October 2015 Favorites

Could this be more late? Probably. But November hasn't ended yet so it's not toooooo late to put this up!

1. Real Techniques Duo Fiber Face Brush - I love this brush for finishing powders. It has that stipply end, so it doesn't pick up too much product, and deposits it nicely. I use it the most with my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder, and my Guerlain Meteorites. Unfortunately, this brush came in a limited edition set last year, BUT there's another version in the RT Duo Fiber set!
2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 51 Vanille Clair - This has been my go to foundation lately when I need a little bit more coverage, but not quite full coverage. I also mix in a pump of Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl, which really helps with a natural looking finish. I find that this stuff lasts most of the day on my skin, and applies beautifully with a damp BeautyBlender. Unfortunately, it can be a little bit harder to track down in the US, but can be ordered online from ASOS!
3. Benefit Roller Lash mascara - Okay. I usually will avoid Benefit products like the plague. I find the packaging gimmicky, and the products to be underperforming for the price. I was curious about their new mascara (even though I hated I'm Real...) so I picked up this mini as a 100 point perk from Sephora. I love this! The mascara separates, lengthens, and gives a little bit of volume. I'm going to test the brush with a different formula to see if its just the brush, or if I really need to shell out for the whole deal. It is a little pricy, especially for a mascara. But I really like it so far. Best part, it doesn't flake!
4. Kat von D Studded Kiss lipstick in Cathedral - I don't think I've done a full review on this lipstick, but I've reviewed some other Studded Kiss shades. In general, I'm a fan! This one is a matte "coco rose," and is one of those "my lips but better but also a little darker?" shades that is perfect for fall. This is a great one to pair with a bold eye, since it's neutral but will make you look put together. 
5. Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Queen perfume oil - This is my favorite indie fall scent. My bottle has aged a year, and it is wonderfully complex, better than when I first got it. It isn't an overwhelming pumpkin scent (which I also love!) but the pumpkin is there, mixed with peaches and bright fruit scents, and hay. It's a seasonal scent from Haus of Gloi, so it isn't available at the moment. It seems to be one of their regular autumn scents, so if it sounds like your type of thing, definitely keep an eye out! (I may or may not have ordered like five whipped soaps in this scent. It's that good.)

I've already got this month's favorites settled, so it won't be so late! Let me know what you've been loving lately, I always want to find new things!

Real Techniques Nic's Picks Brush Set - Pictures and Thoughts

I was happy to receive the Real Techniques Nic's Picks brush set for Christmas from my mom (hi mom!) this year. I'm going to post some pictures and talk a little bit about each of the brushes in the set, but I'm not going to give it a graded review, since brushes can be quite the personal thing, and everyone is looking for something different in a brush. Also, this set is Limited Edition, so it may be hard to track down now.

Real Techniques Duo Fiber brush

The Duo Fiber brush has longer, somewhat stipple like bristles, and is somewhat floppy. According to Real Techniques, it is "for lightweight application + blending of face powder or pigments." Lightweight is right - with how long and not very dense the brush is, you don't pick up much product at all. I used it to apply my finishing powder (Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused) and I barely noticed how much was on the brush, or how much was on my face. I honestly don't think it would be a very good blending brush, just because you'd end up bending half the bristles onto your face when you applied pressure. I can see this being used for very light application of a loose powder or a finishing powder.

Real Techniques Cheek brush

The Cheek  brush that comes with the set looks like a larger, more elongated version of the Expert Face Brush in the Real Techniques line. It's dense, a little denser than my Hakuhodo J210 brush that I also use for blush. I've been using this brush for blush application only, as I feel it's a bit too large, round, and dense for anything like contour or highlighter application - at least for my face. The brush picks up a decent amount of product, and you can also use it to blend out the edges of your blush. This brush is exclusive to the Nic's Picks set, but I hope they make it available to buy as a single brush, as it's something a lot of people could definitely make use of.

Real Techniques Base Shadow brush

The Base Shadow brush that comes in the set is really only good for just that - base shadow. It's great for putting down a nice wash of a shade, but other than that...it isn't really that great. It definitely isn't the brush you'd want to pack color on, or to get something to look vibrant. I've been using it to place my base shadow, and it gets the job done quick. This brush is pretty soft, and distributes eyeshadow nicely. It can also be used to blend out edges, but I would want something that's a little more dense at the tip of the brush for that. 

Real Techniques Angled Shadow brush

The Angled Shadow brush is another exclusive to this set. I'm not a fan of angled brushes for my eyeshadow, but I did use it for contouring my nose with great success! This brush is a little more dense than the Base Shadow brush, so it picks up more product, and deposits it in a more bold fashion. I did use this brush with eyeshadow, but since my eyes are small, the brush was too big for sweeping on a nice arc of color, I had to blend it out a bit. 

Real Techniques Eyeliner brush

The Eyeliner brush is another set exclusive - here's hoping they release this one as a single so those wanting a quality angled brush can get their hands on it. I tried using this for eyeliner, but it is too big for what I would normally do with gel liner. The bristles are this are firm, but a little flexible, so you can glide the brush along your lash line. I will probably keep experimenting with this brush, use it with dark eyeshadow for liner, and try it in my brows.