Mystery Make Up Bag from The Powder Room Reveal

Hi everyone!

I was browsing through my emails when something from Living Social caught my eye. They had a deal called "The Mystery Makeup Bag" so obviously I clicked on it. CLICK HERE to visit the page of the deal, although it has finished now but you can still purchase it from the official site (which I will explain in a bit)!

So the deal seemed good, $39AUD and $9AUD shipping for $110 worth of cosmetics from a popular Korean brand called 3 Concept Eyes. You can get up to 6 full-sized products in your bag! It was from a store called the Powder Room which is both online and a physical store in Strathfield. CLICK HERE to visit the official website (I'm not affiliated with this store/brand in any way!). So even though the deal is over, you can still buy the bag if you're interested from the actual store.

What I discovered: I saw that shipping would take 3-4 weeks after the deal ends on Living Social (which is ridiculous since Strathfield is within driving/public transport distance from me). So I went straight to the website and bought it from there. Shipping is free on the website, the bag was $49 for $130 worth of products, and they had a promotion which led to another $9.80 AUD off my order total. So I ended up paying only $39.20 AUD for $130 AUD worth of products with free next day shipping (and it arrived the next day)! Compared to paying $48 AUD (including shipping cost) for only $110 AUD worth of products, and waiting 3-4 weeks for delivery.

Do your research before buying from group buying sites, just because it seems like a good deal, it rarely ever is!

Anyways, here's what I got in my bag (all bags are different):

It all came well-packaged, in the original boxes and tied in a pretty silver ribbon! :)

A cream eyeshadow (Full-Sized) in the shade: GOLD PEACH. This was the original reason I wanted to buy the bag, for the chance of getting a cream eyeshadow to add to my collection!

Gold Peach retails for $22 AUD, CLICK HERE if you want to see some better pictures of it. It has a shimmering pearl finish and a natural tone. 

Fresh Aqua Mist (Mini-Size - 30mLs) retails for $16.50 AUD, CLICK HERE if you want to purchase it. I had to look it up to figure out what this product was before using it. It can be sprayed to moisturise your skin and prepping your face before make up, or after make up to create a dewy finish. It contains plant extracts and "mineral-rich glacial milk" which seem to provide some benefits for your skin. I have a few products like this already so it'll be interesting to see how this one holds up. :)

Opps, almost forgot to mention: all products are sealed with a sticker on the side (as shown in the image above)!

This is a full-sized Super Slim Pen Eye Liner (the style is a thin marker) in the shade Brown. Usually I'd go for black liners but I do have a couple of brown pencil liners and brown gel liners - I've never had a brown liquid liner so this is definitely a new idea to me. It retails for $25 AUD, CLICK HERE if you're interested in seeing it in action.

Swatch of the liner, you can layer it up to increase the intensity (this has 3 layers). It is smudge-proof, and once dry - it is waterproof! The point is very thin to create the most precise eye lines! :)

Paint Lipgloss (full-size) in the shade REAL PEACH which retails for $22.80 AUD, CLICK HERE for more information about this gloss form the website, I have yet to try this out!

I received two samples of the Shimmer Light Mandarin Phenomenon (Full-size retails for $72 AUD, CLICK HERE to visit that). I couldn't find the Advanced Lycopene Infusion on the website but it clearly states that it's anti-aging. Unlike all the other products I received in this bag, these bottles all have written English instructions on the back which is perfect since the site doesn't seem to have any!

Everything all up: Retails for $92.29 AUD+, since the whole thing should make up to $130 AUD, the 4 samples must be estimated to be worth around $9.50 AUD each. 

CLICK HERE, the makeup pouch which was included in this bag is retailed at $5.99 AUD. 

I'm really excited to be trying out more Korean brands like the ones I got in this bag (I find Asian cosmetics to be of a high quality - especially since they dominate the international beauty awards every year)! Overall, I am very pleased with all the products in this bag! Whilst I don't think it would be worth $130 AUD for everything, I would happily pay the $39.20 AUD for all of these products. All the bags are different and it will be interesting to see what everyone else had gotten! :)

Thank you for reading this post! You know what to do if you like it. ;)

Stay Beautiful! xx

Furless Make Up Brushes Arrival and First Impressions

After driving home from - what seemed like a long - shift at work last Friday, I walk into my room to get ready to go to a house-warming party afterwards and find a lovely package waiting on my bed.

