First Impressions: Soft Lips Coral Gloss Sheer Lip Protectant/Sunscreen!

Hi Everyone!

Today I'll be sharing my first impressions of the Soft Lips Coral Gloss with SPF 10.

I picked this up from my local Dollar Tree when I buying some school supplies. 

I believe this is a discontinued item, but if you can find it at a Dollar Tree or Big Lots or any other place, I say give it a try! (: 

Soft Lips Coral Gloss with SPF 10 - $1.00

So as I said, I picked this up from my local Dollar Tree last week after spotting it in the makeup aisle. I recognized the Soft Lips brand from it's large line of lip balms, but I didn't know that they made glosses. I was excited when I saw it because I really wanted to try it out. So, I bought it, took it home, and tried it out for you all! This is advertised as a sheer lip protectant/sunscreen. It does have SPF 10, and I'm one of those people that almost never uses lip balms with sunscreen in them, but it is a very important thing to do. This comes with 0.15 oz of product, which is less product than other comparable lip glosses.

 

Soft Lips Coral Gloss with SPF 10 - Opened

It has a typical doe foot applicator, just like most lip glosses with this format. It's more of a creamy gloss than a sticky gloss. It's very creamy when it goes on, and it's not very sticky. It goes on extremely smoothly, and it has pretty good color pay off. However, remember, it's not going to go on with full pigmentation, it is advertised as a sheer gloss. I don't find it to be super sheer, and it is buildable. I don't find that it goes on blotchy at all. I find that it applies very evenly and smoothly, and the color is buildable, but I wouldn't go more than two or three coats.

Soft Lips Coral Gloss with SPF 10 - Swatched

As you can see, the color of this gloss is not really coral. I find it to be more of a reddish-pink. It's still a gorgeous color, but I wouldn't classify it as coral. I find this color to be not really a natural color, more of a 'pop of color' type of shade. It's a more bright color, but I think it's still very wearable. There is some glitter/shimmer, but I think it just adds an extra pop to the lips, it's not very overdone. I really do love this gloss.

It applies so smoothly and evenly, and the color helps my teeth look whiter. I feel like it is more like a liquid lipstick than a gloss, but it does have that nice glossy finish.

I am personally not really a fan of lip glosses, because I find that most glosses are too sticky for my liking. However, I am loving this gloss because of it's smooth, non sticky formula.

All in all, if you can find it, get it. I think I may stop by my local Dollar Tree to pick up an extra or two. I have no idea why they discontinued this, because I think it is amazing. I definitely recommend it, and I know that before it was discontinued, it retailed for $3.99, and I would definitely pick up this gloss at that price too. It's an amazing gloss, and if you can find it, definitely pick it up.

Let me know if you can find this anywhere else!

Annie (:

Beauty Hauuuuuuul! - 8/2/13 - Super Cheap & Affordable Makeup Haul + First Impressions/Reviews

Hi Everyone!

I went to Daiso today, one that is much farther from my house, since I was in a different city, and they had many more products from the KleanColor line compared to the Daiso that is closest to me. So, I took advantage of this and picked out a few products that I wanted to try out! After taking these pictures, I tried out all of the products and used it to produce a makeup look using nothing but these products. Each product will have a description as well as a little review of the product. 

Haul - 8/2/13

As you can see, I purchased 4 cosmetic items, and one face mask pack. Just a reminder that all of Daiso's items are $1.50, unless otherwise noted, but these items were all $1.50 each.

So let's start with the mask:

Pure Moisture Mask Sheet - Honey - $1.50

This is the Pure Moisture Mask Sheet. I can't talk too much about it since I haven't tried it out yet, but I'll definitely keep you updated on it! This is a honey sheet mask, and it comes in a set of three masks! 

Moving on to the KleanColor Skin-Deep Lightweight Stick Foundation.

KleanColor Skin-Deep Lightweight Stick Foundation

This foundation is a creamy stick foundation that has SPF 20! This has a decent range of shades, with 12 colors. I have it in Warm Beige. This is the first stick foundation that I've ever owned, and even though there are 12 shades to choose from, I found it difficult to pick out a shade. Warm Beige is a bit too dark for my light to medium skin. This contains 0.26 oz of product. It does have a strange scent, but once it is applied to the face, you can't smell it anymore. 

