Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush Review

Image taken from Nordstrom website

(Information from Nordstrom website)

Finally, a foundation brush for use with all formulations—liquid, cream or powder. Shiseido's innovative technology combines with traditional Japanese brush-making techniques to create the perfect foundation finish. Excellent pick-up of all types of formulas for a uniform application and impeccable finish. Gently tapered strands create an angled slant that best allows bristles to reach all facial contours. Short handle allows for precise control during application and portability for travel.

I am pretty late in the game about this little brush, I read great reviews about it from many beauty bloggers and thought I would give it a go. Cafe Makeup and The  Make-up Blogette have very detailed reviews. You can also find out more about the brush at Joey's Space.

When I finally decided to get it, it was quite hard to find. I went to many Shiseido counters before snatching up the last piece at Clementi BHG. Lucky me. I'm quite surprised that it cost SGD$40. Shiseido never fails to bring great products at great prices. It may not be the cheapest foundation brush around but it is so much cheaper than some of the big named ones.

Before I continue, I have to come out and say that I love it so much! Okay let's continue.

Top to bottom: MAC, Giorgio Armani and Shiseido

It is a small little brush. It is even shorter than my GA Blender brush. It is about 11 cm long and has a brush head of a diameter of 2 cm.

It has a slanted head which helps me get into the hard to reach areas like my nose area.

Why do I love it so much? Well it works really well with my Make Up For Ever High Definition Foundation. I have been using my MUFE foundation with a damp sponge because I prefer a lighter and sheerer look. When I use my GA brush, it just doesn't apply as well. Although it did not leave streaks on my face, it just felt heavier and less polished as compared to using a damp sponge. This brush is perfect for the job. I get a very smooth finish and better coverage and best of all it did not feel heavy.

Before buying it, I did a little research to find out the best was to apply liquid foundation with this brush. Check this out.

Now, I'm going to show you how I apply foundation with this brush.

Clean face with Giorgio Armani Fluid Master primer on. See the acne scars and sun spots!

Half a pump of MUFE foundation on the back of my hand

Dab foundation on cheek area

Using a dabbing motion, I blend foundation onto skin. If I want more coverage, I dab a little harder. Even though the bristles are synthetic, they do not feel prickly at all. They feel soft and is a pleasure to use.

With foundation blended in

I use a sweeping motion to blend the foundation around my nose area, my hair line and the sides of my chin.

My finished look

I have tried this with all my other liquid foundations with great results. With my Burberry and Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation, it gave slightly better coverage as compared to using my fingers without being cakey. 

I haven't use this with powder foundation though. I prefer liquid foundations so I can't tell you whether it works just as well with powder.

Washing is a breeze, I have washed it twice in two weeks without missing any bristles. I squirt some of  my trusty Daiso sponge detergent and mix it with water into a small shot glass. I make sure the water level does not reach the ferrule of the brush. Water should not reach the ferrule or else over time, it may loosen the glue that holds the bristles together. 

Once my brush goes it, I can see that the water immediately changes colour. After swishing it around for a while I take it out and give it a rinse, always holding the brush downwards and the ferrule away from the water. See, good as new!

In between deep cleansing, you can spray your favourite make-up cleanser onto a cotton pad and move the brush back and forth to get rid of the foundation. Don't wait too long to wash your brush though, a foundation brush that has foundation still in its bristles is a breeding ground for all sorts of stuff especially in Singapore's humid weather. It is always important to practice good hygiene when it comes to make-up.

Hakuhodo G5552 Powder and Liquid Brush

I was actually contemplating getting the above Hakuhodo brush which cost USD$42. It is the cheapest  among the range and is made of goat and synthetic hair. I don't think I need it, now that I found this very useful and affordable brush. The Shiseido brush totally deserves the name Perfect Foundation Brush. It is the perfect one for me.

Ratings: 5 lipsticks

Eye Look with Loreal Infallible Eye Shadow in Goldmine

I wanted to play with my Infallible eye shadow Goldmine so here is a fun green and gold look I did.

Products used:

Urban Decay Primer Potion (not shown)

Loreal's Infallible Eye Shadow Goldmine

MAC eye shadow in Humid

Superslick Liquid Eye liner Pure Show

Urban Decay 24/7 liner Eldorado

Thanks for looking!

