Makeup Tools

The Uber-Luxe NARS Pro Brush Collection

May 11th, 2017 by Karen 9 Comments

I don’t even know where to start with the NARS Pro Brush Collection. The face brush is $95… I mean, I can’t. I just can’t. Almost $100 for a single brush is craziness to me. I thought a $38 Chanel eye brush was stressful!

I received these brushes as press samples, so I didn’t purchase them on my own. Because if I had, I would be the type of person who drives to Petco to buy Tabby’s gravy in a tricked-out Mercedes with those automatic side mirrors that collapse down like Transformers.

I am not that person… I drive a six-year-old Mazda.

If I were that type of person, though, I would consider getting one, or maybe two, of the uber-luxe, shockingly soft brushes in this collection. (Note: I was so shocked by how soft these were that I couldn’t keep it to myself. I had to have El Hub try them.)

Would I get all eight, though? No, not unless Tabs scores a big kitty modeling contract.

Again, the #1 Finisher powder brush is $95. The most “affordable” brush (air quotes) in the collection is a small angled eye brush called the #8 Small Sculptor, and it’s still $45.

There are eight brushes in all, most of them face brushes, with a couple of eye brushes in there as well.

The NARS Pro Brush Collection breakdown

#1 The Finisher ($95) — A large and fluffy brush ideal for buffing and blending powder formulas.

#2 The Brightener ($95) — A large, teardrop-shaped brush that specializes in highlighting and all-over blending with a weightless touch.

#3 The Intensifier ($85) — A medium-sized brush designed for creating defined cheek looks.

#4 The Sculptor ($85) — A medium-sized, angled brush ideal for sculpting, diffusing and dispersing fluid formulas.

#5 The Small Brightener ($55) — A small, teardrop-shaped brush with a weightless touch, ideal for highlighting eyes and other small areas on the face, like the bridge of the nose, Cupid’s bow and cheekbones.

#6 The Small Intensifier ($55) — A small, domed-shaped brush ideal for targeted contouring on the nose, in the crease, and on other small areas of the face.

#7 The Flat Intensifier ($55) — A small, flat makeup brush ideal for focused effects on the eyes and brows with powder formulas, and also for eyeshadow artistry, defining brows and setting under-eye concealer.

#8 The Small Sculptor ($45) — A small angled makeup brush ideal for adding dimension — with liquid and cream formulas — to small areas around the eyes and lips.

— Paraphrased from NARS PR

nars pro brush collection 1 4 — From the top: NARS #1 The Finisher ($95), #2 The brightener ($95), #3 The Intensifier ($85) and #4 The Sculptor ($85)

According to NARS, the brushes are made in Japan and bound by hand. They’re certainly fancy-looking, right? And the brush heads feel supernaturally soft, which I’d expect for brushes in this price range. I don’t feel a trace of scratchiness. None. These are like rolling around naked on fancy silk sheets. So luxurious!

When I hold the handles in my paw, they also feel sturdy and perfectly balanced. Neither too heavy, nor too light. They feel like they could be heirloom pieces you could pass down from one generation of makeup lover to the next.

What? Am I the only one who’d do that? I’d totally do that!

nars pro brush collection 4 8 — NARS #5 The Small Brightener ($55), #6 The Small Intensifier ($55), #7 The Flat Intensifier ($55) and #8 The Small Sculptor ($45)

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For an Easy, Elegant Eyeliner Look, Use an Eyeshadow and an Angled Brush Instead of a Pencil

November 4th, 2016 by Karen 12 Comments

I spent an inordinate amount of time this week in stinky workout pants and t-shirts covered in baby food. Or, I dunno…sometimes it’s been my food, to be honest.

No reason in particular. It’s just been one of those weeks.

But, ya know, at least I’ve had elegant eye makeup. 🙂 I’ve been doing this thing where I use eyeshadow and an angled brush instead of pencil liner to line my upper lash lines, and I’ve been doing it because I haven’t been sleeping well, which means Dark Circle City.

When my dark circles are darker than usual, I’ll skip lining my lower lash lines, even though I usually love a little smoke or even a pop of color down there, because man! — when I look tired, if I add anything to that lower lash line area, it just looks worse.

But I will line my upper lash line, and I like doing it with an angled brush and an eyeshadow for a few different reasons.

First, because I love that slightly diffused look, which is easier for me to do with an eyeshadow and a brush than a pencil eyeliner all by itself.

Second, and I don’t know if this is just me, but there’s a process when I use a pencil. It isn’t just grab and go. Most of the time, the one I want to use is dull from the day before, so I have to sharpen it.