Swatch of the Stick Foundation 

As you can see, the color is very yellow-toned. I find that it was really hard to figure out which color would match the best, because many of the colors are very similar to one another. I'm also very bad at picking foundation colors, so it could just be me and my lack of experience with foundation matching. 

Anyways, the foundation itself is pretty blendable, but I found that it was difficult to use my fingers to blend in the areas around my nose and mouth, so I used my Ecotools Flat Buffer Brush to buff it into my skin.
It has rather light coverage, and it settles to a very natural finish on the face. Although the color is a tad dark for me, it does blend in well with my skin. 

However, it's not my favorite foundation. I think there are plenty of others that are much better, but for $1.50, you can't beat the price. 

But for me, I think I'll stick to my bb creams. I will try this out some more to let you all know if my opinion changes, but as of now, it's definitely not my new go-to foundation. 

Let's move on to the KleanColor Velvet 3 in 1 Concealer:

KleanColor Velvet 3 in 1 Concealer - $1.50

This concealer's a bit misleading by saying it's a 3 in 1 product, when looking at it, it's only two-sided. The reason why it's considered 3 in 1 is that the stick concealer has a moisturizer center. So basically there are two sides, one stick concealer and a creamy liquid concealer. This contains 0.13 oz in the concealer stick and 0.25 oz in the liquid concealer. I have this in the color Rosy Beige.

Klean Color 3 in 1 Concealer - Concealer Stick

This is the concealer stick side of the concealer. It has a moisturizer part in the center of the stick, and the rest is normal skintone concealer. This is surprisingly smooth, with little tug to the eyes, and it blends in well with the skin. The moisturizer aspect of the concealer really helps to hydrate my undereyes and it has about light to medium coverage, and for me, that's more than enough. However, for those of you with really bad dark circles, you might need to look for a concealer with better coverage. I'll probably switch between this and my Morning Confession concealer, using this when my undereyes are more dry, and the Morning Confession when my undereyes are more puffy. 

KleanColor 3 in 1 Concealer - Creamy concealer applicator

This is the applicator of the creamy liquid concealer, which is just a typical doefoot applicator, really similar to what you'd find on other liquid concealers. When they say 'creamy concealer', they really mean it. This blends so easily, and I use this to cover up blemishes, and it still has light to medium buildable coverage, but it has such a natural and lightweight finish that I really enjoy.

KleanColor Concealer - Swatched
Stick concealer on left, Liquid concealer on right

As you can see, the stick concealer is much lighter than the liquid concealer, which is a great match for my skin tone. The lighter tone of the stick concealer helps to brighten up my under eyes, and the matching color of the liquid concealer makes it perfect to cover up any blemishes or imperfections.

Overall, I'm a pretty big fan of this concealer, and though I don't use concealer very often, when I need to cover something up, I'll reach for this. It's a great product!

Moving on to the KleanColor Twinsies Duo Lipstick.

KleanColor Twinsies Lipstick in Bare Malibu -$1.50

This lipstick caught my eye because of it's duo color. This is much more of a glossy lipstick, and it's quite sheer. It doesn't show up much in pictures, and it is difficult to build up the color. My lips are already quite pigmented, so it doesn't show up much on my lips. It could have been the color that I chose, but overall, I'm not liking this lipstick much. It doesn't stay on your lips for a long time, but if you prefer a really natural look with very little sheer color, then this may be good for you. However, for me, It made me look a little washed out and I just didn't like how the lipstick went on, it wasn't very comfortable on the lips, and it made my lips a little dry as well.

KleanColor Twinsies Lipstick, Swatched

The color, swatched, looks really nice, but it just does not work well for my skintone. On my lips, it barely shows up. I wouldn't repurchase this again, because I feel like there are many other super affordable lip products that are around the same price range that perform a lot better. I wouldn't recommend this.

Well, that's it for my haul! I hope you all liked it and found a few things you might want to try! Sorry for the super late post and lack of blog posts, I've just been busy with school starting and homework, and so hopefully I'll be able to post once a week for you all.

- Tag blog post coming up soon!

- I went makeup shopping... again..

- I'll be doing a back to school series of outfits & makeup ideas! (:

Hope you liked this post!

-Annie (:

Small Fashion Hauuuuuuuuuuul! - 7/27/13!

