Review: Real Techniques Stippling Brush and Powder Brush

I'm a huge fan of the pixiwoo sisters and when I heard that Sam was launching a brush line, I knew I had to check them out. Before they were released, the only brushes I owned were the Bare Minerals Kabuki Brush, Concealer Brush, and Flawless Face Brush. They work fine for mineral foundation (obviously) but they weren't the softest brushes in the world and I really wanted to experiment with a stippling brush to apply my Lioele Triple Solution BB Cream.

Pricing: When I saw the Real Techniques Stippling Brush and glanced at the price on Ulta's website, I was a little shocked that it was only $10. Ulta usually has coupons that you can use on non-Prestige Cosmetics items and I was extremely excited to find out that you could use their coupons on Real Techniques Brushes. So really, you're only paying about $8 for each individual brush instead of $30+++ for others. Many people like to assume that a more expensive a product is going to perform better than a cheaper one, but that's not necessarily true. Granted, I've never tried out any of the expensive brushes so I can't really compare Real Techniques to any other brand aside from Bare Minerals, but I can say that I'm not tempted to shell out $30 for a brush. It's just too much! You could buy three of these brushes for $30.

Performance: Anyways, aside from the awesome price point, the brush itself is REALLY soft and made from synthetic fibers. I've washed my brush several times and I haven't experienced any shedding whatsoever. The stippling brush works wonders for me whenever I apply BB cream to my face. Before, I used my fingers but now I always use this brush to apply it to my face. It blends the foundation into my skin and gives it a flawless finish. I also use the stippling brush to apply powder blush and it works beautifully. I absolutely adore this brush. After falling in love with my stippling brush, I also decided to buy a powder brush to apply my MAC blotting powder and other translucent powders. This is a pretty large brush compared to the stippling brush, and it does the job. It is too big to use to apply blush, so if you're looking for a multitasking brush, like the stippling brush, the powder brush is probably not the one to get.

Both of these brushes have a rounded wide end to the brush that allows it to stand up on a flat surface. Lots of people think it's a neat feature while others think it's unnecessary. I personally like the fact that it can stand up on its own but I also recognize that the wider end makes it harder to carry it around if you're travelling. The ends probably won't fit into the slots of some makeup brush roles which could be a turn off for some. I personally just use a cosmetic bag to store my brushes at home and while I'm travelling.

I'd definitely recommend this product to anyone who's looking for a good quality makeup brush without a hefty price tag. Thank you, Sam Chapman, for making such awesome and affordable brushes.

Review: Etude House Fantastic Rouge LuciDarling Lipstick/Lip gloss and Darkness Lashes

I must say that the Korean cosmetic stuff I've tried so far has really impressed me. Here's a pic of my small collection of Asian cosmetic products.

I'm definitely looking forward to trying new products from these brands soon!

On my way back to the States from Thailand, my flight stopped at Korea (I took Korean Air) and took advantage of the cheap cosmetics there. I bought a couple of lip products from Etude House and I absolutely LOVE them all. I bought two lip glosses, one in the shade No. 4 and the other in shade No. 2.

I got these for $8 USD each. They have a nice scent to them that's not too nauseating or strong and they taste really good! Below are some swatches.

No. 4 and No. 2

These glosses are pretty pigmented and they're by far the best lip gloss I've ever tried. I heard a lot about Etude House products on YouTube and many people said that this particular brand has some really awesome lip products. I was a little skeptical at first, but now I totally understand why people like them. This lip gloss glides on smoothly and doesn't leave a greasy feeling on your lips. It feels very moisturizing and looks good on its own or on top of a lipstick color.

These are two of the lipsticks I bought from the Korean airport as well. I think these were $6 USD each.

No. 9 and No. 3

I love No. 3 because it's a nudey pink and it's very similar to my MAC Shy Girl lipstick. My sister really likes No. 9. I find that No. 9 is a little too bright for my taste but I still love it. These lipsticks don't crack my lips or make them feel chapped/dry throughout the day. In one of the swatch pics above, you can see some glitter in both lipsticks but it doesn't have a frosty overly glittery finish to it at all, which I love. The packaging of these lipsticks is also super adorable. If you're looking for a new lipstick or lip gloss, I'd definitely recommend checking out any of Etude House's lip products. I only own the ones from the LuciDarling Fantastic Rouge collection but I've heard a lot of good things about the Miss Tangerine line as well.

Last, but not least, Darkness Lashes!! I spotted these inside H-mart and paid $4 for each of them. I like them, but I'm not really loving them all that much. I have to cut a little bit off because it's a little big for my eyes. When I wear them, I feel like they're really long and dramatic lashes, so if you're looking for some natural looking false eyelashes, these particular models are not the ones to get. I find that they're really great for a night out but not so much for everyday wear. I won't repurchase these again but I am willing to purchase other models from Darkness like the WOS one that Jen (frmheadtotoe) mentioned in her Nov. hits and misses video.

What are your favorite lip stick product/color and what are some good natural looking pair of false eyelashes that you've tried?

K-Palette 24Hr Eyeliner and Dolly Wink Eyeliner Review

Hey everyone! I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I've been meaning to get this review posted but I've been super busy with family stuff and law school applications. Before I get into it, I wanted to share some things I did over the summer.

I went to Thailand this summer for a vacation with my family and for a wedding. I can't even begin to describe how much fun I had on this trip. My aunts and uncles live in Bangkok and we usually never travel outside the capital, but this time I visited Trang, Phuket, Hua Hin, and Pattaya. Here are some photos from my trip:

View from my room at Aleenta Resort in Phuket. It's breathtaking.

The bed that my sister and I slept in.

This picture was taken during my trip to Trang. The water is sooooo pretty!!!

The beautiful sunset in Trang.

View from Aleenta Resort in Phuket.

This was taken in a temple located in a remote cave in Trang.

My trip to Thailand was amazing! I'm so grateful and blessed to be able to visit and experience so many things while I was there and I hope to go back soon. I encourage anyone who wants to travel to Thailand to take the leap and go! You won't regret it. Now, onto the review!!!

While I was in Thailand, I took the opportunity to check out some of the Asian cosmetic brands that many people have been raving about such as Lioele, Etude House, Dolly Wink, and K-Palette. I wasn't able to find any Lioele products while I was there, however, because I believe the company focuses on selling their products over the internet probably to save on costs. I also wasn't able to find the Dolly Wink Eyeliner myself but lucky for me, one of my cousins is a flight attendant and she offered to get the Dolly Wink and K-Palette 24Hr eyeliner for me while she was in Japan. Here are some pics and swatches:

The swatch on the left is Dolly Wink and the right is K-Palette.

To me, the Dolly Wink eyeliner seems to be more pigmented than the K-Palette. I prefer using the Dolly Wink over the K-Palette because the Dolly Wink eyeliner is blacker and the pen is slightly bigger. The K-palette eyeliner I have isn't waterproof, so I can't really comment on how it stands up to water but both eyeliners last forever without smudging. They also have a fine brush tip that's perfect for making very thin and precise lines. I do, however, line my eyes heavily because of my monolids but I still love both of these eyeliners. Whenever I'm done with both of them, I think I'm going to purchase the K-palette waterproof version from Sasa and see if its lasting power is all it's cracked up to be.

I hope this little review was helpful and if you have any questions just let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.