I picked up the Laura Mercier Essential Orgainzer from Neimans yesterday for their Fall Beauty Event yesterday. The department store gift was fairly disappointing in my opinion, which is usually the case but I still manage to get sucked in because of the gifts within each individual line. The store was packed with lots of customers which I always find suprising because the gifts aren’t really that great yet always manage to draw in a lot of sales.
Anyways, here are pictures of the set and some close ups.
To recap from my previous post, the set retails for $125 and is a Neiman Marcus Exclusive. It contains:
* 12 eyeshadows in the following colors:
Celestial, African Violet and Bamboo Luster Eye Colours Black Plum, Buttercream, Cashmere and Coffee Ground Matte Eye Colours Sandstone, Baroque, Haze, Stellar and Sable Sateen Eye Colours
(The box says that the weight of each shade is .09oz/.2.6g which I find questionable because that is the size/weight of a full sized eyeshadow from Laura Mercier – perhaps the colors in this set are deeper than wide?) * 3 double ended brushes:
Double-ended Eye Color and All Over Eye Color Brush Double-ended Eye Crease and Ponytail Brush Double-ended Smudge and Corner Eye Color Brush
Close up of the top half:
Close up of the bottom half:
Whole set compared to a full sized Laura Mercier Eyeshadow (Primrose shown):
Size comparison of case to a Trish McEvoy Petite Planner & Louis Vuitton Small Agenda:
Neimans gift with purchase: Full sized Mulberry Lip Stain, minis of Flawless Cream, Pistache Cream, lip brush and Candlelight Mineral Shimmer Powder
Powder Brushes: I tend to splurge heavily on powder brushes. The most luxurious powder brush I’ve tried is the Trish McEvoy #5, but I find myself using my MAC powder brushes more often. The Laura Mercier Blending Brush is a more coarse brush meant to apply mineral foundation to the face in a circular motion. The MAC #150 and #134 are similar in size, but the #150 is fluffier giving a sheerer application while the #134 is denser and fuller. I also like to use this for highlighting powders.
1. MAC Large Powder Brush #150 2. MAC Large Powder Brush #134 3. Stila Large Powder Brush #8 4. Trish McEvoy Powder Brush #5 5. Trish McEvoy Bronzer Brush #37 6. Laura Mercier Blending Brush
Blush Brushes: Being obsessed with blush, I probably have the most blush brushes out of all the types of tools I own. Most of these I own duplicates of so I don’t have to wash them as often. Some like the MAC #129 are meant for both powder and blush.
1. MAC Powder/Blush Brush #129 2. MAC Blush Brush #116 3. Stila Blush Brush #1 4. Laura Mercier Cheek Colour Brush 5. Shu Uemura Natural Brush #20 6. Trish McEvoy Sheer Blush Brush 2B (revamped version) 7. Trish McEvoy Sheer Blush Brush 2B (older version)
Angled Face Brushes: These are meant to help contour the face. I have yet to master the art of contouring, so I use these for blush and highlighters.
1. MAC #174 (pro, discontinued) 2. MAC Large Angled Contour #168 3. MAC Angled Contour #169 4. Shu Uemura Natural Brush #2oH 5. Trish McEvoy #27A
Foundation or Cream Product Brushes: The oldest brush is the Prescriptives foundation brush which I believe was the first mid-highend/department store line to come out with one. Other companies like Bobbi Brown and MAC followed soon after with their own versions. I have to say that out of all the ones I’ve tried, the Prescriptives foundation brush is still my favorite (has lasted since 1998 when I purchased it). There are several cheek cream blush brushes out there, all of which are too small for me to find functional, so I often use these foundation brushes for cream blush as well.
1. MAC Face Brush #189 2. MAC Foundation Brush #190 3. Chanel Foundation Brush #16 4. Prescriptives Foundation Brush 5. Giorgio Armani Blender Brush 6. Stila Concealer Brush #11 7. MAC Concealer Brush #195
Bronzer, Contour & Highlighting Brushes: In addition to blush, I’m also into bronzer. I have to admit, I don’t love all of these. Whenever I get my makeup done at events, I often get sucked into buying the tools they use and push. My recommendation – definitely go to events, they are a great way to learn new techniques and color combinations. Do some of your own research first about the line by looking at each company website and browse through the products in advance so get an idea of what they have to offer. That way you’ll have a better idea of what to look for, ask to try out, and start a shopping list.
1. Bobbi Brown Bronzer Brush (new version) 2. Laura Mercier Bronzer Brush 3. NARS Bronzing Powder Brush 4. Bobbi Brown Bronzer Brush (old version) 5. Stila Double Duty Cheek Contour & Blush brush#21
Highlighting Brushes: I cannot live without the MAC Duo Fibre Brush #187 and absolutely love the new Duo Fibre Powder/Blush #131 (released with Color Craft). If you could only have 2 highlighter brushes, these would definitely be the ones I’d pick. Like the concept but not the price? I’ve seen similar brushes at Target for less.
