Brigette's Boutique Makeup Brushes Review

Hello valued readers! How is everyone doing?

I got back my recent photo shoot pictures recently and boy, do I love them! You can check them out on my Facebook page.

Remember once upon a time, before I became a makeup artist, I barely ever used brushes for makeup? Yeah, well now it's different. -__-

Now I have at least 40-50 brushes in my makeup kit and even they feel like a very small amount. Lol!

These two brushes sent to my by Brigette's Boutique have also become a prominent feature in my makeup!

 Brigette's Boutique is a discount cosmetic retailer. The store was started in 2003 and sells makeup products and tools. By obtaining most products in bulk form they can sell them at discount rates. So it is a great place to find that MAC lipstick they don't make anymore. *w*

 So, here's a review of both brushes with a little bit about how I use them. ^_^

The brushes were sent really well packed, with bubble wrap and foam. Brigette's Boutique also added two samples of their own product line called Annika Maya, a glitter and an eyeshadow in the package along with their card.

The two brushes are:

The Brigette's Boutique Duo Fibre Brush (BB06)

&

The Brigette's Boutique Flat Top Synthetic Long Handle Kabuki (BB21)

The Flat Top Synthetic Long Handle Kabuki Brush:

 Price:

$9.95 (Approx. Rs.550)

This flat top kabuki brush is like a normal kabuki brush except that it has quite a long handle!

The brush is amazingly soft, in fact my sister who loves to play with my brushes, fiddled with its bristles for hours till I asked her to stop, to which she replied that she had bonded with it and named it "Fluffy." Lol!

Jokes aside, this brush is really soft as velvet, especially since the fibers are synthetic. The top is well cut and doesn't have any stray hairs poking out. Even on the face, the brush is gentle, unlike some of my powder brushes that feel soft on the hand but prickle on the face.

Uses:

This flat top brush is great for all sorts of uses! 

- Blending out foundation with it is a dream.

-Works like a charm for buffing out the edges of your contouring or blush.

-Removing/ buffing out excess foundation is easy. You get a poreless, airbrushed look.

-Applying powders, though I haven't used it much for that.

I loved using this brush for blending, I would apply my foundation over my face with a concealer brush and swirl this brush through. I did however swirl it over my face after moisturising so that it sucks up some of the moisturiser and I waste less foundation. ^_^

Cleaning:

Cleaning this brush was very easy, the product let the fibers quite easily but it took forever and a day to dry! Okay, it was almost a day. That's pretty long though, so if you need to use the brush soon after, maybe spot cleaning regularly and an occasional deep clean is a better option.

This brush shed a couple of hairs the first time I washed it but has behaved well after that. No shedding and no losing shape! Woohoo!

Overall a great multipurpose brush and at a very affordable price!

The Duo Fibre Brush:

Aka: Stippling brush/ Skunk brush (gotta love that name! Lol!)

Price:

$6.50 (Approx Rs. 350)

This duo fibre brush isn't the best out there but it does what its supposed to and the price is right! I don't think I've seen a stippling brush in this kind of price range in India. Of course it doesn't compare to MAC's 187 which is much fuller and thicker but it's a fraction of the price and gets the job done!

The white fibers (the ones that you actually touch to your face) are lovely and soft, but they aren't very dense so you need a little patience working in small areas with this brush.

Uses:

-Applying foundation for an airbrushed finish.

-Applying cream blushes or highlighters to make them look diffused and give a soft finish.

-Applying pigmented powder blushes so that you don't overdo them.

How to Use:

I've heard people complain about stippling brushes, most problems arise from not using it right. 

The right way to use a stippling brush is by using it at a right angle to the face and using barely any pressure. 

Only the tips of the white bristles should have product on them and then you stipple the product.

After that, using the same brush or even the flat top kabuki brush, swirl, to blend. 

Again, make sure you use only the white hairs, the black hairs should barely move. ^_^

Using it like a normal brush will give you a streaky finish.

RIGHT

WRONG

Cleaning:

Cleaning this brush was much more tedious than the flat top kabuki. It didn't shed too much but a lot of black dye bled out from the black hairs. After 5 washes, the bleeding has finally stopped!

