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Koyudo – grey squirrel brush set – first impressions

In the following pictures you will notice that except for 2 brushes I had already similar options in my collection so I didn’t need the full set really. When I saw that CDJapan released it and I wasn’t sure if I had to splurge. I was tempted of course but with my Japan trip arriving and the problems with our dog, my car, etc I was going to skip it. Lucky me, CDJapan appreciates that I contributed in a way to their international renown so they sometimes give me a discount or a free sample. I didn’t get this set for free, but I got a big discount, how could I say no ??

It’s a huge amount of money for a make up brush set, even though it’s an ultimate one, you still have to be very motivated and really love brushes to get it.  The great news is that they give their customers the possibility to get the brushes individually.

I picked it up at the PO this morning, opened the parcel while my BF was driving, I was patting them during 40mn until I finally arrived at work, he kept giving the look “More brushes???” and I kept giving him my innocent happy look back. Every time he asked me “When will you have enough brushes?”  He always got the same reply in return “How could I know…?! ” but today he finally understood that this day is far, far away…

In order to be able to take the pictures with their after-wash shape, I washed them during my break at work, then let them dry in a corner… Today my close colleagues know what my secret passion is, they kept on asking me why I was going to Japan so at the end I confessed. However, they do not suspect the magnitude of my obsession so pssschhhhhht!!!!…

koyudoset

This set contains 8 brushes, they come with a pouch and in a wooden box. If you hop to this link, you will see the description of the contents and the details of the brushes, material, price and size. They are all made with grey squirrel hair except for the lip brush (Siberian weasel), and the eyebrow (water badger). I will show you what I received in the set but just remember they mention the pouch can change.

Sizes in cm :

Brushes Full length Hair length Base of ferrule Ferrule (sideways) Widest point Widest point (sideways)
Finishing 16,5 5 2,8 1,5 5 3
Powder 16,5 5 1,8 1,8 4 4
Cheek 16 3,7 2 1 3 2
Eyeshadow L 14,2 1,8 1,2 0,4 1,5 0,7
Eyeshadow M 14 1,5 0,8 0,3 1 0,5
Eyeshadow S 14,2 1,5 0,4 0,4 0,5 0,5
Eyebrow 13 0,6 0,5 0,2 0,5 0,2
Lip 11,5 1 0,5 0,3 0,5 0,3

I won’t go into much details, these are basically just first impressions since I just got them but I think you may currently be a little bit excited by this release and some pics may already help you decide if that could be something you may desire. You may need to wait to get them, they are hand made and they have a small production site.

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Posted by  |  May 14, 2013 | Categories: Brands, Brushes | Tags: | 58 Comments »

Serge Lutens Eye Shadow palette #2

Here it is…

The new Serge Lutens eyeshadow #2 is a lavender-purple-grey-cool-toned palette that offers 4 eyeshadows with similars tones but in a gradient intensity. They range from a very sheer, nearly white, lavender to a very dark grey with tiny micro lavender sparkles.

Although I find this palette a bit boring, unless you love lavender cool tones, the quality is once more outstanding.

There is something about Serge Lutens eyeshadow textures that make them stand out from the crowd, not only because of their price but the finish is truly different, they grab onto the skin with more precision and it feels like the pigmentation they leave on your eyelids comes from underneath the skin, you’ll get less transfer in your final look and when it fades, it fades in an even and sultry way.

slutens

Compared to the old SL palette that I highly prefer, this new palette contains shimmery colors, my only problem with it is that it’s a bit too flat and not very appropriate for me, but maybe I am missing something, since I have no other information, no example looks, no instructions, I don’t know if I should use it the way I use it. I have tried several looks and came to the conclusion that lavender is not that flattering for me. I will share my thoughts with you today.

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Posted by  |  May 11, 2013 | Categories: Brands, Serge Lutens | Tags: | 21 Comments »

Serge Lutens blush #2

I recently placed an order with Serge Lutens, I received my parcel with the Blush #2 and the Teint si Fin in shade B40 refils. How can you not love the quote :

Choosing to be yourself is not without its perils.

Thank you for taking the risk with us.

Is it a risk ?  Serge Lutens are statement products, often very bold therefore I admit that in a way, it’s a risk for me specially when I am wearing their “Mise à Mort” lipstick, feeling a bit out of my comfort zone with that one but enjoying every minute of it.

sergeorder

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Posted by  |  May 11, 2013 | Categories: Brands, Serge Lutens | Tags: , , | 17 Comments »

Make up brushes make the news in NYC

Dear brush lovers !

