Essence of Beauty Starter Brush Kit for the Face!

Essence of Beauty Starter Brush Kit

I rarely ever look at the brushes on my weekly trips to CVS, but on a visit, some new packaging for the Essence of Beauty brushes caught my eye. I know this is old news, as they introduced the new packaging mid-2011, but I believe my CVS was pretty late on the bandwagon and haven't stocked any of the newly packaged brushed until recently.

You may be familiar with the older style brushes - a beige handle with a black ferrule (reminiscent of Bobbi Brown brushes). It looks like they might be phasing out that style for a sleeker black brush with silver textured ferrule. Kinda nice if you're particular about having all of your brush handles the same color. I personally prefer black handles.

If you're not familiar with Essence of Beauty, it's basically the Ecotools of CVS - they are affordable and good quality for the price you pay. They range from around $5-$10 each. I only own a couple, and I really dig them.

Anyway, I had a few extra-cash bucks to blow, so I decided to pick up the Starter Brush Kit and give it a whirl.

The Essence of Beauty Starter Kit comes with three brushes (a foundation brush, blush/powder brush, double-sided eye brush) and a small brush roll.What drew my attention to that particular kit, was the small foundation brush. I figured it'd be the perfect size brush to apply my under-eye concealer since it's smaller than a standard foundation brush and much larger than a standard concealer brush.

Essence of Beauty Starter Brush Kit

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Wet n Wild Dollhouse Pink Mega Last Matte Lipstick Review, Photos and Swatches!

Wet n Wild #967 DollhousePink Mega Last Matte Lipstick

Last week I posted about one of the new Spring shades of Wet n Wild's Mega Last Matte Lipstick (Don't Blink Pink) and I loved it so much, that I decided to go back and try one of the other bright pinks that was released.

Dollhouse Pink is a very vibrant blue-based pink. It's a sister of MAC Pink Nouveau or Pink Friday, so if you've always been curious about trying one of those shades, this is a great alternative to play around with, since it's only a couple of dollars. It's slightly brighter than the two, but it can be tweaked a little bit.

Aside from the awesomly vibrant color, it's very pigmented and applies completely opaque. It has a matte finish, but it's not a dull matte (more of a satin).

It's definitely an in-your-face bright, but it can be toned down by applying a couple of dabs on your lips and blend with a clear lip gloss wand. It actually looks absolutely gorgeous that way, and probably the way I'd wear it the most.

Chanel Blush Horizon De Chanel Soft Glow Blush Review!

Chanel Blush Horizon De Chanel

Chanel Blush Horizon De Chanel was the blush released with Chanel's Spring 2012 collection. Originally, I wasn't interesting in much from the collection other than the Glossimer (Bagatelle), which I posed about earlier last month. But my recent trip to the Chanel counter, the lovely sales associate was rocking this color on her cheeks (heavily, but very tasteful) and it looked amazing on her. For reference, she has a medium-tan complexion, with blonde hair and blue eyes and it looked like a very vibrant, warm pink. Pretty similar to Benefit Bella Bamba - unfortunately I don't own it to compare side-by-side, but one of my favorite Sephora SA's is always wearing Bella Bamba and it looks like a similar, vibrant warm pink. 

Anyhow, after doing some swatching, the color really grew on me. I can't say the overall color is that unique (unique enough to pay $60), but it is really beautiful and at that moment, I had to have it. 

Chanel Blush Horizon De Chanel contains stripes of warm pink, white, plum and peach-coral pink. When you swipe all of the shades together, you'll get a beautiful warm, peachy-pink with a glowy sheen.

If you'd like a more pink look, you can stick to using the top half of the blush, or for a more peach look, you can use the bottom half.

According to Chanel:
» To create freshness, use all of the blush shades as a harmony and sculpt your face using the beveled brush.
» For a healthy look, apply only the pink shade to the upper cheekbones and temples.
» For a glowing complexion, use the sun-kissed effect of a cloud of peach.

Chanel Blush Horizon De Chanel

Guest Post: Real Techniques Powder and Blush Brush!

 
Guest Post Written by Ashley
Today the beautiful Ashley of Lashes Anyone? shares her thoughts about some of her favorite Real Techniques makeup brushes!

Hello Beauties!

About two years ago I fell hard for the infamous Sigma brushes that had every beauty guru in beauty craze. I did adore the face brushes, until the bristles started shedding on a daily basis. I do love the Sigma eye brushes, as they have impeccable quality and have held up nicely.

I was in need of a serious powder and blush brush rescue, considering those are my primary brushes for everyday use. About a month ago, I was wandering through the lit up aisles of ULTA and came across the Real Techniques brush line created by Samantha Chapman of YouTube.

 Real Techniques Powder and Blush Brush

 Real Techniques Powder and Blush Brush

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