Hi Everyone!
This is a late post, but I bought a few things from Kohl's and Payless a week or two ago, and I wanted to share it with you, since I got some really good bargaining deals! (:

Fashion Haul - 7/27/13

These are the three fashion items that I picked up from Kohl's and Payless! 

Dexflex by Dexter Black Patent Wedges from Payless  

Believe it or not, I paid only $12 for these gorgeous wedges. The retail price is $27.99. 

That's a saving of $15.99! Payless is having a clearance sale right now, with clearance items over 50% off. 

I don't own a pair of black heels or wedges, and the pair of black flats that I own tend to give me blisters when I wear them, so I decided to pick these up, and for $12, I think it's a great deal. 

These are sold out in black online, but these are the Kortee Wedge Sling in black. They also come in coral and nude. The wedge height is 3 1/4 in, which is a really great comfortable walking height. They also come in wide width, which is great for my wide feet. I got size 5.5 wide, and they fit true to size. 

These are not the most comfortable wedges ever, but they're not too uncomfortable. I wore them for the first time today and my feet started to hurt a bit after 3 hours or so. These wedges are a simple, classic shoe that will never go out of style, so they are a worthwhile investment. 

Total Cost: $12 w/o tax
Total Savings: $15.99 w/o tax

White Chucks - Converse - Kid's size 3 - $30 

These are the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Shoes in White. I've been wanting a pair of white chucks for a veryveryvery long time. Thank goodness for my small feet, so I saved some money being able to get kids sizes. I am generally a size 5.5-6 in women's, and I got these in a size 3 in kids, and they fit perfectly. My mom wanted me to get a pair of sneakers that I could wear to school, where my dress code is black, white, gray, and yellow only, so I went with these. You guys are probably wondering why I don't own sneakers.. I'm really girly, and I tend to wear flats, wedges, Toms, loafers, etc. Basically, I really don't like wearing sneakers. Or wearing socks, for that matter. In the winter, I tend to wear boots, not sneakers, but I'm glad that I have this pair of Converse that I can go to for those lazy school days.

So, calculating the price. 

My mom has a Kohl's card, and she was sent a 30% off discount coupon, so we used that.
$32 on sale for $30

$30 - 30% off of $30 = $30 - 9 = $21

Also, that day, they had a deal where when you buy $25 worth of merchandise, you get a $10 off coupon as well! 

We bought a candy bar or two to get to $25, so, 

$21 - $10 coupon = $11! 

Total price: $11 w/o tax!
Total Savings: $21 w/o tax

So, I can't find the Rosetti Bag on the website, so I'll just talk about it right here. I love this purse, I wanted to get one that I could bring with me everywhere that was a small size  but could still carry everything I needed! 

Rosetti Bag - Inside

What I love most about this bag is that it has an inner part that opens up that is basically a built in wallet, so I don't have to lug around my wallet with it! It has two other compartments, one that is more shallow, and one that is deeper. This way I can hold my cards, debit card, gift cards, etc, as well as some cash! In the other two compartments, I bring things like snacks, lip balm, hand sanitizer, etc. Whatever I feel like I may need! 

Cost: 

$39 on sale for $25 

$25 - 30% of $25 = $25 - $7.50 = $17.50! 

I picked up a bottle or two of nail polish to get the total to $25, so I could get the $10 coupon, so: 

$17.50 - $10 coupon = $7.50! 

Total price: $7.50 w/o tax
Total Savings: $31.50 w/o tax!!! 

All in all, I recommend you all to try to get as many coupons and discounts as you can, I recommend signing up for email lists, and if you like Kohl's, definitely get a Kohl's charge card, or encourage your parents to! 

I'll be back with more bargains for you all soon! 

Annie ♥

Super Affordable Makeup Brand - KleanColor!

Hi Everyone!

I'm going to be talking about the brand KleanColor today! It's a super affordable makeup brand with surprisingly good quality items! I'll be talking about the products that I've tried from the line with pictures, swatches and mini-reviews!

I buy all of my KleanColor makeup from Daiso Japan, a Japanese dollar store, where all items are $1.50.

*All of my products were bought for $1.50 at Daiso, but their retail prices on the website are more expensive. Try to see if you have a Daiso near you or another store that may sell this brand for a cheaper price.

*This is a very lengthy and picture heavy post.