I love packages! Especially well-wrapped ones:)

My Furless Brushes order had arrived: I had ordered two days before, they shipped it the next day, and then it arrived the day after. Shipping was super quick and I really appreciated that they shipped so soon after Christmas (I believe I placed my order on Christmas afternoon)! Unlike many websites which are off duty until some time after new years, it was a really nice surprise to find my order, well-packaged, and at my place so quickly! :)

So naturally, I used this kit to do my make up for the party afterwards. The look that I was going for was very sophisticated and feminine - which is not a big challenge for my staple favourite brushes, but unfortunately was difficult with these brushes. :(

The pink fluffy brush is an to me - an all rounder eye brush, it's good for applying a base colour and blending, and it is a free gift which was included in my order.

The free gift pink brush is a fluffier version of the PRO2E brush.

I bought the Must Have Professional Make Up Brush Set which is sold for $149.95 AUD (CLICK HERE to check out this set) and the Purple Power Make Up Brush Set which retails at $49.95 AUD on the official Furless website (CLICK HERE to visit the page for this set). The Purple Power set is in the zebra print tissue and the other set is wrapped with dark navy blue tissue paper. I also ordered a dark mineral bronzer sample in the shade "Brazen" and a medium mineral foundation sample in the shade "Progressive".

The website ships internationally and has a flat rate of $5 AUD for orders within Australia (1-3 expected delivery time - amazingly quick), and $12.50 AUD for international orders.

DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with this brand or website in any way at all. This first impressions post in all my own personal experience and thoughts with this set. Everyone has different opinions and what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa. :)

The company has an affiliate program, free make up templates you can download from the website, and a Blogger or Vlogger discount application. To apply, CLICK HERE to go to the page. I received a 50% discount on my first order since I am a blogger and blog often, however I am not an affiliate. The aim of the discount is to provide an incentive to purchase the brushes/make up from the brand to review (and if it's good, to buy more, etc.). I paid for all of this with my own money, my order totalled to $104.95 (including shipping) with the discount. If you own a blog or YouTube channel which is active, I highly suggest applying for this discount if you are planning on buying this brush set! You're not obliged to do a review either.

About the company/brand:
> PETA Approved
> Vegan and Cruelty Free company
> All synthetic brushes (I love synthetic brushes so that wasn't a deal-breaker at all)
> No animal testing

Honestly, the name of the company kind of explains it all - "Furless", they don't do anything that could potentially harm animals or wildlife in the making and testing of their products. :)

For once, Intagram does not do the aesthetically pleasing brushes justice! They look amazing in real life.

These brushes are incredibly beautiful in appearance. They are well-made in the physical sense, from the ferrule to the handles. The purple power brushes have deep burgundy purple handles, black ferrules, black bristles with vibrant true purple tips. All brushes in both sets have a glossy finish (unlike Sedona Lace and MakeUpByToni which has a matte finish to their brushes). The professional brush range has a dark royal blue handle, clean and bright gold ferrule, and black and/or white bristles.

They are slightly larger than average full-sized brushes in height and very pleasing to hold as the handle is tapered to be thinner towards the end (opposite of the bristles).

A design flaw: I needed to put a thin coat of clear nail polish on top of each brush over the brush name and brand name or else it will rub off (similar problem to the Real Techniques or original Bubbi brushes). For a kit that is named "professional", putting a top coat should have not been necessary - in my opinion. This was also necessary for the Purple Power Kit!

The Furless Brushes (and other brushes) drying after their first deep-clean after use. :)

I have only used this set twice and I deep clean/wash my brushes after every single use (I'm still a germaphobe), so my opinions of this set may change and will further develop as I use this set for a longer period of time and in a wide variety of ways.

The Professional Kit comes with 6 face brushes (the code ends with an F).

 The Professional Kit comes with 7 multi-use brushes (the code ends with an M). 

