My Stash: Makeup Brushes

On Ask Phivy, I was recently asked to do a blog post about my favorite brushes, but I don't really have FAVORITES...because I like all the ones I have!  I have a mixture of more expensive brushes (like Bobbi Brown and MAC) and lower end brushes (ELF) because I just gravitate with what works well.  Since I try to play with a lot of eye colors, I don't spend too much money on those eye makeup brushes since it's just easier to switch them out.  So here's a haul of my go-to everyday makeup brushes:

I keep all of my makeup brushes in a cup standing up.  It allows me to keep them organized and know which brushes I'm reaching out for.  This awesome Alcatraz cup is from my sister.  Of course if my brushes were visible to people (e.g. on a vanity or in my bathroom), I think I would "class up" my container, but since it's just hidden in my closet shelf, I think this cup is perfect.

Face Brushes:

Sephora Professional Powder Brush (similar one here)  - I use the smaller brush for my final Make Up Forever HD Finishing powder.  This brush is a little denser than the Victoria's Secret brush so I do a lot of "tap tap tapping" to remove excess powder before applying.

Victoria's Secret Powder Brush (similar Clinique one found here) - This is what I use with my everyday loose powder.  The wide brush allows for even distribution without picking up too much powder.

Blush/Bronzer Brushes:

MAC 129SE (similar one here) - This brush is great for traveling but the bristles are pretty soft so if you don't have an accurate application, blush can get everywhere.  I typically use this brush from the apples of my cheek (versus creating definition).

Sephora Professional Angled Blush Brush (found here) - This brush is a little sturdier (especially compared to the MAC 129SE) so I use this a lot for my blush.  It's great for both creating definition and color.

Bobbi Brown Face Blender Brush (found here) - I was recommended this brush by the lady at the counter when I purchased cream blush...and you know what?  It totally works better than a sponge or any other brush could.  It's great at picking up color and applying it without smearing it everywhere.  If you're a fan of cream blush, I recommend this brush to go with it.

NARS Blush Brush (found here) - I recently purchased this brush and because the bristles are so soft (like the MAC 129SE), I usually save this for pink colors on the apples of my cheeks. 

Essence of Beauty Contour Brush (similar Sigma Beauty one found here) -  I use this blush brush the most.  Particularly with my loose bronzer.  Because my bronzer is so pigmented, I often just use the remnants on the "mirror" part of the compact, but this brush is stiff enough for contouring without depositing too much color.

Eyeshadow Brushes

Essence of Beauty Eyeshadow Brush (similar Sonia Kashuk one here) - I use this brush a lot for colors outside of black/brown.  The brush is the perfect width to apply color (e.g. purples, mauves, even yellows) to the crease of my eye without overwhelming it.

E.L.F. Defining Eye Brush (found here) - I solely use this angled brush for black shadow, especially for my outer corners.  It's pretty thin (without being a flat brush) for getting those angled corners.  I usually blend the black shadow out, but this is a good brush for application.

E.L.F. Blending Eye Brush (2) (found here) - I use these two brushes for dark browns/mauves.  I apply the base level of my shadow with these two brushes because they're thicker but also have a slight angle to them so it's easier to get my inner corners of my eyes.

Blending Eyeshadow Brushes

Victoria's Secret Blending Brush (similar Sephora one here) - I typically use this brush to "fan out" the color towards the outer temples to create an elongated eye.  It's not thick enough to do a lot of my heavy blending, but does a great job of pull color outwards.

Bare Escentuals Eye Defining Brush (found here) - I accidentally stole this from my friend, Jane, when I was doing her makeup and keep forgetting to bring it back to her.  This is a great brush, though very soft, for adding light color around the edges of my eyes.  I obviously don't use it often (or ever) because it's not mine, lol.

Sephora Blending Brush (similar one found here) - Unlike a "blending" brush which is more stout and stiffer, this is a little bit longer, which allows more movement (and more blending).  I find that the traditional blender brushes are more "smudgers" than "blenders."  This is brush is in my top 3 best brushes.

Iridescent Eyeshadow Brushes:

Garden Botanika Oval Blending Brush (similar Sephora found one here): Do you guys remember Garden Botanika?  They used to have one at the Brea Mall where I grew up!  That is how old these brushes are, but look at how great they still look.  This brush I use to apply a white shimmer on my inner corners when I need a light dusting.  The brush is incredibly fluffy so it doesn't pick up too much pigment.

Garden Botanika Crease Brush (similar Stila one found here): This one is smaller so it picks up a lot more pigment and is perfect when I want a lighter shade in the center of my eyes, like in this picture.

Flat / Angeled Brushes

MAC 266SE (found here) - The crazy thing about the first brush and the second brush, which has the exact same name is that they're completely different textures and bristles.  The first (green) one is very stiff and I use it to fill in my eyebrows.  

MAC 266SE (found here) - This one is a lot softer than the first one and is what I use to line my lower lashline.

