Hair New Era

BRUSHES


Ever went to a hair salon and saw so many brushes in your stylist drawer? Well that is me. I have many different sizes and shapes for every style. I am here to help you so feel free to ask anything questions.

Sigma was originally supposed to have a Cyber Monday sale, but they were so bombarded with orders from Black Friday that they announced they were going to push it back. I was disappointed because I was checking my email ALL weekend to see what the sale would be but it works out for me! They announced this sale last Friday [it was originally supposed to be for one day only, today] on their Sigma Complete Kit with Brushroll in pink! I've been eyeing these out for a while and while I don't need anymore brushes, I TOTALLY WANT THEM! lol I think I'm going to order them this weekend - seriously $79? + brushroll? and PINK? I know I'm so crazy! Instead of one day, they're extending the sale through Christmas! So if you need to get gifts for a friend, or even for yourself, this brush set might be it! You can buy it at www.sigmabeauty.com

I put up my favorites video a little late but here it is!

FAVORITES
+ Wet & Wild Brule Eyeshadow $1.99
I've seriously been loving this eyeshadow ever since I got it. Maybe it's because it reminds me of MAC's Brule, kind of, and MAC's Brule was the very first MAC eyeshadow I ever got. The wet and wild shadows are s pigmented and I don't know why I have a thing for highlight colors!

+ MUFE Duo Mat Powder in 209 $32
I really thought this powder might have been over hyped but I'm really glad that I got it. It gives me enough coverage to hide my blemishes WITHOUT concealer and it doesn't feel heavy or look cakey on my face at all. I was just so amazed that no matter how much I put on my face, it didn't look cakey! Plus it's so lightweight, I can't even tell it's there.

+ MAC Cut A Caper Lipstick $14.50
Sometimes pinky nudes look funny on my skin because I'm more tanned, but I really like the way light corals look on me. I just ran out of my Cute-ster lipstick and I was looking for something similar and I think I actually like this more. I think it's a luster finish? Which one of my favorite finishes.

+ Kat Von D Cathedral Lipstick $18
Mine isn't a full size but the sample I got from Sephora, but I'm really loving the formula. It's really creamy AND pigmented! My lips are always super chapped so I need a lipstick that kind of moisturizes and I feel like this does that.

+ Sephora Rounded Crease Brush $17
This is my absolute favorite blending brush that I own! It's just the right amount of stiffness - it's not too soft but not too stiff either. I think it's comparable to the MAC 224 but I don't own that one so I can't really say.

+ Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow [Naked Palette $44]
Again with the highlight colors! This is one my favorites from the Naked palette because it doubles as a highlighter and blending color for me.

+ Urban Decay Sin Eyeshadow [Naked Palette $44]
This color is amaaazing by itself. It really brightens my eyes by itself - sometimes I just use this and highlight and I'm ready!


REJECTS
- EOS Lip Balm ~$3
I did a review on this lip balm - it was a complete miss for me.

- Tokidoki Blending Brush [set is $35]
This came in a set of three and this was my least favorite of them. It's not really good at blending but kind of more for outer v, but then I feel like the brush head is too big for just the outer v. It's cute though! lol

I've been really frustrated lately because my skin is acting up and this has NEVER happened to me! I'm breaking out around my chin and jaw and it's driving me nuts because I never break out like this! I think it was my MAC Hyper Real Foundation. =[ It did this to me before but I guess my skin doesn't like it anymore! Once I started using my Everyday Minerals sample or my Studio Fix Powder, it started clearing up though so hopefully it'll be all gone by the time I get back to HI.



Speaking of foundation, MAC released it's new Mineralize SPF 15 Foundation. It comes in a compact like their Studio Tech, but the texture is a LOT creamier. It's so smooth! It's a cross between gel/cream/liquid. I don't know how to explain it just touch it the next time you visit your counter and you'll know what I'm talking about!



