You may or may not know that my background isn't strictly in the beauty realm but I actually have a degree in industrial design. One thing I learned from my shop days is how important it is to have the right drill bit, a sharp saw, and a good pair of safety goggles (I know, really sexy) to maximize efficiency and technique. Really, makeup application is no different. Simply getting the most expensive tools isn't necessary but having the proper tools can have a big impact on the finished result.

I've gone through so many years trying out all shapes and sizes of makeup brushes, from the biggest kabuki to the tiniest precise liner, that I've found a really nice rhythm of which brushes work best. That's why I thought it would be helpful to share a list of the standout must-haves from each category and what I use them for.





If you want to see how I use these brushes in action (plus a few extra brushes like what I use for mineral foundation) check out the video below:



I realized that my bronzer brush mentioned in the video isn't available for purchase anymore so anyone with bronzer brush recommendations will be my hero. If there are any other brushes that you can't live without let me know in the comments so I can check it out!

Inside you can see the large mirror, 8 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, highlighter, and 2 brushes included in the palette. This is quite a large palette and there is thickness to it which is unfortunate, but it accommodates the width of the brushes included.


Here's a better look at everything included. It's amazing how all the shades work together even though we each came up with our shades independently.


Lots of eye candy close ups and swatches after the jump!

As a continuation of my last post about my Favorite Face Brushes, I wanted to also talk about a few of my favorite eye brushes as well. With so many shapes and sizes of eye brushes out there, it can be a little tricky to navigate which shapes, textures, and densities will be most handy in your beauty kit. You can use this as a good basic guideline to figure out what you are missing in your eye brush arsenal!

Here is a recap of some of my favorite eye brushes, starting with the necessary basics and moving onto the more advanced set.
This is your basic flat shading brush which you can use to pack color on the lid, twice even (one color per side)! It's not astounding in any way, but definitely a go-to necessity.
Pencil brushes are an Asian girl's best friend. This little guy can help to define the tiny outer crease area that larger brushes make muddy and in a pinch, I can get away with using only this brush for an entire eye look. When looking at pencil brushes just make sure you get a dense one. Floppy brushes can't pack on color as well, which is an important factor for crease definition.

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, "How do you clean your makeup brushes?" It seems like it would be a really simple task, but with all of the levels of cleaning and various methods you can do, it can easily become a daunting endeavor.

Here, I show you the methods I use most frequently broken down into 3 levels: spot cleaning, basic cleaning, and deep cleaning.


Products mentioned:
Wet Ones
Parian Spirit (Japonesque version here)
Sigma Dry & Shape (use code 0112XJML for 10% off through 1-31-11)

American Apparel turtleneck dress
Hollister ponchor (similar / similar)
Headband is from Forever 21 (similar / similar)
Nailpolish is Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Tyin' The Knot with Sephora for OPI Traffic Stopper Copper on top




For spot cleaning I actually learned the Wet Ones trick from another makeup artist and I've found it to be a really great tool not just around the house but absolutely in my makeup kit as well. It can clean up little mistakes on the face as well as wipe down and disinfect makeup tools and brushes. When I need to apply makeup to many faces in a short period of time, I always do a quick disinfecting of my brushes between clients using these wipes as well as a spray of rubbing alcohol if needed.



Parian Spirit is a liquid cleansing system that I bought at IMATS last year. It's great for cleaning & disinfecting brushes in most situations as long as you don't have a million brushes to clean at once. Just pour the citrus-scented liquid into the small glass jar, swirl your brush on the plastic mesh, and wipe down on a paper towel! I like this method the most because brushes dry quickly and it removes even the toughest gel liners and residue of brushes. You can even use this to remove eyelash glue off of lashes!



For deep cleaning I use several methods. Since I have my bad habit of going through a million brushes before I finally deep clean them (as evidenced in the video) I showed you the method that I use most often since I don't want to waste my MAC brush cleanser. With a simple mixture of olive oil, dish soap, and water, you can get through a large batch of brushes while disinfecting and conditioning them at the same time.

I also wanted to mention my new best friend for brush bath sessions, the Sigma Dry & Shape! Oh man was I so happy that this thing actually works. You guys know how much I love my F84 brush for foundation but those buggers (and most synthetic brushes) take a lot longer to dry than their natural bristle counterparts. With the Dry & Shape it takes brushes that would still be damp in the morning to being totally dry in 4 hours. The only downfall is that with hardcore use, some of the elastic bands on mine have started to become unstitched so I'm going to need to buy a replacement soon.