It did retain its shape well though!

Overall, a very useful brush but has problem when you clean it. But for the price, who could complain?

I hope you liked this review! You can try out Brigette's Boutique for all kinds of makeup products and tools, from MAC to Revlon and they even have their own brand of cosmetics called Annika Maya that I will be reviewing soon!

Thanks for reading!

♥

Products sent for review. My opinion is honest and my own.

What's in my Mail? Part Two: The "Died and Gone to Heaven" Edition (Image Heavy)

OMGOMGOMG!

So remember I did Part one of this post and told y'all that the second would be epic? Here it is! 

This has to be one of the most amazing things that I have had come through the mail for sure. 

A few weeks ago I had joined up for Sigma's affiliate program and I was browsing their blog when I found a quiz, I entered it not really expecting to win but about 10 days ago I got an email from Sigma that I had won!! AHSKHFDJDFL! I was literally jumping for joy! >w<

The prize?

The Sigma Premium Brush Kit! worth 164$

I needed to get new brushes to add to my kit and I was looking through Sigma's site for them too! So you cannot believe what good luck this was for me! ^_^ b

I wanted to tell you guys before, you have NO IDEA what a difficult week it was, not telling anyone. Lol! It sounds stupid but I didn't want to jinx it before it got here. ;u;

So here's just a first impression sort of post for y'all. Lots of pictures, so brace yourself! ;)

Sigma sent out the kit as soon as I had given them my address and it took all of 8 days to get here all the way from Minnesota in the USA.

The outer packaging is really well designed! A lovely hot pink with great typography. Yes, I'm a geek that way. :P

The kit itself is a zippered case with slots for the brushes. Almost like a file, which I prefer compared to a bulky brush roll. The case has a leather like texture and has the logo embossed on it in silver. *drools* 

What? I like embossing okay?! >w<

You also get a list of the brushes inside and a bunch of catalogues about their products. They wrote me a little note too.  ♥

I think I can safely say that I see myself using every brush in this kit. I will of course do a review on every brush as I use it and as to how much I use it but at first glance I can tell you the texture of the bristles on these brushes is baby soft! I can definitely compare most of them to the quality of MAC texture wise.

 Every brush has the Sigma logo engraved in the ferrule (the metal bit) and the handle is glossy and black with the name, number of the brush and the logo in holo on it. I'm actually a little worried about scuffing up the glossiness of the handle! Lol!

Here are the brushes that come in the kit, I'll just go through them and do a review for each one as I go through them! Wait, I said that already...

Anyway, there are 15 very unique brushes in this kit. (read: brushes I don't have)
I've added links to individual brushes if you want to check them out. ^_^

F20- Large Powder Brush

Controlled bronzer application. Bronzing of the cheekbones and temple area. Using the flat side gives definition and control. 

This brush is so soft! Omg! It's like a teddy bear on a brush! Lol! It's very dense too!

 F25- Tapered Face

 Exact product placement onto cheeks. Apply powder, blush or contour shades onto the cheeks and temples. Tapered shape gives exact placement of product. 

I can't wait to try this brush, I need to use a small and big brush to do powder usually because of the under eyes and nose area, the tapered end of this one should allow me to use just this one. I also want to try contouring with it! Again, very soft. ^_^ 

 F10- Powder/ Blush

  Precise placement of blush. Use for powder application. 

Just as soft as the large powder brush, your typical everyday blush brush. 

F15- Duo Fibre Powder/ Blush

Soft blush application. Generates a diffused blush application. Works especially well with mineral product for a natural and delicate effect.

Not as dense as normal duo brushes meant for creams and liquids. I can't wait to try this one either! 

F35- Tapered Highlighter

Subtle highlighting. Apply highlighting shades onto the upper contours of the face. Diffused finish gives skin a natural glow. 

Another promising brush, a smaller and slightly denser version of the F25.

F65- Large Concealer

 Conceal larger areas of the face or body. Works well with liquid or cream products. 

This brush looks like a thin and long foundation brush. i don't have such a big concealer brush in my kit. I think this would be great to use over pigmentation!