 The Professional Kit comes with 6 eye brushes (the code ends with an E). 

Another design flaw: The code for the eye brushes are not sequential, it's missing a 3E and a 5E. I did not lose any brushes, the kit makes a total of 20 brushes. Not a big deal but a bit of an annoying trait.

And last, it comes with 1 lip brush (ends with the letter L).

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE PROFESSIONAL SET:

> The brushes are stunning to look at, sophisticated and elegant in design. Although I own far more expensive brushes, these easily look more expensive.


> A few of the brushes shed noticeably after the first wash - the ferrule is sturdy so I'm going to see how these turn out and how it affects application. No further shedding has been observed so far.

> Not many brushes which are suitable as eye brushes (see image below). They are too large and would make better face brushes then eye brushes.

Some of the eye brushes which are included in the kit which are large enough to be included with the Sigma Essential or Sedona Midnight Lace face brushes (made to imitate your fingers for make up application). 

> Bristles are incredibly soft, similar to the softness of my MakeUpByToni brushes (definitely softer then Sigma brushes), but the brushes are also very flexible. This caused some brushes to form streaks when applying make up (I had to blend with a wet sponge or use patting motions with the brush).

> Most of the brushes do not come with the plastic guard which is usually included in these sets. There are only three guards: one for the fan brush, one for the eyeliner brush, and one for the lip brush.

> The flat top brush known as the PRO4F (which I was most excited about), is too soft and not dense enough, so it will move your concealer and leaves streaks in your foundation. It is one of the brushes which shed after the first wash and application of liquid foundation is difficult, I will be trying this brush with powder later on - hopefully the results will be better.

> The thin flat concealer-like brush known as the PRO4M has very long bristles which make the placement of concealer easy - just not the blending as it leaves noticeable streaks and does not buff the product into the skin! I will be using this brush for application of base eye colour instead from now on (since it's a multi-use brush) to see how that goes.

> The fan brush or PRO5M is too large and dense for precise application of highlighter, and too soft and flexible to brush off excess powder from the face! I will be trialling different uses for a while to see if I can find a good use for this brush (perhaps for body?)

> The brush roll that this set comes in doubles as a make up belt, which is useful to own when applying make up on someone else! Very pleased about the innovation of that make up roll, however (unlike the other make up roll which I own from MakeUpByToni which has received rave first impressions from me) it does not feel like a well-made, sturdy, expensive case. It feels poorly made, the faux shiny plastic material is very thin, there's no elasticity in the slots and the design of the roll will damage the shape of your brushes - unlike other good-quality rolls. So personally, it is only great as a make up belt, not so much as a travelling storage roll. If you are ordering internationally, keep this in mind that the brushes may arrived slightly bent and deformed from transit and travelling time - but that's nothing that a good brush guard cannot fix!

> The large powder brush, aka. PRO1F, is super soft and applies powder foundation well. But due to it's shape being round instead of oblong, it does not brush off powder well. The same design flaw which I found in other brush kits.

So far, these brushes have not met my expectations. :( Although there is still time for that to change.

Overall, this set was a bit of a let down. Whilst you can expect there to be a couple of bad brushes in any set, out of the 20 brushes included in this set, around 10 of them didn't meet the mark. There's still time for that to change and I plan on continuing to use these brushes until I can find a good use for them. The other brushes in this kit, I have yet to form an opinion of - although the stippling brush seems to be a good brush (I have yet to use that one). So far, it isn't looking so good for this set, I really hope it all changes and I find good uses for my in-depth review in a few more months.

From first impressions, I am glad I didn't pay the full price for this kit or I would possibly be sending it back for a refund. There are better kits out there for the full price of this kit, at least, for initial first impression.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE PURPLE POWER SET:

> I had only bought this set to take full advantage of the discount for the first order (50% off total order up to $100 discount), I absolutely love this kit so far.

> The brush case is a well-made, hard-cover light lilac purple zippered case with individual slots which have enough elasticity to keep the brushes in place when travelling.

> All brushes in the kit are the perfect amount of softness, density and firmness for even, streak-free application that does not move your skin (or concealer) too much.