I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I don't love it right off the bat and I think the SPF 15 gives me a little white cast when I take pictures =[ but in person it looks OK. I don't think I'll be able to test it out until my breakouts stop acting up but we'll see. I always noticed the colors are a little off for MAC mineralize things has anyone else noticed this or is it just me? I'm normally a cross between NC42 and NC44 and I kinda match more with NC44 but OMG NC44 was WAYY too dark for me but now I feel like NC42 is to light. It feels like I'm wearing foundation when I first put it on and if you I put too much I feel like there's a whole other layer on top of my face so I kinda don't like that. I like that it doesn't have shimmer or glitter in it like the Satinfinish and that it comes in a compact but I might end up returning it. We'll see! It's $32 so it's more expensive than most of their foundations but idk if it's really worth it. I'll try to do a review on it.



Also copped the new MAC 130 brush! AHH I missed out on the 131 when it came out and I fell in looove with this once I saw it! It's like a flat top 109/187 brush which I love using for my foundation so you know I love it! It's a little expensive [$38] but I've already been using it everyday. It's really short and dense so I think it's perfect for liquid foundations. Tried it with my Studio Fix fluid and it's love!!





Wore this outfit to work last week and I thought it was so cute! =] Whole outfit from F21 cost me $35 total!!! Didn't buy everything at once though.



Rocked the HK necklace ;] I think I'm wearing the new foundation here but I can't remember. It's slightly too light for me =[ I tried putting MSF natural and bronzer close to my skin color but eh it's not a perfect match and idk if I wanna do all that work everytime.

Don't think I forgot about my collection post! It's coming! But haven't had time to take a million pictures and label everything but here's a sneak peek!



Gotta love OCD. =P

I've been meaning to put up this post FOREVER so here it is finally! lol In this post I said how disappointed I was in the pink Coastal Scents brushes I bought, but after using them for a couple months now, there are a couple brushes which I think are totally worth it.


BRUSHES L to R: synthetic concealer, oval fluff shadow, blending fluff, angle blush, stippling, chisel blush, synthetic foundation, sable powder, & lip brush

[the lip brush cap & crease brush not pictured]

COMPARISONS:


stippling vs MAC 187 SE
>> I actually use this brush a lot! I don't own a 187 [although I wish I did] but it does what a stippling brush is supposed to do - create that "airbrushed" look. I use this with blushes mostly. When I first got it, though, it shed like crazy! But after a few washes the shedding stopped and it's still completely full.


foundation vs MAC 190 SE
>> I personally don't like this brush at all. Normally I love synthetic brushes, but thse bristles are not soft at all and they totally leave a streaky look when I apply liquid foundation!


lip vs Sephora retractable lip
>> I'm not a big fan of lip brushes, but it does it's job. Nothing special really.



chisel blush vs BE foundation vs sable powder
>>Personally, I think this "chisel blush" brush is wayy to big to apply blush! [it takes up half the side of my face!] I sometimes use it for powder but I don't really like it. When you wash it the water comes out black [even after months!] and it's not soft at all. Also I don't like BE brushes at all!! I got this in the foundation kit they had and it's totally scratchy! To me, the sable powder brush looks exactly like it [it's not soft either] so if you're planning on buying this BE brush, you're better off with this Coastal Scent version.


angle blush vs MAC 168 SE
>> This is one of my favve brushes! I use it everyday for contouring. I just love how angled it is. It does bleed black when you wash it, but after a few washes it goes away. It's not the softest brush but it's not the harshest either. I'd say it's worth $2.50!


Sephora concealer vs concealer vs MAC 194 SE
>> I hate this concealer brush too! CS synthetic brushes don't do anything for me. I do use this to apply P/P and eye primer but for concealer I'm better off with my Sephora brush or my MAC 194


MAC 239 SE vs oval fluff
>> This was my fave brush out of everything! After I got the 239 SE I realize they're totally comparable. I'm not sure how the full size bristles feel compared to the SE, but the CS brush is really soft. I use this brush daily to pack color on my eyelids =]


crease brush vs MAC 219
>> This is my second fave brush! The bristles are soft, however they aren't as stiff as the 219 brush. It's supposed to be a "crease brush" but I use it for putting eyeshadow on my lower lash line.

