My Essential Makeup Brushes

Today I wanted to show you an absolutely essential part of apply makeup -- brushes! Good brushes are essential for applying makeup well (though skill is probably the most important). My makeup brush collection is relatively small compared to other areas of my makeup collection. I just find that once I buy a brush that works I don't really see a need to buy any more of that type of brush.

I tend to stick with drugstore/cheap brushes but that doesn't mean they're lacking in quality. ELF Studio brushes and Target's Studio Tools brushes are some of my favorites. I also own some Ecotools brushes but I find that I like other equivalents better.

Though of course you don't necessarily need these exact brushes but I think these types of brushes are essential for everyday use. 

Eye brushes:

• MAC 217 ($22.50) -- This is my favorite and most essential makeup brush that is definitely HG (Holy Grail) status. I am a cheapskate when it comes to brushes but this is worth every penny. It is a fluffy medium-sized blending brush that easily blends eyeshadow. It also works well for applying a sheer layer of eyeshadow and creamy concealers. I've used this daily for 2-3 years and it is still nicely shaped and has never shed.
• ELF Eyeshadow Brush (regular line, $1) -- This was my first eyeshadow brush and 5 years later I still use it daily. It is the perfect size for laying down eyeshadow all over my lid or my browbone, but because it is still slightly fluffy it gently blends the edge of the eyeshadow as well. Over the FIVE years I've been using this it has never shed a hair! I have a second one of this with a black handle that is 2 years old. The newer version has slightly shorter bristles so I like using it for darker colors to have slightly more targeted eyeshadow application.
• Studio Tools Smudge Brush (Target, ~$2-3) -- This is pretty much a smaller version of the ELF eyeshadow brush. It is the perfect size for applying dark shades into my outer V or my lower lashline. I like using it to smudge my eyeshadow for smoky looks as well. The bristles are the same type as the ELF brush too. Had this for 1-2 years and it hasn't shed.
• Studio Tools Angled Eyeliner Brush (Target, ~$2-3) -- This is my favorite angled eyeliner brush. It is pretty thing so it applies eyeliner with the perfect precision. Much better than the more popular Ecotools angled liner brush, which tended to splay. 
• Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner Brush (~$6) -- This bent brush may help some people who have trouble applying gel eyeliner because it allows you to more easily maneuver the brush to suit the shape of your eye. I prefer using an angled brush though.

MAC 217, ELF Eyeshadow (old), ELF Eyeshadow (newer), Studio Tools Smudge, Studio Tools Angled Liner, Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner brush

Click past the jump to see my favorite face brushes!

My Favorite Bright Blushes

Continuing in the bright blush theme for the past week (see my post on applying bright blushes here) today I am showing you all of my (not so many) bright blushes. Blushes and lipsticks are my favorite makeup products but though I have fewer blushes overall I tend to love each of them more than I do my lipsticks or the poor, forgotten eyeshadows.

I only own five BRIGHT blushes (and one of them technically isn't even a blush). I swore I had more until it came time to dig through my stash for this post. Obviously pink pinks are overrepresented out of these five. I really need some red or bright coral blushes!

 

Clockwise, top left: R&R All Nighter, Illamasqua Tweak, NYX Hot Pink, Prestige Love, ELF Pink Passion

 Blush Breakdowns (Favorite to least favorite):

• Rock and Republic All Nighter -- This is a strong red-orange with warm golden shimmer. When applied sheerly it becomes a warm orangey glow. R&R blush formulas are by far my favorite among high end blushes and this one lives up to the standard. It blends beautifully, never feels powdery, and lasts all day (or night!). It is the biggest tragedy that these are discontinued! 
• Illamasqua Tweak -- See my review of this shade here. This is a matte warm watermelon pink that blends sooo smoothly for a matte and becomes a beautiful flush once applied.
• NYX Hot Pink cream blush -- This is a bright, hot, cool-toned pink in a cream formula. I don't like cream blushes because I find them a hassle to apply but these are great for an affordable cream blush at an affordable price. You have to be really careful though because literally the tiniest amount is enough!
• Prestige Love eyeshadow -- So this is techinically an eyeshadow that may be discontinued (?). I use it as a blush though and if you have any favorite pink/coral eyeshadows you can use them for blush as well! This is a bright fuschia pink with a slightly blue duochrome which thankfully doesn't really show up when worn as a blush.
• ELF Pink Passion studio blush -- This pale, cool-pink blush is just okay. While it is pigmented, it applies very chalky and powdery compared to refined mattes like Illamasqua, TheBalm, or NARS. In my opinion there are better blushes out there in the drugstore but some people (including me) just couldn't resist the $3 price tag. 

These are one-swipe swatches in natural/direct sunlight and indirect lighting. 

L-R: R&R All Nighter, Illamasqua Tweak, NYX Hot Pink, Prestige Love, ELF Pink Passion

 Click past the jump to see more swatches!

Forgotten Gem: Milani Intermix Baked e/s

The "forgotten gem" series will showcase products that I've owned for a while but I have recently rediscovered and now love. Today I'll review Milani Baked Eyeshadow in Intermix.

(Warning: I am horrible at describing colors so I'll give it a shot and let the photos do the rest of the talking) The individual vein colors are shimmery cream white, medium bronze, and dark brown. The veining is much more beautiful than in the pic above, where for some reason I decided to smoosh the product and mess up the veining T_T.

They combine to create this beautiful warm, slightly taupey brown with gold/champagne colored shimmer. It is such an easy all-over the lid shade, though if you want to darken the crease I'd go with a matte shade to avoid becoming too shimmery.

Swatched in one layer dry/wet, in indirect natural light

Now I do not understand AT ALL what the point of baked powder products are. I know it is produced in a different way but I don't really understand what the point is. I do know that baked formulas tend to be more powdery than regular ones, which is a quality I usually don't like.

The baked formula makes for a powdery texture like most baked products but I find that it has less fallout than other products I've tried. It applies really smoothly and evenly and blends really well. The shimmer does tend to be blended away easily, which could be a good or a bad thing. Applied wet, the shimmer intensifies and forms more of a sheen.

Swatched in one layer dry/wet in direct light to show the sparkles

This lasts a good while on me over primer and works really well over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy and similar products.

Overall I think these Milani baked eyeshadows are really great quality for the drugstore price (and compared to higher end baked products as well). They are made in Italy, just like MAC mineralize products are.

Have you tried these Milani Baked eyeshadows before? What are some of your favorite makeup rediscoveries recently?