HAUL: Collective Makeup Haul Winter/Spring 2015

REVIEW: Eyebrow products

Over the years I have tried a couple of different eyebrow products, I didn't get into the routine or obsession with filling my brows in until about 3 years ago when I was 20! Now it is a must to fill in my brows.

Here are my bare brows. My hair looks extra ginger in here..

I'll start in ascending order of products I have used so far.

Rimmel professional brow pencil

Excuse the scruffy brush, I haven't washed it for ages since I don't even use it..

Being a makeup newbie at the time, I purchased this Rimmel brow pencil in shade 002 Hazel, as my hair is brown. But even then, I didn't really use it much! The pencil lid has a little brow brush for you to brush out and blend any harsh drawn lines in your brows. Over time the brush will gunk up with product so make sure you clean the brush every so often.

The colour of the pencil is really off of the colour that I want it to be (to complement my dyed hair colour, which is always a shade of brown). It comes out ORANGE on application and just looks really wrong. I just don't like the finish and look of my brows after I use this product. I also wasn't really a fan of the brush design, I'm a spoolie girl.

Wearing Rimmel brow pencil in 002 Hazel

As you can see... the outcome is really unflattering on me. It just looks weird and very unnatural because it stands out so much.

As I got more and more educated about makeup products and techniques, I can now confidently say that I will not go back to this product.


Maybelline master shape brow pencil

As my Rimmel brow pencil was nearing it's end, I opted for Maybelline brow pencil in soft brown, just to try another brand. I find that this product is way too wasteful, I have to sharpen it after each use, as it is quite sheer and I have to layer it on, but even then I'm not really satisfied. The life span of this pencil is very short due to this. I also find that this product is way too waxy, and it leaves my brows looking like I've rubbed Vaseline on them... so greasy. Of course it is better after I use the brush to brush it out, but in the end it is still quite sheer. Coverage is very minimal for the amount of layering I've done.

Wearing Maybelline brow pencil in soft brown

On the plus side, this pencil comes with a spoolie brush on the opposite end to brush and blend your brows. I don't use the pencil anymore, but I do use it's spoolie! Therefore I will not purchase this again.


Collection 2000 Work the Colour Eyebrow kit

The brow gel is not pictured, I used it up ages ago and discarded of the empty tube!

As you can see, I hit the pan in the brown shade. Shows how much I use it!

I was looking for a brow powder to try for the first time, so I opted with a drugstore one to see if I liked the results compared to previous pencils. I ended up with a collection 2000 one since I saw that it came with 3 colours and a brow gel, which gave me a chance to try two new things at once! My first brow powder and I love it. Ever since switching to powder, I haven't looked back to pencils. It gives me a much softer look, the perfect colour to compliment my hair, and is easily build-able to achieve the desired effect. The palette contains 3 different shades; black, brown and light, which gives me a great option to mix and blend to get the right colour brows I want. I use the brown shade the most to colour my brows, the black shade to fill in any sparse areas, and the light shade to contour my nose.

Wearing Collection 2000 work the colour eyebrow kit

It comes with a little double ended brow brush, one side angled flat, and the other is rounded edge. I have always gone for the angled side of the brush as it work best for me. There's also a mini brow gel for you to set your brows after filling and shaping them to your desire! This is also what got me into eyebrow mascara. I love this product, but once it runs out, I will try another brow palette, just because I like to try and test new products.

GOSH eyebrow mascara 

As my hair is dyed brown, I find that my black brows look too harsh on my face. Although the brow powder helps to lighten my brows, I was also looking to get a coloured brow mascara to kind of 'tint' my brows temporarily each time. Looking at drugstore products, I found these GOSH brow mascaras in two different shades of brown, 002 and 003. There were no testers (Do people just steal testers? Loads are also missing!) so I just went and bought both of them to try myself and give my verdict.

The result? They don't add colour to my brow hairs. But they do keep my brows in place. Which is okay but not what I was looking for. Would I purchase these again? No.

MUA clear brow gel

Not much to say about a clear brow gel. It was cheap and does the job! You get a lot of product too as the tube is long. This is value for money and I'd go back to it.

Soap & Glory Archery brow tint & precision shaping pencil

My first try of Soap & Glory cosmetics! I had heard good reviews about the Archery brow products, so I went and bought both of them. I got the shade 'Brownie Points'.

The Archery brow tint is a light liquid pen brush applicator, and the shaping pencil is retractable. It took me a few tries to get the perfect brow look with this pen, the first few times my brows kept ending up looking thicker than usual. So after I brushed just below my brow shape to keep it from going too thick, and in the end I got the hang of it!

Wearing Soap & Glory Archery brow tint & shaping pencil

This product is good, however I am still straying back to the good old Collection 200 brow kit, as I am just more comfortable using powder. I do use the shaping pencil after filling my brows in with the powder, as the pencil is a little waxy, it helps to shape my brows even more. Also, you can use the brow tint to draw a precise line under the brow if you want more definition, just make sure you don't use a heavy hand. This is a product that I would definitely go back to.



Soap & Glory Archery 2 in 1

I've heard other beauty bloggers compare the Soap & Glory Archery 2 in 1 brow filling pencil and brush to the Anastasia Brow Wiz, which made me want to get it and try it out myself. First look at the pencil, it is really thin. Like reaaaaalllyyy thin, it feels very delicate compared to other brow pencils/pens i've used or held.

Wearing Soap & Glory 2 in 1 brow filling pencil

I like the result, although it is a little slightly darker than the brow powder, it isn't much of a difference. Easy and precise, as the pencil is retractable and its thin, you can draw nice soft thin lines to fill and shape the brows. The brush spoolie is also small and thin which makes brushing more accurate. I think I have a thing for small products, it feels so dainty and I love it!

