The term 'At Long Last' applies to this entry in so many ways because...

For one, I had finally splurged on these luxurious brushes and secondly, I am finally penning this haul down!

For a timeline reference, this haul actually happened sometime in November, or was it end-October, last year!

Since these brushes are making a physical appearance at Beauty Asia 2013, I figured it would be a good time for me to finally churn this out.

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Anyway, the majority of you are probably not strangers to Hakuhodo Brushes as this name has made its rounds in the beauty realm, from local makeup pals to international beauty bloggers.

For the longest time, I had been tempted to get my hands on them yet at the same time, it wasn't such a good idea.

Long story short, back at my old place (or home-home, as I call it), it gets quite dusty and if I leave some brushes un-used for awhile, they become a landing strip for dust so... that's no fun.

I could put them in drawers but I didn't have the storage space for a brush drawer and personally prefer to have my brushes out in a holder, for easy access.

So, over here at my my current place (the boy's house), it is a lot less dusty and I have a proper vanity area and space to display these brushes in their full (and deserved) glory. Thus, the desire to own some of these luxurious brushes kicked in and the rest is history!

As most would know, Hakuhodo brushes are pure luxury and I am not just talking about the soft sweeping feel of running it across the skin. Though that is also something I can't stop doing because the bristles are so soft.

Each brush is hand-made and constructed with artisan skills, dedication and fine material. The range of brushes available is very extensive and the brushes aren't priced very cheap either (there are the pricier ones, and the rather reasonable ones), therefore a little research should be done to know what exactly it is you are looking for. Unless you have the moolah to just plonk on whatever catches your eye then by all means, go you!

While the brushes, and choices available were insanely confusing at first, I ended up liking the process of discovering and finding out more about the various brushes they had to offer; how the different natural animal hairs were used and how that affected the softness and purpose of the brush.

It is almost like appreciating an art form through learning about the construction and purpose of the brushes.

But anyway, I shall stop rambling and go straight to my purchase.

I picked up a total of 10 brushes, which totalled to about S$400+, inclusive of the pricier shipping option since that included a tracking number. Given the amount of the haul, splurging a little more on a safer shipping method seemed like a good choice.

I must admit that this 10 brush haul actually stemmed from my interest in the Yachiyo brushes and instead of simply getting the Yachiyos, I figured, why not throw in more brushes since I was already hauling from the site.

And look what I've done...

I didn't have anything particular in mind, so Yachiyos aside, I dived into the rest of Hakuhodo's brushes with an open mind. And maybe just a little biase-ness for crease / blending brushes.

I don't know what it is about eye crease / blending brushes but I often feel that you can never have too many of them.

You need various sizes, blendability, stiff and pointed or blunt fluffy ones - the options are endless! Plus not all brands do good variants of crease / blending brushes so when I see good variety and quality, I hone in on it.

Without further ado, let's see the haul.

Do keep in mind that this entry isn't a review about the brushes since I haven't given them all enough use to share my thoughts It is more of a brief write up and break down of what I think about the brushes I had gotten.

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I am hardly an expert at Hakuhodo's brush categories and everything they have to offer but I will share what I know about their various categories. If you are familiar with Hakuhodo, this information would not be new to you but it will be somewhat helpful to those learning about this for the first time!

Starting off, here are the Yachiyo Brushes I have been talking about.

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Brushes under the 'Japanese Traditions' range have a very... well, traditional Japanese flair to them. Aside from the Yachiyos that I will showcase soon, they have the Itabake (made popular with Everyday Minerals) and a couple of other traditional brushes that Geishas used (or rather still use?) to paint on their makeup with.

I was attracted to the Yachiyo brushes due to their unique brush handles and bristle shape, especially so for the 'pointed' ones.

Yachiyo Pointed L (48USD), Yachiyo Pointed M (40USD)

The brushes were a little smaller than I thought and though this scissor-comparison picture doesn't yield much in terms of a universal scale, it still gives you a quick idea of how large (or not that large) these brushes are.

While fluffy looking in demeanour, the natural hairs used in this brush is Goat Hair, which leaves the bristles quite firm (but still soft) and allows the brush to pick up and deposit color well.

