makeup Brushes

Over the years I've collected many makeup brushes - I love the feeling of a soft, luxuriant brush against my face and have always looked at makeup brushes as the best investment in terms of beauty products (they last forever if you look after them, and good ones do make a difference to application!)

What do I look for in a good makeup brush? The top 3 things I look for are:

• It must be soft and not scratchy, yet not too soft so it doesn't hold it's shape (the shape of the brush is key to good application)
• The fibres must be dense enough to pick up enough product
• No hair shedding! this is the sign of a well made brush

Here are some of my favourites (and why I love them)

Left: MAC #187, Right: MAC foundation

MAC stippling brush #187

The cult brush which probably disappointed me slightly because my expectations were much too high (I had read about it being able to apply foundation, blush, powder, everything!)

It’s a good brush for stippling on liquid foundation when you have time and it really does give a beautiful finish. (Stipple foundation on in quick dabbing motions, then blend in small circles for an even finish)

I've seen many copies of it but have found most of them too harsh or prickly for stippling, the original MAC seems to be the only one so far just firm enough for stippling but not too firm so that it's prickly on the face!

I don’t like it for applying anything else, though it may be that my technique is lacking.

MAC foundation brush #190

A classic foundation brush, my go-to for liquid foundation (I'm too lazy to stipple everyday...)

Left: MAC Angled Contour brush, Right MAC Blush Brush

MAC blush brush #129

A good blush brush which is firm and dense enough to pick up enough pigment, and a good size for depositing just the right amount on the apples of your cheeks with one sweep. 

MAC Large angled contour brush #168

A good brush for applying blush as well, the angle and the smaller denser fibres make blush or bronzer application more precise.

I prefer to contour with creams and my fingers (the Scott Barnes method!) so I don’t really use this brush for contouring.

Bobbi Brown Face Brush

Bobbi Brown Face brush

This is a cute little kabuki brush which I use to apply powder foundation and mineral makeup, and it feels really soft and luxurious.

However, I find it a bit too dense for loose/pressed powder application, and when I wash it, it takes 48hrs to dry!

Left to Right: Bobbie Brown Smudge Brush, NARS 15, Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow Brush

Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow brush

A great eyeshadow brush. I got this brush eight years ago and it’s still going strong with multiple washings, travelling, etc. A MUST for any makeup bag, and soft enough to pick up pigment and wash it over eyelids, but also dense enough when you want to press on eyeshadow for a more intense look.

Bobbi Brown Eye Smudge brush

A smaller, denser version of the eyeshadow brush, which I hardly ever use as it’s something in between my eyeshadow brush and my NARS smudge brush. It's very good for picking up eyeshadow and pressing it onto lids for a darker colour, and I use it to achieve a quick smoky eye, but if I could only get one brush for my eyes it would be my eyeshadow brush, not this one.

NARS 15 smudge brush

The cutest brush I own, tiny dense fibres which work well to smudge eyeliner. If I could buy it again though I would get one with a shorter handle, for self-application it's a bit unwieldy given I have to work pretty quick before my eyeliner sets.

Larger brush: Bobbi Brown Ultra Fine Eyeliner, Smaller brush: Napoleon Perdis 2h brush

Bobbi Brown Ultra Fine Eyeliner brush

The eyeliner brush I bought when I got the Bobbi Brown Gel eyeliner, though when I discovered the Napoleon Perdis brush I converted to using that for eyeliner – it gives me much more control!

Napoleon Perdis 2h

A tiny, tiny brush which gives excellent control with gel eyeliners, using eyeshadow as eyeliners and most recently, for filling in my brows (I discovered it gives the most natural finish I have EVER had compared to brow gels, pencils, waxes, etc)

Benefit Box o' Goodies

My Benefit order has arrived, after a month of waiting!!

It was with much excitement that I discovered the Benefit website finally shipped to Australia! I have long been complaining of the enormous mark-ups we have on cosmetics here in Australia.

I have always been a fan of the Benefit packaging – I think their kitschy boudoir chic is one of the cleverest marketing campaigns out there.

On the US site, their prices online are similar to many supermarket brands here – So I decided to buy a bunch of things as a 'test-buy' to see how long they'd take to arrive (longer than I thought, one whole month) and also to try out some things from Benefit I'd always wanted to try but couldn't justify the Aussie prices.

Here they are finally in all their glory!

All wrapped up - look I got some free samples too!

And unwrapped!

I got Hoola, Dallas and Coralista – Benefit’s blushers/bronzers whimsically called Box O' Powder, which I'd always wanted to try but wasn't sure if they were worth AUD $51. (I got them for USD $28, a bargain!)

