I wish I had at least two of these brushes...

When I first started the blog, I had exactly three kinds of brushes:  paddle brushes, angled brushes and one lonely oversized paddle brush that I referred to as a fluff brush.  It really wasn't a fluff brush.

My brush collection has since grown, and even with the number I've collected, I can still tell that I'm comfortable with certain shapes of brush.  I often find myself reaching for the same brushes over and over for different products, and wishing I had backups.  Theoretically, brushes should last forever (if you treat them right), but spot cleaners shorten their lifespan dramatically.

Counterclockwise from the left...

Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush

I use this brush for concealer every single day all over my face.  The synthetic fibres are so beautifully even and dense that it's almost like using your fingers to blend out the colour, except that this gives a much more airbrushed finish.  I don't like using face brushes more than once (especially since this one covers blemishes), so having one (or two) more would come in really handy.  It's also great for blending out cream products.

MAC 239

This quintessential shader brush is sneakily thin -- it's greatest quality.  Not only does this effectively lay pigment onto the eye, it's thin enough to line under the eye and the inner corner.  I used to use only one brush for my entire eye look, so it's not like this is the most revolutionary of notions, but the 239 makes it so easy.

MAC 217

Here's a secret:  I already have two of these.  I want a third one.  I use one for powder products, the other for cream, and I desperately want a third to blend out product.  I always finish my looks by using a clean brush to blend out the edges, and none do it so perfectly as the 217.

MAC 263/266

I'm not even sure which one this is, but they're both great.  The 266 is slightly stiffer, but the difference is extremely minimal.  I use these for my brows, for my liner, for my lipstick, for my inner corner highlight, and most often:  drawing webs/stars/lace on people's faces for Halloween.  Yes, it happens once a year, but that's when they get the most use.

Shiseido Perfect Foundation brush

This is one of my favourite liquid foundation brushes.  The best part is, I think it could be used for powder and cream also, which is why I want a second one.  I regularly use this for cream blushes that lack pigment like the Tarte cheek stains, and they buff in the product beautifully.  The bristles are so incredibly dense that they'll blend out any cakiness and leave your skin with an air-brushed finish. Watch this video where the makeup artist uses the brush with all different textures.

MAC 187

This is hands-down my favourite brush for ultra-pigmented blushes, cream, gel or powder.  It just stipples on the tiniest amount and makes the colour much more manageable.  It's also easy to build up a concentration of colour.  I often use this with my cream bronzer for a more natural-looking contour.  I want a second one for powder -- it gives the most beautiful, light dusting.  I usually use it with pressed powder or my Guerlain Meteorites.

NARS Yachiyo

I love, love, love this brush for blush, bronzer and highlight.  Here's a secret: I also use it for foundation on days that I want high, but light-feeling coverage.  I think I could own three or four of these.  I wish they made them in a smaller size!  It'd be even better for focusing colour.  If I'm not mistaken, Hakuhodo makes a similar one?

What brushes do you wish you had multiples of?  Share below, I can't wait to check out your recommendations!

my current lip balms.

Lips are one of the few places which I've ever had a problem with dryness -- usually in the winter, but if I even go one day without enough water, I start reflexively peeling the skin off my lips.  That was likely too much information. Regardless, it's hard to find a balm that actually hydrates instead of just being phenol-licious, so I tried to include a few that I love for the colour, and a few that I love because they work.

La Roche-Posay Ceralip
I'm not crazy about it.  It's a thick, translucent consistency that spreads easily over the lip, but it doesn't really hydrate.  What I use it for is to seal in a balm that actually hydrates.

Nivea Cherry and Labello Strawberry
These are actually the same company as they were selling these Labello balms in the Nivea Haus in Hamburg.  The cherry is a more cool-toned berry stain and the strawberry is warmer, but more natural-looking on me.  In terms of the colour's lasting power, both are more or less gone around the same time the gloss wears off.  These are ultra-soft so you run through them rather quickly, but the moisture they give is rather temporary.

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Rose and Hibiscus
These aren't as soft as the Nivea balms, but definitely way softer than their regular, untinted counterpart.  Rose is more or less the same colour as Nivea cherry, maybe slightly more of a true red, but once you apply it, it looks the same.  Hibiscus is a pinky-nude, and I use it on days that I want to look "appropriate" but not put any effort into it. I think I use Hibiscus more often because I feel that Rose tends to get patchy if I over-apply.  Like the Nivea, the moisture is superficial.