The pointed shape of these brushes also make it good for a pointed (no pun intended) and precise blush / highlighter application on a certain part of your face.

On hindsight, I should have perhaps picked up the Yachiyo L Purple instead of the medium pointed size as that is fluffier and better for buffing and a softer focus.

Though this just means that I have an option of hauling once more, if ever? ha!

To share another point, of the entire batch of brushes, the Yachiyos are not as soft and silky as the rest of their counterparts but I would attribute that to the Goat Hair used. It is still, in comparison to the brush world, considerably soft and smooth on the skin.

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The G series brushes contain a good mix of various hair types and also come with some pretty interesting bristle cuts, shapes and sizes. Some of their G-series brushes may also look similar to ones in the pricier S100 range, except with the default black Hakuhodo polished handles.

G5528 (29USD), G5517 (20USD) and G5523 (26USD)

My entire G series purchase would be eye crease brushes which can ring "boring" for some but I do recommend at least taking a look at the G5523 brush. From this angle you can't really tell but it is actually a flat yet fluffy crease brush, pretty interesting!

It reminds me of the popular MAC 217, except if I remember right (I haven't seen my 217 in ages), it is flatter, softer and a tiny bit longer than the 217.

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Moving on to the J series, these brushes have the same handles as the G-series. Bristle-cut aside, there is absolutely no differentiation between both series.

The brushes in the J series range have not been color-treated, hence you will spot a good number of white-bristled Goat Hair brushes in this series. I don't know about you but while white bristled brushes are a pain to maintain because they look dirty quicker, there is a pretty chic quality about them. Me likes.

But back to the J series. Since these brushes are not color treated and have a slight resistance in the bristles, they work well for use with powders, creams and liquids.

J214 (35USD), J242G (17USD) and J533 (18USD)

While J533 may look similar to G5528 above, in the fact that it is a rounded and pointed crease brush, it is notably smaller and more precise in point.

I wanted a small, flat and firm eyeshadow brush for detailed placement of shadows and the J242G fitted the bill.

The last and bulkiest brush you see above, J214, can be used for both the face and eyes, depending on how you prefer it.

I got this on a whim because of its interesting inbetween (and also versatile) size. While I haven't figured out its optimal usage in my routine, it is certainly too big for the eye area for my liking.

I have read reviews of some loving it for buffing on concealers and correctors but I haven't tried it in that way just yet.

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Compared to the huge assortment with the G and J series, the K-series is much smaller with its offering.

The brushes found in the K-series are quintessential basic makeup brushes – simple face brushes, general eye ones, spoolies and such.

K004 (24USD)

This simple range was perfect for what I was looking for - yet another small and flat eyeshadow brush for detailed placement of shadows. With that, I settled for the K004, which appears to be very similar to the (previously mentioned) J242G.

Though upon closer scrutiny, this is a tad fluffier and not as stiff as the J242G, however the differences aren't too major.

One thing I wish the J, G and Basic Series would adopt from the K-series would be the labeling. I have no idea why they decided to do it for the K series but not the rest.

The brushes from both the G and J series that I had featured earlier do not have their names engraved or stated on them thus you will have to find a way to either remember it by heart or... like me, transfer a label and hope it stays!

But anyway, I digress...

On to my last brush in this haul!

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The S100 series comes with a slightly heftier price tag. Coated in the distinct traditional Japanese vermillion shade on the handles, paired with gold-plated ferrules, it certainly stands out from the rest of Hakuhodo's ranges.

While I prefer the sleeker look of black polished handles as opposed to a loud vermillion, I do like the shape / design of the handle and how exquisite the whole brush looks.

The brushes in the S series also have some interesting bristle cuts and designs, amidst a mix of simple basics.

S122 (65USD)

Of the range, I decided to splurge a little on the S122 because of how unique the bristle cut is. It is not to say there is nothing like it but I rarely come across a medium-sized fluffy angled eye brush, as such.

How would I use this unique looking brush then? Well, I haven't decided yet. Heh.

For now I have been using it to sweep on shadows all over the lids and the angled nature of it gives me control over how buffed out, or blended yet defined I want the outer corners to be. From the reviews that I have read about this brush, many loved how versatile it is.

