Part Two: Brush Roll Review

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If you have missed out Part One, click here!

10) Angled Flat Eyeshadow Brush (three of them)

Great for placing eyeshadow at the outer-V area of the eye. Good for blending out eyeshadow at the crease as well. I have three of them in this brush roll. One can never have too many brushes like this. 

Verdict : YAY

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11) Pencil Eyeshadow Brush

One of my favorite kind of brushes! I really like pencil brushes. The pointy tip makes precise eyeshadow application an ease especially for crease work or lash lines. I definitely want more pencil brushes. This brush is really soft but stiff enough to smudge out eyeliners.

Verdict : YAY

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12) Angled Blush Brush

You will see that this brush and the one mentioned after this looks pretty similar. The reason I picked this brush as a blush brush because it is much softer and it does not give that much precision as I would like for contouring. But, I wish the brush head was a little bigger so that blending color on the cheeks would be easier as it would cover more area on the cheeks. 

Verdict : NAY

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13) Angled Contour Brush

If only the blush brush mentioned above had the size just like this contour brush. This is stiffer and bigger and great for contour, in my opinion. It gives precision when blending a darker-than-my-skin-tone powder onto contour areas such as the temples of my forehead, under the cheekbones and the jawline. The bristles are not too dense therefore it won't pick up too much color. 

Verdict : YAY

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14) Face Powder Brush (two of them)

For the face, my favorite kind of brush is the powder brush and the one that comes in this brush roll is no exception. It is one of my favorites because it is big and soft and feels great on the face. I prefer using powder brushes over powder puffs for reasons of hygiene. Do check out the Etude House powder brush because that is simply awesome! This comes second. :)

Verdict : YAY

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15) Fan Powder Brush

Definitely the biggest brush in the roll. This fan brush is huge! It is spanned out really wide and covers a good area on the face while powdering. Bristles are very soft and it feels great on the face. I am new to fan brushes but this one is slowly growing on me. It might become my favorite face brush soon. 

Verdict : YAY

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16) Fan Blush Brush

A smaller, thinner and sparser fan brush compared to the one above. Because of how sparse this brush is, it tends to get out of shape pretty easily. I have tried it on as a blush brush and it does pick up a good amount of color, just right for the cheeks for application but that is just as good as it gets. Do not rely on this brush to blend out your blush because the bristles are just not thick enough. I definitely prefer the conventional blush brush.

Verdict : NAY

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That wraps up my brush roll review on all 24 brushes (some brushes are similar). Once again, bear in mind that this is how I PERSONALLY USE the brushes that come in different shapes and sizes. Thank you all for reading. Do not forget to leave a comment! 

Till then...

Part One : Brush Roll Review

Sorry this post took so long! I had to individually take pictures of every brush, edit the photos and actually use the brushes. Because the roll has 24 brushes, I decided to blog in two separate posts. Take note that all brushes were washed with MAC's Brush Cleaner twice before usage. (Always always wash new brushes to rid the dye and dirt.)

First picture shows the head of all 24 brushes. These 24 include eyes, lips, and face brushes. Very pretty eh!

Now, short individual write-ups of each brush. Brushes are self-named by me according to how I use them. :)

1) Eyebrow Brush & Mascara Comb 

Pretty standard brush, I'd say. The eyebrow brush has solid bristles but aren't scratchy when combing through the eyebrows. The mascara comb, however, is not very practical. The teeth are too wide to evenly comb out and separate eyelashes. I use the steel mascara comb which I blogged about in my last post.
Verdict : Eyebrow brush - YAY and mascara comb - NAY!