Jack Black's Therapy Lip Balm
Here's one that actually hydrates.  This is a clear balm with a bit of shine once it's applied, but definitely not as shiny as the texture would suggest.  Mine's an old one, so ignore that SPF label -- the active ingredients don't actually work.  I love toting this around with me because I don't like dipping my fingers into pots when I'm about and about.

Homeoplasmine
I think this is being discontinued, but I love it so much, I need to say something.  I don't know if it's my actual favourite out of all these balms, but it's the one I reach for the most.  It's really nothing more than Vaseline mixed with calendula, but it's so much less sticky than normal petroleum jelly, and it just seals in moisture better than anything else.  I've put this on at night to find that it hasn't fully absorbed in the morning.  We'll miss you, Homeoplasmine.

Korres Lip Butter in Rose and Plum
I love, love, love the texture of these.  The only word to describe such a thing would be cushy.  If you've used these before, you'll understand what I mean -- they're just so buttery and smooth that when you dip your finger in, it's like sinking into an extremely soft couch.  Rose is a dark red that sheers out to a mid-tone pink if you use a small enough amount.  Plum is exactly what it sounds like, but it's harder to build up to the pot colour.  It's one of those "my lip but better" colours on me, leaning towards a mauve-y pink.

Nuxe Reve de Miel
I'm in love.  This is insanely expensive lip balm in Canada (and not that cheap even in Europe), especially since it's a pharmacy product but I think I have to repurchase it.  It's a blend of beeswax, shea butter, calendula and god knows what else, but it smells AMAZING and it actually works!  This makes my lips feel better from the inside -- a huge difference from my usual experience.  It gets gritty, but don't let that bother you -- think of it as a gentle lip scrub.  Also, it's completely matte so it's great for lipstick prep, and for people who don't like a shiny lip.

Jurlique Love Balm
I use this light, yellow balm on everything -- my brows, my cuticles, elbows and under the eye. On my lips I use it when I feel like getting a punch of real moisture, but want something lighter than Reve de Miel.  It's a little shinier than RdM, but it absorbs rather quickly, so there won't be much shine after a while.  When I warm this up in the pot, it almost feels like it's going liquidy between my fingers. I love this for my cuticles because it absorbs almost instantly.

I was thinking about doing a video for this post, but I'm fairly certain it would have been about half an hour long, given how obsessed I clearly am with lip balm.

Got any lip balm recommendations?  Share it in the comments!

Review: Kanebo Sensai Fluid Finish Lasting Velvet Foundation

This was an impulse buy on my trip to Germany -- I've heard great things about Kanebo before, and I was really excited to try this.  I justified the purchase by telling myself it would be cheaper in an airport than anywhere else.

The foundation comes housed in a glass bottle, so it has that touch of luxury.  Foundation also tends to keep better in glass, and I feel like this one will age especially well, since it has a pump.  The SPF 15 will probably expire in about a year, but I'm comfortable keeping pump-bottle foundation as long as it doesn't look or smell odd.

The colour is called Amber Beige -- it's extremely warm and golden, but it has just enough neutral beige in it that it doesn't go orange.  While I wouldn't call my skin neutral, it does need a less warm shade to accommodate the olive in my skin.

As for the texture...oh, the texture.  It's magical.  It feels better on the skin than even my beloved MUFE HD.  I'm pretty sure there's no added benefit to this foundation, but it has a buildable medium coverage, which usually means that it doesn't feel like naked skin, even with the most expensive foundation.  This doesn't feel like nothing, but it feels like a treatment for your skin.  I rub it in with my fingers and it absorbs like a serum.  And not to make any sweeping declarations, but my skin feels even better with it on than without.  Even Tod thinks so and she's patently against foundation.

I still need to use a dab of concealer after this, but the finish is so natural -- not a cakey or fake matte at all.  It's classed a semi-matte, and I couldn't agree more.  This really is one of those "your skin but better" textures.  I picked the Velvet version because with such a dark colour, I knew I would only wear it in the summer.

I paid 40E at the Vienna airport, but I've seen it at other airports for 35E.  Definitely not a cheap foundation, but for that texture, it's well worth it. 

my new favourite red lipstick.

I've swatched some of my red lipsticks before (I need to do a collection...not unlike my red nail polish collection), and if you've been following me for sometime, you know that I love everything blue-based. I've never been one for coral, brick or peach, simply because it usually makes my skin look dirty.