KleanColor Make Me Blush Palette - Stage Beauty - $1.50

This is the KleanColor Make Me Blush Palette in Stage Beauty. It's a blush palette with 6 shades, one is a highlight shade, and one of them could be used as a bronzer, but I just use it as a blush anyways. I am in love with this Palette.

KleanColor Make Me Blush Palette - Opened

The pans are all equal size, and I think the colors are gorgeous.  None of the colors are very similar to one another, so this palette provides a wide range of blush colors. 

The top left is a yellow-toned champagne color that I use as a highlight on my nose bridge and at the tops of my cheekbones. 

The top middle shade is a bright vibrant hot pink that gives a nice pop to the cheeks. 

The top right is a rosy pink that can be used with any look. 

The bottom left is a very shimmery brown-toned rosy color. 

The bottom middle shade is similar to the bottom left but it is more red toned. 

The bottom right shade is a light-medium bronzer shade that gives a nice bronzed look to the face. 

KleanColor Make Me Blush - Swatched.
From left to right, swatches starting from
bottom right to top left.

These blushes are extremely pigmented. It's almost amazing how pigmented each color is. Not a single dud in this palette. With just one light tap of the brush, you have enough product to apply a natural color to one cheek. I am in love with this palette, and it's the only thing I reach for to bring color to my cheeks. It's definitely travel friendly, since I can basically highlight, bronze, and add color to my face with just one palette. It's definitely a steal at $1.50, and I'd still purchase it at it's retail price of $3.99, but of course, who doesn't want to get it cheaper? I'm definitely going to be picking up the other shade soon, and I'll do a comparison blog or just a plain review post on it! I 150% recommend this palette, and I'll definitely repurchase it if I ever need to, I feel like this will last me forever!

KleanColor X-Infinity Volume Mascara - $1.50

This is the KleanColor X-Infinity Volume Mascara. This retails for $1.99 on the website, so if Daiso ever stops carrying it I'll be able to pick it up at a similar price! Anyways, aside from the super affordable price, I am loving this mascara. It's my new favorite! I really  believe that it thickens my lashes well and gives them length. I have very sparse, short lashes, so I need all the help I can get when it comes to my eyelashes. However, this does have a strong perfumed scent, but it does not bother me. And once you apply it, you can't smell it anymore. So keep that in mind if you're sensitive to scents! 

KleanColor X-Infinity Mascara - Back

Another thing I love about this mascara is how it has a mirror on the back of it! It's very convenient, when I need to put on some mascara on the go, or I can just pop it in my purse and pull it out to check my makeup, or even my teeth! The slim packaging of this mascara is what got my attention with this mascara, and it's super convenient to have such a thin mascara, you can basically just slip it in your pocket!

KleanColor X-Infinity Mascara - Wand

What's probably my favorite thing about this mascara is the wand. It's SMALL, which you can rarely find nowadays in mascaras. It's a typical bristle wand, but it's still able to separate my lashes and give it definition. This mascara thickens my lashes, adds some volume, and some length. It can be applied to get a natural look, or built up for a more dramatic look. I usually just apply a few coats until I get my desired look. You can definitely build up this mascara with multiple coats, but don't let it dry between coats or it may become clumpy. This mascara does not clump at all, as long as there is no dry time between coats. Also, the small brush helps to get right at the bottom of your lashline so you can make sure you coat each and every lash from root to tip. I have never experienced any smudging or flaking from this mascara at all. All in all, this is my new favorite mascara and I will repurchase it again and again and again. 

KleanColor Neutral Zone Palette - Born With It - $1.50

This is the KleanColor Neutral Zone Palette in Born With It. This is probably my new favorite neutral palette. It has 11 shimmery shades and 10 matte shades, all in very wearable neutral colors. I believe that these colors are a bit more warm-toned, with a lot of browns and olive colors. The colors are so surprisingly pigmented, but the thing with these shadows are that they're almost like a pressed pigment, so it's best to apply the colors using your fingers, which I actually prefer, because you can really pack on the color.

KleanColor Neutral Zone Palette, opened

This palette is amazing. They give you a great range of colors, from light shimmery browbone shades to deep dark blacks and grays. There are champagne colors, more orange toned colors. grays, browns, even a pink and a gorgeous blue-purple shade - My favorite from the palette. These colors are gorgeous. 