Laura Mercier Flat Brush (found here) - This brush was given to me by Ryan's sister and I like it a lot, especially for lining my lashlines or applying a very precise amount of color.

So that's a glimpse of my tools to make me who I am on a normal basis.  What?  Did you think I woke up this way?  It takes a whole TEAM.

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Weekend Update

I'm definitely trying to do better about blogging more and I feel like recapping weeks and weekends are the perfect excuse opportunity for me to obnoxiously chronicle everything.

On Friday, I went to my second Pilates class.  A reader (turned friend!) invited me to try Pilates with her at Sweat Pilates in Culver City a few weeks ago.  It was great!  It worked my core, my back, and my inner thighs.  We had a great time.  I realized it was the perfect addition to my cardio I do on my own.  So when I wanted to sign up for another class, Ryan and I did some research and another studio, Pilates Platinum, had more classes at a better bulk rate, so I checked it out.

I actually ended up buying a 10-class package because I knew I'd want to stick with it.  It was my first time at that studio...and it kicked my sorry ass from here to China.  Not only was the class 10x faster than my original class in pace and in expertise (did I accidentally sign up for the expert series?!), but every person there knew what she was doing...except me.  Luckily the instructor was nice enough to turn off her mic when she scolded told me I was completely tangled in my straps with the machine going all crazy.

I left the class and could barely walk to my car.

Saturday morning it felt as if I got hit by a semi truck.  I could not move.  Couldn't get my legs over the edge of the bed.  Couldn't raise my arms to put my bathrobe on.  I was a mess.  But a good mess.  I haven't felt that sore in years!  I was so sore, I couldn't get out of bed until 2pm!  But eventually I did get up, went to Easter Vigil with Ryan and my sponsor, Rhona, and afterwards went to Sunny Spot in Venice for a late dinner.

Easter is one of those holidays I kind of wish I had babies or more friends with babies where we could do cute things like Easter egg hunts and egg decorations.  But it was just me and Ryan.  So we went to Old Town Pasadena.  Not very Easter-like at all.

But first!  I was so proud of my fancy morning breakfast that I enjoyed outside in my backyard: pate and a caprese salad and my favorite mug I bought from Austin, Tx:

And Dallas, who kept trying to smell the air around the pate.

Ryan and I happened to stumble across a great restaurant, Villa Sorriso, that had its Sunday Brunch Buffet for $39/pp!  Oh, you had me a buffet.  From prawns to oysters to an omlette station, this place had the perfect combination of breakfast and lunch.

Lastly, Ryan and I enjoyed the surprisingly 80-degree weather in Pasadena where I made him take pictures of my new favorite (and easy!) hairstyle:  the wrap around bun:

How were your weekends?  I would love to hear cute Easter stories!  Hop hop hop!  

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Week in Review

This week was full of adventure with Vegas on Sunday - Tuesday, consulting character design for an up and coming videogame company (OH WAT?), and my birthday.  Here are some pictures off my phone:

En Route to Vegas:

Vegas was just an excuse to have an NYC experience for a 4-hour drive, not a 6 hour flight.  

Grimaldi's Pizza:

Serendipity III: I highly HIGHLY recommend their Almond Amaretto Frrrozen Hot Chocolate.

Ryan and I also saw The Phantom of the Opera, which was AMAZING!  Now I can't stop humming their songs.

The day after we got back, my former director asked me to help consult his up-and-coming videogame dev company with character design...SUCH A COOL experience and a fun project to be a part of.  Those guys are awesome.

Thursday was my birthday (OMG LAST YEAR OF MY 20s GUYS).  I don't FEEL any different, except that maybe I have eat 1/2 the amount and work out 2x as hard to maintain the same body. =/

Cupcakes from my bestie, Sarah, from Sprinkles Cupcakes:

Flowers from Ryan:

MYSTERY FLOWERS...which turned out to be a big joke from Ryan.  Ugh, anti-climatic.

And lastly, my favorite drink from one of my favorite bars: Lychee Martinis from Upper West in Santa Monica:

Oh, and pictures of Dallas because she's so cute.  And now 40lbs...fat ass!

Today is Good Friday and since I'm in the process of converting to Catholicism, my sponsor and very good friend, Rhona, bought us matching crosses:

So that was my week!  I'm ready to sleep now.  Kthxbai!  How was yours?

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DA PERM

As you guys know, my hair was LONG.  Like it was too heavy for my face and body long.  But I liiiike it!  It's my hair cape.  My security blanket.  But last month, I cut 4"+ off and never felt more liberated.  At that point I also made an appointment to get my hair...permed!!  I was nervous because the salon only had one "perm specialist," but my appointment was more than a month out.  My hair was really starting to get on my nerves.  It wasn't holding any curls, it wasn't doing anything.  4" shorter and it was just as stick straight and heavy as it was before.