This is another product that I would definitely go back to. I'd recommend this Soap & Glory 2 in 1 brow pencil to those that want a good Anastasia brow wiz dupe because you don't want to break your bank! 

Makeup Brush Collection

I've decided to share with you all the makeup brushes I currently own and use!

All of these brushes I purchased about 4-5 years ago and they have stuck with me ever since, they have lasted me for so long with no problems as I take good care of them. As you can see, the majority of my brushes are from E.L.F,

These brushes are so durable, soft and good value for money, very affordable! I recommend their Studio brushes (which are the black handle ones).

From left: e.l.f Studio Blush Brush. e.l.f Professional Bronzing Brush. Body BC Collection Foundation Brush.

I use the e.l.f Studio Blush Brush and the BC Body Collection foundation brush all the time. I don't really use the e.l.f Professional Bronzing Brush as I prefer to use the stipple brush when I wear bronzer, which is not often at all. It could be used to apply blusher but I prefer the studio blush brush.

From Left: e.l.f Studio Angled Eyeliner Brush x2. Ms. Makeup Angled Eyeliner Brush. Maybelline Gel Liner Brush. Makeover Essentials Eyeliner Brush.

Out of all of my eyeliner brushes, I only use the e.l.f Angled Eyeliner Brushes as these give me a thin and precise line. I honestly never went back to the other brushes after I tried the e.l.f one, and because it is angled at the head, application and drawing is easier than the average straight brush.

From Left: e.l.f Studio Eyeshadow "C" Brush. e.l.f Studio Contour Brush. e.l.f Professional Blending Eye Brush. Makeover Essentials Eyeshadow Brush.

I use the contour and blending brush the most out of these eyeshadow brushes. But the brush I use the most would have to be the one that comes in the Naked 2 palette as I use that palette the most.

e.l.f Studio Stipple Brush

I have two of these brushes, I don't remember why I purchased two. Probably because it is so cheap and worth the money my greed kicked in ahahaha. I use my stipple brushes to apply my foundation as I prefer a light coverage. Also use them to apply bronzer when I decide to wear it. So in the end the two brushes came in handy, one for each role!

e.l.f Studio Powder Brush and e.l.f Studio Complexion Brush

Again I have two of the exact same powder brushes, I use this to apply HD powder as I find the flat head of the brush is perfect for buffing and helps to achieve a flawless look. I actually have another unopened e.l.f Studio Complexion Brush that isn't pictured here! I use this brush when I feel like dusting HD powder over my face instead of buffing it in, or when I apply the e.l.f Complexion Perfection which is a pressed complexion powder in a compact.

The highlight of these brushes would be the e.l.f Studio Brushes. If you're on a budget or not willing to splash out on MAC brushes or an alternative, then I'd highly recommend you go get these as they are so affordable and I love them. I'm going to update my brush collection with more e.l.f brushes as I need a concealer brush and I want an angled foundation brush too!

Also if anyone is curious, I use Johnson's baby shampoo to wash my brushes with, as it is cheap and mild and will last you for a while too. I aim to wash my brushes every week or two! You should keep your brushes clean to prevent bacterial build up on the brushes which will transfer to your face, this will keep spots and acne growth at a low if anything.

New Favourites!

Hello everyone! I received my (very late) birthday present from the bestie Sabrina a few weeks ago, photos below.

 

The Naked 2 has been on my wishlist for a while and now I finally have it! I absolutely love the colours as they are so neutral. I like how smooth and pigmented the shadows are and the brush supplied also works well for me.  

I've heard so many people raving about the Shu Uemura eyelash curlers, so this was also on my wishlist. I am now currently using these and not my lancome curlers. I find the Shu Uemura slightly better than my previous curlers, but my lashes don't stay up for long. Maybe it's my mascara (Clinique high impact mascara 01 Black) or maybe because I've worn false eyelashes on top after so I don't notice ahaha. But all in all, it's a good lash curler, I find it easier to curl my lashes with this because of the nice plump rubber cushion.

What's in my makeup bag: For the Airport

Hello! Some of you already know that I'm heading off to Vietnam this summer for my holiday :D I've already started packing, and my struggle hit when I had to decide what makeup to keep on me and which should go in luggage lol. Plus the whole airport restrictions on stuff you can bring on the plane... in the end, I decided on these items!

Starting from the left going clockwise:

The first product is Etude House BB Magic Pact in No.1 Light Beige. Just to powder my face if I need to whilst traveling.

Second product is Lancôme Color Design Sensational Effects Eye Shadow. I love this palette because it features 3 shimmery colours, 2 matte, and 2 metallic. The shades are neutral which is what I currently like as I don't want to wear anything so bold and bright at the moment.

Third product is Giorgio Armani Spring Collection 2012 Sheer Blush. I haven't used this blusher yet, it looks quite light in colour so would probably give me natural blush which is perfect! It's a very light peachy shade.

A pack of e.l.f Rejuvenating Oil Blotting Sheets to get rid of excess oil build up on the face before powdering.

L'Oréal Lumi Magique Stylo Touche De Lumiere in Light which is a concealer, if I need to touch up from lack of sleep on the plane and have massive dark circles or something!

Rimmel Soft Kohl Eyeliner Pencil in 061 Jet Black. Pencil always rubs off and fades... I usually use gel liner but pencil will suffice for one day of travel. It's not as dark as gel, but I don't need much for the airport anyway.

And lastly, Rimmel Lipstick in 250 Birthday Suit. For a bit of natural colour.

I forgot to put lip balm in with the photo! I'll have Carmex and Vaseline with me though 

My Nail Polish Collection.

So this is all of them.

The elastic bands on the lids are because I do that when I can't open it (it gives you better grip and then opens easily!) But yes, Some of them I really hate lol >_>