I finally went through nearly all of my brushes and deep cleaned them on the day I recorded the video and let me tell you, it took hours. Ridiculous, but necessary for a fresh start! For the first step of my New Years resolution to pare down my brushes to my favorites, I'm putting most of these into storage to try my first grouping of just my favorite brushes. Wish me luck!

Disclaimer: Sigma Dry & Shape was kindly gifted by the company. All other items were purchased myself. This post and video are not sponsored in any way. :)

Oh man, my life has been so insane since getting back from Cali! The travel and jet lag have been taking a toll on my skin and I've been fighting an on-and-off sore throat that I'm sure I picked up at one of the several airports I stopped by. Eek! I promise I will get to the Cali-heavy blog posting soon but for today, I will be catching up with my favorites video for the month of June. :)



Products mentioned:
Makeup Forever Mat Velvet Foundation in 40
Josie Maran Protect spf 40+ sunblock
JuJu Aquamoist 100% Hyaluronic Acid
Josie Maran bronzer in Beach 1
Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner
CND Tropic Coral (similar here, here, and here)
Makeup Show Brushes
Eucerin Everyday Protection Body Lotion (review here)

I spent a third of this month traveling so I only had a few things with me in my makeup bag. (Now that I think about it, I just remembered I recorded a video on its contents so you will be able to see what I took very soon!) My limited space access really defined a lot of the things that became my favorites this month for both skincare and makeup. I think I might have trouble straying from some of my favorites now because they did me so well with a limited supply of cosmetics at hand!

In any case, I hope that my mostly "hits" this month were enjoyable and helpful if you are interested in these products. I guess it's a good thing if I liked a lot of things versus not, right? ;)

I'd like to know, do you have a separate set of "travel" makeup that you take with you or do you just bring all of your daily makeup wherever you go? Let me know in the comments!

Disclaimer: There are some affiliate links included in this post. Josie Maran items provided by the company's PR. Makeup Show brushes provided by 7Bella. Juju Aquamoist provided by Beauty Carousel. Eucerin products provided by the company's PR. All reviews are 100% my honest opinion and this blog and video were not sponsored. :)

Oh my business you guys, this week has been ridic. I haven't been able to sit down at my computer for free time very much at all but one thing I HAVE been doing is online shopping last week. Oops. The good thing is that I've gotten some amazing things in the mail lately! *everyone cheers*

I saw some sexy ladies (hello @XPPINKX) talking about gettin' naked on Twitter today, so I had to join in. LOL. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Urban Decay's new neutrals palette "Naked" which includes 12 deliciously wearable shades which I just got in yesterday so I was inspired to share, share share. ^.^

To reiterate from the video what I'm wearing as far as makeup goes is a base of UDPP, Mac Vex on the lid, UD Smog for contour and lower lash line, and UD Virgin for the highlight color. I applied my eye makeup this morning and haven't touched up at all so it lasted a good 12+ hours, a feat I consider to be quite impressive.

Here are pics of my goodies:

Urban Decay Naked Palette


Swatches

Hello everybody! Today I have a review that I think a lot of people will find helpful. Sigma was kind enough to send me their brush set for review, so this gives me a chance to really show you guys not only the Sigma brushes but also how they compare to brushes I own and what I use each brush for. This means that even if you aren't looking to specifically buy Sigmas, you can get an idea of what different kinds of brushes do what jobs.

Here is the set I received. As you can see, this brush roll and set comes with a LOT of brushes, so I decided to split up my video into 2 parts: Part 1 with face brushes and Part 2 with eye brushes.


In the top left corner you can kind of see the retractable kabuki and the black blob next to it is the regular kabuki since there's no slot for them in the brush roll. I go pretty in-depth into each brush in the videos so if there's a specific brush you want to know more about then I recommend watching them.

Part 1: Face Brushes

Part 2: Eye Brushes
(239 eye shading brush, 252 large shader brush, 275 medium angled shading brush, 224 tapered blending brush, 219 pencil brush, 194 concealer brush, 209 eyeliner brush, 266 small angle brush)

My favorite brushes from this whole set are the 150 large powder brush, the 187 duo fibre brush, the 168 angled contour brush, and the 219 pencil brush. These brushes in particular really outperform other similar brushes in my collection or fill in a gap that I didn't have the perfect brush for.

