Basic Essentials: Brushes (part 1)

Some people may think that brushes are an unnecessary expense when it comes to building your stash up, but to me they are a necessity. There are many reasons why you should invest in some decent brushes. Here are the top ones:

1: Better application.
You can achieve and do so much more with a few brushes. Have you ever tried to blend out eyeshadow with only your fingers, was it seamless? I'm guessing not. Would you build anything with no tools? Probably not; so therefore you can guess that your makeup is only going to look MUCH better with tools that fit the job. Especially if you want to go above your basic 1 eyeshadow and eyeliner look (or whatever your simple eye look involves).

2: Sanitation.
Like it or not, your fingers are a breeding ground for bacteria. Every time you put your fingers into your products (especially cream/ liquid), you're contaminating your products which will end up resulting in a much shorter life span for your product.

3: Product.
When you use brushes you actually use less product, especially with products like foundation, which fingers do absorb a lot more product. Think of how much you will actually save by using a brush, especially something like a duo fibre brush.

4. Longevity.
If you look after your brushes and clean them regularly, they should last you many, many years. They really are an investment and worth getting some decent ones that you can get longevity out of. 


These are a few of the essentials you'll need to get started:
Face brushes:
* A foundation brush:
I think this comes down to personal preference. I use a flat "paint brush" style, but duo fibre brushes are also good for seamless application and use the least amount of product. You could also try a beauty blender. They're also pretty good.

* A blush brush:
This is going to create a glow that you can build up (depending on the blush of course), and helps create a blended application, which is what you want. You can also use the tip edge to apply your cheek highlight too.

Eye brushes:
* A good dense shader brush:
This is a basic packing brush to pack on your eyeshadow. Mostly used for lid colour, you can use the edge to smoke out eyeshadow on your bottom lashline. There are many sizes to a shader brush, but for bare minimum I like the MAC 239 as it's the perfect size to get started and suitable for pretty much all jobs.

* A fluffy crease brush:
Again, these come in all shapes and sizes. You want something that's not super dense, long bristled or flimsy. A good crease brush makes blending out your crease eyeshadow so much easier and looks much more effortless. I LOVE MACs 217 brush. I have 2 of these and use them Every. Single. Day without fail. If I had to pick only one brush to use for the rest of my life, this would be the one. Some people also like to use these to buff out their concealer too. It's probably the most versatile brush.

* A pencil brush:
This is a handy brush to have for more detailed work, like under eye lining, a smokey eye, a cut crease, inner corner highlighting etc. Its pointed on the tip, so it gives you a lot more control than the other 2 previous eye brushes.

* An angled brush:
This is going to be your best friend if you love eyeliner and using gel eye liners. It's also a great eyebrow brush too. It's easy to work with and you retain control which is what you want when working with eyeliners.

Lip brushes:
I actually don't use a lip brush for anything. I own one but couldn't tell you the last time I used it. I do not think they're necessary. Just take your time with application, good lighting and a mirror and you'll be fine. Or use a lip liner.

Brush Cleaner:
You don't need anything fancy to clean your brushes, just a regular routine so you don't spread bacteria and to help extend their life span. I just use shampoo for a deep clean and for a quick "spot"clean, you can just use isopropyl alcohol which you can buy from most supermarkets. Just make sure you don't get water inside the ferrule (the metal bit of the brushes). 

Top tip:

* Something to also think about is the different type of hair you want in a brush. Most brushes are either natural (usually animal like pony, goat etc) or synthetic (fake) hair. Synthetic brushes are typically better for creamier products like gel liners, cream blushes etc. Natural hair is better for powder products. 

Brush lines I Recommend:
MAC
Available: MAC stores, counters and online
RRP: from $37AUD

Zoeva
Available: beautybay.com
RRP: from $11.30AUD
Zoeva also do really affordable sets of brushes too, if you're looking to get a few at once.

Bdellium Tools
Available: bdelliumtools.com
RRP: from $9USD
Bdellium also do affordable sets of brushes. They also come in cool colours like pink, purple, yellow and green. 


Blue powder/ makeup brush photo created and taken by Love Lanner - lovelanner.com

Review: Kardashian Beauty K24 Golden Makeup Primer Gelee

I'm sure you all know that the Kardashian ladies have their hands in pretty much every entrepreneurial venture there is, and beauty is no exception. All of the Kardashian's are beautiful and their makeup is always impeccable, you can't argue that, even if you aren't a fan of them personally.

Mecca Maxima and Kit Cosmetics stock the Kardashian Beauty line, and I thought I'd check it out (I shop online). I was surprised to find that everything is very reasonably priced, the line ranging from $9 to $21.

The Kardashian K24 primer Gelee, as the name of the product might tell you, is a Gelee jelly type primer.

I was very intrigued with this primer and I did read some reviews on it beforehand, and there seemed to be quite a bit of confusion on how to actually use it. This is a mask that you apply, leave on for 5 minutes and then wash off. It does say on the tube to wash it off, so I'm really not sure where the confusion lies, maybe the fact that it's a primer, which generally you leave on. This product claims to give you glowy, luminescent skin.

I squeezed out about a 10c size dollop onto my fingers and spread it out all over my face and left it on for about 5 minutes, as instructed. You definitely resemble some kind of majestic unicorn type creature while you're waiting for the primer to work its magic. My partner was a little bit frightened of it if anything. Maybe he confused me with a unicorn after surely believing they do not exist, when in fact, one was right in front of him haha.