There are two sets of colors, 11 rectangular shaped shimmery eyeshadows, which do have glitter in them, as well as 10 circular shaped matte eyeshadows, which do contain glitter, but it is not noticeable when applied to the eye. 

The only issue I have with this palette is that the matte shadows are very difficult to access. Meaning, it's really hard to get some eyeshadow on a brush or your finger because of how small the pans are. I tend to use my pinky to get some product and apply it where I want it.

KleanColor Neutral Zone Palette, Swatched.
First 5 shimmer colors, from right to left. 

KleanColor Neutral Zone Palette - Swatched
Shimmer Colors 6-11, from right to left.  

As you guys can see, these are all of the shimmery shades in the palette. They are so insanely pigmented, and they can be used to create tons of different looks. This is definitely my new go-to palette. My favorite thing to do is to mix the shimmer and the matte. I like to apply a light shimmery color in the inner corner, a medium-toned shimmery color all over the lid, add definition with a darker shimmery color, then blend a matter color into the crease, and finally use a matte cream-color as a browbone highlight.

KleanColor Neutral Zone Palette - Swatched
Matte Colors, from top to bottom. 

Surprisingly, these matte shadows are almost all quite pigmented, except for the very last black matte color. The very first shade at the top is a cream shade, which is very pigmented, it just doesn't show up on my skin! I love the matte berry shade that they provide, it's gorgeous. The matte shades are basically bone shades, cream shades, and various shades of brown and a gray/black. My only issue with these is the difficulty it is to pick up product with the tiny eyeshadow size. They're about the size of a dime, maybe a bit smaller.

This retails for $6.99 on the website, which is much more pricey than the $1.50 that I got it for, but I think that I would still pick it up at that price, because of how many colors it has, the mix of matte and shimmers, the fantastic pigmentation and the longevity of the shadows. Definitely worth it for $6.99, but it's a steal at $1.50!  

All in all, I love this palette, and it's definitely my go-to palette. I'd definitely recommend it. The pigmentation is spot on, the longevity is great, but I would recommend applying a primer just to help minimize fall out and to extend the longevity of the shadows. My only issues with it are the possible fall out you can get from the shimmery shadows, and the small size of the matte colors. Please note, the shimmery colors are VERY shimmery and glittery. 

KleanColor Morning Confession Eye Roll-on Concealer

Last but not least, this is the KleanColor Morning Confession Roll-on Concealer, which is a concealer with a eye-roller that is targeted for covering up dark circles and the under eye area. I love the concept of having this eye roller, which is generally seen on eye serums for "de-puffing" the eyes. I use this whenever I want to cover up discoloration underneath my eyes. This concealer comes in 6 shades, with one shade that is dark enough for deeper skin tones. I have the shade 03 Natural, which to me, comes off with a very slight pinky salmony tone.

KleanColor Morning Confession Concealer
Eye-roller applicator

This is the applicator of the concealer, and when you put it on, it feels very cooling underneath your eyes. Basically you just roll the applicator underneath the eye a few times and the roller dispenses the product as it "de-puffs" your eyes. I don't have terrible dark circles or anything, but sometimes I do have some discoloration, and I like to brighten my under eyes just to make myself look more awake in the morning. I'll apply it in a triangular shape underneath the eye, and then blend it in with my fingers. It has a slightly tacky finish, has about medium coverage, but it is buildable. it has never appeared cakey, even when applied in several layers. Since I do not care for the tacky finish, I use my Ecotools mini face brush and apply a little bit of Rimmel's Stay Matte powder to set the concealer.

KleanColor Concealer, swatched

This is a swatch of the color, and if you look closely, it has a very slight salmony undertone, which helps to cancel out the blue-tones in dark circles. 

I love this concealer, and it retails for $1.99 on the website, which is not a far stretch from $1.50, so if Daiso ever stops carrying it, I'll be able to order it on the website. I love that it gives you decent coverage without appearing cakey, even after being set with powder. It doesn't set into fine lines and it has a very natural finish. I'd repurchase it again and again and again, and I love the concept of the eye-roller as the applicator, definitely helps with de-puffing the eyes. 

All in all, I love all the products from the KleanColor brand, and I highly recommend you check them out, especially if you have a Daiso nearby you that carries these products! Their nail polishes are also great! It's a really great affordable brand with great quality products. I can't wait to try out more from their line, and I'll keep you all updated on any new products I might get!