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2) Mascara Spoolie Brush

Another standard brush. Well-sized. Bristles are very soft, much to my surprise. I love how the spoolie is slightly angled as well. I really love mascara spoolie brushes. I use them for my eyebrows and eyelashes. They do wonders!
Verdict : YAY

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3) Sponge-Tip Applicator

I never fancied sponge-tip applicators that come in a proper looking handle. To me, sponge-tip applicators are meant to be disposed after several uses. Why, you ask? The color build-up, they wear off (rubbery-sponge tears off) and are not very wash-friendly. This one is no exception. So, I definitely prefer my disposable sponge-tip applicators rather than the proper ones. The quality of this applicator is decent - rubbery sponge on a flexible head.
Verdict : NAY

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4) Fine Eyeliner Brush

I was excited for this brush as I don't own anything like it and was eager to use this brush with my gel/cream eyeliners. The picture shows how sharp and pointed the brush is. Well, do not let the picture fool you! After my first dip into the gel eyeliner, the brush hairs splayed and was totally flimsy. Application was such a hassle because the brush is too soft to draw a line. This brush gave absolutely no precision for eyeliner application. Such a disappointment.
Verdict : NAY 

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5) Lip Brush

My first proper lip brush. I have a tiny lip brush given to me by Anna some time ago but that is more appropriate for travelling for the size it comes in. This brush is very soft but it's stiff enough to apply lip color. What I do is, after using a lipliner, I will use the brush to pick up some lipstick and then fill in the lips. I sometimes use the brush to apply lipgloss as well. I use a lip brush mainly to keep my lipstick/lipgloss clean (hygiene purposes) and not so much for precise application. (I can never put on lipstick/lipgloss straight from the tube especially right after a meal. Ergh.)

Verdict : YAY

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6) Angled Eyebrow Brush

Perfect for filling in eyebrows with eyeshadow. The angle makes it easy to line the brows before filling it in completely. Brush hairs are very soft. 

Verdict : YAY

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7) Curved Eyeliner Brush

Very comparable to my other curved eyeliner brush from Etude House (that's my absolute favorite brush for gel/cream eyeliners) in terms of the shape of the brush. This one is slightly more dense therefore it draws a thicker line on the eyes. Nevertheless, still a good eyeliner brush.

Verdict : YAY

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8) Angled Eyeliner Brush

Also very comparable to an angled eyeliner brush from Etude House. This brush is very thin, makes drawing a precised line fairly easy with gel/cream liners. I do use this brush when lining my eyes with eyeshadow as well. 

Verdict : YAY

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9) Round Flat Eyeshadow Brush (six of them)

This brush roll is definitely for someone like me who does not like to wash brushes often. It carries SIX round flat eyeshadow brushes. Haha! I can never have too many eyeshadow brushes as I use many different eyeshadow colors from time to time. I use these brushes to pat on color on the eyelid area. These six brushes are split into two sizes - 8mm and 10mm. The pictures might show you a different thing but trust me, I have three small round flat eyeshadow brushes and three more that are slightly bigger. The brushes are soft but it takes slightly more effort to get the eyeshadow color on to the brushes because they are not very dense. 

Verdict : NAY

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To be continued in the next post ...

10) Angled Flat Eyeshadow Brush (three of them)

11) Pencil Eyeshadow Brush

12) Angled Blush Brush 

13) Angled Contour Brush

14) Face Powder Brush (two of them)

15) Fan Powder Brush

16) Fan Blush Brush

Edit: Part Two is up! Click here.

Red Juicy Lips

I was inspired, after watching Xiaxue's Angelababy-inspired lips video here, to rock red lips myself.

Here is my own take on achieving red juicy lips. 

Lipliner  : RIMMEL Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liner 063 Eastend Snob (very nude pinky mauve)

Lipstick : MAYBELLINE Moisture Extreme Lip Color 97 Roseberry (berry red - cool-toned shade)

Lipgloss : NYX Mega Shine Gloss Perfect Red (perfect red, indeed!)

Taken without flash (natural sunlight through window :D)

Stage Cosmetics Haul

I hauled BIG TIME after several visits to Stage Cosmetics as they were having the 8 ringgit @ 18 ringgit sale over a period of Christmas 2010 and Chinese New Year 2011. 

For what was to be 575 ringgit, I spent less than a third of that. What a steal!

10 nail polishes + 2 eyeshadows + 1 lipliner + 

1 eye primer + 1 lipgloss + 2 blushes 
= A VERY HAPPY ME! 

