Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer and Manhattan 2in1 concealer and fixing powder

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer

Afer so many good reviews on blogs an YT I decided to try it out so I bought it few months ago.

I'm not a huge fan of undereye concealers, since I don't have much problems there, and foundation covers it all quite well. For comparison, Garnier Anti dark circkles roll-on works best for me. It is very thin consistency but it covers everything very well and it doesn't sink in my lines and tiny wrinkles.

Back to Maybelline. The whole idea of sponge applicator works great in theory but not so much in practice. When I use it, it applies to much product on my skin and it all goes to my wrinkles and makes them more visible. Basically it makes me look old.

I tried applying it with my fingers. I would squeeze out little product on the glass surface (by pressing the sponge applicator against the surface) and dab it on my skin, and that makes it look lot better.

Instruction says not to wash the sponge since it has anti-bacterial coating, simply whipe it off with some clean tissue. I rubbed and squeezed everything out after every use. But still the thought that there's concealer in the sponge for days just sitting there ( I didn't use it very often) and I would put that near my eyes wasn't appealing at all, specially since my eyes got really sensitive lately.

After weeks of not using this concealer, I decided to try it one more time. I removed the sponge to wash it and it was full of product even after cleaning it acording to their instructions. And since it's useless I won't be reattaching it back.
It's lot simpler just to squeeze out small amount directly to a glass surface and apply it where needed.

Since the opening is lot more exposed to air, before using the product I first squeeze small amount that I wipe off, and then I squeeze the amount that I use on my undereye area.

Concealer it's self isn't that bad. I gives good coverage and lightens the area, but I'm not to crazy about it and I won't be repurchasing again, even if it came in different packaging.



Manhattan 2in1 concealer and fixing powder

Picture was taken from another source

I was very interested in this concealer since it came out, but there was no reviews and no testers in the store so I avoided buying it :).
Recently store got the testers, and after trying it out I bought Warm Beige shade.
Consisency is very creamy but light, it goes on smooth and blends well, and you don't need much. It gives medium coverage but it's buildable.

I like the concealer part a lot, it is light but covers well, specially the redness and imperfections and it doesn't make my pores more visible. I don't like it on my undereye area, it covers well but sinks in my lines after a while.

Fixing powder is very light, silky and smooth, but to me it's useless. If I use it to set concealer under my eyes, it gets really cakey and you can see my wrinkles (that are not normally visible) a mile away :D.
I used fluffy synthetic brush (Elf Bamboo blending brush) to dust it lightly over concealer.

As for other areas, it does set the concealer nicely, but it can make dry areas more visible. Since I would use loose powder to set my foundation anyway I have no use for it.

Avon Planet spa Shea butter Luxurious face soufflé

I'm not crazy about Avon, but I do love some of their products, like Planet spa line.
I bought this cream recently.
My skin is usually oily, but last few months it's got so dry, rough and flaky and usual face creams didn't work any more.
So I decided to try this one cause I liked the scent :).

Avon says, it will regenerate your skin and give it shine. You can use it both morning and evening.
Package contains 75 ml/2.5 oz.

At first, when I got it, I was baffled because it has pearl shine in the container. I was thinking who would want to look so shiny.

Souflle has odd consistency, like thick lotion, but almost fluffy. It's very light, you need very little of it and it absorbs quickly and leaves no tackiness or shine, yaaaay :D.

What I love about this cream is my face feels so soft and silky. All creams make my skin soft and smooth, but not like this one, and it stays like that all day (I normally only put creams in the evening).
Also my undereye area is smooth, nourished and I have no need for undereye cream.

Foundation goes on the face like a dream, and I don't have to use cream or primer before.
I tried applying souflle before foundation to see how long it will last, and if my face's gonna get shinny and oily and how fast. Foundation lasted same as it would normally.
Also, once I put foundation on, my pores are less visible.

Souflle has light shea buttery scent. It smells wounderfull to me, but it might bother some people. Luckily it doesn't linger to long.

It doesn't have SPF, so that can be a problem for most people. And since it's such light consistency, maybe it won't be nourishing enough for very dry skin. But you can apply additional layer where needed, it will absorb and won't flake.

I still need to test it during summer but for now I love it. And it's perfect cause I don't need 3 creams (day, night, undereye), I have all I need in this one.

