A little while ago a dear reader of mine requested a comparison review between e.l.f’s Studio Powder Brush and Lancome’s Precision Cheek – Brush #7. I decided to throw in Sigma’s Flat Top Synthetic Brush into the mix as well, for good measure

And what I’ve discovered is that despite looking similar, each three brushes have a very different use.

Lancome’s Precision Cheek – Brush #7 ($47.50US) which I mentioned was one of my favourite brushes and is actually best for (surprise surprise) applying powder over liquid / cream foundation. It is great at picking up a light to medium amount of powder, and distributing it lightly and evenly across your face. It doesn’t do a good job at applying liquid or cream foundation. With liquid it would literally absorb most of the product and leave streaks across my face, and with cream it would just be streaks-ville

e.l.f’s Studio Powder Brush ($3US), could potentially do the same, but I felt that it was actually better at apply powder foundation. The reason is because I found this brush to be quite a bit denser than Lancome, and so it worked similar to a kabuki brush, good at buffing in products.

I personally don’t buff in powder over liquid foundation because I find it shifts the liquid foundation. But I do buff in powder foundation as there is nothing beneath it to budge.

Lastly, Sigma’s Flat Top Synthetic Brush ($16US) is best for applying liquid to cream foundation / blush and buffing in powder foundation. It wasn’t great at dusting powder over liquid foundation because it would pick up way too much product and instead of distributing it evenly over my face, would plonk it right where I placed my brush.

So overall, I found that Lancome was really best for a dusting of face powder over a cream / liquid foundation. e.l.f for powder foundation and Sigma for liquid and cream products! Hope that helps

I think we all know how amazing some of the Illamasqua makeup campaigns are, ever since I first saw their Valentine promotional images I knew I wanted to try it one day. I think I managed to get close, but the job wasn’t quite as refined and neat as the pros. Still, each attempt is another step towards becoming a better artist

I painted and cut the nails myself, and completely painted over my rose (same one used in my Alone tutorial). These were not every day friendly nails mind you, I’m pretty sure I accidently poked / scratched / stabbed myself more than I’d like to admit!

The irony that despite this look being inspired by Illamasqua, I haven’t used a single Illamasqua product, I know the irony only just hit me after filming. Unfortunately Illamasqua can prove pricy so I don’t own that many, but their products are truly amazing

Either way, hope you enjoy the look!

MAC Pro Longwear SPF 10 Foundation – NC20
Prestige Eyeliner – White
MAC Full Coverage Foundation – White
e.l.f High Definition Powder
NYX Eyeshadow – Brown
NYX Eyeshadow – Red Bean Pie
MAC Fluidline – Blacktrack
Savvy by DB Luxury Liner – Shimmering Slate
Lancome Hypnose Mascara – Black *
Stila Kajal Eye Liner – Topaz
Canmake Highlighter – 01
DUO Eyelash Glue
Innoxa Sheer Blush – Rose *
Savvy by DB Lipliner – Poppy
Revlon Colorburst Lipstick – True Red
Dior Addict Plastic Gloss – 854

Products marked with a * were sent for consideration

Another cosplay chapter! Some of my favourite chapters, introducing the lovely Shia from Pita-ten <3 The demon who can't seem to be bad :( You can view the entire costume and gallery on Extreme Motion

Makeup wise, this look is pretty simple, the circle lenses really do pull the look together And yes, I totally wanted to kick myself every time I pulled a “I’m cute, love me” pose! But I had a blast, it is cosplay after all~ And I’m doing my best to try and get more “into character” with each chapter too! Can’t imagine what voice I’ll have to use when I do a horror related look? hehe.

