Sedona Lace Black Friday Haul

If you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen that I posted the Black Friday sale for Sedona Lace. I think I mentioned it on Twitter as well. All their products were 50% off. That was awesome but the shipping charge was a lot higher than the typical shipping fees I'm used to. They charged me $12.00 shipping for a medium size box. A box like that should only be about $6 or $7 shipping. Last year, they had free shipping for orders over $50. This year, I ordered way above that and they still charged me this much. Anyways, 50% off on all items was still a good deal not to pass.

Ever since the Sigma brushes went up in prices, I've lost interest in them. I discovered the Sedona Lace brushes last year and ordered during Black Friday as well, which is the best time to get them. I can tell you that I have been very pleased with the brushes I've gotten from them, you can view them HERE. They are well made, do not shed, and have retained their shape trough the year. On top of that, I couldn't resist the pink/black gradient bristles. That's just too cute!

I didn't really "need" anymore brushes but it's more like upgrading some old brushes, adding some back ups, and picking up some gifts, that I waited on a sale to go for it.

This year, I decided to go with the Synthetic Large Paddle 919, $15.95 regular price. It's very soft, flexible but not flimsy, and is about 2 inches wide. Great for applying finishing powders and even contouring.

Tulip Contour FB 03, $14.95 regular price. I've always wanted an egg shapped brush like this one, lol. It's tapered at the top but the one I received isn't nearly as pointy as the one pictured on their site. The cut was a bit uneven but I don't think that will affect the performance of the brush. The bristles are soft and I believe they are natural hair but it doesn't say so on their site. This brush has a good density to it. It would work great for applying blushes or bronzers.

Synthetic Flat Top 928, $14.95 regular price. I needed to replace my ELF Studio Powder brush. Sure I could've just bought another one since it only cost $3.00 but all the ones I've owned always loosen up at the ferrule and no matter how much super glue I put there, it still wobbles so I got tired of it. I previously own the Synthetic flat top brush so this is also a back up. I also own the Sigma Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki F80. It is similar to the 928 brush but much denser and cleaning it is a pain to remove all gunk and soap. It also takes longer to dry. The 928 although not as dense, it is still dense enough to apply liquid foundation flawlessly. It has a density similar to the ELF Studio Powder brush but with shorter bristles. Honestly I do like the 928 more than the Sigma F80. It's prettier, cost less, and easier to clean. It's made better than the ELF Studio brush and definitely worth the extra cost.

Synthetic Eye Shading Brush 305, $9.95 regular price. It wasn't really what I was expecting when I received it. It's thinner and flatter; however, it is quite firm. It would be ideal for cream eyeshadows. I'm not sure how well it will work for powder eyeshadows but we'll see. 

I received a free Liquid Eye Pen (retails for $4.95). I was pretty excited when I swatched it because it was very black. I need to test it for a few days before I can do a review on it.

I took advantage of the sale to also grab some brush sets that I will be gifting. I didn't included the pictures here because I don't want them see what I got them, hehe.

What's your favorite brand of brushes? Did you purchase any on Black Friday?

My Face Brushes - Contour brushes (Part 3)

Here are my contour brushes. They are all shaped differently but still give out similar result. If you missed my previous posts about my powder and foundation and blush brushes, feel free to check them out too.

• Sigma Angled Top Kabuki F84, $16. This one is multi task, IMO. You could use it for applying or buffing foundations, blushes, and bronzers. It's very soft and dense and will pick up a lot of product. If you are using this for application, keep that in mind and use a light hand especially if you are using a powdery/pigmented product. The quality is very good and never shed.

• Sigma Round Top Kabuki F82, $16.00. I'm very impressed and pleased with Sigma's HD brushes. They are made of great quality and are so soft. I particularly prefer to use this one to buff the bronzer on the hollows of my cheeks.

• Real Techniques Buffing Brush.  This is not as dense as the Sigma brushes but still a pretty good brush that does the job. You could use this for applying foundation as well. Never once shedded on me.

• Sonia Kaskuk Flat Top Sculpting brush, $12.99. If you want that very structured contour, this would be the perfect brush. It's flat but very soft and dense. Never had any problems with shedding.

Honestly, you can't go wrong with any of these brushes. If you take good care of them. They will last you many years. I've had all these for over a year and they still retained their shape and still look and feel as good as new.

Thanks for reading. Let me know if you have any questions.


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My Face Brushes - Powder and Foundation (Part 1)

I know I rarely talk about my makeup brushes so I figure I'm going to have to introduce them to you eventually. Above is my entire collection of "face" brushes. If you are interested in the eye makeup brushes that I use, you can view them by clicking HERE.

Once I laid them out, I had more than I realize. I seem to always pick on the same ones. I'm dividing my face brushes into 3 parts. In this first part, I will be discussing about my foundation and powder brushes. Part 2 will be about blush brushes and Part 3 will be about contour brushes. I will post part 2 and 3 in the next couple days.

• Sigma Large Power F30, $19.00. This one is not the softest brush I've had but it is decently soft. Slightly dense but still has that fluffiness to it. This brush is good if you want to set your liquid foundation with powder but don't want to look cakey or over-powdered. It will deliver just the right amount so that your face can still look natural. The one thing I don't really like about this brush is that it sheds and the bristles always fall on my face or fall off when I wash it. I lose on average of 3 hair per use and 5 or 6 when I wash it. It's a bit annoying but not out of control.

