Exploring My Collection : Face Brushes

Let me start by saying that I am no brush aficionado, but I have managed to put together quite a nice brush collection that meets my needs. Today I bring you my most used face brushes. These represent those that are beyond beautiful to touch and use. I do have a few others that I use, but did not make the cut for this edition for the hopes of some brevity. In compiling this collection I relied heavily on bloggers friends for recommendations, as well as those brush mad blogs that made me dive head first into this brush obsession. So here is a glimpse inside my collection. I hope you enjoy!

 Brushes Top to Bottom:

• Hakuhodo Kokutan Finishing LAG - A perfect mix of blue squirrel, goat and synthetic hairs has gone into the making of my perfect finishing brush. This super soft angled head sweeps away unwanted product and softens any harsh powder lines. The angle allows it to hug the contours of my face. I then go back in with a finishing powder to set, blur, perfect my makeup. The handle is ebony wood and comfortable to use. The synthetic hair help maintain the shape of this brush and support the natural hairs .
• Hakuhodo S103 -It has a beautiful vermillion handle which is a traditional japanese colour. I use this pointed goat brush primarily for powder and contouring. It does lay down a good amount of colour, so I need to go back with a clean flat shaped head brush to diffuse the contour. It can also be used for strong cheek colours, but I prefer it for a precise contour application or a sweep of finishing powder.
• Tom Ford Bronzing Brush - The Tom Ford Bronzing brush is a soft, dense goat hair creation. It is quite large, but it manages to place just the amount of bronzer on my cheeks. The density allows it to then buff the powder seamlessly into place.

• Bobbi Brown Powder Brush - One of my first higher end brushes, this has always been a workhorse brush. It is definitely not as soft as my Hakuhodo or Tom Ford Brushes, but does a suitable job when applying setting/finishing powders. I am not 100% sure of the natural hairs used and even when I ask the local BB SA's I get varied answers, so we will just call it Hair 'x'
• Bobbi Brown Cheek Brush - This came soon after my BB powder brush. It gives a pretty cheek that is not to strong or too soft. Natural hairs again of unknown origin. I have experienced no shedding with either of my BB brushes and they have maintained their shape for quite a few years.

Top to Bottom

• Hakuhodo G557 BkSl - A mix of Goat and polyester. An angled brush, with the synthetic hair slightly longer than the goat. I use this with my liquid foundations. it gives a fairly good finish, but does take time to create a flawless canvas.
• Hakuhodo J210 - This is a natural goat hair brush, which is good for small faces and a more precise application. The round head helps blend any harsh edges. It does produces a natural to strong colour so when using vivid colours such as Tom Ford Narcissus, rather use a less dense brush.
• Shu Uemura 20H. An angled cheek brush made with pony hair, which I tend to use for contouring as it does sit in the hollows quite well.
• Suqqu Cheek - Famous! This is best used with strong cheek colour to create a soft look. It is quite floppy and I do feel the need to go with a firmer brush to blend colour more.
• Tom Ford Cheek Brush - Tom Ford just does beautiful brushes. Dense goat hair once again. I should use this more often but tend to save it for 'special occasions. This is daft as it is my favourite cheek brush. A light tap into the blush, tap onto back of hand then onto cheeks - sheer bliss.

There you have it!
Any recommendations for my next brush acquisition?

Suqqu Bright Up Lipstick in Barairo 03

People who own a Suqqu lipstick adore their luxury texture. The Bright Up lipsticks were introduced with the summer collection and were brought in to replace the Creamy Glow stick. I had and loved a creamy glow stick in Tsuyazakura, but those who follow me on twitter will know I owned it for a measly 3 weeks before it went to 'lost sock' heaven. I then bought two Bright up lipsticks and today I bring you Barairo.

The texture of this lipstick is incomparable. It sits right up there with my Giorgio Armani and Burberry favourites, yet does feel different, It has a very creamy yet light feel on the lips. If you do own a Creamy Glow lipstick, the Bright Up has a slightly less silicone feel to it. The colour is pigmented, but has a life to it that leaves your lips looking moisturised and plump . Barairo is a pretty peach shade, with no shimmer. Wear time is what you would expect from a creamy lipstick, but it wears off gradually. A perfect shade to wear everyday.

What are you Holy Grail lipsticks?

Suqqu Spring 2013- Ex- 11 Sumiredama

Suqqu introduced 3 limited edition quads for Spring 2013. I leaned towards the Ex-11 as it darkest shade just intrigued and tugged at my inner grunge goddess - a deep plum with a green duo chrome which imparts a sooty lived-in effect. What surprised me most is how I am loving the other 3 shades in the compact as well.

Sumiredama is housed in a white pearlescent casing, which is different from their usual black.

The colours are all the same buttery smooth texture, with the same iridescence.
The top left shades is a pretty pale salmon. The taupe is duochrome and complex and unique to all the taupes in my own collection. It has the same green shade that is in the plum shade. The plum shade is a mix of plum and green duochrome that even in some light looks blue. The cream is fresh and perfect for blending the other shades and for highlighting the inner corner of your eyes.