Coastal Scents Synthetic 7-piece travel brush set

Source: www.crownbrush.us

Last month Coastal Scents had a 50% off sale on some products, one of them was this new travel brush set. I just had to have it :).

Regular price for this set is 24, 95$, and that is too much and I would never buy it at that price. But with 50% off sale, and additional offer of 5$ off when you buy over 20$, price came to 9,95 $.
Shipping costs were quite hight (11,39$) but even with shipping it was still a a bargin.
I checked the CS page and they remove the set  but, since CS is reselling Crown brushes, you can buy this set directly from them.

I already have few brushes from synthetic line so I knew what to expect and I wasn't dissapointed.
All brushes are dense and bristles are super soft.

Set consists of 7 pieces: powder brush, blush brush, doe foot angled shadow brush, tappered shadow brush, concealer brush, angled liner brush and mascara spoolie.

They come in a canvas bag that has 2 pockets for brushes, and additional zipper pouch for makeup. Dimensions of the bag are aprox. 6" x 3,5" and brush dimensions vary from 3,7" to 4,7" so it will fit in any bag.

Given the fact that all brushes are synthetic, they can be used for both liquid and powder products and there's no need to clean them when you switch from one consistency to another. You can apply liquid foundation and move to pressed powder right away.
Also, this brushes are all multipurpose, so you basically get lot more then 6 brushes.



Powder brush

Left Sephora #45, right CS powder brush

It is rather small, slightly larger compared to my favorite powder brush (Sephora Mineral foundation brush #45) that I use for everything. It is also less dense then sephora brush, but I actually like CS powder brush better. Bristles are lot softer and more flexible compared to sephora brush.
It can be used for applying powders, blushes and liquid/cream foundations. It blends like a dream, smooth and comletely seamless.
Handle is short but it fits nicely in the hand and it's easy to use.




Blush brush

Top: powder brush, bottom blush brush



Left: blush brush, right: powder brush

It's smaller and more tappered than powder brush. It can be used for application od blushes, highlight, bronzers and for contouring. It can be used for foundation ad well, but because it's so small it takes longer. Just like powder brush, it fits nicely in the hand, and deppending how you hold it you can achieve stronger or more sheer application.




Concealer brush

CS concealer brush, Abbamart narrow precision concealer, Studio basics concealer, Ecotools concealer brush

CS concealer brush, CS black precision detail brush

Small and thin brush, with very firm but flexible bristles. It has pointed tip for more precise application, so it's pefect for applying concealer on spots and blemishes. It can be used for undereye concealer but it takes time to blend. It can also be used for detail work, like applying eyeshadow in inner corner. And it works as a lip brush.



Doe foot angled shadow brush

Left CS doefoot shadow brush, Sigma E25

Angled cut brush on one side, flat on the other. Bristles are firm but flexible. It's medium size so it will be good for all eyelids. Can be used for both cream and powder eyeshadows. It pick up ES very well and there's little or no fallout.
Another versatile brush. Depending how you turn it, it can be used for shadow packing all over the lid, for creating outer "v", for applying ES in the crease, or for blending on lower lid.
I don't like the handle lenght, I wish it was longer. It definitely takes some time getting used to.




Tappered shadow brush

CS crease brush, Sigma E30, CS black pointed crease, Oriflame mineral shadow brush, CS large pencil/crease

My favorite brush in this set. I wish CS would make full size version or sell this brush separately. Bristles are very dense and firm, but so soft. It's rounded and tappered at the top.
It's intended for blending and boy does it blend :D. You can also use it for applying highlight under the brow, and for blending undereye concealer, both cream and powder.



Angled liner brush

Ecotools angled liner brush, CS, Essence liner brush

Can be used for gel/cream liners or brow filling. Brush is very thin with stiff bristles which enables precise application, but it's little wide.
I'm not happy with short handle, I personally prefer long handle, which gives me more balance and control. So I use this brush more like a pushliner brush, instead of dragging line across the lid.



Mascara spoolie

Basic mascara spoolie. I use it for brow grooming.

All in all, this is very good travel and everyday set.  Price is rather high for travel set, but with various sales and discounts it is afforable. It holds all basic brushes you will need, and they're all multipurpose.