1. MAC Duo Fibre Brush #187 2. MAC Small Duo Fibre Face Brush #188 3. MAC Duo Fibre Powder/Blush #131 4. MAC Tapered Face Brush #138 5. MAC Tapered Cheek & Highlighter Brush #165 6. Trish McEvoy Blending Brush #48 7. Bobbi Brown Face Blender Brush
Short & Kabuki Brushes: I find myself drawn to short brushes because I find them cute and often they are made with super soft materials. The Laura Mercier Face Brush is intended to be used with the Mineral Finishing Powder as well as other powder formulations. I find the handle too short for the size of the bristles making it difficult to hold. The Laura Mercier Mineral Primer Brush has a half moon-shaped head and small handle I find difficult to hold, so I find that I rarely use this one as well.
1. Bobbi Brown Face Brush 2. MAC Small Buffer Brush #183 3. MAC Small Buffer Brush #181 4. Laura Mercier Face Brush 5. Laura Mercier Mineral Primer Brush
Again, if you have any brushes for the face that you love, please share!!!
This is part one of a week-long series featuring my favorite beauty basics for makeup application and grooming. This week you’ll see the tools I use and skincare items that work for me. The lists are by no means comprehensive and some might not work for you. I’d like to get your input on what you’ve tried and what does or doesn’t work for you.
In this feature – eye brushes! I’ve separated the eye brushes I have into different categories by shape and style. Most of these are the full sized versions within each brand (several lines carry both short handled and long handled versions of the same brush). I will admit that my brush collection is quite massive, you might ask how many brushes does a girl need? Definitely not all of these. Infact there are several brushes that seem almost identical in shape, size, and material between various different brands. At the end of this post, I will let you know what my top essential eye brushes are.
All Over Lid & Eyeshadow Brushes: I like larger or fluffy brushes for applying an all-over wash to the lid, or for applying a matte base color. The brushes that are more tightly packed (more dense) allow for a heavier application which include Stila’s #5, Trish McEvoy’s Laydown Brushes and Laura Mercier’s All Over Eye Color Brush. Fluffy lighter brushes like the white bristled MAC #217 & #239 are nice because they make blending colors easy.
1. Trish McEvoy Eyeshadow Brush #10 2. MAC Square Shader Brush #259 (pro) 3. MAC Large Fluff Brush #227 4. Stila All Over Shadow Brush #5 5. Laura Mercier All Over Eye Colour Brush 6. Trish McEvoy Sheer Application Brush #45 7. Trish McEvoy Large Laydown Brush #21 8. Trish McEvoy Medium Laydown Brush #40 9. MAC Blending Brush #217 10. MAC Eye Shading Brush #239 11. MAC Fluff Brush #213 12. Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow Brush 13. Chanel Eyeshadow Brush #2
Crease & Contour Brushes: The brushes here are intended for the crease area. For those who do not have a crease, some of these tools are still handy for creating a soft gradation of color from darker near the lash line to the brow bone or blending shades together. I found out about the Studio Tools Brush (labeled #6) thanks to Karlasugar! The brushes with a smaller tip are great for creating a smokey eye, or even just smoking out/blending eyeliner for a softer but still defined look.
1. Stila All Over Blend #9 2. MAC Tapered Blending Brush #224 3. Laura Mercier Pony Tail Brush 4. Stila Double-Ended Shadow #30 5. MAC Small Tapered Blending Brush #226 6. Studio Tools Crease Brush (from Target) 7. Trish McEvoy Tapered Blending Brush #29 8. Chanel Eyeshadow Crease Brush #3 9. MAC Pencil Brush #219 10. Stila Double-Sided Crease & Liner Brush #15 11. Trish McEvoy Round Eye Contour #6 12. Trish McEvoy Smudge Brush #9
Odd Shaped & Cream Eyeshadow Brushes: One of the very first brushes I bought was the Trish McEvoy #23 hoof shaped brush which I like to use for an easy simple one-step eyeshadow application (use in a windshield wiper motion). (Note that the Trish brushes with golden handles are her original version, she has since revamped her brushes with clear lucite handles.) Unfortunately, I think she has discontinued this brush, so the next best closest tool is one from Laura Mercier. I believe Nars also carries a hoof-shaped brush as well, but I have not checked it out. For cream eyeshadows, I also like to use concealer brushes!