I just got a bunch of the brushes from the MAC Holiday Collection which it was they're all red. ;] The passable brushes are the chisel blush, sable powder, lip, concealer, & foundation. Must haves are the crease brush [if you don't have a 219], the fluff shadow brush [if you don't have a 239], the angle blush [if you don't have a 168] and the stippling [if you can't convince yourself to pay $42 for the 187 like me!]. The blending fluff brush, I personally really like, but it's passable if you have other blending brushes. I like to use it to finish off blending my crease and highlighter colors together but it's not a necessary brush.

Here's a list of the prices on Coastal Secnts
$2.49 Pink Angle Blush Brush
$1.99 Pink Blending Fluff Brush
$7.95 Pink Duo Fiber Powder Stippler
$1.69 Pink Oval Fluff Brush
$2.49 Pink Synthetic Concealer Brush
$1.49 Pink Round Crease Eye Brush
$2.99 Pink Sable Powder Brush
$3.99 Pink Synthetic Foundation Brush

Sorry, I know I've really been slacking on updates. I planned to do a lot yesterday but they called me into work [and I already had to close last night] so I worked for like 10 hours yesterday! I had a 2 hour break after 4 hours then came back and did 6 more. Oh well. I need the money anyway with all these MAC collections coming out like crazy!

RANDOM RANT: Well I was closing yesterday and I know customer service is the #1 thing to think about in business and whatever, but seriously some customers can be SO RUDE! Last night I was really scared because this guy was giving me major attitude, we have to check in all our members and he practically threw his keys at me kept saying that "You must be new because you don't know anything!" and insisted on all these things. I was really scared considering I had to close and he was literally the last person there! I kept my cool through everything but it really sucks when customers are super rude to you and you're just trying to be nice and do your job!

Anyway, a long overdue update on the hauls...

Starflash/MAC Haul



I went to the freestanding MAC store at La Encantada, got 2 more e/s palettes, a small quad for when I'm on the go, Starflash e/s: Glamour Check, Bold & Brazen, Grand Entrance, & Sumptuous Olive. Palette e/s: Freshwater, Gorgeous Gold, Knight Divine, Cranberry, & Expensive Pink. Mineralize Foundation in Medium Plus, l/s in Fast Thrill, l/g in Sonic Vibe, & 2 eye kohls in Mystery & I forget the other color LOL

I haven't used those eye pencils I'm thinking about returning them or selling them. I might keep the bluish one but not too sure about the red. If anyone wants them just comment me or send me an email!

I also visited my local Sally Beauty Supply - I didn't know we had one! It's really small and there's not that many make up items but they do give military discount (yay for me!). I just picked up a contour brush - which I haven't been looking for FOREVER! and I wanted to try these eyebrow wax strips they had on sale.



AND I'm mostly done with putting all the make up in my new online store! I called it Pink Pepper Boutique just cause I love pink, spicy food (lol), and I just wanted to sell all my random things that I didn't want. I have a BUUUNCH of those NYX Round Lipsticks I got from Cherry Culture a while back that I didn't even use! I put up all the ones I don't want anymore. Plus a bunch of other stuff I have just lying around. The address is http://pinkpepperboutique.ecrater.com. So feel free to look around. I'm willing to swap most things on there just email me if anything but I'm really looking for MMU (Mineral Make Up), brushes, blushes, or MAC make up!

I tried to do a nude lippie using the NYX Round Lipstick in Circe but ugh. It just blends in with my skin!