> The covered lip brush is ingenious. I don't know how I could have survived without this kit for so long. It's a travel-sized lip brush with a cap which you can put on the end of the brush and turn it into a full-sized brush. It's brilliant for on-the-go lip colour application (especially for bold, vibrant colours such as MAC Morange or any bright red), and the cap makes it perfect for putting it in your make up bag. This kit is honestly worth purchasing just for this brush, amazing! :)

I like the purple power lip brush much better then the PRO1L, it is more defined and perfect for getting the sides of the lips. I would only use the PRO1L for concealing around the lips.

How ingenious is this: the cap can be attached to the end to make a full-sized brush, it can then work as a cap to protect the bristles and colour while travelling in your bag! :)

> The eye brushes in the Purple Power kit are more suited to eye make up application then in the Professional kit, the size is smaller and the bristles are soft. :)

Purple Power wins again! :)

> The large powder brush is oblong in shape which helps when applying powder and brushing off the excess - therefore, avoiding cake face! :)

The purple power powder brush has a dented ferrule which improves the shape of the brush.

Three guesses which one I prefer for avoiding cake face. ;)

After their first drying! I have yet to try out the mineral samples.

The free gift pink brush is actually a good blending brush. I used it for a cut-crease look and it managed to do it's job well. It was a surprising success; in fact, this entire order was a surprising mix. I had some brushes really impress me for application (and they were the brushes which I was originally not very interested in, i.e. the Purple Power Kit)!

Whilst I need to try out the sets more to make a more educated review, first impressions were a combination of good and bad characteristics.

In conclusion: The professional kit failed to impress me initially whilst the purple power kit managed to surprise me with it's quality. The professional kit would only be good for beginners or students of make up, if you realistically want to work in the industry professionally, I suggest only using a few of the exceptional brushes from this kit, and investing in a better set.

I own over 150 make up brushes, most of them are pictured here. 

The above picture is a snapshot of the brushes which I am comparing these sets to, I'm not just pulling this stuff out of thin air. ;)

I plan on purchasing more brushes from other brands and am going to start with high end brands from next year. :)

This first impressions review is very in-depth because a number of people have been interested to know what I thought about this set as they were planning on making a purchase, and since they did give me 50% discount - I felt I owed it to make more of an effort in this entry. :)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this entry. Please favourite, bookmark, subscribe, or follow if you have the time! New posts three times a week! All opinions are my own and will always be my own. :)


Stay Beautiful! xx

Make Up By Toni Brushes Update - First Impressions

Hi everyone! I have some super exciting news to share with you all. :)

I was going to post a review up today and this package arrived which - I swear - I wasn't planning on blogging about but after opening, playing around with and washing these brushes, I need to post about these!

Christmas came early baby! ;)

They came very well-packaged in a firmly bubble-wrapped parcel. Shipping to Australia took only 7 days (Christmas is literally three days away from today, so delays in shipping are to be expected - there were none!). I purchased the HOPE Series Brush Kit/Set and the MakeUpByToni Flat Top Kabuki brush - these are the only products that Toni has released and to be completely honest - if she released anything else in the future, I would buy it in a second - without any hesitation! :)

So the HOPE Series comes in the navy blue brush roll and with two extra travel-sized blending brushes (while stocks last). The other packaged box houses the Flat Top Kabuki brush and another free travel-sized blending brush (also while stocks last)! Whilst Sigma and Sedona Laces' idea of a free travel-sized gift is decent (but seriously, how many eyeliner brushes does a girl need?), you can NEVER have enough blending brushes. I thank and congratulate Toni on her insight into what brushes are most reached for when doing make up - instead of just going with the cheapest option during production!

Just an added note: MakeUpByToni "travel-sized" brushes which were included as a free gift are exactly the same height as a full-size Real Techniques eye brush (from their eyes kit) - they are substantial brushes in size which does not feel cheap or cheaply made! :)

16 high quality brushes for $105 AUD including Shipping. :o

You can see from the image above that the three free travel-sized tapered blending brushes I got in total are just the tiniest bit smaller then the full-sized brushes. The brushes are about the same height and size as the Sigma brushes. All brushes came in immaculate shape which is much more then I can say about certain other companies that I've purchased brushes from. Although this may be due to MakeUpByToni's quick shipping, e.g. Sigma and Sedona Lace brushes can easily take 3-4 weeks to arrive, which means a lot of possible damage during transit.