Then, I have to really carefully draw a thin line along my upper lash lines with it, because I like those nice, thin liner lines. But then I have to diffuse the edges of the lines with a brush, so…it still involves using a brush, even when I’m using a pencil.

Instead, with an angled brush and an eyeshadow, all I have to do is dip my brush into the shadow, give it a spritz with MAC Fix+, and sort of tap it along my lash lines.

It’s easier to get the kind of look I usually like, and I think it’s even faster than using a pencil.

Plus, you know, with makeup, it’s all about the fine details, like the subtlety of your gradients and the values and colors moving from dark to light, and I think that when you have gradients in subtle places, like in the edge along your lash line, it can really make your overall look more elegant.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!!!!!!

Why You Absolutely Need a Duo Fiber Face Brush in Your Life Like Yesterday

September 19th, 2016 by Karen 26 Comments

A finishing brush, otherwise know as your new BFF! — My “well-loved” (a.k.a. dirty) Laura Mercier Finishing Brush

Duo fiber face brushes, which are sometimes called skunk brushes, are great if you like wearing foundation or tinted moisturizer and really like it when your face makeup looks natural.

The one I’m holding here is the Finishing Brush by Laura Mercier, and it’s my favorite duo fiber face brush because of how wide it is, which I love because it covers a large area and speeds up blending, but really, there are lots of them out there that work well.

One thing I’ve noticed, though, is that the higher-priced ones usually don’t shed as much as drugstore versions do and tend to last longer.

But that’s not a hard and fast rule.

I use ’em to fine-tune my blending and thin-out my face products — liquid foundations, tinted moisturizers, stick foundations, powders, etc. — wherever I’ve accidentally applied too much. I’ll gently run the brush across my cheeks, nose, mouth, chin and forehead after I’ve applied whichever face products I happen to be wearing, and that helps everything look more even and seamless.

One of the things I’ve been super obsessed with lately (in case you haven’t noticed) is even skin tone, except without my makeup looking heavy, caked-on or obvious, and duo fiber face brushes really help with that. Their brush heads and bristles usually aren’t as dense as regular powder and blush brushes.

Ones like the this one from Laura have a very light touch that really blends and pushes product across the skin, while other, denser brushes will often lift foundation and tinted moisturizer away from the skin, thereby removing it.

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The Kit + Hooks Brushbar Holds Your Makeup Essentials Upright at Attention

September 2nd, 2016 by Karen 6 Comments

So I was spelunking through my bag for MAC Costa Riche yesterday when I realized, “Yeah, OK… I’m going to need one more of those Brushbar thingamabobs.”

Because once you get a taste of That Organized Life? — man! It’s must be how newborn vampires feel on the first night, or people who’ve never had ice cream before when they get their first taste of Rocky Road.

WANT MOARRRR!

Technically, The Brushbar by Kit + Hooks is designed to hold your makeup brushes upright so you can find them easily, but I don’t see why you can’t also use them to hold other things like eyeliners and lipliners.

Ideally, one for eyeliners, one for lipliners, one for eye brushes, another for face brushes, and then one more to hold the 19 pens and pencils rolling across my desk at any given moment. ?

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5 Awesomely Affordable Makeup Brushes for the Face

June 10th, 2016 by Anna Oh 15 Comments

I love having LOTS of brushes at my disposal, so for me, affordable makeup brushes are the way to go! But all makeup brushes are not created — or priced — equally.

For face makeup brushes, here are a few that have earned my gold star sticker of approval.

5 affordable face brushes — Some of the affordable — and still awesome — makeup brushes in my collection

1. Sonia Kashuk Star Struck Large Powder Brush (Disc.)

The Sonia Kashuk Star Struck Large Powder Brush is one of the softest natural hair brushes I own. In fact, none of my higher-end brushes can apply bronzer as well as this one.

I like this full rounded brush because I can really work powder into my skin with it. Unfortunately, the set I got it with has been discontinued…and I also didn’t love any of the other brushes in the set. Still, I would re-buy the set just for this one brush.

2. Sonia Kashuk No. 29 Domed Blusher Brush ($17.99)

Another Sonia Kashuk brush, except that this one IS still available (it’s permanent). My nickname for the No. 29 brush is “the bunny butt” brush because it’s so round and soft! It’s the perfect medium size to fit into the cheek contour or right on top of the cheek as well.

This one is a little bit pricier than my other brush recommendations, but I think the plastic handles hold up very well over time.