But here's a FOTD since you guys are still reading if you are LOL



FACE
+ Bare Minerals SPF 15 Foundation in Tan
+ MAC MSF duo in Medium Dark - natural & shimmer
+ MAC Mineralize Blush in Dainty

EYES
+ MAC Painterly P/P all over lid
+ MAC E/S in Evening Aura (LE - Neo Sci-Fi) all over lid
+ MAD Minerals e/s in Wild Mango on outer v & crease
+ MAC e/s in Paradisco on middle of the lid
+ MAC e/s in Grain as highlight
+ Stila Smudge Pots in Black - line on upper lash line and water line
+ MAC Plushlash mascara in Plushblack

LIPS
+ MAC l/s in Bombshell
+ MAC l/g in Hey Sailor (LE - Naughty Nauticals)

Okay, SO! I'm finally posting because I've been suuper busy & lazy with school/work/etc. LOL This post is strictly dedicated to my hauls/shopping sprees!

BTW Someone needs to shoot me because I just figured out that I haven't been moderating my comments. Poor me, I check my blog everyday which is kind of why I've been discouraged and check that I always have 0 comments, but I sign in today and it's like "18 comments need moderation!" I was like whaaat?! You guys inspired me to blog more now. LOL! But on with the hauls!

So, after reading numerous raves about MAC's E/S duo in Fresh Green Mix, I haaad to get it. Plus the Mineralized Blush in Nuance! And after reading Karen's Blog on Love Connection I'm eyeing that! But I have to hold myself back because MAC's coming out with collections faster than my paycheck does!



Then CVS had a sale on their Cover Girl products, I believe it was buy one get one 1/2 off? I got Fantastic Lash because it was one of the very first mascara's I tried out back in high school and I'm kind of attached to it and Lash Exact because I wanted to try it out.



I saw these cuuuute brushes at Kohl's from the FLIRT! Cosmetics line. Its like a mini 187/skunk brush! Plus it was only $6. I got a powder brush for $7 too. They were a little thin when I bought them but after I washed it out, the powder brush fluffed a lot more. The little skunk brush doesn't shed as much as my Coastal Scents brush either.


in the package..


outside of the package

I bought MAJOR goods from Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale. My Angels card is dying! LOL But I bought a bunch of cuute bathing suits.



I noticed that a lot of their stuff was cheaper in store than on the website. But of course in store they ran out of sizes so I would get whatever sizes I could get a hold of in store and order online for the matching pair! Like I got the bottom for this bathing suit in store for $15 but I had to pay $40 for the top! =[ It's still super cute though. I also bought another bathing suit but I'm really bad at keeping receipts so I'm just gonna sell it. If you're interested I'm posting a few things I need to get rid of.

My haul from Coastal Scents came in too! I'm a little skeptical about mineral make up because I don't know how to use it, I can't color match to save my life, and I'm suuuper messy! But They had a sale one weekend and samples were less than $2 so I bought a few. They're all pretty much samples: Silk Tan Foundation, Honey Dark Tan, Tinted Veil, Bellini Blush, Princess J Blush, Star Glossi Glaze, and a free sample of Emerald Green Glitter! I'll post swatches, etc later.



FYI, I got these over the course of 2 weeks I believe? LOL Not in a day! Surprisingly, I saved money since the hubby's been gone and I got us both the iPhone 3Gs!



Matching black & white of course. But I got his in the 8G because I'm a cheapo and I paid extra just to get a white one. LOL! Too bad they don't come in pink. Well that's it for my hauls... FOR NOW! LOL

Lately I feel like I haven't been getting enough sleep! I go to sleep in the wee hours in the morning hoping maybe Brian will call me then I knock out and wake up around 9 or 10 to finish up my online class homework which is due by noon. Lucky thing class is almost over! My final paper is due Thursday and I have to take an online final that day too so I really need to catch up on my studying.

I seriously need to stop shopping because our contract with T-Mobile ends in a week and I need to buy my new phone! But of course, I bought new things.

My order from Coastal Scents was waiting in front of my door when I woke up this morning! I ordered 10 pink brushes from there.