• Sephora Professionnel Contour blush/bronzer. I really don't get why they would think of using this as a brush/bronzer brush. It's very dense and has shorter finer bristles so it will pick up a lot of product if you use this for application but I can see using this brush to buff out the blush or bronzer that has already been applied. I typically use this brush for powder and when I feel that I want a little more coverage and that matte porcelain doll skin finish. This brush is fairly soft and hardly shed but takes a bit longer to dry after you wash it. I wouldn't recommend it for loose powders though. I think this brush may have been discontinued.

• Gotta B' Urban Kabuki brush. I found this brush at either Marshall or TJ Maxx a while back. I thought the black and while pattern was cute and I like the fact that this kabuki brush comes with a longer handle. This is a nice brush. It's very soft, dense, and never shed. I did experience some color bleeding during the first few washes but doesn't happen anymore after that. Since the bristles are synthetic, this brush is perfect for both powder and liquid foundation.

• Wal-Mart Powder brush, $6.97. This is a very soft brush. It's flatter and tappered but not as dense as I would prefer it to be. Really nice for applying powders. It's a little small but still feasible. This never shed on me. 

• Real Technique Stippling brush, $9.99. The quality of this brush is pretty impressive for the price. I love the color of the handle. I also like the fact that you can also have it standing up right on a flat surface.The duo fibers are dense and soft and I also like the fact that they are a little shorter so it gives me a lot more control. This is great for applying liquid foundation. It never shed on me and my only complaint is that I wish the brush was a little wider. That would have allowed me to do my face faster. 

• Coastal Scents Classic Buffer Large Synthetic, $14.95. I think this is the perfect size for a foundation brush. The bristles are densely packed and never shed. I can't think of any flaws. You could use this for either powder or foundation.

• ELF Powder Brush, $3.00. The synthetic bristles are very soft and dense. This is my most used brush for applying liquid foundation. Why? Because it allows me to work quickly, spread foundation evenly and easily, and I loooove the finish. My face looks air brushed and flawless when I use this brush. My biggest complaint is that the built of the brush isn't that great and after a few uses the ferrule starts to wiggle and get loose. But in spite of that, I keep coming back for it...weird, lol.

• Sigma Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki F80, $16.00. This is the much better version of the ELF powder brush which comes with better quality. It is also denser so drying it takes a little longer, which is my only complaint. It applies liquid foundation flawlessly and effortlessly.

I love using all of these brushes but my mostly used ones are the ELF powder brush, the Sigma F30, and the Sephora Professionel. I guess I use them so much that I've developed a habit of reaching for them.
If you like using liquid foundation, I highly recommend that you use synthetic bristles. You are less likely to ruin them and you may also find that they are easier to clean and maintain as compaired to natural bristles. You probably don't have to have that many brushes but it is always good to have extra in your arsenal just in case the other is still drying or dirty.

What are your go-to face brushes?


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My Eyeshadow / Eye Liner Brushes & How I Use Them

I'm no expert, I'm not even a makeup artist, but more like an amateur so I can't really give you expert advice but I can only share with you what I know and what worked for me. The picture above is where I keep all my eye brushes and sometimes some random stuff end up in there as well, lol. I have thought about doing a post about my eye makeup brushes for some time now but I want to also give a shout out to Cynthia for also requesting.

To be honest, you do not need that many brushes for your eyes makeup. I'm just a beauty junkie so I hoard more things than I really need. Then again it's always good to have a back up, just in case one is dirty and you don't feel like cleaning it right away. The above picture has the brushes that I mostly reach, which is only one third of what's in the pencil organizer. I've provided links to where you can purchase these brushes for your convenience, in case you are interested. I am by no means affiliated with these companies, I'm not being paid to mention them, and I paid for everything you see in this post except for the MAC 217, which was a gift from my ex boy-friend.

Favorite Brushes of 2010

At the moment, I do not have a collection of expensive brushes but these have worked beautifully for me and most of them were very affordable without sacrificing quality.

1. ELF Studio Line Powder brush. Cheap, decent quality for the price, soft, synthetic bristles, perfect for liquid foundation and blends like a dream for a soft-focused air brushed finish.
2. Kabuki brush I bought at Target for $5.00. I don't think it's available anymore but this beats my Sigma F45. It's super soft. Never shed on me once.
3. Blush brush from Wal-Mart. Definitely need to check this out if you haven't already. This is so soft and affordable.
4. MAC 217 blending brush. This was a gift from my boy-friend. I love this brush. It does a beautiful job for blending eyeshadows. This is a must have. I don't know any cheaper dupes for this except the Sigma E25.
5. Sigma shading brush E55. This is one of the brushes from Sigma I actually like. They are not all that great like many people claim. I find some hits and misses depending on the brush. This one is definitely a hit. It's densely packed and yet soft. The size is perfect. Minimal shedding.
6. Sephora Professionnel cream eyeshadow brush. Another great brush for applying eyeshadow. It also works well as a blending brush.
7. Face Secrets small shading brush. This can be found at Sally Beauty Supply stores. Great for applying eyeshadows on the lid, crease, and outter V.
8. This small flat rounded tip brush is from Sonia Kashuk. I prefer this type of brush for applying eyeliner. It gives me more control.
9. I had to add this brush cleanser from MAC as my favorite. It's one of the best brush cleanser I've tried and works great for spot cleaning. The packing is not so friendly so you will need another spray bottle to pour this in.