The brushes in the S100 series have their names engraved on the handles as well, finished in gold.

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So... this marks the end of my really rambly and long Hakuhodo haul entry!

I didn't mean to make it that rambly but I figured with their huge assortment, perhaps a little elaboration here and there would be of help to those who, like me at a period of time, were sourcing images and thoughts about the brushes.

I haven't given all the brushes enough use to warrant a general review post yet but if you have any queries about the brushes featured here, do ask away!

That aside, here are some helpful sites for Hakuhodo referencing if you are just embarking on this Hakuhodo adventure.

• Basic Introduction to Hakuhodo (Diablous in Cosmetica)
• Hakuhodo Brush Series - Introduction (Glossed in Translation)
• Hakuhodo J Series (Sweet Makeup Temptations)

Though one of my favorite Hakuhodo references would be trawling through Glossed in Translation's Hakuhodo Tag.

Hope this post was somewhat helpful and thanks for reading!

For the Hakuhodo brush lovers and users, let me know of the brush(es) you love!

And I'm not refering to the abundance of Halloween themed goodies they have out. Though the pumpkin-shaped tart holders are really adorable and I am tempted...

If you ask me, wandering into Daiso is as scary as wandering in Watsons. I wanted to get 1 single item, a spray bottle, yet I left Daiso with these in tow along with some other random household items.

I have brushes coming in the mail (excitesss!) and am reworking a new home / placement for the brushes and figured that these could come in handy.

I will have to rework the storage arrangement once my new babies are in but for the time being, it sits rather empty on my table top.

I like how muji-esque these seem, and for only 2 bucks!

The similar-looking tray you see in the background is a 2 piece that I picked up from Daiso quite a while ago. Someone needs to stop me from wandering in there! Yet I am glad for the multitude of storage options available at a really cheap rate.

Okay, so much for this random post.

Do you love wondering to Daiso and just shopping up random stuff?

Thanks for reading, have a great week ahead!

As I was packing for the staycation at Marina Bay Sands, I figured why not share what I would bring along with me on a staycation.

I haven't experienced many staycations (this is my second) but I have stayed over at friend's places, bf's place and all that. While staycations and house stays call for different packing requirements, everytime I pack for a simple slumber night (cause it's not always a party) people ask if I'm packing for a trip.

Okay, it's not that extreme because clothes-wise it's simple but I really try to water down my night routine and even my makeup routine for the next day yet there are some essential things that you will have to bring no matter what.

Case in point, body moisturizer.

Sometimes if I am bunking over at a friend's place I can skip it and just use theirs but if it is a hotel staycation I must must must bring either my Jergens or Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Body Moisturizer. Full size or not, I need it to fight the very unforgiving hotel air-conditioning.

Enough chatter.

I'll try and keep this a quick 'sharing' post and perhaps you all could tell me if you lug around this amount of stuff when you have a little slumber night as well. Just so I know it's really not just me...

First, body/skincare stuff! I received this Cetaphil toiletry bag fairly recently and am loving how useful and spacious it is!

BODY CARE

1. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream
   For slathering on all over the legs and arms
2. Steam Cream
   Somewhat a backup and also a lighter multi-purpose moisturizer. Can be used for elbows, hands and even the face!

 

Typically for skincare products I try to find whatever is small and travel sized so this does change from time to time, depending on the duration of the stay too. Here's what I managed to dig up for this one.

SKIN CARE

1. Pure Beauty Cleansing Foam
   Just happened to have this out. I prefer tubes cause they are easier to travel with and I always bring a full size cleanser cause the boyfriend shares my cleanser when 'traveling'
2. Laneige Power Essential Skin Refiner
   Toner! I have about a few drops of this left.
3. Laneige Waterbank Essence
   I rarely use this at home because I use a separate brand's essence but this size is handy for travel. I apply the essence as a light moisturizer after showers too, when I'm not ready for the full night routine yet.
4. Vichy Normaderm Spot Treatment
   Just incase I have a zit to zap!
5. Vichy Normaderm Night Cream
6. Caudalie Pulpe Vitaminée Eye and Lip Cream
   Really handy but I mainly use it under the eye. I find it quite light on the lips and not balmy enough for my liking.
7. Mogitate Kajitsu Strawberry Lipbalm
   Simple ole lipbalm. Need to bring balms out, I can't live without them.
8. Shu Uemura Fresh Cleansing Oil
   So glad I found a little sample 'vial' of this!

