MAKEUP | Sephora Wild Wishes Holiday Collection

I am almost done the last of my Christmas shopping which has been almost exclusively online save for a few bottles of wine that I would rather not ship. I have asked for digital gift cards this year as I don't want to overload the postal system even more and I LOVE online shopping so having gift cards to play with is a blast for me! My in-laws and I have a shared Google Doc that we have been updating with our wishlist and marking off like a baby/wedding registry as gifts get purchased and as today was my day off, I spent most of the afternoon ticking things off so I'm sure my VISA must be burning from use! Whether you are looking for stocking stuffers or gifts for the beauty lovers in your life, the Sephora Collection always has you covered with a themed collection of brushes, skincare and makeup! When it comes to quality, Sephora has always been one of my favourite "house brands" with products like their #Lipstories Lipsticks and sheet masks and there is no shortage of any of these items in this year's collection!

Press samples

MAKEUP | Conair True Glow Glam Vibrating Makeup Blender and Brush Set

Lemme tell ya that the last week and a half of testing these makeup applicators was really confusing...for my cat! The vibration sounds like his favourite motorized toy mouse so every morning I have gotten some VERY curious eyes looking at me in the bathroom! I remember first seeing motorized makeup tools and being fascinated with whether they really made THAT much more of a difference to how a cream or powder formula looked and whether I could really get airbrushed looking skin as the vibration is meant to mimic the tapping of the fingers on skin. This was years ago and now foundation finishes are so flawlessly perfect that I wonder if the added vibration will really change anything which is exactly what I sought to find out with Conair's new True Glow Glam Collection! 

PR samples

BEAUTY TOOLS | Sephora JGoldcrown Bleeding Hearts Brush Set

I have slowly become a complete sucker for good brushes and there was a time when I could never imagine spending more than $10 on a makeup brush and that's not to say there aren't good brushes out there for that price, but when it comes to a good face or eyeshadow blending brush, I now definitely have my favourites! There's nothing more annoying than a brush that sheds more hair than I do or one that doesn't blend out my eyeshadow!

The Sephora Collection has had some serious game in the brush department in recent years with their PRO line being one of my favourites for the eyes and every season Sephora always glams up their most loved brushes and when I saw a sneak peek of their latest collaboration with artist and photographer, James Goldcrown, I became Ms. Grabbyhands!

PR Samples

HOLIDAY | Sephora Collection Bits and Baubles

Who is playing with their Christmas goodies today? I love how Zen Christmas day is which is a feeling I have totally been enjoying today. It was snowing earlier and everything is so nice and quiet that it has been a nice contrast to the last two weeks. When it comes to stocking stuffers and small things that delight, the Sephora Collection has literally hundreds of products at a price point for any budget and I always get caught at the Beauty on the Fly section adding multiple little trinkets to my basket! Sephora has done a great job of creating a "sub-Sephora" making waiting in line so dangerous! 

BEAUTY TOOLS | Beauty Bigbang Unicorn Makeup Brush Set

Guess what? These brushes are made with REAL unicorn hair! Yeah, no. As much as we want "real" ingredients in our food and beauty products, I actually prefer synthetic bristles to actual brush hair just because I feel they are a bit lower maintenance in terms of cleaning them and keeping them free of bacteria. It also means that I can have brushes that look like THIS. This 7 piece Unicorn Makeup Brush Set* from Beauty Bigbang is the price of two tall caramel macchiattos and they are among the prettiest brushes I own. Almost immediately after I instagrammed storied these brushes, I made a place for them on my now VERY full makeup counter because these babies were getting used right away!   

MAKEUP | Avon Oval Makeup Brushes

First there was applying makeup with squishy sponges which we are now ALL on board with and then last year I saw people applying foundation with what appeared to be large hair brushes. It looked like pure lunacy that this would be better than brushes and sponges, but after trying the new Avon Oval Makeup Brush Set* ($50.00 CDN), I can understand the hype as well as the pure fascination of how the hell these apply makeup! 

MAKEUP | Sephora Pocket Professionals Mini Pro Airbrush Set Review

In my last SEPHORA brush collection review (here), I had mentioned that I wasn’t all that picky about my brushes as long as they got product where they needed to be and didn’t have bristles that felt like my husband’s beard. Well, it seems I have a FAR better reference point now. It’s like not knowing what sex was until…the SEPHORA Pocket Professionals Mini Pro Airbrush Set*($93.00 CDN)! Now, I’m not saying the other brush set was bad, this one is just more of an experience…

And now that I have sexualized this review, let us continue with the why. The Pocket Professionals set is comprised of five mini versions of Sephora’s bestselling Pro brush collection to help anyone achieve a truly airbrushed finish. These mini versions are about 5 inches long from tip to bristles and are a mixture of both synthetic and animal hair. They also come in a cute little faux leather clutch.

 

MAKEUP | SEPHORA Collection Look Color in the Eye Brush Capsule Review

The Sephora house collection used to be something I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to since there are SO MANY other brands to look at in every Sephora store. It’s incredibly overwhelming and only once I started being in the Sephora environment more did I realize how many incredibly cool gadgets and gizmos the Sephora Collection had. Rose gold has yet to be a passing trend so for the Spring season, Sephora has released a number of new items including the uber cute travel-sized Look Color in the Eye Brush Capsule*($28.00 CDN). This has both spring appropriate candy pastel coloured brush handles and comes with a rose gold-coloured case and ferrules.

MAKEUP LOOK | MAKE UP FOR EVER 50 Shades of Grey Desire Me Cheeky Blush Trio Review, Swatches & Handcuffs

I could not resist bringing out these handcuffs again which I swear I ONLY bought for 50 Shades of Grey photo purposes and NOTHING else. Really! I have mentioned before that I wasn’t a huge fan of the books and as gimmicky as some of the 50SoG paraphernalia is, I WILL make an exception for MAKE UP FOR EVER because no matter the theme, the products never disappoint as is the case with the Desire Me Cheeky Blush Trio*($56.00 CDN, but a $128 value). The trio is composed of three Artist Shadows and a travel-sized Artisan Brush #150, which is so adorable. Although the Artist Shadows are mostly labelled as eyeshadows, there are some actual blushes amongst the 200+ shades! Granted they can all be used either on the eyes or cheeks so with the Cheeky Blush Trio, we can all have Ana’s innocent, girly glow.     

Review | SOHO Naturals Powder and Kabuki Brush

I remember first seeing SOHO Beauty brushes in my Ipsy bags and not really thinking too much about them. I hadn’t heard of the brand before and when it comes to brushes, I’m not entirely too picky (even though I think I should be). As long as they don’t shed and pick up the right amount of product I’m pretty happy. What I do have a soft spot for are “healthy” makeup brushes that are cruelty-free and come with bamboo handles and recycled packaging. All three of these qualities are what make SOHO Naturals makeup brushes my current makeup brush favourites.