Until now.

A couple weeks ago, my friend (and regular blog model) Peruana dropped off a NARS lipstick that she was struggling with -- we have a similar skin tint, but I'm more olive and she's that fantastic mixture of mauve and gold that can wear every nude lip I've wanted my whole life.  

And thus Heat Wave made its way into my life.  If I'm going to start off with an orange-red, why wouldn't it be so bright it's almost neon?  That's just how I roll, kids.  This intense, fire-engine-but-oranger red will pop right off your face.  I tried to Instagram a photo and my camera turned it neon pink -- that's how bright it is.  The texture is the same as my other NARS semi-matte, Schiap.  I do find NARS's lipsticks to be a tad drying, but the colours I have I love to pieces, so I can't complain.  I typically run a lipbalm over my lips, let it sink in for a minute and wipe off all the excess.  You can do this with a cotton swab, but I usually just grab a tissue and really soak up all the excess moisture.  Then I apply straight from the bullet to get that ultra opaque, bright finish.  A lip brush will just tone down any neon potential this sort of colour can give you.

Since this is so bright, I try to tone down the rest of my face.  Starting with a very sheer base (usually just enough concealer to get rid of any blemishes), I pair it with NARS cream eye shadow in Etrusque.  If I want to be super NARS-y, I'll run the South Beach Multiple over my cheekbones and finish with a black pencil liner.  Don't forget to layer a couple of mascaras for an extra-feathery look.

I'm already itching for another NARS lip.  Any recommendations?

Inglot, revisited.

Note: My July Favourites are coming, Youtube is just really not cooperating with me.  Must have started this upload at least four or five times now!  Will try again tomorrow!

So near the very very very very very beginnings of this blog, I wrote a little piece about Inglot where I called it the Coach of high-end makeup.  Take that as you will and read the rest here.

I wrote that piece way before Inglot got popular with the Youtube crowd, when they had only the one store in Manhattan.  However, since starting the blog and dreaming of a streamlined collection (quite the conundrum, as I continue to purchase more product in order to find the next 'it' thing that will beat out my need for everything else), I've been meaning to get one of those Freedom palettes for myself.

The idea is that they have set palettes in varying sizes, with or without mirrors, and you can customize to your heart's delight.  With Inglot's extensive choices of tints, tones and finishes, you're sure to find something you like.

I've always wanted something that would hold a brow colour, a cheek colour, a daytime look and a nighttime look.  I think I've come pretty close with the combination I chose.

I wanted matte eye shadows that I use every day for a neutral, office-appropriate look.  I have a million and one shimmery neutrals, but I'm severely lacking in mattes. The eye trio in the lower right hand corner is their Rainbow shadow in 117R -- they have three of these trios that look basically exactly the same, and this is the coolest one, so it works well for my brows.

The texture of the matte shadows is a tiny bit chalky, but I think that's to be expected with mattes.  I don't suggest using your fingers for these, they'll apply much less patchy with a brush.

I've been looking for a light pink blush for a while, since most of mine tend to lean very dusty, mauvey or hot pink.   I used this this morning and when I brushed my MAC 168 over it, it kicked up a TON of powder.  They're extremely pigmented.

I maintain that only one of these is neutral.  I've been lemming an olive and purple shimmery shadow for a while -- I was thinking Sumptuous Olive from MAC for a while, but that was a little yellow for my liking.  P419 is quite a gray-green, I see myself using this under the eye.  As for a rich, royal purple, I couldn't find one I liked from any of my usual haunts and when the SA swatched P446 for me, I knew I was sold.  The brown on the right is fairly basic, but it has just enough copper and silver shimmer in that it'll suit most skin tones and eye colours.  As for the finish, the shimmer is not at all frosty -- the tiny glitter particles make up a beautiful shimmer, just pearly enough to bring a little light to the eye.

Blush in 20, Eyeshadow in P419, P446, P422, R117 (last group of three)

I know a lot of you have indulged in Inglot, would love to hear what combinations you've made, or any products you love from them.  Anyone tried their brushes?  I was recommended the eyeliner brush!

Current Beauty Pairings

This summer I've been staying inside, playing with makeup and mixing pitcher after pitcher of Starbucks' passion tea lemonade.  Here are some things I've been going back to over and over again, because they just work so well with summer colouring.  Despite not having gone out that much, my face has darkened somewhat, almost to the colour my body normally is (NC35-40), so I've been pulling out every kind of peach, coral, bronze and gold.

