I promised Nimphe, Karen and the rest of my readers that I would get this post our at the weekend, and boy am I glad I'm finally able to stick to my promises...

Only God knows why, but I'm on a high today: I'm listening to Roxette (don't laugh, they were the only thing that kept me alive during high-school), cuddling with my cat, eating fruit gums (I know, I know, I shouldn't be, but I just don't care right now...), and generally feel like I'm on top of the world.

Reasons? Here are a few:

• My job.
  Actually, the fact that I have one.
  No more nagging from my parents and my own conscience, no more self-loathing and hopelessness, and most importantly no more empty pockets. Life's good.
  
  
  
• Oh, and that we a have an extremely cool PC in our office with Windows 7. You know what I like best about Win7? Yep: StickyNotes. It's a lot of fun, extremely practical and useful, and just plain and simple cool.
  
  
• That I'm going to accompany my colleague to a trade fair in Nuremberg for a week in February, which gives me the opportunity to shop for a suitcase, a few sets of womens suits, shoes and other goodies.
  
  
• Music.
  
  
• The knowledge that if all goes well, I'll soon be the owner of another heap of Silk Naturals makeup.
  
  
• The sort of sunny-spell we're experiencing right now where I live.

Sorry for gushing and bragging as if it was Things I Love Thursday, but I just had to tell the world how happy I am for the first time in... well, a very long time.




Now, about those brushes: out of the 4 I'm going to review today there's only one I haven't managed to befriend yet, so I guess you can start guarding your pockets/purses/wallets or any other accessories you use to store your money in. ;)





Brushes like this one are also called stippling brushes which is not something you want to forget. What's "stippling" you ask? Well, allow me to explain.


In art stippling is when instead of strokes or lines you use an insane amount of small dots to create various degrees of shading. Take a look at this artist drawing a portrait to get the idea. You can use the same method to apply blush and achieve a really nice, natural effect, especially if you have to work with an intensely pigmented kind of powder.

Since brushes like this have a very thin head with a small amount hairs scattered on a relatively big surface, it's easy to use them as if they were a bunch of pointed paintbrushes joined together. Actually, this brush has two kinds of hair: one is short and black, and it is there to separate the other kind of hairs which are long and white, and which are the ones that'll pick up the blush and disperse it on your skin.

Ever since I bought it, it's been my favorite brush to apply my blushes with. You can, of course, use it as a regular brush and put on your blush with sweeping or circular motions, but in my opinion it's best to just "dot-sot-dot" all over your cheeks. It can also be used to apply liquid- or cream-foundation too, but since I don't use any of those, I wouldn't know how well a brush like this performs at that.

However, here's a girls who does: check out beechbum06's video on YouTube to see what I've been talking about in the past few minutes.

Silk Naturals' brush is $5.99 and is practically a steal when you consider how useful it is. (I actually had store credit with SN at the time I bough it so it was "free" for me, but I don't think it takes away from my objectivity as I still had to pay for shipping and all the other things I bought together with it.) It's a bit different from the average stippling brush I think: most of them seem pretty big in diameter while this one is only about 2 cm. It's probably a bit weird for people who're used to larger brushes, but let me tell you that this one's perfectly usable if you're willing to give it a chance. In fact, I think it's much better this way, because it allows for more precise application and better control over where you put your blush.

All in all, I totally recommend this brush: it's a cheap alternative for MAC brushes and it does the job perfectly. It does shed more than an EDM brush and washing does bring out some black gunge, but that stops after a while and then you have a perfect blush brush.

Rating: a solid 5 out of 5





I know, I know: it looks very unkempt upon first glance.

Even upon second glance, to be honest.

Fine, all right, whatever... It does look disheveled and tousled no matter how many times you look at it.

It doesn't really matter though. I had thought it was an eyeshadow brush and as far as I can remember it was advertised as one, but I've been know for going off the beaten path and using things in a different way that they were originally intended to. So I use this as a concealer brush and it works perfectly that way. It's small, it covers nothing else but the zit I'm trying to hide, and when you use it like this, it really doesn't matter how rumpled it is.

It retails for $1.99 at Coastal Scents and is a great buy if you want to conceal blemishes but find concealer brushes too big and clumsy.

Rating: 4 out of 5





Yeesh, photographing brushes is just like photographing your face: the camera catches every little detail and flaw you'd think doesn't normally show...

Okay, this one is a solid little brush, and since I've had it, I haven't once used it to apply lipstick with.