I just LOVE that angled contour brush so much for blush so much! My hunt for the perfect blush brush is over. :D And the white-bristled pencil brush is smaller than the other pencil brush that I own (and love) so it's really great for using on people who don't have a lot of lid space.

Hope this review helps if you are interested in Sigma's brushes! You can purchase Sigma products at http://www.sigmamakeup.com. The exact set I received doesn't seem to be on the site anymore, but it is very similar to the Professional Brushes Complete Kit minus the individual kabukis, the 197 Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki, 188 Small Duo Fibre Brush, and 109 Small Contour Brush (which can be bought individually). The current Complete Kit is selling for $69 for the set of 12 brushes and with the brush roll for $89. It may seem pricey altogether, but considering MAC's 150 powder brush and 187 Duo Fibre are each selling for $42 each by themselves... It's a really reasonable deal altogether.


Okay, I have toooooooons of videos that I still need to edit including some Sigma makeup, that hair curling with a flat iron tutorial from a while back, and my experience being the makeup artist for the music video for "What Are We Fighting For?" by Building Rome, so hopefully when I get time to edit more I'll have a lot of videos up sooner than later. So much to share now that I'm back! 

Let me know if you have any questions about Sigma brushes or any makeup brushes in general in the comments.

xoxo

Note: Products in this review were provided by Sigma Makeup for review consideration. As always, my reviews are my 100% honest opinion. :)

I just wanted to share with you the makeup brushes that I regularly use. I've been getting lots of questions about them, especially the foundation brushes for mineral makeup.

This is the setup for brushes in my bathroom. I have the brushes categorized by type.




From left to right:

1st compartment
* Everyday Minerals Long Handled Kabuki
This brush is synthetic and dense enough for an everyday application of minerals. I like the shorter handle (maybe 3") for easier grip and buffing and the hairs are soft.
* Trish McEvoy #5 Luxurious Powder Brush
I love this brush. It's so soft and my mineral powder goes on great. Probably my favorite powder brush.

2nd compartment:
* Coastal Scents Italian Badger Round Crease Brush
Good for creases or making contours. Soft and good quality.
* A bunch of random freebie Lancome eye brushes
Not the best quality, but it's nice to have a few extra brushes for when you want to work with many colors.

3rd compartment:
* Coastal Scents Chisel Fluff Medium Shadow Brush
Great for dense color and the lower half of the lid. The Coastal Scents shadow brushes are really great for packing on eyeshadow. The hairs are really dense and make application really easy and beautiful.
* Coastal Scents Chisel Angle Fluff Shadow Brush
Works well for contouring and crease as well as blending.
* Trish McEvoy #23 Angle Contour Brush
The Trish McEvoy contour brush is soft, but large so mostly used for highlighting or blending.
* Coastal Scents Chisel Fluff Large Shadow Brush
Great for highlighting and all over color.

4th compartment:
* Avon Concealer Brush
This brush is a Taklon brush, which is the best fiber to use for concealer because the bristles don't absorb the product. To be honest, this brush isn't the softest and I only use it half the time. I just use my fingers, making sure to wash my hands well before application. I'll probably buy a better concealer brush soon. I do recommend applying concealer with a brush over applying with fingers.
* Sephora Professional Blush Brush
Very, very soft blush brush! I just really recommend using high-quality brushes for your face because there is such a huge difference on your skin. Love it.
* Sephora Professional Angled Eyeliner Brush
I think this is different than the current sephora eyeliner brush. My bristles are natural, not synthetic. Anyway, I love this brush and use it for eyeliners and also to fill in my eyebrows. Everyone should have an angled liner brush in their collection.

As for the beginners to makeup brushes, I would recommend:
* soft powder or kabuki brush
* soft blush brush
* concealer brush
* large eyeshadow brush
* medium eyeshadow brush
* eyeliner brush

Oh, also if anyone needs a good eyelash comb, go to Target and pick up the Sonia Kashuk retractable metal lash comb. It doesn't break easily like plastic lash combs and it folds in, so it's good for travel. Back before I used Max Factor Lash Perfection Waterproof I had clumpy mascara problems and this tool was amazing!


Hope this helps anyone overwhelmed about some of the makeup brushes out there!