 

As for makeup it gets a little complicated but typically I pack a lot or try to cover as many 'aspects' as I can but I don't always end up using everything. Though it's always good to have it on hand... just incase!

MAKEUP

1. Smashbox Photofinish Primer in Hydrating
   I don't normally carry a day moisturizer and use my sunblock (not pictured) and this to supplement my skin. In this case, thank goodness for our humid weather.
2. 0Kuma Concealer
   I've been loving this a lot for a quick fix under the eye and over light blemishes hence it's a good 2-in-1 product (for me) to easily carry around!
3. Lancôme Maqui Blanc Miracle (2011 version)
   I keep the 2012 revised version at home to ensure it stays pristine and lug around the 2011 version for touch ups and on-the-go makeup. Really loving Maqui Blanc and think I will repurchase the refills!
4. MAC Powerpoint Liner in Engraved
5. SANA New Born Lasting W Brow in LB3
6. CLIO Professional Brush Liner in Black
7. Maquillage Glossy Perfect Rouge in 203
8. Maquillage Brow Wax in 77
9. Wet N Wild Bronzer
   Mainly using this for contouring purposes. It looks rather warm here but when applied lightly does the job of contouring.
10. Rhomlon Eyeshadow in Black
    Always need this for setting my liner!
11. Too Faced Glamour To Go Pocket Palette
    This takes care of my eyeshadow and blush hence I didn't bother packing separate ones (aside from Rhomlon).

 

I forgot to include Urban Decay Primer Potion here but later remembered to pack it. Phew!

It may seem like quite a bit to bring for one simple night's stay but like I said, I don't always use everything and totally ditched the idea of contouring and even priming my lids the next day! Slapped on a super simple makeup look and I was good to go.

Just to share, this would be the assortment of brushes I would bring. I keep brushes as simple as possible since I don't like the idea of bringing them out for fear of mis-shaping or 'contaminating' them.

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So much for keeping it short... it always never happens but I tried 'point-forming' things so it's easier to read if you choose to read or find out more!

Lastly, thought I would share some pics from the staycation though I have probably spammed my instagram and twitter with enough!

I rarely go on a staycation, much less one at a hotel as gorgeous as this, and I have 2 very lovely and dear friends to thank for this experience. I would share more on-goings that happened at Marina Bay Sands but I think that in itself deserves another entry.

In the meantime, here are some shots of the suite we got because I'm guessing everyone has seen the infinity pool be it through pictures or in person so... not posting those.

The view when you get in, the living room portion!

Pool table tucked in a corner of the room. There were 3 televisions within the room, whoa!

Bedroom!

And of course... the toilet!

I wish my future toilet looked like that but I don't think that's possible with the current housing sizes...

Oh well, a girl can dream!

Thanks so much for reading and I hope everyone had an eventful and great weekend and Mothers' Day!

Do you also lug around a good number of stuff when having a staycation or bunking over at a friend's place?

Remember Magical Tannsu?

I had mentioned this blogshop loads from before because it was the very first beauty blogshop I had bought things from. I think a good amount of basic items such as brushes, palettes etc were acquired from there be it through instocks or sprees.

I haven't browsed it very much lately because I have sort of been putting myself on a makeup ban. If you do notice, I haven't actually posted a makeup haul entry in a considerable while!

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But anyway, the lovely owner of Magical Tannsu, Weiduo, had offered to send me the 88 Metal Mania Palette. Within the package, she also threw in a couple of brushes. I am sure she understands my weakness for brushes after all my purchases.

All nicely bubble wrapped.
Seriously the thing about Magical Tannsu from the day I started buying till now is that everything is always wrapped up well in prevention of any accidents at the post.

Here's the 88 Metal Mania palette and the main point about it would be the colors, as the name suggests, have a slight metallic tone to them.

Pictured with the palette is an eyeshadow brush because with every purchase of the 88 Metal Mania Palette, you receive this sable eyeshadow brush (worth S$7) - limited time offer.