( I forgot to include the lipliner and the blushes in the group picture. :'(  )

Let's break down the items, shall we... :)

EYESHADOW

I got two eyeshadow colors (called Eye Shadow Mono) :-

10 Bahamas (shimmery taupe) and 26 Wildflower (shimmery lavender).

Texture/Formula : Buttery smooth to the touch. 

Color payoff : Not that great as I expected it to be. The third picture below shows Bahamas swatched twice and Wildflower three times. These eyeshadows will probably show up better with a base.

Bahamas can be worn alone all over the lid for a natural look. 

Pair it with Wildflower for a pop of color. Very pretty indeed! 

I will probably do an eyeshadow tutorial using these two colors and post it up. Stay tuned!

10 Bahamas (left) and 26 Wildflower (right)

10 Bahamas (shimmery taupe) and 26 Wildflower (shimmery lavender)

EYE PRIMER

The Prime Time Eye Perfecting Base that I bought was the lighter of the two shades available. I have not used it but when I do, it will be a separate post altogether as a review and how it compares to the other primers I already own.

01 Vanilla in a silver mirror compact case

A swatch of 01 Vanilla (a yellow base)

LIPGLOSS

I was looking for a color that I did not already have in my makeup stash and after reading another beauty blog, Skin Deco, I decided to go with 12 Sophia for its cream peachy orange color. This has no shimmer/glitter whatsoever. Just a high shine lipgloss that adds a hint of color and creates plump-looking lips. I love how it is very moisturizing and does not have that sticky/gooey feel when applied on lips.

   

NAIL POLISH

I bought ten bottles. TEN. That's an insane number to buy from one particular brand but because it is that good AND going for less than half its original price AND with a formula that is formaldehyde and toluene free, I could not resist. The Stage nail polish is such an ease when it comes to application and the finish is so shiny that one would not necessarily need a top coat. Most of the colors show up with just one coat. ONE. Impressive, eh?! The pearl-finished polishes needed two. ( Hmmm... I mention a lot of numbers in this paragraph. Haha! )

All Rounder Multi-Protective Coat : An all-in-one base and top coat with stain and UV protection

01 Innocent : (Pearl) white

03 Pretty : (Pearl) warm pink

04 Delicious : (Cream) nude pink beige

05 Luscious : (Cream) bright cool pink

07 Gorgeous : (Shimmer) cherry red 

11 Vivacious : (Shimmer) dark lilac

12 Astounding : (Shimmer) dark egg plant purple - looks almost brown

18 Drama : (Cream) dark chocolate brown

19 Extreme : (Shimmer) dirty gold / dark olive green

L-R: All Rounder Multi-Protective Coat - 01 Innocent - 03 Pretty - 04 Delicious - 05 Luscious

L-R: 07 Gorgeous - 11 Vivacious - 12 Astounding - 18 Drama - 19 Extreme 

LIPLINER

I wanted somethin' nude to pair my nude lipsticks with : 01 Nearly Naked. 

Texture/Formula : Pretty drying. Tugs lips during application.

Color payoff : Decent. The third picture below shows the liner swatched twice.

CHEEK COLOR (BLUSH)

I have a lot of blushes but I guess one can never have enough. Haha! I picked up two blushes in their refill pans (much cheaper, of course!) in 02 Iris and 10 Heather. If I had not already own more than five blushes, I would have gotten more. :D

Texture/Formula : Very very smooth, finely milled. Excellent quality.

Color payoff : AMAZING! These blushes are so good. The pigmentation is awesome. All you need is a tiny tiny bit to dust your entire cheek area. Picture below shows these blushes swatched once.

L-R: 10 Heather and 02 Iris

That's it for my Stage Cosmetics haul. I hope this post helps those who are new to this brand. I am not at all affiliated with Stage, okay! I am not getting paid for this post. I could not find any blog that has reviews on products by Stage so I thought I would share my thoughts on certain items that I got. 

All in all, I must say the nail polishes and blushes are the most impressive of the lot and I would totally recommend them. The downside is that the nail polish range has only twenty shades in hues of pink, red, purple and brown. So if you are one that fancy bright fun colors, this might disappoint you.

Till then.

Now when is the next sale... Hmmm. Hahaha!