A Mascara Comparison

All applied exactly the same - curled, then 1 coat. 1. YSL Faux Cils 2. Prestige My Biggest Lashes 3. NYX Doll Eye Long Lash 4. L'Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black

Filled Up Belle Hop Roll Up

I am so in love with this bag. So glad I bought it and thinking of buying another. :) To show you how much it holds, I took pics and also inventoried what's in there. And it can actually hold probably 25% more than what it's currently got. Pouch 1 - Brushes: 15 Various Eye Brushes, 4 Face Brushes Pouch 2 - Tubey Things: 2 Mascaras UDPP Lash Curler Brow Powder 14 Pencils Pouch 3 - Eyes 3 MAC Quads 3 LM Mosaic Quads 3 NYX Trio Cases (2 of them have MAC in them) 2 LM Metallic Creme e/s Clinique Trio Pouch 4 - Face 5 Blush 1 Liquid Fdn 1 Face Powder 1 mini meteorites SK Peep 3 Concealers

Mascara Comparison

It's just one coat and I probably could have used a lash comb but for some reason when I applied it after my makeup it looks better and I don't think I need to really comb it out. Am I wrong? Should I comb it out? I really hate lash combs. :/

Kiehls Imperiale Repairateur Moisturizing Eye Balm

just a teensy bit does what you need it for. I used it on my lips too. Sunk right in but still feels slightly tacky. I'll try it under concealer but it's probably best to use just at night. It looks a lot like a lipbalm in the pot and feels like some sort of cuticle balm I used to use but can't remember which one. If you have a dry undereye area that causes your eyes to look lined - I highly rec this. I was torn between this one and Bobbi Brown's Eye Balm but I decided to give this one a go first since it is much less money. :) Ingredients: C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters, Squalane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tribehenin, Calcium Behenate, Isopropyl Lanolate, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Retinyl Palmitate, Cocoa Seed Butter, Isopropyl Palmitate, Lanolin Oil, Tochopherol, Propylparaben, Cholesterol, Aloe Leaf Extract.

Revamped Brows

May have fucked 'em up. :(

Newly Organized Stash & Rolltop Desk

All done! I'm still missing some things. I'll run across them and put them where they should go as I find them. I'm pretty proud of myself. Who knew nesting would apply to makeup too? :D I'll label the pics above each one.

Brushes, NARS blushes, Benefit Boxed Blushes, Misc Face Products

Dior Quints

Dior Quints & Singles, Chanel Quads & Singles

Castledew Quads

Japanese shadows on left, Laura Mercier on Right

Shiseido Hydropowders, MAC Paint Pots & Benefit Creaseless Cream

NARS duos, NYX Trios & MAC Trios (in NYX cases), Stila

Guerlain Quads, Lorac/MAC/UD/Givenchy Palettes, Smashbox Tokidoki

Misc stuff I don't use too much and didn't know where to put them

Singles - UD, Too Faced, Shu, Bedhead

Drugstore Brushes: Essence of Beauty, Posh, EcoTools & Sonia Kashuk

Sonia Kashuk Black Handled Large e/s, Contour, Small e/s Next you can see a comparison of the Posh e/s brush next to the Eco e/s brush. Eco is good for creams but I don't like it for powder. EoB & Posh - they are nearly identical except for the color of the handles. I've had mine a while, so maybe the quality has changed but I love both equally. From L-R - Posh Eye Shadow, next 2 are Posh Crease Duo, EOB Crease, EOB Dome e/s brush

Comments

Here are just a few comments I have to make on how I apply makeup.

1. I always start with a primer/base such as Urban Decay Primer Potion, Too Faced Shadow Insurance or a MAC Paint Pot like Soft Ochre or Painterly.

2. 80% of the time I use my brushes slightly damp. I do this for 2 reasons - 1st, the color payoff is better using this method and 2nd I find the colors blend together better this way - think of watercolor painting.

3. I often get asked what brushes I use. While I suppose brushes can play an important role in makeup application, the main thing is just not to get super scratchy brushes or ones that shed. I've been known to apply eye makeup with just my fingers and still get good results. Some particular brushes that I love are the following:

• Crease: NARS Smudge Brush #15, NARS Eye Contour Brush 14, Posh Crease Brush Duo, Sonia Kashuk® Synthetic Crease Brush

• Lids: Sonia Kashuk® Synthetic Concealer Brush, Posh Wide Domed Eye Shadow Brush

• Browbone/Blending: Kashuk Tools® Large Eye Shadow Brush, Trish McEvoy Tapered Blending Brush #29, NARS Wide Contour Brush 16, Posh Wide Domed Eye Shadow Brush

• Liner: Clinique Eyeliner Brush, Clinique Eye Definer Brush, Smashbox Arced Eyeliner Brush 21, Sephora Brand Professionnel Platinum Eyeliner Brush #19, NARS Smudge Brush #15, Posh Eyeliner Duo Brush
• Brows: Clinique Eyeliner Brush - really since I started using this, I use nothing else for brows.

• Cheeks: Sonia Kashuk® Synthetic Flat Blusher Brush, Sephora Brand Professionnel Platinum Stippling Brush #44, Sonia Kashuk Skunk Brush (aka The Unicorn), Stila #21 Double Duty Cheek Contour and Blush Brush

• Face: Smashbox Face & Body Brush Trish McEvoy Brush #5, Powder Brush, Philosophy Supernatural Airbrush