Also the big beautiful eyes Palette (USD $32, but here AUD $59!), which I got purely to try out their boi-ing concealer. 

First Impressions:

Left to Right: Dallas, Coralista and Hoola

Dallas: Looks muddy in the box, but once on my cheeks springs to life as a rosy tan (makes me look like I have both blush and bronzer on and my cheeks actually look quite sculpted!)

Coralista: A pinky peach blush, beautiful. Quite shiny though so has to be used sparingly to prevent a sheen. 

Hoola: A nice, natural looking yellow brown bronzer with no shimmer (one of the few with no shimmer!) - looks very very natural on my NC25-30 asian skin

The powders are very finely milled and have a good amount of pigment, though not as highly pigmented as the NARS blushes. The brushes that came with them are cute but a bit small, I prefer my proper blush brush, but these would be fine for touch-ups!

All about eyes, complete with instructions!

Boi-ing appears to be a good match, and the eyeshadow colours are nice basic colours that are very usable. I especially like the little brushes that come with them, so cute and they also work quite well.

Proper reviews and swatches to follow after I’ve used them for a bit!

Given the amount I've purchased - and I definitely would not have purchased this many in one go at a Benefit counter, I think the other companies would be wise to follow in Benefit's footsteps and offer us Aussies online shopping at US prices! I think they could double their Aussie makeup sales if they did! 

I'm already planning my next Benefit shopping spree... 

www.benefitcosmetics.com

I discover Trilogy! The Cream Cleanser and How to use it

As it got colder I found it harder and harder to keep my skin moisturized with my normal foaming cleanser and rose hip oil (RHO) as my moisturizer. This is probably because RHO is slightly exfoliating (due to the Vitamin A that’s in it), and I know some people layer moisturizer over RHO, but I held back for fear that it might be too rich and break me out.

As I was starting to get that tight, skin stretched thin feeling after cleansing, I decided it was time for a change!

Having previously tried the Oil Cleansing Method last Winter and somewhat liking it, I toyed with using an oil cleanser again.

However, while using RHO I didn’t want to put oil on oil…it just seemed like, well, too much oil!

But then I discovered Trilogy's Cream Cleanser! Trilogy is a New Zealand skincare brand (so a fellow antipodean!) heavily centered around rose hip oil.

Trilogy's description:

“With pure plant oils and extracts this cleanser delivers soft, clear, completely clean skin and gently removes eye make up. This cleanser is a true beauty product; it does more than just remove makeup and impurities from face and eye. Its emollient action leaves skin supple and is the perfect preparation for your skin, morning and night. Includes nourishing Rosehip and Evening Primrose oils and Aloe Vera to moisturise and soften your skin.”

I must say, it’s quite possibly the best cleanser I’ve ever used!

It’s cream, so it removes all my makeup (like the oil cleansing method) in one step, but doesn’t leave as much oil residue.

For AUD $36 you get 200ml in a large glass pump bottle, which looks lovely in my bathroom, and a little bit goes a long way.

I do use it a bit differently from the instructions on the bottle, with fantastic results! 

What I do is:

• Remove eye makeup with eye makeup remover. 
• (While this cleanser is supposed to remove eye makeup, I find I don’t like massaging the cream into my eyelids)
• Then I splash some water on my face (with full makeup on) and then pump half a pump (or 2 pea-sizes) and massage that WELL into my face, makeup and all
• I then wet a cotton pad in warm water and squeeze it dry
• it’s essential to use good quality ones – so you don’t end up with cotton fibres everywhere, I use Swisspers
• Then use the damp cotton pad to wipe the cream cleanser off my face, repeating with as many cotton pads as needed –
• this is my lazy, time-saving way of the ‘use a muslin facecloth to remove cream cleanser’ method (I hate laundering facecloths…)
• it’s also extremely satisfying to see the makeup come off on the cotton pads
• and I feel like the cotton pads are exfoliating as well! (make sure they are damp, as dry cotton pads I find are too abrasive)
• Rinse face after

Bronzer and blush, post Cream Cleanser! Eww, right?? but oh so satisfying to see it come off!

My skin is soft, clean and I never have that tight feeling after cleansing. The cotton pads are convenient, and I feel like the warmth of the hot water dampened cotton pad opens up my pores for a deeper cleanse, while the physical action of wiping it off is exfoliating.

On lazy days though, when I’m in a hurry, and when I’m not wearing as much makeup, or if I run out of cotton pads… I simply wash off the cream cleanser after massaging it in!

I also bought the Trilogy Vital Moisturising Cream (AUD $39) and Trilogy Moisturising Shampoo (AUD $20), reviews to come :)

Where to buy: www.trilogyproducts.com, Myer, Pricelines…and many more!