F75- Concealer

 Precise product placement. Use around the lip area to conceal when wearing bold lip colors.

A normal concealer brush. You can't have enough of these though especially as a makeup artist!  

 L05- Lip

 Precise application of color onto the lips. Use the firm edge to define and contour the lips. 

I will definitely be using this brush! The bristles are nice and stiff and the shape is very user friendly!

E-25 Blending

Controlled blending. Blend colors together onto the lid with added control. Buff out harsh lines for a well blended effect. 

Your MAC 217 dupe is this brush right here! I'll do a comparison for you guys soon. But this is another brush I WILL love because I love the 217! Lol!

E35- Tapered Blending

Controlled application of crease color. Using just the tip of the brush to pick up color, apply directly onto the crease and sweep through. Effect is blended, but defined. 

Another useful eye brush. I have a black Vega one like this, you know which one I'm talking about! Lol! This one is like a hundred times softer on my eyelids!

E45- Small Tapered Blending

Precise color application onto the crease. Picking up color with just the tip of the brush, apply intense colors to the crease to add depth and dimension to the eye.  

I love brushes like this, they make your life easier when you have to do smoky eyes. Mine arrived a bit scraggly looking but I'm sure a nice wash should fix that.

  E50- Large Fluff

 Controlled highlighting. Apply highlighting shades onto the brow bone or upper cheekbone. Gives a soft and blended finish. 

I like this one, have nothing like it! Can't wait to try. ^_^

 E10- Small Eye Liner

 Precise application of liner. Use with gel or liquid liners.

I also can never have enough of these. I love to use them with detailing work. But I do wish it was an angled brush instead because I have only one of those. ;n; Oh well! Still useful.

  E15- Flat Definer

 Sharp and precise application. Press product along upper and lower lash lines to create an easy, thin liner. Works with gel, liquid or powder products.

I would have probably used a brush like this to smudge but it says you can line with it, I want to try that!

 E20- Short Shader

 Concentrated color application. Apply color onto small areas of the eye such as the outer eyelid. Also use to smudge the lower lash line.

I have a brush like this from Colorbar and they really are great for smudging!

Phew! That's all of them. :D

I can't wait to try all of these brushes, winning them was such a stroke of luck! My makeup kit looks amazing with these in there. ;) I will definitely be trying more Sigma products in the future, their eyeshadows look quite promising!

You can check out Sigma makeup and brushes on the Sigma website.

Which brush interests you the most? Have you tried Sigma brushes before?

Comment and let me know!

Thanks for reading!

♥

What's in My Mail Part One: A Little Bit of Everything Edition

I'm pretty sure all of you are ho-humming at ALL the sponsored review posts on here by now. I'm really sorry about that but I have soooo many things to get through and I want to get all the sponsored posts out of the way. Hope y'all understand. m( _ _)m

Anyway, I thought that I haven't done a haul or mail post for a very long time except whatever I announce on my Instagram, so here's a tiny one for you! It's only part one though, part two will come tomorrow, it will be AWESOME! >w<

So, this is some of the interesting stuff I had come in the mail last month, yes, that's how long it's been that I've done a damned mail post!!

First there's some makeup! Sleek's Eye Dusts in Tigress and Dirty.

Since Sleek has very cheap shipping now and accepts my debit card without problems, I don't feel compelled to make a BIG order in one go. So I decided I wanted to try the eye dusts and see whether they would be a good addition to my kit. So I ordered these two!

So far, they are really good, I especially love Tigress, it's a gold with a pink sheen and at 4GBP they're a steal!

Definitely going to get more! I'll do a detailed review soon! ^_^

Next, a couple of earrings I got from Youshine.com

Okay, I have to tell you, I am super impressed with Youshine, I will shop there more often now! :D 

I actually shopped there just because I got a coupon for 50 off by recharging my phone. My total bill was Rs 450 something and they had a free gift at Rs.500, I didn't bother to bring my total to that though.

Anyway, my package came the day after and inside was a pen with their logo and the free gift! >w<

Isn't that sweet?