So I waited for my appointment...and waited.  And you know the more you have to wait for something the more you want it?  So I started getting impatient and would call the salon to see if this perm specialist had any openings.  Nope.  And nope.  So finally my appointment came on Saturday and I was so excited.  I printed out pictures of digi perms that I liked and was all ready to tell this perm specialist that I liked this type of perm, except I wanted my perm to start higher (MOAR VOLUME).

When I asked if he was able to do digital perms, he said no.  Then I died a little inside.  So when I showed him said printed pictures, he replied, "These perms aren't perms at all, they're styled that way."  And while I understood that perms don't actually create "barrel" curls, I just wanted my hair to someway, some how STAY curled.  I mean, how ironic is that my hair is "too healthy" that it doesn't hold curls?   CURSE YOU SILKY HAIR!

So he recommended a body perm.  SOUNDS SO 90's!!  But I trusted him.  He said that my hair was SO straight that it needed to be "processed" and "broken down" in order to create and hold volume and curls.  Of course I documented the process:

BEFORE: Straight and blah:

Step 1 & 2:  First he "detoxed" my hair by putting a solution on it that stripped away any residual conditioner, products, etc.  Then the process began.  Usually when people think of perms, they think of spiral perms with those rubber wormy things that create those tight, springy curls.  For a body perm, he used a bigger rolls (similar sized to the ones I use to hot roll my hair); since my hair was so long, he had to piggy-back two rollers for each section of hair.

He did not perm my front layers or my bangs, thank goodness:

Step 3 & 4: So then they wrap your hair with cotton strands and wrap it in a plastic bag to let things "set".  Afterwards, they put the perm "solution" all over your head.  This solution is what creates the "perm" and is what breaks down your hair enough to hold a somewhat permanent curl.  BUT SMELLS SO BAD.  It literally smells like how your mom used to smell in the 80s.  And it was a little stingy.

Step 5:  With the solution on, you sit under a dryer for about 20 minutes:

Step 6: Then he rinsed the solution out (still smelled bad), added a deep conditioner, and then styled my hair!!  But he put so much damn product in my hair (I think the help curl the hair) that it looks stringy in this picture.  To be honest, I was surprised my hair "took" the perm at all!!

The one thing I do need to buy now is a diffuser attachment on my blow dryer, which helps disperse the warm air so that it's not blowing your hair all crazy, but keeping the curls in place.  Another note: you're not supposed to shampoo/condition your hair 48-72 hours after the perm to let the solution set.  First of all, that solution smells like death becomes me.  Second of all, he put so much GD product in my hair that I was just itching to get it out.  Luckily, you ARE able to rinse your hair out (water-only), which was great because I was in Vegas that weekend and if I couldn't rinse the smell of perm solution, cigarettes, and regret out of my hair, I think I would have shaved it all off.

In Vegas, my curls were a lot more defined and definitely stayed longer, so I was impressed:

But like I said, I was skeptical that my hair wasn't going to take the perm...and I sort of blame the fact that I don't a diffuser yet, but now that it's been 4-5 days, my hair hasn't really changed THAT much.  Yes, it does feel like it's "broken down" and "processed" more, but yesterday when curling my hair with hot rollers, this is how it turned out after a few hours:

Right?  Just kind of blah, and look at my face.  Not very happy...and kind of wide.  Not my best angle.  You should have seen Ryan's face...not happy about me spending $$ for something that didn't really improve my hair THAT much.

I'm going to keep trying - I'm going to buy a diffuser and the correct products to see if that makes an impact on my hair.  I'll keep you guys updated!  Today I curled my hair with a curling iron (1" barrel) and it seemed to hold much better (don't mind the horrible lighting):

So we'll see how it goes!  You're only supposed to get your hair permed like 2-3x a year, max.  So we'll see where things are in a few months.

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P.S. Today is my birthday so here's an awesome picture of me...YOU'RE WELCOME.

Middle of Nowhere

Ryan and I recently won a silent auction to stay a free night at the Four Seasons hotel in Vegas...HELLO, fabulous much?  Except, it's only valid Sunday - Thursday (trickery!) so we took Monday and Tuesday off to stay redeem our very fancy gift card.

Of course Ryan drove most of the way, but when he wanted to switch drivers, we pulled over in the middle of nowhere and I half-jokingly said, "PHOTOSHOOT?!" to which Ryan said, "Sure!" (actually more like, "Sure...." - a lot less enthusiastic) and before I knew it, I was treking in my 3 1/2" heels in gravel and dirt to take photos off the freeway.

I always love when girls are taking pictures in the middle of nowhere...but HOW DO THEY GET THERE?  Where are these fields and deserts? Apparently on the way to Vegas.

lululemon leggings, max studio jacket, h&m scarf, coach oxfords, paul smith sunglasses

When Ryan and I looked down the hill we were standing on...we saw an abandoned school bus...scary to most (me) but not enough to not want to take pictures!  Vanity > Scariness

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