However, it's perfect for applying dark, matte eyeshadows to the corner of your eyes and to contour your lids with. In one word, it was meant to assist you in creating a gorgeous smoky eye. Using it is like drawing with a pencil, but it's never once rough on the delicate skin around my eyes. It allows for precise application, and because of how thin it is, it's great to line your eyes with too providing you're using eyeshadow (preferably dry) and want to blend it a bit.

It's one of my favorite brushes ever, so I encourage you to get it for yourself too. For only $1.99 it's a great deal!

Rating: 5 out of 5





I guess this is what I get if I don't read the product description... I know it's written there in plain black and white that it has a 5/8 inch hair span and it says "big", but I honestly didn't expect it to be THIS BIG...!

That's completely my fault though, so I'm not going to blame Coastal Scents for my own laziness and stupidity. But honestly, what can you do with a brush that big? Me, I'm a fairly tiny* person, so not much obviously.

* Tiny as in "vertically": I'm 155 cm tall. I'm still working on the "horizontally" part...

Anyway, I honestly can't tell you much about this one as I've only used it once or twice since I got it last spring. It's very dense, soft and pliable when I run my thumb over it, and I have a hunch that it's great to blend eyeshadow with, I just can't seem to figure out how to make it work on my eyes. Oh well, perhaps one day I'll experiment with it a bit, but for now it doesn't excite me that much.

It was $2.99, by the way.

Rating: 3 out of 5 ('3' only because it's a very well-made, good quality brush...)


Next post? Soon, I can tell you that much. ;) Topic? Silk Naturals lippies most likely with swatches. Also, I may just start swatching all my SN and Pure Luxe eyeshadows too. I've had them for ages and I still haven't managed to churn out a post about them...


 

I don't know what the weather is like where you live, but here it's been raging at us for a week now: high wind, rain, cold (below 10°C/50°F), and darkness all over the country. It came out of the blue, and sooner or later I'll have to accept that summer is officially over and dig my winter clothes out of the wardrobe.

As I mentioned in a previous post I don't mind the greyness that much: it feels like a cozy blanket has descended on the city and I can walk among the crowd unnoticed. For those who are not particularly fond of this kind of weather, here's something you can play with: colorful, smells good and protects your skin from the cold weather.

Alverde have really proved their mettle with their latest products. I'm nowhere near the end of trying them all, but I've been using a few and I'd like to share my findings with you.

These were the products I was most curious about, and I'm happy to say that all of them have met my expectations.



Let's start with the two body products.

This has got to be their most liquidy lotion to date. (I just wonder why they can't produce something similar for facial moisturizer.) It's pink and smells exactly like their facial moisturizer with acerola cherry and carrots (=Vitamincreme Acerola Karotte).

Somehow Alverde's body lotions are the only ones that keep my skin hydrated during winter. Bioderma has some really cool body lotions and I also really liked La Roche Posay's Lipikar, but I'm on a tight budget now and don't exactly have the money to spend on those products. Alverde's products have always worked for me, and this one's no exception. Every time I put it on in the morning (on slightly damp skin) I can practically hear as my skin drinks it all up and gives a contented little sigh afterwards. It sinks in fast and leaves only an extremely thin layer of oil on my skin which, contrary to what you might think, does not feel like a layer of oil at all. It's more like a protective barrier that feels velvety and doesn't allow my skin to tear itself apart from dryness.

So far this stuff has even kept my hands silky soft, but for extended periods spent outside in the cold weather I recommend Alverde's new body butter to be used as a hand-cream.

Ingredients:
Aqua, Alcohol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (almond) Oil, Vitis Vinifera (grape) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (jojoba) Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii (shea butter)*, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Parfum**, Sodium Lactate, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Helianthus Annuus (sunflower) Seed Oil, Lactic Acid, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (cranberry) Fruit Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Lithospermum Erythrorhizon (borago-like plant) Root Extract, Linalool**, Limonene**, Geraniol**
*ingredients from certified organic agriculture
** from natural essential oils






Like I mentioned above, this doubles as a superb handcream. Since I like to carry some around with me in my handbag and have an empty 30 ml pump-bottle laying around, I'm considering mixing the two (the body butter and the lotion) to create a cream that will both moisturize and protect my hands. (And not annoy above mentioned pump bottle too much. Aaaand smell like walnut cake with cranberry sauce on top. And... No more wishes. :-))

Anyway, what can I say? I'm glad I bought this one. :)

True, in the beginning I was somewhat hesitant about the the smell: it had something in it that reminded me too much of a product I hated because of its smell (Alverde Körpercreme Mandel Teerose). Somehow, though, my initial aversion to this product quickly faded away as I gradually began to tolerate and then later like its scent, and also because I soon discovered how much my skin and this product like each other. Well, who am I to argue with my skin, right? So now this body butter and I are best buddies: I put it on before I got to bed in the evening and I swear it's more comforting than a teddy-bear. :) It's really does smell like a slice of walnut cake (or my favorite, "Eszterházy-cake") and makes my skin silky soft. It needs about 5-7 minutes to sink in, but afterwards it's perfectly grease-free and lovely.