L to R: chisel blush, stippling, angle blush, synthetic foundation, blending fluff, oval fluff shadow, synthetic concealer, round crease, sable powder, kolinksky lip

It was $46 including shipping for the whole thing, which isn't that bad, but I was disappointed in them. They're not really scratchy and they didn't shed when I first used them like my Sonia Kashuk powder brush did. But I guess, I did get what I paid for. Out of all of them the lip brush was my favorite. ha! I was most disappointed in the stippling brush. I washed all of them before I used it and the stippling brush shed like craaaazy! When I tried to use it with my powder, it didn't really pick up anything I got so frustrated I used my other brush. One thing about these brushes too is they kind of stink. There's just a weird smell to it. =[ I think I was better off bidding on eBay for the MAC stippling brush! HA!

I went to Ross today too and got this cute little pink organizer thingy. I put all my brushes in there.


Isn't it cute? I wanna put something in there though to make them stand up straight kind of how Sephora brushes look in store.

I even got this suuper cute LeSportsac bag for only $30! I wasn't gonna buy it but I thought of how expensive their bags are in the actual store.


So, I know I am absolutely no where near being a MUA but I was messing around with my Urban Decay shadows because they're so neglected now that I have a bunch of MAC e/s and this is what I got.

I can only do this to my face at night because people here would look at me like I'm crazy considering most of the population in Tucson are elderly. LOL. But I really like it. Please excuse my eyebrows though, they have a mind of their own.

EYES
+ MAC Prep & Prime in Medium Dark
+ UD 24/7 Glide on Pencil in Deviant
+ UD Deluxe Eyeshadow in Peace all over lid
+ UD Deluxe Eyeshadow in Adore outer v/crease
+ UD Eyeshadow in Midnight Cowgirl highlight
+ Sephora Atomic Volume Mascara
+ Maybelline Colossal Mascara

LIPS
+ MAC Slimshine in Assertive
+ MAC lusterglass in Hey Sailor!

Lately, I've just been doing my homework for summer school class and going to work. Summer class has been taking a lot of my time, plus I've got other things on my mind too... Anyway I was bored again the other day and I went to Ulta and Walgreens and got some stuff. So here it is

TOP ROW: Maybelline Dream Mousse Shadow Vanilla Veil, OPI Nail Lacquer Who Comes Up With These Names?, L'Oreal HIP Lipstick Extrovert
BOTTOM ROW: L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara Carbon Black, L'Oreal Lash Out Mascara Black, Maybelline Colossal Mascara Black, NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil Pink Nude, Ecotools Bamboo Blush Brush, Ecotools Bamboo Foundation Brush

Ulta had a sale, I'm not sure if it's going on but L'Oreal Mascaras and the Ecotools brushes were both B1G1 free. I bought the Maybelline lipstick because it was on sale for $1, but when I got home I really hated the color. It's too dark for my liking

Don't mind the edges L0L i just wanted to see what the color would look like. I hated it so much haha! Then I just experimented and put the NYX Pink Nude lip pencil, layered the lipstick over, and finished with MAC pink poodle and this is what I got (don't ask me how I thought of it lol)

I'm still not completely satisfied lol, but I didn't use that much money on it. I am sooo in love with the ecotool brushes though. I played around with my Sonia Kashuk brushes, but I hate the powder brush I bought because it's already shedding! And it's not as soft. But the ecotool brushes are suuuper soft for the price I paid ($8 for both!) and environmental friendly! I ordered 2 MAC eyeshadows off of eBay and they came in yesterday $24 for both

Da Bling & Love Bud

Aside from my new found make up addiction, I've also become an internet shopaholic! I ordered a bunch of brushes from Coastal Scents so I can't wait til that comes in.

Well, tomorrow is 4th of July and I'm working SUPER early in the morning, but hey at least I got time and a half. So I'm off to bed. =] Hope you guys have a good one.