makeup tool – the Spiff

The Makeup Brush Everyone’s Been Yammering About

August 17, 2016 No Comments

beauty blogger, knoxville beauty blogger, beauty product review, beauty blogger elizabeth ogle, makeup brush review, brush review, makeup of the day, knoxville blogger

How do you react to makeup trends?

Do you jump on them the minute you see something new, or do you wait it out and let it get all the way down to a Walgreen’s knock off before you try it?

I have varying reactions when it comes to trends. When a makeup trend rolls around, I want to try it right away. I’m in bed watching makeup tutorials wondering if Target carries what they’re talking about so I can go get it YESTERDAY.

But clothing trends I like to let settle down and get passed around before I decide if it’s “me” or not.

When I heard about this new foundation brush, I wanted to be all over it. To the point where I heavily considered dropping $50 on the name brand brush from Net-A-Porter (I’m still not against that, but we’ll see).

So this brush I’m referring to looks like a hair brush (or a large toothbrush for giants with humongous teeth). And it’s said to give you an airbrush look.

I don’t know what it’s non-branded name is. The fancy pants one on Net-A-Porter is called the Artis Brush. The one I used is it’s $16 counter part on Amazon.

I watched a video review on the difference between them both and the reviewer said there wasn’t a huge noticeable difference. I figured I’d drop $16 now, see if I like it and move onto the better version come birthday time.

Here are the pro’s and con’s:

Pros:

I’ve stayed away from liquid foundations because I don’t want to apply it with my hand. This brush is a great way to get it everywhere without having to use your fingers, and really does a great job of spreading it around.

I also like the fact that it doesn’t seem to soak up a lot of product. It’s been compared to the beauty blender and comes out on top because it doesn’t soak up as much. When you drop some serious cash on foundation, you want to get the most out of it.

It’s pretty easy to use around the contours of my face. It’s pretty easy to use in general. I would recommend watching a video or two before hand, but overall I was pretty comfortable with it right off the bat.

Cons:

It didn’t deliver the “airbrush” quality that I thought it would BUT that could be the foundation I was using. (DANG YOU FOUNDATION). I’m also testing out new liquids and I’m not happy with my first trial run, so maybe once I find the right foundation it will act better.

They said this brush would make it so that you would only have to use very little amounts of foundation (again, this could be the LAMO foundation I was using), I didn’t see that to be the case. I had to use what I thought was a “regular” amount. A medium sized amount, a grande, if you will.

I can see where this brush would be great for blending. I’ve seen a couple of YouTube videos where they talk about using the same brush for foundation application and contouring. I don’t know how they do that putting all those colors on the same brush and not look like a circus freak. But hey, these women are strong enough to put their bare face on the internet for all to see, so… #respect.

It is something fun to get that will shake up your routine without having to spend a lot of dough.

Summer is almost over (yay!), check out what I’m wearing on repeat before the season comes to an end.

Beauty

Best Beauty Buys

October 9, 2015 No Comments

In my inbox right now sits an email from Etsy with the subject line, “Make your holiday gifts!” I haven’t deleted it because in the world inside my head, I’ve got time to sit around and make things like Christmas crafts. (Thank you, Etsy, for playing along with me).

The reality of it is any free time right now goes to the mound of wash we’re now treating like a rock wall and strapping up to scale in order to get anywhere in our apartment. Just kidding. I’ve taken to stuffing it places so I don’t have to deal.

That’s why lists like the annual Allure Best of Beauty makes life a little bit easier. Even in my single days when I had time for things like reading whole magazine articles, I didn’t want to have to stand in the beauty isle and wonder if I was making a good purchase.

Today I’ve brought you a few of my favorites from the list. Some I’ve already been using and love, and others I can’t wait to get my hands on. Hopefully this will prevent you from ever standing confusedly in the beauty isle and wasting valuable wash time.

One: This boost it spray is amazing. It really does help with lift and teasing, AND as an added bonus gives your hair good texture. It will come in handy with my Halloween costume (Muahaha).

Two: Dove has proven itself to me over and over. I love their mousse, their hairspray is something to run out for in the middle of the night, and now this. I haven’t tried it yet, but Allure tossed around words like “polish”, “soften” and “bounce” to describe it’s effects. I’m in.