MAC Prep + Prime – Skin Base Visage
Face of Australia – Expert Finish Mousse Foundation – Ivory *
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural – Light
MAC Studio finish Concealer SPF 30+ – NC20
NYX Blush – Natural
Canmake Highlighter – 01
e.l.f Eyelid Primer – Sheer
Face of Australia Opulent Eyes – Rich & Famous *
Maybelline Define-a-Brow Gel – Clear
Prestige Eyeliner – White
Savvy by DB Luxury Liner – Shimmering Slate
Revlon Colorburst Lipstick – Carnation
Laura Mercier Lip Glace – After Hours

Products marked with a * were sent for consideration

MAC 130
Sigma Angled Top Kabuki – F84
MAC 209
Sigma SS252
Sigma SS266
Lancome 17
Revlon Lip Brush

I grew up watching Disney, and loved all the Disney princesses~ My favourite is probably Belle from Beauty and the Beast, but for cosplay purposes I thought I suited Snow White much better If you would like to view the entire costume I made for my Snow White cosplay, please view the gallery here.

I absolutely loved cosplaying Snow White I’d love to do more princesses in the future, enjoy the tutorial

Bobbi Brown Brightening SPF 50/PA+++ UV Protective Face Base
Bourjois 10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation – 71
MAC Studio Finish Concealer Palette – Light
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural – Light
NARS Laguna Bronzer
Tarte Amazonian Clay Long-Wear Blush – Natural Beauty
NYX Mosaic Powder – Highlighter
Coastal Scents Brow Tones
e.l.f Eyelid Primer – Sheer
Maybelline Define-a-Brow Gel – Clear
Coastal Scents – 88 Warm Palette
Prestige Eyeliner – White
Lancome Hypnose Mascara – Black
DUO Eyelash Adhesive – Dark Tone
MAC Fluidline – Blacktrack
Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara – Black
Savvy by DB Lipliner – Poppy
Revlon Colorburst Lipstick – True Red

MAC 130
Sigma Angled Top Kabuki – F84
MAC 209
Sigma SS252
Sigma SS266
Lancome 17
Art brush
Revlon Lip Brush

I must have short term memory, because I always want to shoot up in the Dandenong, and constantly look forward to it…. until I get there and FIND A LEECH ON MY LEG!

I really need to schedule all my “forest” related projects to Spring and Summer, because not only was I attacked by bugs, I was absolutely freezing! Serves me right to be prancing around the forest in sleeveless clothes during winter. (Though now I’m thinking of a shoot I’d like to try during winter on the beach….wow, I must really hate myself)

That aside, I’m really glad I managed to get this video done. I think I created the makeup more to suit the theme, rather than building a theme around the makeup, which is what I usually do. I’ve always wanted to do a simple “Rambo” inspired sort of look, short of rubbing dirt on to my face I think I managed pretty well lol!

Favourite aspect was just filming the intro and outro for this tutorial, so be sure to check those out

Bobbi Brown Brightening SPF 50 / PA+++ UV Protective Face Base
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation – 4
MAC Studio Finish Concealer Palette – Light
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural – Light Medium
Rimmel Natural Bronzer – 022 Sun Bronze
Coastal Scents 78 Eye Shadow & Blush Combo Palette
NYX Mosaic Powder – Highlighter
e.l.f Eyelid Primer – Sheer
Revlon Custom Eyes Mascara – Blackest Black
Coastal Scents Brow Tones
Savvy by DB Lipliner – Poppy
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil – Cherry
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil – Milk
Prestige Eyeliner – White
Revlon Colorburst Lipstick – True Red
Savvy by DB Luxury Liner – Shimmering Slate

MAC 130
Sigma Angled Top Kabuki – F84
MAC 209
Sigma SS252
Sigma SS266
Lancome 17
Revlon Lip Brush

Be prepared for another rather long post, but one I’ve been meaning to do for a very long time now. I’ve been a long time user of Sigma brushes, probably for well over a year now (If you see my Book of Fables, you see I use like 4-5 different brands at once, what can I say? I like to road test brushes!!). I thought like my previous brush comparison, I would do one for Sigma too. I wanted to give you a better idea as to whether or not the travel brushes are worth getting So let’s get on to it, I will only be comparing brushes I personally have used and own.

Regardless of their size, the brushes are given the exact same name so I labelled the full and travel version in the photos below.

Generally speaking, I was very impressed by the travel sized brushes, some were exact dupes, some were actually better quality than the full sized version and only very few were a little lower.

I would confidently recommend the travel sized brushes if you were either strapped for space or actually did intend to travel, they are good quality, work well and the experience I had with them as nothing like the experience I had with the MAC brushes.