Indoor with flash

Outdoors

This quad is quintessentially Japanese. Superior texture, iridescent, and beautifully pigmented. There is a lightness in the looks that you achieve with this palette that is the epitome of Japanese beauty.
My only minor gripe was longevity. I had good wear for about 6 hrs, then some fading. This palette is good for so many combinations. Here are but just a few:

LOOK ONE

LOOK ONE:

• Nars Smudgeproof primer
• Cream shade over whole lid, blended into and over the crease
• Plum shade in triangle shape in outer corner of eye
• Use Taupe shade to blend out Plum shade towards inner eye area
• Chantecaille Gel Liner pencil in Espresso into upper and lower lash line- blend
• Use given thin sponge applicator and apply taupe shade lightly into lower lash line
• Armani Eyes To Kill Excess mascara in Black

LOOK TWO

LOOK TWO :

• By Terry Hyaluronic Eye Primer over lid
• Pat Plum shade over whole lid stop in crease
• Extend Plum shade in direction of hairline into winged shape
• Take Salmon Shade and blend out Plum shade only from crease upwards
• Use Plum shade to lightly line lower lash line
• Cream shade dabbed onto tear duct area for illumination
• Armani Eyes to Kill Excess mascara in black
• Burberry in Pink Hydrangea lightly applied to cheeks
• Mac Lipglass from Archie Girls Collection in Mall Madness

LOOK TWO- FOTD

LOOK THREE

LOOK THREE:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion over lid area
• Taupe shade to whole lid blended into and slightly over the crease
• Plum shade use as liner on upper lashline blended and reapplied
• Plum shade blended on lower lash line to about 1/2 inwards towards inner eye
• Urban Decay 24/7 eye liner in Perversion onto waterline of lower lash
• Armani Eyes to Kill Excess mascara in black

Suqqu is really growing on me. I really like my previous Suqqu quad EX-07 Tsukiakari (reviewed here), but have falling head over heels for Sumiredama. At first glance the taupe shade of both quads look the same but are actually infinitely different. The salmon shade in Sumiredama is paler with more of a white undertone. These three looks are just the tip of the iceberg, and I am loving every minute exploring the possibilities. I bought this palette happily as I know I will use it often!


What are your favourite Japanese brands? Do you like the sheer, sparkly effect that most Japanese brands have?

Hi Friends. I would appreciate it if you could refrain fron including self- promoting links in your comments, as I then have to mark them as spam. I love to hear from you, but can only publish comments that adhere to the above. I am really forward to hearing from you all!

Suqqu Blend Colour Eyeshadow in Tsukiakari EX-07

Suqqu is another reason why my love affair with Japanese makeup has reached fever pitch. I decided to invest in my first Suqqu quad and chose the limited Tsukiakari from the Suqqu Fall /Winter 2012 collection. This palette is a lesson in restraint. Highly pigmented, refined, modern, versatile are the words that come to mind when trying to describe this eyeshadow quad. Let's let the picture do the talking.

*Sigh*

Ok, back to business. The Suqqu quad is housed in a sleek black case with Suqqu lasercut into it. Full size mirror for on the go application and 2 mini, double ended applicators - one with sponge tips, the other with brushes. These have varying lengths and shapes for lining and blending. Suqqu brushes are world renown for excellence and these are a little slice of heaven.

The top left shade is an iridescent pastel salmon pink. The top right is a deep taupe that can be blended out to be quite soft. These two colours layer beautifully together creating a new mauve-toned shade. The addition of the cream shadow is new for this palette. The lower bottom left shade is navy with micro glitter in a slightly lighter blue. The bottom right colur is winter white. The white be used on it's own, just with the navy as a liner. All the shades are buttery in texture and as easy as 1-2-3 to blend.

I have done comparison's of the taupe colour below. You can tell in the swatches that the Suqqu colour is more of a deeper, golden taupe with sparse micro glitter. The Burberry is lighter,  matte and has less mauve. Flash back has more of a grey undertone and has the most metallic quality and gorgeous micro glitter. RBR is most similar to Rosewood but with more iridescence.

L-R Suqqu Taupe, Burberry Rosewood, Addiction Flash back,
Rouge Bunny Rouge Solstice Halcyon

Suqqu Blend Colour eyeshades are silicone and amino-acid coated. These ingrediants are meant to increase wear time and help keep your lids healthy. The Suqqu ethos is to enhance you eye and bring out their natural beauty. This quad does this and more. The navy cream shadow gives this particular suqqu palette a moody edginess.

The Navy cream shadow can be used to line your eye or as an all over base to create a super cool lived- in look with the other shades blended over it. I did a daytime winged eyeshadow look, with the navy on the outer corners winged out slightly. The taupe I pressed into the outer corners as well and pulled it back into the centre of the lid. The pink I patted over the centre on the lid and then blended. You can then go back over the navy with a soft touch to add a bit of intensity. I dragged the navy softly under the lower lashline to bring it all together. Suqqu looked great by the end of the day and I detected no fading.

I bought my suqqu quad from Ichibanko.com. The lovely Kelly was very helpful and the shipping was super fast (I added expedited shipping). You do pay more for the palette, but since many high-end brands where I live have hyped up prices, I felt relatively comfortable doing so. Suqqu is sold through limited vendors throughout the world, and only hope that it becomes more accessible. This is a deluxe, beautifully made product and will be in heavy rotation through the coming months. Now onto pick out my next Suqqu quad.............

Which Suqqu quad is your favourite?