It was just this little pouch which they labelled as worth Rs.500 *cough* NO *cough* but still! That's nice right? Will shop there again, they have really nice stuff! I love my spiky earrings! :D

Next was a little Myntra haul, partly sponsored by Myntra and I'll be doing a full review on them soon, so no products for you to see now, except that top I guess! MUAHAHAHA!

And for the finale of Part one, I give you this beautiful bag that I won in Bharti's giveaway! She's been waiting for me to put this up for so long! Lol! I'm surprised she hasn't come down to Bombay and murdered me already. XD 

I was originally supposed to get a different bag but it got sold out, but then I got to pick the one I wanted from ASOS! ;)

And this one looked so classy, I had to get her! She's so sophisticated! Lol!

This pretty bag reached me almost a month ago and still has her (yes the bag is a her!) tag on. Reason? I still haven't gotten the chance to take her out! ;n; 

My usual bags are all big and I carry them for casual outings, this one is all small and dainty, no bigger than 8 inches tall so I'm waiting for an occasion... Lol!

P.S. I should do a purse collection post one day, I have so many weird ones btw!

 So that's what's been in my mail! What's been in your mail recently?

Tomorrow, a HUGE post on Part two! ;)

Thanks for reading! 

♥

KKCenterHk False Lashes Review: Handmade Black Natural Short to Long Lashes

If there is one thing I truly suck at makeup wise, it is applying false lashes to myself. I can very easily apply them for other but for myself, I'll probably glue my eye lids shut. Lol!

So when KKCenterHk suggested I try some false lashes I was pretty nervous but decided to take up the challenge! And guess what? I didn't blind myself! Woohoo! And the lashes were pretty too by the way. ;)

Thanks to KKCenterHk for very kindly sponsoring these handmade black lashes, now on to the review!

Price:
21.50$ for 10 pairs

Packaging:
The lashes come in a sleek black cardboard box with a tray that you slide out. The lashes are attached to the box with gold stickers and not stuck on like most lashes are to the packaging. I really hate that because you end up misshaping the lashes if you're not careful. This is much easier! Definitely like the packaging, it's sturdy and looks good too! ^_^

Shape and Style:
These lashes are very glamorous and a bit dramatic too, they have a thicker flared end, while the inside is thinner and smaller.

The stem is really very thin and made of what seems to be nylon thread, you can't see it once it is on at all!
These lashes are really big in size so you can cut them down to fit your eye size. (Always trim from the outside, not the inside! ^_^)
I found that I can pull individual bunches out through the stem, then cut the stem length, this actually made it easier for me to cut them without cutting hairs and making a mess!

Being so thin, the stem was a bit difficult for me to stick on. I think that had a lot to do with my crappy Kryolan eyelash glue too though, also you have to be careful with how much glue you apply, too thick and it will really show, like in my EOTDs. ;n;
Seriously that glue sucks, I'm going back to DUO!

Re-usability:
Yes, you can reuse these as long as you remove the previous lash glue carefully and don't get any in the hairs. ^_^

EOTD:

Sorry for the excessive Photoshop in these, neither my skin nor my camera was in a mood to behave! No photoshop on the actual look though.T^T

I went with an Arabic sort of look but you can see my horrible skin in the last pic, the weather here is so terrible, it's made it all weird and bumpy. >.<
Anyway, you can see in the pics  had a little trouble with the glue, it just wouldn't stay on. But the end result is still pretty I think!
I used these lashes on a shoot as well and they stayed on pretty well with DUO lash glue. So I definitely recommend a good quality glue (for any lashes really!)

All in all, I love the look of these lashes, they look lush and glamorous but not totally OTT! Plus about 2$ a pair is a very good price!
I definitely would recommend them! ^_^

You can get these handmade lashes and other great makeup products at KKCenterHk!
Use my code to get 10% off:
beautyandthecheap


I usually don't wear falsies because some glues give me allergies and sting my eyes but even though I've found ones that don't I still wouldn't wear them all the time! Lol! Too much time taken!
Still great for parties and special occasions though!
What about you? Do you like wearing false lashes? let me know!

Thanks for reading!
♥



*product sent for review, my opinion is honest and my own. 
Sorry for all the sponsored posts these days guys, just trying to get them all out of the way, I have a lot of backlog. ;n;