SONIA KASHUK POINTED SYNTHETIC FOUNDATION BRUSH REVIEW

Hello everyone,
I am going to be sharing my views and review the SONIA KASHUK FOUNDATION BRUSH that I have been using for years.
PRICE: $12.99 USD.
I picked it up from Target and I remember I was so intrigued by the shape of this foundation brush  that I knew I had to have it. Before this I was using the flat foundation brush.

Coming back to this brush, its a synthetic brush with a dome shape and hence its pointy.

All the bristles in this brush are tightly packed and I have never faced any fallouts what so ever.
I love this brush as it is multi-functional .

The only area of improvement would be I wish if it were a bit larger so it could cover more at a time.
Coming back to the multi functional part, as a foundation brush it is great as it is densely packed it picks up the product well and it doesnt leave streaks on the face and blends seamlessly.

Secondly because of its shape its easy to apply foundation  near the nose under and over the eyes around the mouth and really blend it well in those tricky places.

Thirdly I also double it up as a concealer brush and using patting motions blend the concealer under the eyes.

Fourthly I also use it as a contouring brush for cream products. When ever I contour my face using a cream bronzer or a deeper shade of cream foundation I use this brush as a guide to place the product and blend it away. It is extremely useful for that.
I get good use out of this brush which ever I way use it.
Here are a couple of pictures comparing it to the other foundation brushes.

UNTIL NEXT TIME...

REAL TECHNIQUES EXPERT FACE BRUSH REVIEW : THE BEST FOUNDATION BRUSH

Hey you all...
Monsoon is here and I dont miss summers...yeah well I do...with all the messiness the rain brings...but I am more than happy with the soaring temperatures cooling down.
Well all the monsoon talk has nothing to do with this post.this post is all about my very first Real Techniques Expert Face brush.

I am very thrilled to have this particular brush because for me I think I cant have enough foundation brushes, I just want the very best brush to do all the blending for me for that flawless looking skin.
Now this brush in one word is just AWESOME.

I have a variety of foundation brushes but they all seem to have some flaw, not that I dont use them I do all the time but this brush I havent found anything wrong with it as of now.
The brush is priced $8.99 and I got it from ULTA. Though you can order it online from some other sites who ship it to India. iherb you can buy it from here.
Now for the brush, its dense and soft hence it makes blending the foundation on the skin easy. Its ideal for blending liquid an cream foundation.

My only wish were that it was a little more broad so it could cover more area at once on the face.
It blends the foundation on the skin like a dream.
I usually dot my face with liquid foundation and then use this brush to go over my face and its done.

Upon cleaning this brush I did not find it bleeding or the brush becoming harsh, I dont have anything negative to say about it other than I wish that they were readily available in India.

I would say if you can get  hand on this brush dont miss the chance.
Until next time....

MAKEUP 101 BACK TO BASICS :BLUSH

Hello friends, 

This is yet another post on the series of back to basics. This one is dedicated to blush. Blush is the perfect way to perk up those cheeky cheeks. One needs to choose the blush depending on their skin type, complexion and overall face makeup.If you are going for a smokey eye look you need to keep the blush sheer or light toned or if you going for a daytime look or just light eye makeup you can go for a more brighter blush to perk up the face.
Now lets go through the different kinds of blushes. There are powder, mineral and cream blushes. How to go about choosing and applying blushes will be discussed now...

1. TYPE: While powder blushes are good for oily skin as they absorb the extra oil cream blushes are good for dry skin as they give a dewy feel to the skin. If you want your blush to be long lasting then you can add some powder blush on top of your cream blush and your blush is good for the day.

2. LIGHTING: This is a general advise. Always apply  makeup in a well lit place so you know if you overdoing something, especially with blush as too much on your cheeks will give you clown like cheeks.

3. BRUSHES: If you are using a powder blush use a blush brush like so in the picture below.

If you going for a cream blush use either your finger or a stippling brush like so in the picture. It hepls blend the blush flawlessly in to the skin.