Books: Scott Barnes' About Face (a.k.a. Pure Genius)

I’ve been following American Idol pretty closely this season, given that there’s been an explosion of entertaining talent this time (credit to the new judges perhaps!), compared to the last eight seasons which I just didn’t bother with.

Besides the singing, is anyone else watching how JLo manages to look different but fantastic in pretty much every episode? Seriously, that woman never has a bad hair/makeup day.

So when I came across a book by Scott Barnes, JLo’s personal makeup artist and the man credited with coming up with her trademark ‘glow’, I had to buy it.

Scott Barnes’ unconventional approach to makeup application – e.g. contour and highlight first, everything else later, is a revelation.

Unlike some other makeup books which focus on basic techniques and variations of looks on the same models, About Face goes through a series of ‘transformations’ where Scott Barnes puts his trademark glow on women of all ages and ethnicities (though mostly very beautiful women!) and explains (with pictures!) how he has gone about doing that.

On each transformation it’s not just the glow he focuses on (that’s a given) but based on their lifestyle, face type or occasion he demonstates a different look for each woman. (So we get to learn more techniques as well!) 

What blew me away was instead of a completely un-made-up ‘before’ picture with harsh lighting, the women were asked to come in with their own makeup applied for the ‘before’ picture (one of them even confessed to applying more makeup that usual because she was worried about her picture). It’s absolutely amazing how much he is able improve on their own makeup routines (the ‘after’ photos are astounding), and given the step by step pictures you know it’s mostly makeup and not photoshop (though I think there is a smidgen of that...who doesn't these days!)

My personal favourite was of course, the transformation of Danielle, a mono-lidded asian woman (hello!) who, though pretty before, is made to look like a supermodel with some master contouring and eye makeup.

I tried this look on myself and was amazed at the success, a testament to his easy to follow instructions and sound techniques! (I hate it when I try to follow a book look and end up looking completely different.)

He also writes in a conversational way which flows well and is a pleasure to read. It feels like he’s a friendly voice in the same room (albeit a very talented one) advising you on what to do.


Some of his looks (especially the heavily contoured ones), though amazing, is a lot of makeup and perhaps more suited to night, but most of the tips and techniques are applicable most of the time and a welcome addition to any beauty routine.

One of the few makeup books which has seriously changed the way in which I apply makeup and in my opinion, a must-read.

Available at bookstores for AUD $34.99

I got the Kindle version for only US $9.99 – a bargain! But I’m considering getting the book version too, I love the physical feel of books…

I also found his website: www.scottbarnes.com, what can I say – I’m a fan!

Rose Hip Oil Effects: Fact or Fiction?

In general, I tend to be a lot more conservative with my choices of skincare products (compared with my serial makeup product unfaithfulness!) 

I usually stick with what works (for at least a year, and with some products much much longer…) and only switch when something isn’t working as well for me anymore – or if I hear amazing reviews about something and just HAVE to try it out.

As such, despite the buzz surrounding it, I was relatively late to start using Rose Hip Oil.

Coming from a scientific day job, I tend to view product marketing claims with a bit of skepticism sometimes. It is unfortunately all too easy to make a study show a result you want – e.g. 80% of women noted a slight improvement in their skin (how was the study done? 80% of how many women? What do you define a ‘slight improvement’ as?)

So, I thought I’d do a bit of my own reading around. I’ve summarized what I’ve obtained from various web sources, however note that a lot of the sources are from companies actually selling Rose Hip Oil.

First of all, what is it?

Rose Hip Oil is obtained from cold pressing (a way of extracting) the fruit of the rose bush (Rosa rubiginosa or Rosa mosqueta). It contains essential fatty acids, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and the antioxidant Lycopene: all of which contribute to its effects on the skin (according to the sources I found on Google).

Rose Hip 

The evidence for the effects of each of these ingredients on the skin is probably a subject for another post, but the effects of Rose Hip Oil as a whole are supposed to be:

• Improved skin appearance (including smaller pores!)
• Improved hydration (i.e. a moisturizer) 
• Reducing redness and inflammation
• Reducing the appearance of scars, blemishes, stretch marks
• Balancing oily skin
• Reduce signs of ageing

There were not a lot of studies I could find on these effects – the most prominent one seems to be a study done in Chile on surgical and burns scars, and the conclusions were that RHO had an effect on skin’s hydration levels and appearance.

I did however find masses and masses of anecdotal evidence (a.k.a RAVE reviews!) for the effects of rose hip oil. I decided I should try it out, and see for myself!