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Brush Up on Bright With the New Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture Brush Set

May 3rd, 2016 by Adia Goss 13 Comments

Now, I thought the Zoeva Complete Brush Set brushes were/are gorgeous, but I was floored by the brushes in the Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture Brush Set ($21.99)!

The brushes in this four-piece set all have colorful floral-print handles and coordinating bristles, and they’re a sight to behold, but looks are nothing when it comes to brushes. What I want to know is how do they work? Do they make it easier to apply my makeup? Does my makeup look better when I use them? Let’s see…

The Sonia Kashuk Brush Couture Brush Set comes with a domed powder/blush brush (purple), synthetic contour/buffing brush (orange), tapered powder/highlight brush (pink) and a duo fiber foundation/concealer brush (yellow), and I think we can all agree that these are some super cute brushes.

Are they as good as they look?

Well, the domed powder/blush brush works nicely as a blush brush. It’s a little smaller and more dense than what I typically reach for, but it picks up pigment nicely and is very, very smooth.

Here’s a comparison of it to other blush brushes in my collection:

The Sonia Kashuk domed powder/blush brush is larger than the Zoeva Luxe Highlight Brush but smaller than the Zoeva Luxe Cheek Finish Brush, so it’s on the small size for a blush brush. That being said, it does a fine job of applying my blush.

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I Hung Out With James Vincent and All I Got Was This Brush Set*

April 26th, 2016 by Nicole Fraser-Herron 29 Comments

James Vincent x LBC — James Vincent x London Brush Company

I was oohing and ahhing over pots of glitter when I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around to see James Vincent smiling at me saying, “Hi, Nicole.”

A mutual friend introduced us. I have long since admired James Vincent, but meeting him in person, artist to artist, was so wonderful. I met him at The Makeup Show in San Francisco last year. If you aren’t familiar with The Makeup Show, it’s a pro-focused beauty convention that travels the US every year. Bigger brands and smaller local brands attend, and you can find tons of goodies at a pro rate. They also have classes! I could listen to James Vincent teach for hooooours. And I did.

When I met him, he told me about this brush collection from the London Brush Company (it looks like they’re sold out as of right now), and I obviously needed it. The brushes are vegan Mongoose hair, and very simple in design with only James Vincent and London Brush Company on the ferrule. They’re very soft, and very versatile.

Let’s break it down: there are 3 pyramid brushes and two bent ones.

The biggest pyramid brush works for so many base products. That’s something I LOVE about LBC — the multitude of uses a single brush is made to have. I’ve used this brush for moisturizer, primer, foundation, setting powder, and contour. It’s bloody brilliant. The fine point makes it easy to get in there and contour precisely and the pyramid angle helps blend it out. It applies powder so easily with not too much product (I’ve been using it with the Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder and the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder).

The next two pyramid brushes I’ve been using mostly as eye brushes, but also for contouring my nose (which I don’t do often, but it helps in photos and when I’m hanging out with drag queens and feel under…painted). Again, this pyramid thing is bloody brilliant. Apply with the tip, blend with the edges. It also makes crease work so damn easy because the flat part of the triangle sort of blocks pigment from blending down onto your mobile lid. Brilliant I tell you.

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My Foundation Routine (A Collaboration With Adia)

April 18th, 2016 by Marcella Yakalis 3 Comments

My go to: Clinique Stay Matte Oil Free Makeup in Linen ($24 for 1 oz.)

Hey, everyone! Today I’m collaborating with the lovely Adia to show you how I wear my foundation (she’ll be sharing her post later tonight), and also try out a new brush I haven’t gotten a chance to work with yet, the Heavenly Luxe Complexion Master, No. 16, from It Cosmetics ($58).

Now, I don’t often wear foundation (I typically go for a lighter coverage BB cream), but when I do want heavier coverage, these are the products I like to use.

First, I start with a moisturized and primed face, and for primer, I go for e.l.f. Poreless Face Primer. It’s a good dupe for Smashbox in my opinion, although the formula seems to have changed recently, because the smell isn’t quite as pleasant as it once was…

Heavenly Luxe Complexion Master No. 16 brush ($58)

This brush has a lot of plusses, but on my first run through with it doing my normal routine, I noticed that I was really dry and cakey.

Then I remembered something Adia recommends sometimes, which is to wet the brush. So, while doing my look for this post, I made sure to spray some rosewater on the brush before buffing it into my makeup.

I could have used setting spray, but the scent and the whole effect of using rosewater are just so much more appealing to me.

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