Large Powder SS150 / F30

The difference here is obvious, the full sized is massive in comparison! In fact, I find it way too large for my face and use it as a body brush now. I found the bristles on the travel version to be just a tiny bit softer too.

Large Angled Contour SS168 / F40

Apologises for not being able to remove all the pigment from the my full sized, you can tell it gets a lot of use! No major difference between the two besides the travel version being just a tad smaller. Quality is exactly the same.

Duo Fibre SS187 / F50

Like before, the travel version is just a tad smaller and the bristles are only ever so slightly softer. But honestly, the difference is barely noticeable unless you’re silly like me, and like to spend your evenings writing these sorts of reviews for a comparison blog post ;P

Concealer Brush SS194 / F70

These two are pretty much identical, the only reason the full version looks a bit “worn” is because it’s been used more, but the two are the same in every other sense.

Short Shader E20

Aside from the very minor size difference, the quality is identical!

Blending E25

Quality wise, these are exactly the same, but I found that the travel version wasn’t as tapered as the full version. Plus the travel brush shape felt more “flat”, less rounder than the full sized. Example, the full sized version is a bit better for precise colour placement and blending, whereas the travel version is much better as a blender or placing one colour all over the lid.

Pencil SS219 / E30

I found the travel version to be only a bit stiffer than the full sized, which is actually preferred as it did a better job at blending out harsh lines. The full sized version wasn’t as good at doing this, I felt it slips around more and isn’t as precise with blending out lines. The bristles on the full sized were softer.

Tapered Blending SS224 / E40

Big difference here, massive! The full sized version flares out like crazy! It’s perfect only for blending out your eye shadow, or placing powder to larger areas (like brow bone), the travel version on the other hand is far more tapered and is the perfect crease brush! I absolutely love it, so very tempted to buy another travel kit just for it since they don’t sell travel brushes separately It’s one of my favourite brushes atm. I also found the bristles on the full sized to be a little rougher.

Small Tapered Blending E45

Apart for some minor size differences, I found these to be identical in application and quality.

Eye Shading SS239 / E55

The full sized version is a bit bigger and less dense than the travel sized, meaning it’s a little harder to pack colour on using the full sized version. It’s not a massively annoying difference, but now that you mention it (see what I did there? I blamed you guys! ), there is a difference.

Summary

• Not all the travel brushes are exact dupes of the full sized, in fact few of them are.
• The quality between the two is very comparable, exactly the same for some.
• Sigma travel brushes are definitely worth getting if you travel, they will function almost exactly the same as the full sized brushes. They are solid, well priced travel brushes!

Time for a little colour after the last couple of colour-less chapters! This is my second attempt at a disco look, after my first less than successful attempt! I wanted to do a bit of a twist, and decided to extend the design into my hair, which would have looked a ton better if my hair colour was lighter!

Apologises with some of the cutting of the video, a couple of very minor steps were cut out for the sake of trying to keep the video to 5 minutes.

Hope you enjoy, and as always if you have any questions or future requests, feel free to let me know~

MAC Prep + Prime – Skin Base Visage
Make Up For Ever High Definition Foundation – 117
MAC Studio Finish Concealer SPF 30+ – NC20
NARS Laguna Bronzer
NARS Powder Blush – Orgasm
Canmake Highlighter – 01
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil – Electric Blue
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil – Hot Pink
Eyeko Duo Colour Pencil For Eyes – Electric Purple
Coastal Scents 88 Ultra Shimmer Eye Shadow Palette
NYX Glitter Cream Pallet – Ocean Breeze
NYX Glitterati Cream Pallet – Glitterama
NYX Glitter Mania – Purple
Milani Crystal Eyez – Beautifully Brillant
MAC Fluidline – Blacktrack
L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara – Black
DUO Eyelash Adhesive
Bebe Lip Pencil – Naturel
MAC Lipstick – Angel
Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer – 96

MAC 130
Sigma Angled Top Kabuki – F84
Sigma Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki – F80
Sigma SS168
e.l.f Contour Brush
MAC 209
Sigma SS252
Sigma SS266
Lancome Lip Brush
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler