NATURAL
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SYNTHETIC
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| Bristles |
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| Pros |
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| Cons |
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| $$$ | MAC, Hakuhodo | Illamasqua, Urban Decay |
| $ | Studio Tools (at Target) | EcoTools |
Do you use natural or synthetic brushes? Which do you like better?
Should You Use Natural or Synthetic Brushes?
Giveaways later this week :)
I finally reached 75 followers! As promised, I will do some giveaways to help celebrate the milestone. I’m in the middle of exam time right now, but I’ll get them set up as soon as I can. Thanks for being such great readers, and as always, email or leave a comment if you have any suggestions.
Laura Mercier Mystique Collection Swatches
Despite the summer heat, most brands are already releasing their fall collections. I recently ran across the new Laura Mercier display and decided to swatch for a bit. As always, click to see the full size version of these pictures.
Mystique features 3 Lip Glaces, 3 Shimmer Lip Colours, 3 Sequin Eye Shadows (LE), 2 Second Skin Cheek Colours, the Eye Colour brush, and Eye Basics (an eye primer).
Urban Decay Master Class & BIG News!
I spent yesterday moving all my furniture around and setting up my new computer, so there wasn’t much time to post. The info I have is worth the wait, though! Skip to the bottom if you’re impatient, then come back and read the rest 
Master Class
This morning (at the crack of dawn if you ask me) I attended an Urban Decay master class held at my local Ulta. It was open to the public and about ten women attended to learn from UD’s regional makeup artists. The UD people said there were only six classes like this in the country, so if there’s one in your area I encourage you to go! It costs $30 (which you get back as an Ulta gift card) and you get some goodies when you leave.
I was told that the class would be hosted by head UD makeup artist Eric Jiminez, so I was a bit disappointed when I learned that instead our host would be the director of education Melissa Baker. I was half asleep and forgot to write her name down, but you can see her above. She was an excellent tutor and had a great personality, so in the end I was very pleased with her hosting.
Kat Von D Memento Mori Palette Swatches
Kat Von D Memento Mori ($34.00) is a great palette for people who love brights. Again, True (the purple cream shadow) came out horribly, but I’m confident that’s because it was left open. There was a problem with the last shadow, Tijuana – it’s mysteriously missing from two Sephoras in my area. Maybe there’s some kind of makeup bandit stealing all of the Tijuana pans? I have no idea, but sorry I couldn’t get the swatch.
True is a violet cream shadow, Solitude is a satin periwinkle, Meditation is a frost light copper, Agatha Pink is a light apricot shimmer, Sugar Skull is a light frosty yellow, Peggy is a satin teal, Hard Luck is a satin forest green, and Tijuana is an unknown dark brown.
You’ll Need a Fresh Start After Tresemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo
Reader Anne suggested I try the new Tresemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo ($5.49 for 5.7 fl. oz) because it’s a bit cheaper than my beloved Batiste. I’m always up for a bargain, so off I went.
They say… A waterless oil and odor remover with mineral clay and citrus, perfect for oily/straight to normal hair. Removes oil and odor while injecting volume. Not tested on animals and made in the USA.
I say… I hate this product. I don’t often say that because I feel like I’m going to burn a bridge with a brand, but this one was truly awful. I’ve tried using it several times now and all it does is gunk up my hair and make it sticky. Maybe they switched things up in the factory and accidentally put hairspray in this bottle, because that’s basically what it feels like. On the good side, it does have a somewhat pleasant citrus smell buried underneath all the alcohol.
Kat Von D Metal Orchestra Palette Swatches
Kat Von D Metal Orchestra ($34.00) was the most disappointing palette of the bunch – most of the darker colors came out about the same on my skin, but perhaps they would look better with bases underneath. Slayer (cream) looks horrible here but that’s only because the tester is left open.
First Class is a frosty silver white, Techno is a vivid blue, Thrasher is a navy blue, Dagger is blue-black, Lucifer is black, Glock is pewter, Razor Grey is a greenish taupe, and Slayer is a silver metallic cream shadow.
Barry M Pure Turquoise Nail Paint is Pure Awesome
Barry M is a UK brand that I’ve heard a lot about in the past few months – it’s a drugstore brand that can be hit or miss, but when it’s a hit, it’s great! Thankfully I found a lovely British swapper who was willing to purchase some items for me.
Barry M Nail Paints are especially popular because of their cheap price and great formula. In case you couldn’t tell by the background, aqua/teal/turquoise is my favorite color ever and I can’t get enough! I fell in love with Pure Turquoise on the website, and it hasn’t disappointed.
Here it is on my completely crappy nails with 1 coat of CND Stickey, 2 coats of color, and 1 coat of Seche Vite. The formula is thin but not too drippy, and the brush is quite small compared to my usual OPI pro-wide brush. It dries glossy and hasn’t chipped a bit so far.
How To: Deep Clean Your Brushes
For this tutorial, you’ll need: dirty brushes, a hand towel, a relatively tall container of some kind, baby shampoo, and some Brush Guards (more on these later).
The most important thing to remember about washing your brushes is to ALWAYS keep the bristles pointing downward, which keeps water from getting into the ferrule (metal part) of the brush. Water in the ferrule can make the glue that holds the bristles break down or the wooden handle swell then shrink, which makes the metal part loose.
Kat Von D Beethoven Palette Swatches
Kat Von D Beethoven ($34.00) is my favorite of the bunch! Sinner was a bit disappointing as it turned mostly brown on my skin, but even so it’s a gorgeous plummy brown.
Lucifer is a black matte, Speed Blue is a royal blue shimmer, Razor Grey is a greenish pewter frost, Tequila is a frosty butter yellow, Sinner is a satin plum, Rad Purple is a satin royal purple, Leather is a satin warm brown, and Galeano is a frosty light plum.