Sephora Bronzing Powder in Medium 2 Swatches and Review

This belongs to my "What the hell was I thinking?" batch of regrettable buys. I'm trying to think why I picked this up. Oh yes, I wanted a contour blush and I was wandering around Sephora at Great World with a $40 voucher in hand. (My peeve about the $40 voucher than Sephora gives away is that they kinda restrict the types of brands you can buy from.) I was walking around the shop a couple of times wondering what to get. I asked the SA there and she directed my attention to this.

Call me a make up snob but I rarely buy the Sephora brand. She tried it on and I decided to get it without much thought.

As I opened it up at home for inspection, I'm hit by a sickening sweet synthetic smell from the bronzer and I think to myself why the hell didn't I notice it before. Ah yes! I was totally distracted by my DS wondering around and dancing to the loud techno music in the store.

It is huge, with 9g of product. It comes in a black plastic casing that is sturdy.

It is a matt brown with hints of orange. 

Left to right: Sephora bronzer No. 2, Nars Laguna, MAC Sunbasque, Korres Natural and Chanel Corail bronzer (the dark brown, brown and beige mixed together)

The Sephora bronzer suits my NC30 to 35 skin tone quite nicely so long as I don't overdo it or else hello oompa loompa!. I like that it is a matt shade but I can't abide by the smell. I'm generally okay with scents. I love my Burberry scent and many people have mentioned that it is quite strong. This is very strong and somewhat unpleasant. I'm glad it dissipates quickly though. At SGD$25 it is quite ant affordable bronzer with plenty of product, that is if you can make the colour work for you and you don't mind sickly sweet smells. It is unfortunately not my cup of tea.

Ratings: 1+ lipstick

Kate Gel Eye Liner BK-1 Swatches and Reviews

I have issues with my gel iners. If you have read my previous post about them, you would know that I have issues of them drying out. I have had my Maybelline gel liner for 7 months and it has dried out. Bummer!

I read about Kate Gel Eye Liners through Bun Bun Makeup Tips. Bun Bun raved about it and I thought I would give it a go. What is there to lose?

Kaye Gel Eye Liner cost about SGD$17.

In case you wanted to know what was inside the gel liner, please check out the pictures above.

I love nothing that soft and creamy gel liners. They are such a joy to work with.

Kate Gel Eye Liner is much smaller than the MAC Fluidline and Maybelline Gel Eye Liner.  I like that it is small. I don't have to worry that I can't use it up. Look at the sorry state of the rest of my gel eye liners!

Left to right: Kate, Maybelline, Stila and MAC

As you can see, my Maybelline which I owned for about 7 months does not apply smoothly any more. After this swatch, I promptly threw it away. My Stila which I bought eons ago still looks okay but not my MAC.

After dousing with saline solution

I gave all my liners a vigorous rub, the tops of the Kate and Maybelline swatch smudged because they did not completely dry down.

This is how the swatches looked like after I doused all of them with saline solution and giving them another rub.

This is what they look like after another dousing of water and a vigorous rub.

Anyway, Kate Gel Eye Liner still smudges on me after 8 hours of wear. My MUFE Aqua Liner is still my best bet.

The Kate Gel Eye Liner is a okay gel liner. If you don't have any waterproof or oily lid issues, this will be a great eye liner for you. I like that it is cheaper and in a smaller pot. I will let you know if it dries out easily. That is my biggest peeve. 

I also like that they are removed easily with my Maybelline eye make up remover. Although it is creamy, I feel that I can't draw a smooth line easily on my lid as well as Maybelline or MAC. Perhaps it is my technique or brush. 

Kate Gel Eye Liner only

With Lorac Front of the line liquid liner on top

I'm downgrading my Maybelline Gel Liner ratings to 2+ lipsticks. They are wonderful when they are creamy and wet but after they dry out, you can't work with them any more.

Ratings: 3 lipsticks

Merry Christmas and Give Away Announcement

Merry Christmas everyone! I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year too. 

It is a rainy Christmas in Singapore. My Christmas is a pretty low key one, to avoid the crowds we had a very small Christmas Eve dinner at home last night, Singapore style with a steamboat. 

The only Christmassy item was the cake!

Our Christmas tree had customised ornaments by DS, his favourite Lego Hero robots. 

I am also announcing my birthday give away winner. I want to thank everyone who commented and sent me birthday wishes. You guys make blogging fun for me.

Congratulations Florence! I will be in contact shortly. Please reply within the week sweetie.