4. APPLICATION: Okay this is important. You might have often heard that you should apply blush on the "apple of your cheeks". Well you shouldn't. First rule never smile and apply blush; instead make a fish face( suck your face in) and then apply blush to the center of the apple of your cheeks. Or in simpler terms when you make a fish face apply the blush on the area that is on your cheekbone.

5. COLOR: If you are fair skinned then you should go for more softer and lighter shades as anything too bright will clash against your skin tone. Go for light pinks peaches and even corals that are sheer remember a little goes a long way.

If you are medium skinned you should opt for more pink and peach shades that are on warmer side like rosy pinks and peach shades that are more darker. Deeper corals bright pinks will add instant brightness to your face.

If you are dark skinned you should go for more darker pinks more mauve and rosy pinks ( not brighter) and deep orange shades as they will bring out your natural skin color. You shouldnt shy away from deep reds and oranges just go with a sheer formula and rock it.

Hope it was helpful.
Until next time...

STARTER KIT: MUST HAVE MAKEUP BRUSHES

I have often been asked by friends "what brushes and tools do I absolutely need to have to start my makeup collection?" well friends this post is the answer to your questions, but first off let me say that there are innumerable brushes out there and you might as well go and get one of each kind but the point is what do you really really when you are trying your hands at makeup or are beginning to explore this makeup world. I will go ahead and categorically describe the brushes that I think are basic must haves in your collection.

FACE:

1.FOUNDATION: There are a lot of ways to apply foundation. You can always use your fingers but for a more flawless application its better to use a brush or beauty sponge. There is a huge variety of brushes out there and it does get confusing to select but to start out with use a stippling brush or a sponge for that airbrushed look.

2.CONCEALER: In order to complete your flawless face routine you need to hide those dark circles or  redness or blemishes etc on your face. concealer comes in handy at that point. I generally prefer to use my fingers for dabbing on the concealer on my face but for concealers with a more liquid base you need to have a concealer brush.

3. BLUSH: For those perfect looking rosy cheeks you need to have a blush brush. You can go for a regular blush brush, but since its a starter kit of must have brushes if you go for an angled blush brush the same brush can double as your contour brush.

4.CONTOUR/:  As i mentioned earlier an angled blush brush will do just fine to double up as a contour brush. An angled contouring brush will help get an sharp angle for sculpting under the cheek bones and forehead and jaw line.( I will do a separate blog post on highlight and contour. )

5. POWDER BRUSH: This brush helps to powder your face  to set your foundation and concealer.

EYES: There are literally tons of brushes available for eye makeup. Do you really need so many ? Well yeah, maybe,...actually no. If you are just starting out with makeup you dont need to overwhelm yourself with so many brushes, while they do they help but for starters below listed brushes would do just fine.
1. FLAT EYE SHADOW BRUSH. This is a must have brush. It helps to pack the color on your lids, no other way to describe it you have to have it.

2. BLENDING BRUSH: There is a wide variety of blending brush available, but for starters you just need two. yes two not one but two. one has to be smaller in size and the second one has to be bigger and fluffier. Having two brushes does help in creating a better look as you can blend with the smaller brush and smoke out with the larger brush. The smaller and stiff blending brush will help smoke out eye shadow on the lower lids as well.

LARGE BLENDING BRUSH

SMALL BLENDING BRUSH.

3.ANGLED LINER BRUSH: This brush comes in handy to apply gel eyeliner and it can also double up as your brow brush ( it helps if you have two of them separately). The second brush is for more precise application of liner using gel eyeliner.

All said I would like to add that the more brushes you have the easier its for you as you dont have to clean it up after each makeup application. You can get the job done with these brushes just fine. And as you feel more confident about your makeup skills and further dive into it you will know which brushes work for you , what more you want to add to your collection. As far as where to purchase them is concerned you can always try your hand at online shopping. If you are in USA your choices are endless, but to name a few you can try

cherryculture (they do ship in india)

coastalscents (they do ship in india)

sigmabrushes (they do ship in india)

elf

If you are in India you can shop here

medplusbeauty

urbantouch

These are just few options.If any of you have any queries or suggestions please feel free to post them in the comments below.