So here's my verdict on Rose Hip Oil. (and remember it’s likely to be different for different skin types: I have combination skin, which tends to become dry in winter, and with occasional hormonal blemishes).

In short, did it:

• Improve my skin appearance? 
• YES – my skin appeared smoother and I can even convince myself my pores are a tad smaller
• Improve hydration (i.e. a moisturizer)? 
• YES – I found it an effective moisturizer when applied properly
• Effective in reducing redness and inflammation? 
• TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, YES – though my skin feels calmer, the amount of redness is still unchanged I think 
• Effective in reducing the appearance of scars, blemishes, stretch marks? 
• NOT YET – I haven’t really noticed any difference in scars, this might take much longer though (I have been using it for 2 months)
• Effective in balancing oily skin? 
• NO COMMENT – as my skin was in it’s dry phase (cold weather) when I used it
• Reduce signs of ageing? 
• NO COMMENT – I didn’t notice any, but my skin is relatively young still (the few lines that were around my eyes stayed there!). My skin did look somewhat plumper which on older skin would probably reduce the appearance of lines

The Bottom Line: After 2 months of use, I found Rose Hip Oil to be a very effective moisturiser and 'skin calmer' (anti-inflammatory), and the smoother appearance of my skin makes me think it's a bit exfoliating as well. 

However, whether it's a magic product to end all skin woes remains to be seen, perhaps I'll re-post after having used it for a year! :)

I’ll talk about the proper way of applying rose hip oil (in my opinion anyway, and what’s worked best for me), in my next post, as it’s ESSENTIAL! Applying it wrong broke me out at first, and I’d nearly cast it aside before discovering the proper way to put it on. 

Beauty Tools: Shu Uemura VS Shiseido Eyelash Curler

For many years, I never bothered with curling my eyelashes. 

Try as I might, I could never get any eyelash curler to actually get to my small, non-deep set eyes and short stumpy lashes. Occasionally, I'd decide to curl my eyelashes, and would end up just kicking the tips up - not a good look! 

I was also convinced that it wouldn't make a difference anyway because my lashes were so SHORT!

After reading so many rave reviews about the Shu Uemura curler being THE curler for Asian (and any other) eyes, I eventually caved in to the hype surrounding it and bought it, brimming with hope!

However, though the Shu curler felt really comfortable in my hand, on me the decreased curve was still not enough. I managed to get a few more lashed to curl but that was it.
Big Sigh.


So I relegated my Shu curler to the bottom of my drawer and forgot about it. I should mention though that It worked beautifully on my sister, who is blessed with larger eyes and longer eyelashes, giving her the perfect curl which lasted a whole night

Then I heard about the Shiseido eyelash curler! Made by another Japanese company, and apparently now with an even flatter curve. The reviews I'd read were mixed - many thought the Shu Uemura curler was better so at first I was hesitant. 

However, my downward pointing lashes give me the dreaded two lash line effect with falsies - my lashes naturally point slightly downwards, and this with the curled up falsies are not a good look! 

I decided to take the plunge again. 

The Shiseido Eyelash Curler

I was prepared for yet another disappointment but:  IT IS THE BEST CURLER EVER!!!

Though lesser known than the Shu curler (and perhaps something that hasn't quite reached 'Cult Beauty Status', I find that it is actually much better at getting all the way to the base of my lashes and gently, gently curling every. single. lash. 

Observe:

Left: Shu Uemura, Right: Shiseido

You can clearly see that the Shiseido eyelash curler is much less curved, which is excellent for fitting into the socket of shallower-set asian eyes (like mine!)

Top: Shiseido, Bottom: Shu Uemura

Also, the top curve of the Shiseido curler (as seen in the above pictures) seems to sit just a teeny bit more forward compared to the Shu Uemura curler (which sits directly on top of the bottom curve) - could this be helping my short stumpy lashes curl and separate?! It WORKS.

VERDICT: While the Shu Uemura eyelash curler works well for most eyes, for shallow-set Asian eyes (or if you want to get as close as possible to your lash line) the Shiseido curler takes the cake! I'm in love. 

Both come with a replacement sillicone pad thingy and are really gentle on the lashes (and I haven't pinched myself once with the Shiseido curler!)

Shu Uemura Curler (AUD $28) www.shuuemura.com
- available from Shu Uemura counters (David Jones Bourke St)

Shiseido Curler (AUD $25) www.au.shiseido.com
- available at any Shiseido counter

Bonus: Shu Uemura doesn't sell the replacement sillicone pads but the Shiseido counter assures me I will be able to buy some from them - though they didn't have any in stock at the time and I can't see it on the website.

PS. Apologies for the grainy-ness and yellow cast of the photos - I am learning to take better photos!!