Just a tiny post to share a wonderful article that appeared recently in the New York Times about Chikuhodo and Mr Takemori.

This link has been sent to me by Malin, she knows how much I love Chikuhodo and Kumano and since not many of us have access to this newspaper, I thought I will link it here for you.

I think many of you are interested to learn a bit more about the origins of the brand that makes so many wonderful brushes. Below is an example of some of the brushes they manufacture but they are also responsible for Kanebo, Etreindre, La Donna and possibly many more.

chikuhodo

 

Needless to say that since I will be in Kumano very shortly, I will share many pictures with you during my trip.

Have a wonderful rest of the week ! :)

 

 

Posted by  |  May 1, 2013 | Categories: Brands, Chikuhodo | Tags: , | 50 Comments »

Day -29, just some news…

Last week it was my birthday, my BF had asked me what I wanted to do that day and what present would make me happy. My answer cut straight to the point : “Take me shopping and buy me a few little things to wear, maybe tops or shoes ? That’s would be really perfect !” :P And so he did.

I actually needed something cute and easy to wear and also some elegant shoes for work, we went shopping in Geneva then ate in an Asian all-you-can-eat buffet. At night we watched movies while eating marshmallows and cakes ! It’s not that extraordinary for some, it’s a simple birthday but that was a perfect day for me ! I enjoyed it so much ! By the way, thank you for your wishes ! It was amazing to receive so many little messages, I had a huge smile on my face the whole day !

The presents : he got me a few little tops, easy to wear and fun, I found them at Zara, got this in pink, this in green and that in green too ! We didn’t find the shoes that day, I was trying a few but some were not comfortable enough to wear for work (but I still wanted high heals…). Yesterday we finally found them, here they are, what do you think?

shoes

 

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Posted by  |  April 28, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | 40 Comments »

Koyudo Fu-Pa14

Another gorgeous Koyudo temptation that I wasn’t sure I wanted to order at first, I read it wasn’t only grey squirrel but a blend with some soft goat hair, however, this brush doesn’t feel like goat hair at all.  I don’t often use powder foundation so I wasn’t sure this was an useful brush for me but at the end I still decided to get it…

It costs around 60$ and AGAIN, it’s totally worth every penny ! Such a lovely surprise !! The quality is absolutely outstanding, I am in awe and so will you…

fupa14_2

It is as soft as the Chikuhodo Z-series (I can’t feel much difference to be honest), it’s densely packed, absolutely no flaws, it’s flat(ish) -very slightly rounded as you can see in the pic-  and covers a wide surface at the top, approx 4cm of diameter.  The handle is short, black and the ferrule golden, the black part has little green sparkles inside, I can’t stop contemplating and patting this work of art…

I thought it would be very similar to the Chikuhodo Z-1, it is in terms of softness and hair quality but it’s more dense and short, the goat hair must be so little quantity that it just feels like there isn’t at all. The application of powder foundation with this brush is out of this world, it does the work so softly and evenly, so far I think there is no other better powder foundation application than with this Fu-Pa14, efficiency and enjoyment guaranteed !

When I apply powder foundation, I don’t apply a heavy coverage, the finish I like is sheer to medium. I have tried this brush with the Mac Mineralize Skinfinish, it picks the product really well, one swirl is enough, you have to tap off the excess just a bit, you apply and then reapply if you want more coverage. I will try it also with mineral loose powders, for now I didn’t had the chance yet but it does a better job at covering than the Z-1, because it’s flatter and denser so the process will be faster too.

I also tried it with bronzer (TF Terra), I tap off the excess on the back of my hand and I apply in the forehead, cheeks, I cannot see any lines around the application and it doesn’t look muddy but I apply it softly anyway.

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Posted by  |  April 26, 2013 | Categories: Brands, Brushes, Koyudo, Reviews | Tags: | 32 Comments »

Koyudo Fan H013

This is probably one of the biggest brush temptations I could show you before my trip to Japan, I hope I will be able to find unique little brushes to bring with me !

Today my review will be brief and I am not going to talk for hours because the pictures speak for themselves, I just simply think that if you love beautiful make up brushes, you need this one.