The HOPE Series of a 12 piece brush set which comes in a navy brush kit roll for travel and storage. The handles are dark navy blue, with holographic print of the brand (MAKEUPBYTONI), with silver ferrule and light brown, white-tipped bristles. The bristles are a very high quality synthetic nylon bristles.

HISTORY OF BRAND/TONI:
Now I'm not an affiliate or an ambassador or any way involved with this brand, so I don't know the full story. These are the few facts that I've been able to find and have assembled all here for you:

- Toni is a make-up artist, she has a YouTube channel which showcases her looks and special VIP events which she attends.

- Toni released the HOPE Series to show that you don't need a fat-ass wallet to buy quality brushes, she quotes "There is HOPE!" (get it?) ;)

- HOPE Series was officially released on the 1st of August 2012 and there is very limited stock - once it's gone, it's gone. I will most definitely be buying back ups if there are any after a few months of rigorous testing of this kit I have now! (I shall keep you updated on that) :)

- The Flat Top Kabuki brush was only released a week or so ago, I had pre-ordered and was one of the first to get my hands on this sweet baby. :)


Unfortunately, that's all I know. I had only discovered Toni a few weeks ago and here I am, ranting about her brand of brushes! :)


FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BRUSH KIT + FLAT TOP KABUKI:

- The size and design of the HOPE series brush kit is very similar to the Sigma or Sedona Lace brush kits (which is a normal thing to expect since many brush kits have similar combination of these brushes). There has been a lot of speculation that MakeUpByToni brushes are made by the same company that Sigma Brushes source their brushes from (I believe there's a rumour going around that this is Crown brushes), personally I don't think this is true (see below point).

- These brushes are of MUCH better quality than my Sigma brushes. I'm not kidding, I own a lot of make up brushes: Sigma brushes (Mrs. Bunny, Performance eyes, Entire Kabuki and essential face kits), the entire Real Techniques range, Napoleon Perdis, TooFaced, UD, Revlon, Sedona Lace, NUDE, etc. And these brushes take the cake. (Metaphorically, I don't have any cake - calorie counting diet). :(

So if these brushes came from the same company, there seems to be a dramatic difference in the quality. The bristles hold their shape much better, are denser (especially in the case of the Flat Top Brush), and the cost is actually lower. Yes, I only paid $105 AUD for all 16 of these brushes INCLUDING shipping to Australia (which took only SEVEN days)!

You can purchase these though the following contact methods (which I found through her Facebook page):
Facebook: www.facebook.com/makeupbytoni
Youtube: www.youtube.com/officialmakeupbytoni
Tumblr: http://makeupbytoni.tumblr.com/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/makeupbytoni
Instagram: @heartonialvarez and @mateorafaelray (follow requests are subject to approval)
Email: contactmakeupbytoni@gmail.com (THE WAY I CONTACTED HER WAS THROUGH THIS!)

- Bristles are well-shaped, brushes are well-made with holographic printing (which won't fade like certain brands which I won't care to mention now).

- Bristles are incredibly soft - think of the softest thing you've ever touched, now multiply that by 5. Seriously though, the angled liner brush is as softer then some blending brushes which I own (which is amazing for people like me who suffer from sensitive skin around the eye area and sensitive eyes). I will be using this brush for gel liner to see how it performs but from first impression, it is firm yet unbelievably soft (good god, I hope this brush applies amazingly - if it does, I'm buying duplicates because I've never found a brush like this before!)

- After the first deep-clean I've done, there has been no bleeding, no shedding and no change in brush shape. I honestly CANNOT be more impressed with this brand.

- I have not found ONE flaw, even the brush roll (I had a terrible experience with brush rolls which mis-shaped and damaged the brushes), is of exceptional quality and actually maintained the shape of the brushes in the kit! *mind blown*


DISCLAIMER SECTION: (PLEASE READ)!