1. Laura Mercier Angled Eye Colour 2. Trish McEvoy Angled Contour Brush #23 3. Stila Eye Enhancer Brush #20 4. Bobbi Brown Eye Contour Brush 5. MAC Large Shader Brush #252 6. MAC Shader Brush #242 7. MAC Concealer Brush #195 8. Becca Eye Color Brush #11 9. Becca Eye Creme #31 10. Shu Uemura Synthetic Brush #10 11. Bobbi Brown Cream Shadow Brush
Detail Eyeliner & Smudge Brushes: These smaller stiffer brushes are nice for getting those corners, for the waterline, or for simple eyelining. The angled brushes to be the most precise and they can also work well for brows. I find that I use smudge brushes for eyelining more frequently than I use the eyeliner brushes when lining with powder eyeshadows. For gel liners, Stila #4 and Bobbi Brown’s Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush are my absolute favorites.
1. Stila Dual Sided Brush #23 (from 6 pan palette) 2. MAC Flat Definer #212 3. MAC Small Angle Brush #266 4. Trish McEvoy Angled Eyeling Brush #50 5. Laura Mercier Corner Eye Colour Brush 6. Bobbi Brown Eye Liner Brush 7. Stila Precision Eyeliner Brush #4 8. Bobbi Brown Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush 9. Shu Uemura 2R 10. MAC Short Shader Brush #214 11. NARS Smudge Brush 12. Trish McEvoy Va Va Voom Smudge Brush #54 13. Studio Tools Smudge Brush (from Target) 14. Laura Mercier Smudge Brush 15. Trish McEvoy Precision Smudge Brush #41
If you’re just beginning your brush collection, I’ll narrow down the selection from over 40 different eye brushes down to what I think are the essentials:
* All over eye brush – MAC Large Fluff Brush #227 * Best all purpose basic eyeshadow brush – MAC Blending Brush #217 * Smudge or detail brush – Laura Mercier Smudge Brush * Eyeliner brush – Bobbi Brown Eye Liner Brush * Cream eyeshadow brush – anything from Shu Uemura or Becca * Crease brush – Stila Double-Ended Shadow #30
You might ask – are these brushes really worth the price tag? It really depends on your personal preference & budget. Yes, there are duplicates of the more expensive ones for less $$$ in other brands. I don’t think you need to spend a lot for basics, however, that being said, many times “you get what you pay for.” At least 1/3 of the brushes that I’ve own were purchased some 10 years ago. I’ve found the quality of many to be excellent, so I believe that sometimes higher prices = higher quality, which translates into longer lasting tools, which means a better deal for your $$$.
Looking for other alternatives? Look for brush sets! You can often find better deals by buying brushes that come in a multi-product set. There are some great sets from all different price ranges at Target (Sonia Kashuk or Studio Tools), Sephora, and higher end sets like MAC, Laura Mercier, Trish McEvoy, Bobbi Brown and Chanel. Do be warned that brushes that come in sets aren’t always the same quality or size as the full sized individual versions. Some brands use different production methods (machine made versus hand made) for their sets. One brand I believe you can never go wrong with is Laura Mercier – her short handled brushes are just as good as the full size! The sizes might be different for her travel collections, but still work as well as the bigger ones.
Also note that brush sets are sometimes seasonal with holidays, or annual event sales, or with certain color collections. If you want to find a great brush set, wait a couple months – I’m sure there will be a few nice holiday sets coming out from MAC, Shu Uemura, Bobbi Brown and more.
Are there any eye brushes that you absolutely love? Please share!!!
I have to admit, when it comes to beauty products, I’m a high-end snob 99% of the time, but as soon as I saw Karla Sugar’s review, “New Brush Discovery!” featuring Studio Tools, I ran right away to Target to track down this steal.
What I came home with, from top to bottom: * Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Blush in Pink #14 – $8.99 * Sonia Kasuk Eye Definer in Iced Coffee #24 – $5.99 * Studio Tools Crease Brush – $1.99 * Studio Tools Smudge Brush – $2.49
Sonia Kashuk Eye Liner in Iced Coffee Swatch & Pink Blush Swatch (can barely see it on the right but goes on better than it photographs):
So far I’m really happy with the brushes. You can’t beat that price. Bristles are full enough so they aren’t flimsy, but still soft enough to move them easily over the eye for blending.
I’m always on the search for crease brushes like this one. I have so many already (from MAC, Stila, Trish McEvoy, Laura Mercier and Chanel), but some are too big, not full enough (making them flimsy), some are too tightly packed, and some are too short. Before finding this Studio Tools Crease Brush, my favorite was the Stila Double Ended #30, but in recent years I’ve found Stila’s quality to have changed somewhat, especially with their brushes. The double-ended factor also makes storage a pain as one side will always end up somewhat smashed from storing them in various cans and containers.
For Sonia Kashuk, I was really impressed with the items she has! She has a great range of neutral eyeshadows. Unfortunately, the downside of drug-store beauty is that there are rarely testers of products. To me $8.99 for a drugstore blush isn’t exactly “cheap.” I decided to try and find reviews first of other products before purchasing more items.
The texture of the blush is very nice though, soft and powdery. The eyeliner is gorgeous, especially for all taupe-fans.