The brush is about a medium-sized eyeshadow brush. Slightly larger then the ELF shadow brushes (normal range) and smaller then the MAC 227. It's very fluffy so it's great for putting and blending eyeshadow over the entire lid or for browbone highlighting.

I should have done a size comparison to something else... I'll probably pop that photo in a future slightly relevant entry. But anyway, back to the 88 Metal Mania palette.

I picked out some random colors from the palette to swatch and this is how it is without a base.

The colors have all have a slight metallic sheen to it. They are surely not chrome-metal styled and are not glittery. Turns out despite the slight apprehension of the term 'metal mania', the eyeshadow finishes in this palette is quite wearable. I wonder if these will appear more metallic if swatched wet - can they be swatched wet in the first place? I'll have to try to see.

I have used some medium browns from this palette and I like how they seem to appear like asian cosmetic's eyeshadows, such that the shadows have a lovely sheen and provide great dimension.

This palette is available for S$39.90 at Magical Tannsu (shipping only within Singapore).

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Another item Weiduo had included in my package is a product that has not been released on her blogshop yet.

This is a kabuki face brush from Australian cosmetics company, Inika. The brush is 100% vegan and the bristles are made out of synthetic fibre.

From this link you can preview the brush on Inika's website. You may notice that it seems to look different because the brush was repackaged sometime at end of last year, the one on Inika's website is the newer packaging. Due to that, Magical Tannsu is able to get their hands on this brush and bring it over. The Inika brush had won the 'Must Have Brush' title at the Natural Beauty Awards in 2008 and you can check out what others think of it here.

I personally find most synthetic bristle brushes to be very soft to the touch, this was no exception. To compare the softness, density and resistance of the bristles, I would say it is very similar to the Everyday Minerals kabuki brushes.

I use this for dusting on setting powder because it's a good size and picks up a good amount of product. The thickness of the handle makes the brush easy to grip and maneuver around the face. Since it's synthetic you can use this for liquid foundation or even cream products (like blush). I have not tried it that way since it feels a bit big for that purpose, though I might try it just for kicks.

Once Weiduo puts this kabuki brush up on her site I'll be sure to let you guys know either via blog or twitter (:

And that is all for this post!

I have a rather important update to mention but I'll save announcing that till slightly later.
Thank you all so much for reading.

 

Disclaimer:
Product featured was provided by Magical Tannsu.
I am not affiliated to them, all opinions expressed are my own.

Before I start, I want to say this is a super old collective haul (as you would be able to tell from the items). I just haven't posted it up because I keep procrastinating on resizing and watermarking the photos. Why I even procrastinate something as simple as this? I have no idea...

But that's not the point, the stuff I got here are straight off the MAC counter (finally!).

The first purchase was back with the Dsquared, Style Black collections era.

From Dsquared I picked up the Lip Erase in Dim. This isn't quite a limited edition product, but it is a PRO product.

I never planned to get this while browsing the Dsquared collection online since most MAC Lip Erase reviews are kind of neutral. I have no idea why I eventually got it. Maybe it's just this subconscious magnetism to nude lips that I have...
Though I would say in terms of products to conceal lips and all, I still prefer my Canmake one over this.

Since we're talking about lip stuff, the next item I got is from the MAC Style Black collection:

MAC Glimmer Glass in Bling Black - the one with gold shimmer

Another "I have no idea why I got it, but I did" product. I guess it's just too unique and different to pass up. I got this over the other two shades because (I think?) this was the one that MakeupByTiffanyD said it was sort of the prettiest and most obvious on.T

This next item I had actually plan to get because first of all, it's a blush and second of all, it's a mineralized blush. Does that not scream "must get"? (:

Mineralized blush in Conjure Up - from the Magic, Mirth & MIschief Collection.

This blush actually have some mauvey tones to it though it isn't showing up very much in the photo. It seems to compare slightly to the solid size of Grand Duo, a previously released MAC Mineralized blush from the Grand Duos collection.

 

So this next haul some of you are familiar with because it was done during the Blogger Meet Up around christmas last year.

It's the MAC 223 brush, which is not from the permanent line.