This Koyudo Pink fan has been sitting in my shopping cart for ages, it was one of the first Koyudo brushes that captured my attention but for some silly reason I was always removing it from my cart before I placed my orders. This time I decided to order it together with the Fu-Pa14. This fan costs 4500 JPY, it is worth every penny, made with baby goat chest hair, yes it’s soft, not as soft as the Koyudo White Mushroom, but it comes very close to the Tom Ford brushes.

koyudoh013_2

I can’t even believe that I was so excited to wake up this morning so that I could use it ! We need enthousiasm in our lives right ? Funny to believe that this brush helps me to get out of bed in the morning :D

That’s how crazy I am …

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Posted by  |  April 26, 2013 | Categories: Brands, Brushes, Koyudo | Tags: | 40 Comments »

Beauty and the Packaging

During the past years I have been utterly seduced by beautiful high-end products and innovative packaging designs, I splurge with the idea of using all of them although clearly I won’t manage to use up everything !

I did rave about these products in the past but there is also a dark side to them that I sometimes only notice afterwards, when facing a more intense daily usage.  If I didn’t care about the product itself, I would simply not repurchase it. However, the items I will show you below are items that I will repurchase no matter what -providing I can still find them and I can afford it- because the product is so good that I am ok to compromise and I will find a way to live with the inconvenience incurred. But, love doesn’t always need to come with pain !!! so if there is any way for the Companies to neutralize this pain, I certainly encourage it ! :)

The purpose of this post is to :

  • share some tips and tricks in case you are experiencing the same situation with similar products, if you do and you have some advice please also share back with us!
  • marketing teams are sometimes scanning for reviews or for feedback from customers, if you have an opinion on these items, either agree or disagree, please also kindly share !

Below some incriminated products that make me question their design, you may recognize some of them  :

allitems

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Posted by  |  April 25, 2013 | Categories: Armani, Brands, Ellis Faas, Le Metier de Beaute, Nars, Rae Morris, Rouge Bunny Rouge, Serge Lutens | 46 Comments »

Evgeny make up brushes

After a marathon schedule at work, finally good news : a two-day break with sunny weather ahead and a brand new discovery to share !

evgenycosmetics

You may remember my recent  post about Serge Lutens, when I was researching for Serge Lutens style looks I found this article about Evgeny, it was the first time I read about him but if he has Serge Lutens as an icon, he can only be good, right ? Right.

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Posted by  |  April 13, 2013 | Categories: Brands, Brushes, Evgeny Cosmetics | Tags: , , , | 130 Comments »

The Power of Makeup, my thoughts

When I started to be seriously interested in makeup and beauty products I never thought it would come with the whole package : new amazing friends, new creativity challenges and more fun, but sometimes telling your friends you are passionate about  makeup can be seen as “inappropriate for your age“, “shallow“, or “pointless“, I had this kind of conversation more than once :

“What do you do on your free time?“
..this, that and I have a beauty/makeup blog“
“oh…. really ? you don’t look like that kind of woman…“
“hmmm and what would that particular kind be ?”

There is a sudden embarrassing silence, then I stop their agony and change subject before they have a stroke…   Maybe I don’t match the “beauty model magazine” standards, or can you not enjoy makeup after you reached a certain age ?? Ok,  I don’t wear a killer smokey eye on a daily basis but make up is not only intended for runways or movies and it’s not only meant to make you look fake and superficial, I just want to have fun and use it to make me look healthier, glamorous, yet natural.

I receive many emails from women in their 40+ who would like to start using make up but who just don’t know where to start. Unfortunately I am no professional, all I know I got it from talking to make up artists or to sales assistants at the beauty counters, getting advice from Youtube gurus and watching nice and useful videos so if I can manage a nice make up look, you definitely can.

My needs were different some years ago, now I focus more on anti-ageing tutorials and products more adapted to mature skin. It depends what you are expecting from makeup, just make you feel better ? more confident ? younger ? fresher ? desirable ? or just conceal a few flaws ?  Lisa Eldridge gives great advice on her channel so just try Youtube and search for what you want to do and try it for yourself.  Tammy is a sweetheart, I just recently discovered her channel, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before,  a great resource for anti-ageing advice and she is so fun to watch. If you know of any other gurus that give anti-ageing tips, please share !

I will be 42 in 2 weeks therefore today I am simply trying to achieve an enhanced version of me, a fresher and healthier one, exactly like Wayne says here. I cannot pull off strong and heavy makeup looks at my age but I can still look sexy with a smokey eye, there is a beautiful and hot smokey eye for everyone, it’s just a matter of getting to know your features, choosing the appropriate products for you and using efficient make up tools also helps a lot, it takes time but it’s so worth it.

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Posted by  |  April 8, 2013 | Categories: Armani, Brands, By Terry, Chanel, Chantecaille, Edward Bess, Ellis Faas, Guerlain | 86 Comments »

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