Annie ♥

My Makeup Brush Collection!

Hi Everyone!

I'm doing a post about my makeup brushes today, so you guys can know what I use to apply my makeup and which brushes I use to apply what product! I'll have a description of what the brush is, how much I like it, and what I use the brush for!

Ecotools Bamboo Bronzer Brush - $9.99

This is the Ecotools Bamboo Bronzer Brush, now renamed the "Domed Bronzer Brush". I love this brush. It's incredibly dense and super soft. I'm a huge fan of Ecotools brushes, but I don't really have much use for this brush.. It's far too dense to use to apply bronzer, unless you're using a very light color and buffing it out. I tend to use this brush to apply liquid or cream foundations/products or I use it  to buff out any overdone makeup. My favorite use for this brush is to buff everything out, but since I go for a very natural look, I don't need to use it very often. I love this brush, no doubt, for it's versatility, softness, and size. I just wish I had more use for it in my daily makeup routine. It essentially is a round kabuki with a longer handle- Easier to use!

Ecotools Sheer Finish Kabuki Brush- $6.99

This is the Ecotools Sheer Finish Kabuki Brush! It's essentially a Stippling brush, but on a curved kabuki handle. It has duo-fibers, and it is also extremely soft, just like all of the Ecotools brushes I own are. I use this brush to either stipple on foundation, or apply light amounts of a bright blush, or if I want a sheer coverage of powder. I use this most for applying powder, because I like how it gives the most natural finish. It is a bit larger and wider than a typical stippling brush, but I find that the kabuki handle makes it easier to control. I have had no issues with the slightly larger side of this brush.

Ecotools Buffing Brush- side view

Ecotools Buffing Brush- Front view

This is the Ecotools Buffing Brush , now renamed the "Custom Coverage Buffing Brush". This has to be my favorite brush ever. I lovelovelove this brush. It's dense, soft, and it's multi-functional! I use this mainly to buff in my foundation/bb cream. I also sometimes use this to buff out rough edges like I do with the Ecotools Buffing brush. I do tend to reach for this brush more because of how functional it is. I love using this to apply foundation because it helps to blend the foundation into my skin well. I love using this brush, and it definitely is my most used brush. I definitely recommend you get this! It's a great brush for the price.

Ecotools by Alicia Silverstone- Blush Brush

This is the Blush brush from the Ecotools by Alicia Silverstone Brush Set & Bag, which retails for $15.99 for 5 brushes, which I think is a steal. I love this blush brush so much. It fits perfectly on the cheek area, it's the perfect size. It picks up product well and it blends blush very well. It provides a natural application of blush, and it's probably the only blush brush I'll ever use. It's not too dense, but it definitely has a good amount of bristles for the perfect blush application. It's absolutely perfect and I have no complains. It applies blush flawlessly and it is so soft. I use this brush to apply blush and sometimes for a light application of bronzer. Definitely love this brush, a big thumbs up from me!

Ecotools by Alicia Silverstone Mini Foundation Brush

This is the Ecotools by Alicia Silverstone Mini Foundation Brush, which is basically a smaller foundation brush. I've never really been a big fan of these types of foundation brushes, I find them to leave a streaky finish and take a long while to apply the product. So, I don't reach for this brush very often, but I sometimes use it when I apply concealer. Kind of an "eh" brush for me. Don't hate it, don't love it.

Ecotools by Alicia Silverstone Mini Face(Powder) Brush

This is another brush from the Alicia Silverstone set, and I lovelovelove this one. It's another one of the brushes I reach for constantly. I use this to apply highlight to the tops of my cheeks, to contour the sides of my nose with bronzer, and to set my concealer with powder underneath the eyes. It's super soft and essentially a mini version of the blush brush, with a nice taper. I love how functional this brush is, and I use this every time I apply makeup. Definitely a go to brush. It's not as small as an eyeshadow blending brush, but it has a similar shape to one. I believe this is the first time I've seen a brush of this shape and size, and it's definitely a great unique brush. 