It's kind of a funny story, but long story short, Sophia (retail_therapy) spotted this brush and we were talking about how we've never seen it before and how it was like the MAC 222 but brown. So we returned the brush to the glass jar, and I just couldn't stop thinking about it. Next thing you know, I had it in hand and was paying for it. ~sigh, my weakness with brushes.

Oh and I did a quick google search on this brush since when I asked, the MA said it was being re-promoted in a recent collection, but I have no idea which collection it is! Last I checked it was promoted in a 2007 collection called Raquel Welch? Someone enlighten me.

Comparing this to the MAC 222, I would say this isn't as stiff. So while the 222 is a good crease color brush, the 223 would be a good blending brush. The 223 is also reported to be great for applying concealer with, especially since it has synthetic bristles, though I haven't tried.

 

And that is my belated haul! I anticipate very few constructive entries coming up soon due to the school workload so bear with me for a bit (:
Thank you for reading!

Yes, another package from Magical Tannsu!
I absolutely love shopping there. I'm not just saying this as I'm sure most of you guys have purchased items from her before so you would know that the products are always reasonably priced, the products are always well-packed and of course the service or response is always friendly and efficient. Honestly after having found out about Magical Tannsu, I haven't blog-shopped very much anywhere else cause it's too complicated and the rates definitely aren't as good.
But anyway, this package that I had just received only contains brushes.

I know right, I'm a brush addict... I can't help it.

I don't know why but I get super excited when I get brushes, especially good quality brushes. I get a lot more excited then when I get MAC MSF's... is that weird?
Nonetheless I think brushes are a great investment as they don't have an 'expiration date' if you take good care of them.

So lets see what are the brushes I got.


Essence of beauty brushes!


Inside it comes with a brochure on how to use the brushes.

And for those wondering, this isn't available on the main Magical Tannsu website, but she did mention it on her personal/beauty blog so you can purchase this from her now. So I went through a bit of a dilemma before I finally decided to get these. The dilemma was the fact that these are dual-ended which means I have absolutely no idea how I am going to store them. But I heard that Essence of Beauty brushes are fab, and I heard people say MichellePhan uses them. I don't know for sure because I don't watch her videos. But these brushes honestly do feel fab, I haven't tried them on my face but running them along my hands, they are so good quality and is it just me or does the white angled blush brush resemble the MAC 168.

So that was the brush set I had gotten,
aside from that Magical Tannsu threw in some goodies in the bag, and they are the two brushes that are not up on the website just yet.


Retractable blush brush.
Very timely as I am planning to go on a holiday soon.


Blending brush
This brush I am really excited about. I can't give a verdict on how it would feel on my lids as I haven't tried it out just yet


The brush shape resembles a cross between the MAC 224 (in the way it flairs) and the ELF Blending Brush (the rounded edge of the brush). Of course that's just my opinion.

That is the haul! I would definitely recommend everyone to get the Essence of Beauty brush kit as I am thoroughly in love with it. It looks and feels so pretty I can't stop looking at it. That is if you can get over the storage issue. But I think it is well worth it, I have a few storage ideas in mind but we'll see how that works out.

Nonetheless, thank you for reading!

I don't know how many of you guys face this problem in which there isn't enough space on the table or shelf for you to dry your brushes on.
I personally don't have my own study table and my vanity area is a little crowded, thus finding a suitable position to dry my brushes at prove to be a bit of a chore.

About a month ago, while cruising the aisles of the 'plastic' section in Daiso (for those who don't know it's like a Japanese Supermart), something caught my eye.
I don't know what made me pick it up as to this day I honestly have no idea what this is, but I did, and this is what it looks like:

It looks remotely like an extension for shelves or something, but I honestly have no clue as to it's specific purpose.
Nonetheless, I'm sure you are probably wondering, what has this little thing got to do with saving space when drying brushes?

Lo and behold,

It houses most average-ly lengthed brushes.
It definitely fits all regular MAC brushes (kabukis and short handles aside)
As for ELF eyeshadow brushes, it depends as not all ELF eyeshadow brushes are the same in length. Some might be able to fit (like the one pictured) and some might not, like this other one of mine. But all in all I believe this is a great way to dry your brushes without laying them out across the whole length of a table.

