Product Review: Foundation Brush Comparison

A good foundation brush is as important as the foundation itself. My first foundation brush was the Essence of Beauty brush. I want to inform you that EoB make two different foundation brush; a dual tone and an orange bristle (come in a package with a concealer brush). I purchased the dual tone brush based on the good reviews it had with liquid foundation. When I got home and opened it, the handle fell apart from the rest of the brush. That should have been a sign. On my second attempt, I exchanged the broken brush for the orange bristle brush instead. This orange bristle brush is big and has good surface area. But that's about it. What I don’t like is that it tends to soak up a lot of product, clump up together, and leaves streaks. It is very frustrating to use and you have to wash it often.

Essence of Beauty and Ecotools foundatioon brush side by side

I like the Ecotools performance much better when compare to the EoB. I also like that the company is environmentally conscious. They use synthetic hair (taklon) and bamboo as handle. Their brushes are also very reasonably price; I got mine for $8. The brush is soft but dense, giving better control during application. It does streak a little, but that can be easily fixed if you go over the area again. It does not split on me the way the EoB brush does. It also does not soak up and is better at transfering product. Which mean I don’t have to clean it after every single use and it is also easy to wash. I actually don’t wear foundation much therefore, I mainly use this to blend out my under eye circle concealer and apply eyeshadow primer, which this brush make it super quick to do. Also very important, I have it for a few months, washed many times, and not even a single hair shed.

Japonesque travel size foundation brush

I also tried the Japonesque in travel size (shorter handle). I like the performance a little better than the Ecotools. I think it’s softer but just as dense. The cons are that it has a smaller head so it can be time consuming to apply foundation and it cost twice as much as the Ecotools. In regard to price, Japonesque foundation brush is still cheaper but comparable to Bobbi Brown or MAC.

I hope this review help with your search for good quality brushes without a big dent on your wallet.

TOTD: Curl Lashes

Waterproof mascara will hold your curled lashes better than regular formula because it tends to be drier and waxier.

Product Review: Jane Iredale Longest Lash Mascara

Jane Iredale is a reputable, respected mineral cosmetics line since 1994. Of course, I was excited when I got to try out her Longest Lash Mascara. However, I had a disappointing first impression. It was so dry. I swiped, swiped and did not see a thing on my lash.

I visited their website to see if I could find any additional information. It turned out that you are supposed to use this mascara with an eyelash conditioner. The reason for its dryness is because instead of being a water base, it is algae base. Good thing, I have some DHC Eyelash Tonic around so I applied this before the mascara. I have to say, I really like the result when combine with a conditioner. It does not give you much volume. However, it definitely lengthens. It also separate and define without clumping. It is the most "naturally" enhance look I got from a mascara to date and I have tried quite a few. The downfall of this mascara is the price. It is $34 and if you have to use it with a conditioner, which is at least another $15, too expensive. Nevertheless, it is a good mascara.

Other natural mascara:

Tarte Lash Hugger

My furry friend!

Just shot some really cute pictures last week, thought I should post it.





Isn't he adorable? He's very friendly, he just stood still as I inch closer and closer. By the way, the Canon lense is amazing. If you open up the picture, you can see the veins in his ears.

How is your skincare packaged?

It seems like every where you turn, in every skincare brand, there is a line for anti-aging. Obviously, most of these anti-aging products contain either antioxidants or peptides, or both. There are two crucial factors that affect how effective a product is. First factor is the ingredients themselves and their concentration. Second is, believe it or not, the packaging.

Many antioxidants, especially Vitamin C will degrade as it is expose to air and light. Therefore, glass jar is the worse form of packaging. The glass will let light through and the jar opening is way too large to be airtight. Imagine you spent $100 on a jar of cream and only half way through, the product already lost its effectiveness. It boggles my mind as to why so many companies are still packaging their product in a jar. If your beloved product only comes in a jar, the only thing I can think of is to transfer it to a safer container. You can purchase empty airtight pump online. Or an easier but not as effective way is to put half of the stuff in another jar and tightly seal it.

In this instance, a tube is preferred as it is more airtight and hygienic. However, the best option would be an “opaque” or dark airtight pump container. Aside from this, keeping your products in a dry and cool place is also important.

Avon Pro 3-in-1 Lip Wand and SpectraColor Lipstick

There is pro and con about Avon new Pro 3-in-1 Lip Wand. Let me start with the negative first and get that out of the way. Packaging is bulky. It is approximately a good 7 inches long. Which will not going to fit in a small makeup bag.

However, the pro is that you get 3 otherwise separate products, perfectly match, in one convenience tube. I also like the lip liner. I thought it was pigmented and glide on very smoothly, no tugging. I think the pro outweight the con so just toss it in your bigger bag.

Swatch is for the "bronze" lipcolor

Avon second new product is the SpectraColor Lipstick. It is a wand that contain two tone lipgloss with seven setting so you can customize your perfect shade. It is more like 3 to 4 shades to me. Still, it is a neat little thing. The lipgloss is self is nice and glossy without funny smell, taste, or glitter. Avon generally makes nice lipgloss, one of my favorite is their Glazewear line.

Favorites from DHC

For those of you who aren’t familiar with DHC, they are a mail order Japanese company. I have use and sample many of their products with good result. Here are some of my top favorites.


DHC Cleansing Oil. Remove everything effortlessly, including heavy eye makeup.


Love the whole Acerola line, especially the Acerola 100 (serum). No parabens or harsh chemicals.


Q10 cleanser – good cleanser and so convenience for travel.

If you like DHC or another Japanese brand, I’d like to know.

Product Review: Red Earth Eyeshadow

This is a brand I have heard of but not tried until now. I have to say, their eyeshadow stay true to color. Their formula is available in four finishes: Soft Frost, Satin Shine, Brilliant Pearl and Sparkle Velvet.

I had the Mystic Garden and Indian Night in Satin Shine. I really like the formula. It is very smooth, velvety and shine but without all the glitter or looking too frosty. Mystic Garden is a nice deep pigmented, but sort of bright green. It also has a hint of golden shimmer. Indian Night is a rose gold color, go well with the bronze look. Both are pair nicely with brown, hazel, or green eyes.