Seventeen Cheek Stamp Blush

A VERY long time ago, Australis made a product that had a buffing sponge on top of jar of loose blush powder.  Aside from the odd malfunction where the sponge came off and you wore half the tub (This never happened to me, but I saw it on 2 occasions) these were PERFECT.  OK not perfect, you couldn't really wash the applicator and as I say, wearing half a jar of blush in your cleavage? Not OK, but there were fab, they applied and blended the blush seamlessly and I loved them.

When I saw these cheek stamps, I was immediately drawn back to that little Australis pot of colour, and HAD TO try them.  They sounded almost identical.

I bought The Cheek of It and Stare Struck.  A peach and a plum.

Out of the box, they look like this:

 

So far so good, the walk down memory lane begins...

But on the inside, was not what I was expecting:

It's a solid blush and a sponge applicator, on top of the blush is a plastic cover to keep the sponge clean in transit, it is also a REAL pain to get out, I think I resorted to tweezers for one of them.

I'd like to point out there products didn't have testers, which isn't too uncommon in my local Boots store, not because they don't put them out, but because they 'walk' it had lead me to believe, on many occasion, there is a special place in hell for people who steal foundation testers.

The colour pay off of these if pretty awesome, and the colour selection- 5 colours in the range, from a pretty pink of a deep plum is also pretty cool.

Wearability is great, but then I've never had much of an issue with blush disappearing from my face.

The real issue, sadly, is what makes these different. The stamp.

Because the sponge is spring 'loaded' you have to push it to close it, and unless you kept that annoying piece of plastic, this forces colour onto the sponge.  Which mean picking up only a little, is near impossible.

You can lightly stamp the colour on to the cheeks and then blend, but really, if you're going to that trouble, why not just use a blush straight from the container.  Which is exactly what I do.  This has advantages too.  Because the pot has sides, you don't make little 'spills' of powder, and you can tap your brush if needed and waste virtually no product. 

As a blush, I love them, as a new and clever way of applying blush? Not so much, unless you are either a fan of thick stripey blush, or rag doll cheeks; in which case, they are PERFECT.

Seventeen is exclusively available at Boots.  Although Boots in a UK store, there are shops in other countries such as Thailand- if you or someone you know is on holiday there soon, sweet talk them.  You never know.

My Top 10- Makeup Brushes

 

 I had originally planned to do a 'Top 5 Brushes',  but it was too hard. Instead here is my top 10 makeup brushes, in no order.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

 This one divides the blogging community a little.  I love it, it's dense, soft and perfect for speedy early morning buffing of foundation. It is fast, effective and bloody good value for money.

Real Techniques Blush Brush

Another one that people seem to love of loath.  I love that it is tapered, so I can pick up just a little colour but then is is soft enough to blend it all at the same time.  I reviews this brush here.

Tarte Blush Brush 

 This is one of those random brushes that you fall for, I got it as part of a gift set, but it is the perfect contour brush, it's both flat and dense, so it can place colour precisely and aid the blending, because it is slightly tapered, it is great for picking up just a little product.

Rae Morris Mini Kabuki

 This is the Mini Kabuki from the newer magnetic range, I don't have the original to compare.  I love this for highlighting, it's dense and fluffy but quite small, making it perfect for a light swipe of colour across the top of the cheap bones.

Rae Morrish Flawless Shader

 This is the Flawless shader from the original Rae Morris brush set.  It's a fantastic brush for blending out any harsh lines on the face or applying powder to large areas.  It is also really good for contouring as it is dense and quite thin.
The only difference between this brush and the same from the new Magnetic range is the appearance, also the brushes are slightly softer. No reason to upgrade.

Rae Morris Medium Oval Shadow Brush

 I love this brush for laying down any base colours or packing on colour, it's not as stiff as most, but because it is reasonably large, and picks up colour well, it does a great job at placing it on the lid.

Lancôme Blending Brush

I love this brush for general blending, it came with an eyes kit my mum brought back from the US, it's synthetic, a little bit stiff and reasonably tapered, I'm not sure how it became one of my faves, probably because it's purple, and then because it did a good job.

Hakuhodo S146

As blending brushes go, this one is quite small, it makes it perfect for blending into the crease while my eye is open.  My eyes are quite hooded, so if I try to place colour and blend into the crease with my eyes closes, it ends up looking terrible  So I don't.

This is the tip of the brush against a 5p coin and a $1 coin, just to give you an idea of how small it is.

Hakuhodo mini pencil brush

 This brush doesn't have name on it, it came as part of a set.  It is tiny and I really like it for detail work like the inner corner or lower lash line.

You can see in this picture, just how teeny tiny it is.

Last, but no means least:
Illamasqua Lip Brush

 At first this probably looks like every other lip brush, but it isn't, its as thin as most lip brushes, but it comes to a point, it isn't as rounded as most.

This photo shoes how pointed it is.  Unfortunately, Illamasqua changed the design of their lip brushes, they now come with a cap, and they are more rounded than the old design.  As soon as I realised this, I sent all of my friends a huntin' at their local Illamasqua counters and managed to pick up a few more. I only use a lip brush for my OCC Lip Tars, but this is a god send for doing a perfect red lip on someone else as the line you can create is perfect.

So there you have it, I really wanted to mention a few others, such as the Illamasqua concealer brush, and also the brush up brush, but to be honest there are other brushes that do the same job as these.  I adore makeup brushes, so picking only 10 was really tough.

Do you own any of these brushes? do you have your own faves I haven't mentioned?

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Stick review

I love a good eye shadow stick/crayon/pencil.  I am a complete sucker for the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Shadow Pencils or the NYX Jumbo eye pencils and I am convinced these a darn good dupe of either bot both.  Described as a 24hr waterproof eye shadow pencil, they do pretty much the same thing, at a fraction the cost.  They are not as soft as the NYX pencils and sadly, do not seem to come in the huge range of colours that the NYX ones too.

These are the colours Bullet Proof Beige, which is actually more of a golden shimmer and Tempting Turquoise, which is as the name suggests a turquoise colour.

This is a better picture of my tattoo than a swatch.

I've worn these for a full day, although I have not challenged the 24hr claim, because I can't stay up that long and don't sleep with makeup on.

On the lids they are not in the least bit sticky or greasy, which it a pet peeve of mine, I hate being able to 'feel' a cream shadow, it MUST set immediately.

I initially bought the 'Beige' to use as a base for colour, but the more I use it, the more I like it worn alone or with a darker colour through the crease.

Colour pay off for these as well as the others in the range is great for the cash and I thoroughly recommend these if you are in the least bit interested in eye shadow pencils or want to give one a try.

A quick search of the Priceline website tells me these are available in Australia at $12.95 OR you can buy them from ASOS for less (but there is a smaller range of colour) and free delivery.

Eye shadow pencils, love em? Hate em? let me know.

No7 Instant Radiance Highlighter and Pop & Glow Cream Blush

When I was at Boots the other day, these little pretties caught my eye.  I'm a sucker for anything tipped to make my life easier, and these crayon designed blushes and highlighters fit the bill.

The highlighter doesn't have a shade as currently they are only available in this beautiful champagne colour.

I picked up the blush in Classic Rose but there is also Mango Sorbet and Rose Blossom available.

They are super pigmented, and glide on effortlessly.

You can barely see the highlighter, but it is the shimmery line just above the pink.

Perfect for depositing colour which is then blended out with either your fingers or a bush.

So far, I am completely in love with the highlighter.  I thought I would love this blush, but I think I need to practice getting just the right amount of colour.  I think I might need the other two colours to aid this.

On the whole I hate products you have to use straight from the tube, and although there are certainly designed with this in mind, they are chunky enough you could easily run a brush over the top to prevent product to skin contact.

No7 is exclusive to Boots, which, although a UK company, do have stores in other countries such as Thailand.

Rae Morris Magnetic Brush Review

When Rae Morris released a new set of brushes, I was in 2 minds.
Do we all remember The Bitter Brush Debacle of 2012 (I knew that title would come in handy one day) So when I heard there was to be a new brush range released, I just wasn't sure how I felt.

Being the makeup brush addict I am, I was fighting a losing battle with myself.
I pre-ordered the Eye Brush set

and the Signature Kabuki set

I already had a few of the Kabuki set from the previous range, but they are still quite different.

I had 2 Flawless Shaders from the previous range, one, the original I was sent, which then leaked dye, and the second one that was a gift from Rae at IMATS, read about it here.

The new one is a perfect symmetrical and rounded brush.  

The new bristles, and EVEN SOFTER than the older range, and the handle looks more finished.  The brush does the same job, only now it is softer.

The Deluxe Kabuki is an unrecognisable upgrade from it's past self.  The brush is shorter, which isn't a bad thing, the bristles are denser and much more tapered.  It is less traditional looking than its predecessor, but functions better, there is now also a magnet in the end of this brush, which the last range left off the Kabuki brushes.

The most obvious physical different between the brushes is the shape and the magnet location.  On the old set it was in the ferrule, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but then we put the brushes in cups and they ALL stuck together, making it annoying to grab a single brush while working.  

On the new range they are located in the end of the brush, which is now flat.  There is a plate available to buy on which you can stand the brushes.  I have not purchased this, and have no immediate plans to do so.

The old brushes had a slant to the tip, which I think was purely for aesthetic reasons, what I have found from using these brushes over the past 2 years is that they get damaged from storage in a cup because of this shape, so I was glad to see this go.

The bristles are all softer than the originals, and I'm not sure why (maybe I got crap ones originally?) and nothing had been officially said about this.  When I spoke to Rae at IMATS in 2012, she said they she wasn't happy with the manufacturing and would be swapping, I don't know if this was before or at the same time as the new brush range.

All in all, I love these new brushes, some of them are just different coloured versions of the older brushes, such as the Mascara Applicator (I don't even use this, the idea of a metal comb that close to my eyes is a NO NO), and others which might seem this way, such as the Precision Bent Liner, are inexplicably better.

My stand out brushes from this range (of the brushes I have) are:

#2 Mini Kabuki- my new preferred highlighing brush

#3 Ultimate Cheekbone- lovely for contouring

#4 Square Kabuki - perfect for under the eyes

 #8 Point Shader -  really great smaller blending brush, perfect for blending up into the brown bone

 #8.5 Crème Shadow Shader -  great general blending brush

 #9 Detail Precision Shader - perfect, of my eyes at least for blending IN the crease, I do this while my eye is open and this being is a bit small is perfect. Ideal fro a cut crease.

#11 Medium Oval Shader - perfect for placing colour on the lid, especially the base colour

#15 Precision Bent-Liner - just works, generally I do not love bent liners, I refer angle liners, but this is a great brush.

Eventually I would like to add to this collection, but in immediate future, my eyes are set on the Wayne Goss Brush Set because I think they look like a great set of Hakuhodo brushes.

Do you have any of these brushes? What are your favourite brushes? What do I need to try next?