Just a quick recap for those interested,
I bought this from the Plastic section in Daiso (IMM Jurong).
It's 2 bucks, as with all items from Daiso (:

Thanks for reading and hopefully this was useful!

There is nothing better then coming home to a package. Well, that's metaphorically speaking of course.
I'm pretty sure you guys could come up with situations but that isn't the point of my statement.

Back to the haul, here are some things I had purchased off of Magical Tannsu awhile back and can I say I am super excited to try out some of these.

Some synthetic concealer and eyeshadow/eyeliner brushes.
I'll most probably use both the synthetic fibre brushes for concealer as they are both so soft and non-prickly. A definite far cry from my former coastal scents concealer brush which had made me wonder if concealer brushes were meant to be a little prickly.

Here is a close up on the dual-ended studio makeup artist eyeline brush

Aside from those, here are two other brushes I had gotten.

Aside from brushes I had also gotten some other makeup items and guess what I managed to get my hands on?

 

 

The famous Monistat Chafing Powder-Gel!

Magical Tannsu currently only carry the sample sizes.
The Monistat Chafing Powder-Gel had been mentioned by a number of youtubers and they raved about how good a primer it is and how inexpensive and accessibe it is for them. That definitely got me curious to try this out. The minute I opened this I swatched a little on the back of my hand and I can honestly say a little goes a long way with it! I can't describe the consistency of it, it's almost a matte solid-gel sort of a formula and when you spread it out it almost feels like very fine powder. It's honestly hard to describe.

So, here's the last thing I had gotten and definitely the thing I was kind of the most excited about.

The concealer palette that comes with correctors too!

Definitely exciting stuff there, can't wait to use them all out the next time I get ready to head out (:
So that is all and thank you guys very much for reading!
I'm off to get my fix of my latest addiction, Boys Over Flowers (korean drama).
I swear, I wasn't going to get addicted to it at all but I don't know what happened, haha.

After having been on forums for the most part of my online-time, seeing as I'm usually at work and can't quite watch videos on youtube, I've learnt a new method to store makeup brushes!

It's not the best method in the word, but it's pretty neat. I've also managed to grow out of my obsession with keeping my eye brushes in a box at all times for fear of dust getting on it.
The best part of this storage is that it's totally inexpensive and if you're leaving in Singapore, this is so accessible for you.
What exactly am I talking about?
Check this out, this is how I store my eye brushes as of now:

As you can tell, my face brushes are still being stored in little cups and all because I did not purchase enough of those little 'racks', but for a reason I still prefer my face brushes in cups.

For those who can't quite see from the little thumbnail, you may click on the image to enlarge it.
The 'new' thing that I am using to store my eye brushes are little plastic dividers that can be fitted according to how you wish it to be, and also trimmed according to the length of your choice. I know my descriptions really aren't helping but it is fairly difficult to illustrate how the product looks.

First off, here's where I got the little plastic dividers from: Daiso.
Yes, Daiso, that Japanese 2 dollar store that carries everything from food to plasticware and toiletries.
I don't believe I would have to tell you how much it costs.

These things most certainly don't come pre-arranged so spotting them in Daiso is a big problem but look around the plastic section and you might find a long strip of what may seem like a ruler hung against the wall in plastic wrappings. In each wrapping, it contains three of these 'rulers' and each ruler has 49 sections to it. This seems pretty hard to envision, again, but I am trying my best to describe it to you.
When I went to Daiso to purchase this, spotting it was a problem and I almost gave up until I saw something spelt 'devider' on this plastic wrapped ruler looking thing. So don't let how it looks in the image about fool you. Unassembled, it doesn't look quite like the image above, aside from the little beveled edges and translucent plastic.

I've babbled on long enough just on an issue, I hope this new brush storage method that I had adopted might help some of you out there on your conquest to find the perfect 'brush stands' (:

And I know I do promise you all a HK haul entry.
I haven't forgotten it, but I'm too tired to edit the photos right now, so tomorrow it is.

Thanks for reading loves. (:

Before any of you guys think I got duped or cheated into buying a un-authentic MAC brushset, fret not, I bought it with the knowledge that it was un-authentic.