I can't recommend it enough. :)

Ingredients:
Aqua, Glycine Soja Oil*, Glycerin, Alcohol*, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter*, Theobroma Cacao Butter*, Olea Europea Oil*, Xanthan Gum, Calendula Officinalis Extract*, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Extract*, Rosa Damascena Flower Water*, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate Parfum**, Limonene**, Benzyl Salicylate**, Linalool**, Citral**
*ingredients from certified organic agriculture
** from natural essential oils


There's not much to say about this one. Smells mouthwatering, though I'm not sure it actually reminds me of pineapples, but whatever... It's Alverde's usual shower gel formula, this time packed in a 200 ml tube.




An excellent brush and unbelievably enough it was a mere 700 HUF! It's fine, hard and easy to line your eyes with. Judge for yourselves:



Aside the ones I mentioned here, there are some other new products to look forward to:

Two new bubblebaths.


Cleansing foam with silk.


Two lip and cheek stains.

And a shower cream with figs and raw sugar. Yummy!

 

Gah, I have to stop listening to Sounds of the Universe or else I won't be able to write a single coherent sentence... ;-) I can't wait until the 20th April to buy the album!!!

Anyway, who wants to see my Everyday Minerals brushes? I know at least one person who does, so here they are in all their glory (or at least looking as good as my photography skills could make them) with commentary from yours truly. :)

From the two brushes that are meant for applying mineral foundation, I like this one much less. Yes, it's a wonderfully dense and soft brush (just like all of EDM's brushes), but I can't shake the feeling that this one is better suited for applying some sort of finishing powder or maybe even bronzer. I don't like the way its head is slightly dome-shaped, resulting in uneven distribution of any kind of powder on my skin which leaves my face it splotchy and the brush downright useless in this department. I think, however, that that's just me. Other might have much better luck with it, but I have already gathered from trial and error that EDM's Flat Top Brush is the only one for me.

Length: ~10.5 cm
Diameter of head: ~4cm







Exactly because of its flatness it fits to every nook and curve on my face, and enables me to reach even the area next to and around my nose. It follows the angles of my face quite nicely and distributes an even amount of powder everywhere which makes it much more suited for applying foundation (in my book at least). Imagine stenciling a pretty motif on your wall with the Kabuki and then this one: as someone who knows her way around art and different kinds of brushes I can safely say that while this one would leave behind a nice, even layer of paint, the Kabuki would definitely smear and color with varying intensity.

Length: ~10 cm
Diameter of head: ~3.5 cm









I bought two of these as I had thought it would be practical and less time-consuming to have one for shimmery blushes and one for mattes. (You know, not having to wash my brush every time I want to apply a matte blush after a shimmery one.) Now I think maybe I should have bought one for cool-toned blushes, and one for warm-toned ones, and another for bronzers, and a further one for highlighters, and so on... Although for really intensive colors such as Wake-Up Call and Sunday Brunch I will probably use a fiber optic brush, this brush is still a great little tool to work with. I like that it's relatively flat and angled: this way I can cover a rather big portion of my cheek at the same time and distribute the blush evenly. Nice work, EDM!

Length: ~11.5 cm
Diameter of head (width): ~3.5 cm
Diameter of head (length): ~2.5 cm









This one should have been included in my 10 piece eyeshadow kit, but alas, it wasn't. As far as I remember it was out of stock at the time, so I reconciled myself to the thought that I just managed to miss out on it and would perhaps buy one some other time. (So I'm a loser, so what's new? :)) Then one day, the postman turned up with an envelope, and as I wasn't expecting anything at the time, I was a bit surprised. Upon opening the envelope it was my missing eyeshadow brush that fell out, which only built up my trust in EDM's ways of doing business a bit further.

Anyway, EDM's eyeshadow brush is nice, but it's a bit too inflexible and tough for my liking. It's very easy to have a lot of sparkly eyeshadow end up on your cheeks using this one as it just springs back whenever I try to bend it and make it follow the contours of my eyelid. I used to apply concealer with it, but when I got my Eye Kabuki I tossed this one altogether and never looked back. (Okay, maybe I did use this brush for contouring once or twice, but that's it.) I say you'd do much better with a softer, easier to bend brush.