Ecotools by Alicia Silverstone Detailed Eye Shading Brush

Also from the Alicia Silverstone kit, this is the Detailed Eye Shading Brush. This is one of the only eyeshadow brushes I have. I don't wear eyeshadows often, but I do have a decently sized collection of eyeshadows and palettes. I tend to use my fingers when I apply eyeshadow since I don't have a blending blush. I tend to use this brush to apply darker eyeshadows close to the lash line and also smudge darker colors on the bottom of the lash line. I also sometimes use this to apply dark colors on the outer edge, as well as pack on colors. As this is one of the only eyeshadow brushes I have, I get good use out of it. I tend to apply the main color and use this brush for the darker colors and defining. Overall a good multi-functional brush. 

Ecotools by Alicia Silverstone Spoolie Brush

I don't know what it is about this spoolie brush, from the Alicia Silverstone kit, but I love it so much. I definitely have used other spoolies, one by ELF and some of those disposable spoolie brushes. But the thing about this brush is that it's so soft. I find the other spoolies to be rough on my skin when I am grooming my brows, but this one is so soft and it helps me to shape my brows wonderfully. It's slightly angled, which makes it even easier to shape my brows the way I like them to be. I love this spoolie brush, and I don't ever want to use another one after this. I definitely recommend this! 

ELF Essential Concealer Brush - $1.00

This is the ELF Essential Concealer Brush. Mine is black and says 'Professional' because I got it in a 10 piece holiday brush set, but I've lost most of the brushes from that set, and some I just threw out due to the bad quality of the brushes. This brush, I don't have much use for. If I ever use it, which is very rarely, I use to shadow-line the eyes by the lash line, due to it's stiffness and small size. Not really a good brush to me. I just keep it around for a very rare use every once in awhile. I wouldn't repurchase it, not even for $1. 

ELF Essential Blush Brush - $1.00

This is the ELF Essential Blush Brush. I don't really know how I feel about this brush.... It applies bronzer okay, and I use this for contouring the hollows of my cheeks sometimes, but it's kind of itchy and scratchy and the brush does not have enough bristles to have an amazing application. I don't know.. I don't reach for this brush much.. I keep it around for when I want to contour, but I rarely reach for it. I wouldn't buy this brush.. I'm definitely going to look around for an angled blush brush of better quality. I don't recommend this. 

ELF Essential Blending Eye Sponge - $1.00

This is the ELF Essential Blending Eye Sponge. I kind of have mixed feelings about this. It's basically a rounded sponge on a stick.. I mean, I haven't really found a major use for it. I keep it around if I'm going for a smudgy eyeliner look, and for that purpose it works well, but I don't smudge my eyeliner often, I barely use eyeliner, for that matter, since I go for more natural looks. It's another 'eh' brush for me. I'll try to find other uses for it and keep you all updated!

ELF Essential Brow Comb & Brush - $1.00

This is the ELF Essential Lash & Brow Brush. This is probably my least used brush. I never ever use this. On a super super rare occasion, if I have terribly clumpy lashes, I may use this to attempt to separate them, but overall, I don't have a use for this. I honestly don't really know why I keep this around.. Not worth the $1 in my opinion. 

My Makeup Brush Collection & Set up

Well yea, that's my Makeup Brush Collection. Nothing really fancy or extensive. I do want to get some more brushes, especially eyeshadow brushes, but as for now, these brushes are enough for me. I love most of my brushes, and I always go for more affordable brushes. 

When I bought the Ecotools brushes, I bought them during the Cyber Monday sale of 2012, and all of the brushes were 50% off, and I got free shipping as well, so I got all the brushes for a great price. The ELF brushes were a Christmas gift from my friend, but this is my honest review of them. 

As for shedding/cleaning of my brushes, I use a facial cleanser that didn't work out for me, L'oreal Go 360 Clean for Sensitive Skin, and I just wash them in my hands with the cleanser. None of these brushes shed on me, but the more dense brushes, like the Ecotools Buffing Brush and the Ecotools Bamboo Bronzing Brush take a lot of effort and time to clean, and take a long time to dry as well. 

As for the holders of my brushes, I use 2 glass vases from Ikea, which I got for $1.99 each, and I filled it with a bottle of fake blue sea glass, which was $1.99 for a bottle. I love the look of this, I think it looks very simple, classic, and pretty. I leave the Ecotools Bamboo Bronzing Brush and the Ecotools Sheer Finish Kabuki Brush on my makeup area due to their large bases and size. 

What do you guys think of these brushes? Do you have any affordable brushes that you recommend?
Let me know!