Three: This whole oil cleanser thing is fascinating/sounds like paradise. It removes all your makeup – eyes, everything – and does so without drying out your face. I’ve not yet tried Shiseido’s version but now I’m thinking it’s going straight to my shopping list.

Four: I own this brush and while the bristles are still in tact, I’ve used it so often I wore the rubber on the handle down to the wood. #useful

Five: This NYX brush is for contouring and looks like it would get along with my cheek bones just fine.

Six: As much as I love putting makeup on, the whole mascara process makes me jealous of boys. It’s by far my least favorite part. But maybe a good eyelash curler like this one by Tweezerman would change my mind. It’s apparently amazing. I’ll be the judge of that…

Seven: On the days I work from home, it’s BB or CC cream for me. I can’t wait to try this one out by Rimmel. Not only does it cost about the same as a combo meal ($6.99) but it gives a luminous effect to your skin.

Eight: So I could have 18k gold on my fingers for $7.49? Why are my cuticles living life without this?

To hear all about a brand that’s been on the Allure Best Of list more than once, AND how you can get a discount on it, click here!

bare minerals, Beauty, beauty products

Flawless Radiance Brush

August 21, 2015 No Comments

Honestly, I really enjoyed being pregnant in the summertime. I don’t sweat very easily and am not often hot, so the 90 degree temps never really bothered me. Not to mention the fact that my husband is quite the opposite so I was finally comfortable in our 60 degree home.

What I enjoyed the most was not having to worry about my tan. I felt as if I could get away with being super white since I was pregnant (you can’t judge me I’m pregnant).

The one thing I didn’t give up (and don’t regardless of the season) was putting bronzer on my face. After applying foundation, I always contour my face with some bronzer to add color and dimension back in (I make an “E” starting at my forehead, hitting my cheek bones and finishing along my jaw line). This brush is one I reviewed last year, but it’s still doing an amazing job at applying just the right amount of color…

Boy, does Bare Minerals know how to name their brushes or what? Who can say no to “flawless radiance“? On top of that, I’m going to go ahead and skip to the even better part, it’s only $22.

Now that I’ve got your wallet and your face considering it, let me tell you why it’s so great…

I’ve always been a big advocate for buying good brushes. Because I truly believe a good makeup brush takes your look from “homemade” to “professional” faster than anything else. This is true with any brush you would use on your face, but most recently I learned just how true it is when it comes to a bronzer brush.

I’ve been practicing what I preach by having great eye shadow brushes for years now. But I was getting a failing grade in the bronzer and blush brush category. “Oh any old thing will do,” is what I thought to myself as I picked up my old foundation brush to wipe the bronzer all over my face. Then I would get frustrated with the bronzer for not looking right…and the cycle would continue.

Then I went to Bare Minerals one day to talk about their new foundation. The girl applied it and some bronzer on my face (the very same bronzer I’d been failing with) and it looked fantastic! The difference? The brush.

You can believe I bought up that brush then and there! Gal pals, it makes such a huge difference. I mean HUGE difference in how the bronzer looks on my face. I’m loving how it blends and even how the bristles feel on my skin – it’s become my favorite part of the makeup process for sure.

Don’t waste any more time being frustrated with bad bronzer – get a new brush!!

Will you consider using bronzer all year?

Beauty, beauty products

The Beauty Product You Needed Yesterday

November 19, 2014 No Comments

This Beauty Blender Sponge is a thrill ride. You may not have the words “thrill ride” pop in your head when you look at it, but oh what fun it is to try.

First, you don’t use it the way it is. You’ve got to get it damp. Once you do that, it expands almost doubling in size!

Then once you’ve patted it dry, the magic continues with the way it makes your concealer smooth out over your face, causing any blemish or spot you’re trying to cover up – disappear! It’s magical!

I’ve used it with my powder foundation as well, touching up spots towards the end of the day and it continues to help my make up melt into my face doing exactly what I want it to do. After a while it does get all dirty with your makeup stains, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop!

Once it gets to that point, you can either wash it with the special wash they sell or just use a gentle face cleanser…and BOOM it’s like new again! WILL THE FUN EVER END!? …Actually you do have to buy a new one after about 3 months or so. But the good news is you only have to pay around $20 for this little bucket of awesome.

There are multiple people on my Christmas list who will be getting one of these – go buy one for yourself and join the party!