1. Orange lip + brown smokey eye -- Since making my lip palette, I'm obsessed with orange everything.  It really does prove that to use products, you need to see them. I used to use orange only in this look, but now I'm loving using this MAC Pro Longwear Lip Creme in Good to Go as a light stain on my lips and cheeks, paired with a smudgy brown smokey eye using Cocoa Puff and Push-Up the TooFaced Natural Eye palette.

2.  Viva Glam Gaga + Revlon Nude Lustre -- I know Viva Glam Gaga is one of those lipsticks that people hunt down in blog sales and on eBay (I used to be one of them), but after purchasing one...I just don't get it. I think maybe it's the gold/olive undertone in my skin?  It pulls all the life out of my skin and makes me look a little like a street walker the way concealer-filled lips do.  However, I knew there was a way to make it work.  After layering every single gloss I own over it, I finally realized that the peachiness of Revlon's Nude Lustre was the way to make me not look like a zombie hooker.

3.  Tarte Natural Siren + Bobbi Brown Pink Pout -- I've been so into layering blush.  It reminds me of my 9 year old self mixing eight different brown lipsticks (remember the 90s?  Good times).  Layering a cream blush under a powder one makes for great staying power, but I've been enjoying mixing my own colours.  Both these colours show up fairly natural on me, but in different ways.  Tarte shimmery coral makes me look like I'm 'glowing from within' and Bobbi Brown's mauvey lip and cheek colour is almost a natural sculpt on me, kind of like Benefit Dallas.  To get a dusty flush, I use a foundation brush and apply to the top of my cheekbone, blending down to the apple.

What products do you layer?  I'm think I want to start learning how to layer fragrance, so I'd love to hear your advice!

Polish Collection: Red

I don't often wear red.  I tend more towards cool colours -- anything blue, teal, turquoise, green, etc.  I've never gone very classic with my enamel.  There's nothing I hate more than a French nail, but I think that has more to do with how poorly they're applied.  Why does anyone want the smile line of their nail to be halfway up their nailbeds??  When people tell me that it makes their nails look longer, I throw my hands up in the air and don't bother explaining.  What I will say is though, the reason that your nails look longer when you paint them is that they're all one colour, so you see one continuous line.  It's kind of the same reason T-strap ankles make your legs look short.

Rant over.

French nails suck and have come to connote not classic elegance, but streetwalker.

Rant really over.

If you must do a French nail, keep the white edge thin and round off your nails.  Your fingers will look longer, more natural, and not like they have white shovels attached to the end.

Preaching over.


Anyway, onto my collection of red nails!

L.A. Girl, Zoya Riva, Essie Lollipop (bottle attacked by Deborah Lippmann's Ruby Red Slippers), Essie Limited Addiction

China Glaze Ruby Pumps, Revlon 730 Valentine, OPI Quarter of a Cent-cherry, Chanel 18 Rouge Noir

L.A. Girl, Zoya Riva, Essie Lollipop, Essie Limited Addiction

L.A. Girl: This red has a lot of pink in it, but I got it because it glows in the dark.  Yes, I'm 11.

Zoya Riva: This is very pink-based red, chock full of gold, silver and red glitter.

Essie Lollipop: This is as much orange as my skin tone can take -- it reminds me of poppies.

Essie Limited Addiction: A blue-based red.  I can't get enough.

China Glaze Ruby Pumps, Revlon 730 Valentine, OPI Quarter of a Cent-cherry, Chanel 18 Rouge Noir

China Glaze Ruby Pumps:  It's not showing up in the photo, but this is ultra-shimmery, glittery beauty.  It's exactly what Dorothy would have wanted.
Revlon 730 Valentine:  This was the first red I actively recall seeking out.  A good friend of mine lent it to me for a semi-formal in high school, and I remember thinking how beautiful red polish is.  I've been hooked on blue-based red ever since.
OPI Quarter of a Cent-cherry:  This is the salon brand dupe of Revlon Valentine, since I think it might be discontinued.
Chanel 18 Rouge Noir: Formerly known as Vamp -- now they've replaced it with a shimmery purple mess, and renamed Original Vamp as Rouge Noir.  Ever seen Pulp Fiction?  Me neither, but this is all you need to know.

Man, I like blue.  Even my reds aren't safe from the blues.

What reds do you love?