Annie ♥

P.S: Expect a haul post soon! (:

London Soho New York Beauty Sponge- First Impressions!

Hi Everyone!

About a week ago I ordered the London Soho New York Beauty Sponge from Amazon.

Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009IN9U10/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

London Soho New York Beauty Sponge in Original Packaging

It came in the mail this morning and once I got home I decided to try it out! This is supposed to be one of the closest dupes to the infamous Beauty Blender, despite it's different shape. Unfortunately for me, Amazon's shipping messed the box up, but the sponge was still in perfect condition. From first glance, the sponge looked to be the same color and the Beauty Blender, but I don't own a Beauty Blender so I cannot directly compare the two. I got this off of Amazon for $7.99 as an add-on item. You can, however, find it at Walmart for about $5. 

Beauty Sponge in my hand, dry. 

The sponge is very dense when dry, and it is a very cute football shape. The color is a dark coral-pink, and the sponge is quite smooth, and seems to almost have 'pores', since there are tiny holes in the sponge. My particular sponge was not very symmetric, with one side being slightly more rounded rather than pointed.

Beauty sponge smushed, dry. 

When I pushed down or smushed the sponge, it was very dense. I could not smush it so that it was very flat, either. The texture of the sponge kind of reminds me of a memory foam mattress, because when you smush the sponge with your fingers, the form of your fingers stays for a second or two before it returns to it's initial shape. 

Beauty sponge in my hand, damp. 

I dampened the sponge by putting it in a cup of water for about a minute. I then took it out of the cup and squeezed out as much water as I could, and then I squeezed the sponge in a towel to remove all excess water. The sponge grew significantly, probably about 75% or so. Not quite twice the size. The thing about this sponge is that when you soak it in water and take it out of the cup, the water does not drip out of the sponge. It simply stays inside of it. Squeezing the water out of the sponge did take some time and effort. I definitely recommend squeezing it in a towel if you want to ensure that you remove as much excess water as you can. After I removed as much water as I could, the sponge still stayed the initial shape it was after removing it from the water. It was less dense, the 'pores' were much more visible, and the color was a more vibrant hot pink.

Beauty sponge smushed, damp

When damp, this sponge becomes much less dense than it is when dry, but it definitely does have some density. I find that when it's damp it's perfect to use to apply foundations with. It is soft and not rough on the face, it applies the foundation (I used Lioele's Triple the Solution BB Cream today) flawlessly and leaves a nice, smooth finish. It was very easy to use, and I found that the shape of the sponge was very convenient when rolling the foundation onto the skin. It covered a lot of my face and sped up the application. I spent about as much time applying the foundation with the sponge as I would with my fingers, and the result is much more flawless and easy. I love this BB cream, but I do find it difficult to blend sometimes. However, this sponge helped it blend into my skin seamlessly. It feels so lightweight, like you're not wearing anything on your face! It does, however, leave a dewy finish on the skin. Whenever I apply foundation/BB cream, I set it with powder, so it does not matter much to me.

This sponge isn't the easiest to clean, but the tactics I used are fairly simplistic. I used a facial cleanser that didn't work well for me (L'oreal Go 360 Clean) and applied it directly onto the sponge, focusing on areas where there are foundation stains. I rubbed in the cleanser and rinsed the sponge under a running faucet. I continued to rinse and squeeze the excess water out of the sponge until there were no more suds or dirty/foundation stained water.



Needless to say, I'm loving this affordable alternative to the Beauty Blender! It's easy to use, and creates great results. If you can find it for ~$5 at Walmart, definitely give it a try, it's worth the price! I'll definitely be incorporating this into my makeup routine. I don't apply makeup every day, I don't find it necessary. I think everyone should be able to go out without makeup and feel good about themselves, so I try to only apply makeup when I want to. It's more of a hobby for me than a "must do" type of thing. Either way, whether you apply makeup every day or every once in a while, I definitely recommend picking up this beauty sponge.

Have you tried this sponge yet? Or are you saving up for the pricey Beauty Blender? Or do you prefer using your brushes/fingers?

Random notes:

• I'll keep you updated on this sponge, and there will be another first impression post on the Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB Cream, once I get it in the mail and I test it out for you all (:
• I've gotten used to the ELF eyebrow kit, and I am loving it! There will be a review up soon! 

Talk to you all soon,
Annie ♥