Length: ~16.5 cm
Head (width): ~1 cm
Head (length): ~1 cm




Lovely, only I use it as a concealer brush.

Just like EDM's other brushes this one is also very dense and soft, making it perfect for applying any sort of powder, especially concealer, as the size of the brush head allows for buffing and perfect blending. Unlike the previous brushes, this one already has a bamboo handle (I got this for myself for Christmas), just like all brushes EDM will sell in the future.

Applying eyeshadow with this one is not entirely impossible, but I just wish it were a bit smaller as working with it in its current state is a bit awkward to say the least. It comes in handy though when you want to apply a base color quickly or just blend two colors, but you have to be careful while doing the latter one: the size of the brush doesn't allow for much precision unfortunately.

Length: ~13 cm
Diameter of head: ~1.5 cm



 

Fine, I don't have that many reasons to celebrate Spring yet: after all, the sky is cloudy today and it might start raining any second. Then again, about two weeks ago on a Friday evening I was heading home from a quick meeting with a friend, and there was just something in the air, something that had not been there before. The lights were different, the air was unusually warm and fragrant with the scent of damp earth and fresh sprouts, while the birds were singing a song I had not heard them sing for almost a year. I knew right there and then that Spring was not much farther away, and lo and behold, I was right:



Now, I've been absent for a good while, but I have managed to pick up a lovely assortment of new things to write about. I promise I'll get to them soon, but for now allow me to show you the contents of a small, sort of experimental order from Stars Makeup Haven. This online store offers a wide array of MAC pigment samples to play with, not to mention cheap but usable brushes, makeup palettes and full size products by many well-known brands.

What drew me to them first and foremost were the MAC pigment samples, but I was also glad to discover that at the time they were selling empty lipbalm tubes for as little as 0.5$ per tube, the kind that's easy to work with and that I'd been wanting to have for ages, as I wanted to save some of my not-so-perfect lippies and create some unique shades of my own. I have yet to claim the kitchen mine and experiment, but sooner or later I will get to it.




The following brush (White Angle Taklon Eyeliner Liner Brush) is their version of a MAC one, only as they don't have it in stock at the moment I can't tell you which. One thing I can tell you, however, is that it's a great brush that's definitely worth the 2.5$ I paid for it. Since I got it, it hasn't shed a single hair, and the bristles and soft but firm, allowing for great precision and enabling me to draw a very fine and smooth line relatively quickly and easily.




The last item in my parcel was the most eagerly awaited as well: a 1/4 teaspoon sample of MAC's Sunnydaze pigment, my first MAC pigment ever. I'd been really curious about these colorful concoctions and wanted to know what all the fuss was about, but I was never really inclined to cash out on them. Well, now I know what I'd been missing all my life. ;-)

The pigment itself is an insanely adhering little thing: as you can see in the picture, it sticks to everything it touches, from the sides of the jar to my eyelids. It is also astonishingly pigmented (Well, duh!), meaning I need only the smallest amount to cover my eyelids, and also that this 1/4 tsp sample will last me quite a while.

The color is gorgeous: a lovely light brown shimmer with a dark brown base, which lends it a multidimensional character and makes it seem I'm wearing at least two different colors on my eyes, when I'm wearing only one. Unlike most MAC pigments which are usually too bold for me even to consider wearing them at work, Sunnydaze is a sophisticated pearly brown that can be worn in many different ways:




Foiled (mixed with water, some sort of mixing medium or Visine :-) it acquires a metallic sheen and has the most intensive color. Applied on top of ArtDeco's Eyeshadow Base (the ultimate eyeshadow primer; thank you Bagaela!) it lasts an entire day without creasing, fading, or sliding off my lids, while putting it on bare skin will result in the most subtle but probably most wearable finish one can get. The exact shade is so very difficult to capture and I had to fiddle a lot with the settings of my camera before I managed to take the pictures below:





Stars Makeup Haven:
Shipping time to Budapest, Hungary: 1 week
Shipping costs: here
+ pigment samples from the new Hello Kitty collection are already available!

Another online store that sells MAC samples is The Body Needs: their shipping costs are a bit higher, but the samples themselves are priced much lower than those of SMH. True, I haven't ordered anything from them yet, so I wouldn't know how much pigment their 5g jars actually contain. I'll test them once our currency gets a bit stronger. ;-)

...

Just as I predicted at the beginning of my post: it has started raining...

Gah, I love these smileys!