- I purchased everything with my own money, I do not get paid/any benefit from doing this review (in fact she has no idea I'm doing this - or that I even have this blog (I'm pretty sure)).
- I found out about MakeUpByToni a few weeks ago when randomly searching "Brush Review" on YouTube. I was curious about the reviews and I am so glad I found it when I did! What a stroke of good fortune! :)

- To be completely honest (I'm using that phrase a lot this entry), I distrusted the brand at first since she took payment methods which I have not used before. But because of the positive interaction I had with her (she's very friendly, open and willing to guide you through steps - and most importantly, she's very contactable through her Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Email!), I decided to take the risk... And then she got a PayPal account. That's right - go shop now, there's no more risk (not that there was anyway - trust me, I'm a good judge of character). You'll thank me later when you receive these brushes. ;)


In conclusion:

I will be continuing to use these brushes for many months before posting an in-depth review about the brushes. THIS IS JUST MY FIRST IMPRESSION POST and my opinions may change as I continually use these brushes for a few months. For the time being, they are impressing me on every level possible and as you can probably tell by my passionate blog post - I really needed to share my excitement today (the review I was going to post can wait till Monday).


These opinions are my own, I cannot guarantee that these brushes will work for you as they do for me. Please comment, subscribe, follow, bookmark or favourite this blog if you have the time. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my - rather eccentric - blog entry today, I really hope this will help someone in some way! Feedback is much loved no matter what the type! :)



Stay Beautiful and most importantly, stay safe during this holiday season my lovelies! xx

Sigma Performance Eyes Kit Update!

Is there any better feeling then coming home to an awaiting parcel? Even if you know, very well, what's inside from the box alone - you still get curious and excited when you start to open it? Although the waiting is the worst part of Internet shopping (along with the chance of being scammed or your package getting lost - has never happened to me, THANK GOD!), opening the package is the most exciting!

I just thought I would update everyone on my Sigma Black Friday Parcel arriving earlier this Monday (17/12/2012). :)

My Second Sigma Order.

The free gift is the same as it was before (travel sized eyeliner brush - I have soo many eyeliner brushes now). The kit came in a cardboard box with a instructional pamphlet outlining ways to use each brush (of course this can be varied according to personal preferences), and a little card saying thank you for purchasing Sigma!

I bought this kit for $61.00 USD with free shipping (promotion during Black Friday) from the Official Sigma Website: CLICK HERE to visit the page (I am not a sigma affiliate)! :)

Packaging is similar to all Sigma brush sets.

Back - with official sticker of Authenticity.

Sigma Performance Eye Kit Brushes - all in protective sleeves.

Originally I had no intention of buying these brushes. They interested me but the fact that they weren't made of synthetic Sigmax bristles meant they didn't make it to my "need to buy" list (which is already quite extensive, I need to cut down... Starting next year). ;)

But when Sigma had the free shipping deal on their Black Friday "sale", I couldn't resist and bought these. :)

I will be using them daily for the next month or more before writing a review. I wash my brushes after every use, so these brushes will be very tested like the rest of my collection.

First impressions: after one use and wash

> Bristles on all the brushes are splayed, fixed after the first wash with the use of brush guards. Also many of the brushes are not as defined and well-shaped as they are on the website or advertisements (yes, they've photoshopped the BRUSHES, I can't believe people do that...)
> One particular brush is very coarse (I have sensitive eyes so my standards for soft eye brushes are very high). I will post more about this brush on my review in the future because I want to see if maybe I'm using it wrong or the bristles soften up.
> You can see the glue which binds the bristles on two brushes below the ferrule - quite worrying but we'll see how this holds.

 Now adding this set to my current collection:

My First Ever Sigma Order!

I think I'm done with Sigma for the time being. :)

This is strange but does anyone else love the smell of new brushes? When you open new brushes from any brand at all, they all have that new-brush smell which I've realised I love. :) Or is it just me? ;)

Thank you for reading this entry, feedback is much loved and posts are up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Bookmark, subscribe or follow if you find the time. :)

Stay Beautiful! xx