Beauties in Bloom

I'm going to assume if you're reading this blog that you all know about Samantha Chapman's Real Techniques makeup brushes by now! Since they came out, the brushes have pretty much taken the makeup/beauty community by storm. They are budget friendly and excellent quality and I use at least one or two real techniques brushes every time I sit down to do my makeup. I was very excited when I heard that a new limited edition set of brushes came out--of course I had to find them! The set is, as you can see, all duofiber--these types of brushes are typically used to give a lighter application of products. In this case though, they're not completely since both bristles are synthetic. It comes with a face brush, contour brush, and eye brush. I think the limited edition design is nice and simple, just like the rest of the Real Techniques line. All three brushes are extremely soft. Face brush: not densely packed at all so it's not great for packing on product. It is ...

Ever since Real Techniques brushes came out they have taken the cosmetic world by storm. Real Techniques has managed to make great quality makeup brushes available at super affordable prices. They're also 100% cruelty free! I have a couple of her brushes and I love them all. The Expert Face Brush just may be my favorite of the bunch--it has become my go-to for applying foundation! I've tried all types of foundation brushes--flat ones, stippling brushes, fluffy ones, etc. This one is the best. It is a sort of paddle shape but instead of being flat like a typical foundation brush, it's rounded and thick--making it perfect for buffing in foundation too. The bristles are incredibly soft, but because of the density it is also very firm. It blends my tinted moisturizers and liquid foundations like a dream and leaves my skin with an airbrushed finish. I usually dot my foundation all over my skin with my fingers and then I use the expert face brush to blend. It's just fanta...

Hi everyone! I wanted to do a post on my Too Faced Retractable Kabuki Brush today! I've had this brush for at least four or five years and it's still going strong! It is such a fantastic multitasker for face products! Too Faced calls the bristles on this brush "teddy bear hair" meaning it's cruelty free and easy to clean. The bristles are ridiculously soft and easily blend every product I've used with it. My main reason for getting this brush was to use with my mineral makeup--especially for  those lazy days where I don't feel like putting on my makeup but want my skin to look presentable. I love using it all over with my Laura Mercier mineral makeup and it also works amazingly well with Mac's Mineralized Skinfinish Natural. The kabuki is extremely dense and the bristles are really packed together--which makes it really ideal for blending and covering with mineral makeup (or powder foundation) all over the face. Because of this, I don't th...

Hey everyone! I wanted to do a quick post on some brushes I've been using for a while now--the Real Techniques setting powder brush & blush brush! Real Techniques is a synthetic and cruelty-free brush line that was designed by Samantha Chapman of Pixiwoo (if you haven't checked out their youtube channel, do it! They're fantastic!). I have a handful of their brushes and so far, I really love using them.  Setting Powder Brush: This fluffly little brush is a really useful and unique shaped brush to have. At first, it was so tiny I wasn't really sure I would get much use out of it. I was very wrong! I use it for blending concealer under the eyes, setting my concealer under my eyes and around my nose, and also applying and blending cream products like cream blushes or highlighters. I absolutely love that it has a full tapered head so it can fit under the eyes perfectly. Retails for $7.99 at Ulta. Blush Brush: This was the first Real Techniques brush I ever bough...

I got this brush a while ago from Mac--I believe it was the Naturally collection. I was really excited to get it because I didn't really have a good, large eyeshadow blending brush in my brush collection. I had ones that were smaller (and better for crease placement) but none that were all over blending brushes. The 286 is exactly what I needed! The Mac 286 is a duo-fibre blending brush--a mix of goat and synthetic hairs. Mac says it gives a sheerer more controlled application of eyeshadow. A Mac sales associate told me it is very similar to the Mac 224, which is a very popular blush for blending the edges of eyeshadow. I am sooo happy to say that this  brush has been the perfect blending brush for me! Because of the domed shape, I can use it to apply and blend crease shades as well as using it for overall blending of harsh edges. Because of the duo-fibre I do notice that it picks up a little less product than my other brushes, however I find that it's actually an advantag...

I've been wanting to do a post on my most used eye shadow brushes for a while now. Brushes are definitely something that I really love to collect. I don't know what it is about them, but i love trying new brushes all the time! The ones in this post are definitely favorites out of the ones that I own! Sephora Professionnel Angled Liner Brush #15 -Sephora Professionnel Angled Liner Brush #15:  I bought this brush a few years ago when I just started getting more into makeup. I originally bought this intending to try it with gel eyeliner and i HATED it. The line came out too thick for my taste and did not apply as smoothly as I would have liked. However, this brush has worked perfectly for filling in my eyebrows with my Anastasia brow powder. It may not be precise enough for some ladies since it's not particularly stiff, but for me it works well since I fill in my eyebrows with the tiniest amount of product. Top: Loew-Cornell 7300 Shader, Bottom: Mac 210   -Loew-Cornel...