It's not a sticky mask and doesn't feel uncomfortable or tight at all and it's easy to wash off and doesn't stick to your skin like glitter can and usually does.

Smoothed out. How the thickness appears on the skin.

After washing the primer mask off, it did leave little bits of glitter on my face, which in all honesty, it's glitter, so I really don't mind it (yes I'm one of those freaks who really insists on there being more glitter in the world... Yes, go on, sprinkle more of that shit...). My skin immediately felt softer after using it and with foundation on.

Hopefully you can see, the subtle gold glow and tiny specks of glitter. You can also see how smooth my skin is. 

Even after applying foundation over it, you can still see the little sparkles of glitter, which I quite like to be honest. I don't think it gives you a luminescent, glowy look like using a product like say, MAC strobe cream. It gives a very subtle golden glow. 

After 10 hours of wear, my foundation still looked good and not patchy at all. I used NARS Sheer glow with it and no powder like I usually would. Even after 10 hours of wear. My skin still felt super smooth and I think it's the smoothest and softest my face has ever felt.

This is not an every day type of product, and is nice for a night out, either a date night or if you're going clubbing. I really do think it depends on what kind of "glow" you are looking for. This gives more of a subtle golden glow vs a pearlescent glow. For this reason I do think it's better suited to someone who has a darker complexion, or is tanned. I do think this is good value for money and I found it make my face feel the softest vs any other primers I've used. Other than that, I would recommend it and it's a fun product to have in your stash. 

Available: mecca.com.au, Mecca Maxima and Kit Cosmetics.
RRP: $21

Colour Smash: Orange

Up next in these colour style faves is ORANGE! Oooh my, how I love my oranges. Orange lipstick is my ultimate go to shade and I'd own every single one of I could!

L-R: Lady Danger, Neon Orange, Morange and Good to Go. 

MAC Morange
A bright, amplified lipstick, not for the faint of heart, or colourshy. I do find this does tend to get a bit patchy if you don't have super smooth lips, so I'd definitely exfoliate before breaking out this little number.
Available: at MAC counters, stores and online.
RRP: $36

MAC Neon Orange
Ok so this shade is pretty much identical to Morage. In shade and in finish, making this 
also an amplified finish. This is probably my favourite orange lipstick there is. 
Available: MAC counters, stores and online.
RRP: $36

MAC Lady Danger
This one's a matte finish lipstick. I wasn't sure how to swing this shade red vs orange, but I think it definitely sways more orange. I never understood the fascination with this shade until I "purchased"* it. It is stunning! If you really want to make a statement and feel glamourous/ sexy, this is the shade you need. Even if that's not what you're about, you still need it.
Available: at MAC counters, stores and online.
RRP: $36
* by purchased, I mean b2m'd. Which is how I get most "classic" MAC lipsticks these days. However in saying that I got this for "free", I would most definitely purchase this again.

MAC Good to Go
This lipstick is the pro long wear creme formula, so it's long wearing and more of a matte finish. I would describe this as Morange that is longer lasting on the lips (due to its finish of course). Maybe just slightly darker. I find this creamier too.
Available: at MAC counters, stores and online.
RRP: $40

L-R: Lady Danger, Neon Orange, Morange and Good to Go. 

With Flash/ L-R: Lady Danger, Neon Orange, Morange and Good to Go. 

Bobbi Brown Nectar shimmerbrick
Ooh the shimmer shimmer. I love BB shimmerbricks. They are definitely my fave products from her entirely line. These are great highlighters to accompany a similar toned/ coloured blush on the cheekbones. You could also use these as an eyeshadow too. 
Available: at BB counters, online, Mecca Cosmetica and meccacosmetica.com.au.
RRP: $72

MAC Peaches
This is a beautiful peach blush shade that looks very natural but is buildable if you want something a littler more of a statement. It is a sheer tone formula with little to no shimmer or sparkle. 
Available: at MAC stores, counters and online.
RRP: $40

MAC Orange
This eyeshadow is a matte finish and is great to have as you can use this as an accent/ crease colour to use with browns or bronzes, or even a festive, colourful, summer look which you can pair with pinks, fuchsias and what have you. I would definitely recommend a nice bold orange eyeshadow to have in your collection. 
Available: at MAC counters, stores and online.
RRP: $33

OPI In My Back Pocket
I love OPI nail polishes. Good formula and an amazing selection of shades and textures.Oranges are my fave in summer, and look great against a tan.
Available: David Jones, Myer and selected nail/ beauty salons.
RRP: $19.95

The Body Shop Satsuma body wash
This is the most delicious, citrusy scent! It smells so fresh and invigorating. It is limited edition (as all good things in life are), however, it does come out very regularly and a must have! (Usually after Christmas). There is always a good solid selection of Satsuma goodies to your liking too, not just the bodywash. I also have the sorbet and soaps. 
Available: The Body Shop (yes, it's available now)
RRP: from $9.95

The Body Shop Vitamin C Mircodermabrasion scrub
An intense scrub that is described as an "at home microdermabrasion ". You use this no more than twice a week and it does wonders for my skin. If you're after something stronger than a normal scrub, this is the ones for you!
Available: The Body Shop
RRP: $34.95

MAC Genuine Orange chromagraphic pencil
This is a yellow based pencil that is multipurpose, so great for use as a lip liner, and if you're a little more adventurous, an eyeliner (the reason I bought it).
Available: MAC PRO stores or maccosmetics.com.au
RRP: $32


What are your orange faves?