So I purchased and received this brushset last year from a certain seller.
(I'm keeping the seller's identity discreet for fear the seller isn't comfortable with being associated to un-authentic goods).
This seller mentioned that the brushes in this brushset, although un-authentic, are of really good quality. With that in mind, I decided to purchase it anyway. I mean it is 8 good quality brushes for SGD$35. That's about SGD$4 a brush or so, you can't beat that price.

This is what the brushset looks like and it comes with a very pretty zip-pouch with the MAC logo on the front of it.

Brushes in this set:
150 - Face Brush
168 - Contour/Blush Brush
190 - Foundation Brush
194 - Concealer Brush
239 - Flat Shade Brush
275 - Angled Shading Brush
266 - Small Angled Brush
316 - Lip Brush

My thoughts on the Brushset
Even though these brushes aren't real MAC brushes, I honestly feel that they are as good as the authetic counterparts because it truely is as soft and as dense as the MAC brushes. How would I know that? When I drop by MAC I would definitely take a minute or so to feel the brushes and compare it to this one that I have at home and I really don't see that much of a difference. If I were to truely point out a difference between this brushset and the real MAC brushes, I'd say that MAC brushes fluff a lot more after wash, but these brushes don't tend to 'fluff' so much. That though, doesn't really make a difference to me because I always keep my brushes in little sleeves after they have dried to preserve their shape, so the fluff factor would most definitely be reduced a ton. Aside from the brush quality, these brushes also look A LOT like authentic MAC brushes. The number and the logo is in the right place and looks pretty damn similar to the real thing. However if you do look hard enough, you'd notice that the number on the brushes in the brushset are a little more bold then the numbers on authetic MAC brushes. If that makes sense. So all in all, I really love this brushset and I would actually even consider them as MAC brushes, in a way. I feel that so long as a brush is as good a quality as the expensive counterpart, it's more or less the same thing. It doesn't matter how much you pay for it because it simply boils down to the fact that it is more or less the same brush.

Reasons on why I might not purchase the authentic versions:

150 (Face Brush) - For the 150, I feel that it is a really good brush but at the same time, it's pretty expensive to purchase a face brush from MAC because Sephora has a brush pretty much like this but for a cheaper price, so as far as big face brushes go, I don't know if I need to invest in one from MAC so soon. Maybe when I'm earning big bucks in future, but probably not now.

168 (Contour/Blush Brush) - I suppose that this is the only brush that I actually might consider buying the authentic version of, even though I have the dupe one, just because I love how pretty it looks and how soft it is. And you can never have too many blush brushes (:

190 (Foundation Brush) - Simply said, I just don't use this brush enough for me to want to fork out that much money and get the authentic one. I just don't think it's worth the cash when I hardly ever use it.

194 (Concealer Brush) - I wouldn't say that I'm completely not getting this from MAC, but I'm rooting for their other Concealer brush that's coming out this Fall in Singpaore, the 195. On top of that, a concealer brush, is a concealer brush... right? I just want the 195 for keeps sake.

239 (Flat Shader Brush) - I purchased the loewe cornell dupe and many have said it's more or less the same thing as the 239, so I don't think I need it. On top of that, how many shader brushes does one have to own? I believe I have like 5 or so miscellaneous branded ones that work really good.

275 (Angled Shading Brush) - I actually really like this brush, but I'm not considering to get this very one, I'm actually considering to get the baby version of this, the 272 so I don't think I need to own that many angled shading brushes. But this is one brush I might consider getting the authentic version of if I have spare cash.

266 (Small Angled Brush) - I don't use this brush. At least not from this set. I have a few angled brushes in my kit that I'm already using so I don't think I need that many more.

316 (Lip Brush) - It's a lip brush, and I don't think I'm that hardcore a MAC addict to get a lip brush from MAC.

 

So that pretty much sums up my little review. It's a fantastic brush set and if I do come across a spree of this particular one again, I might let you guys know (those who are interested that is). Because I can assure you that the quality is next to that of MAC and it's going for a really inexpensive price tag. The place that I got it from no longer sells it anymore so I can't give you guys a site to get it from. Also, for those of you who already are into MAC and just don't have one of two of these MAC brushes, it's nice to collect.

After all, brushes are an investment and it doesn't hurt to get more (: