November Favorites

Hello again readers!

It's still so strange that I'm not working at the Haunt anymore, since it ended on November 7. It seems so long ago, and even though I've seen some friends from work since then, I miss them all terribly.

Aside from that, I've been working on getting my skin back under control. I've had my cystic acne come up to a head in places, and while it's still really bad, it's getting better. A lot of my makeup choices have been reflecting on that.

Elf Lip Balm Tint – Peach:

I've been just wanting simple lip looks lately, and since it's getting drier out might as well use a balm-tint. Peach is such a nice shade for daily wear because it's not too dramatic, but adds a nice flush of warm color to the lips.

Blackbird Cosmetics – Subtract:

If you don't know by now I am obsessed with grey-toned contour shades for my face. Subtract is a true matte grey that can be very subtle or very intense depending on how much pigment I pack on my face. It looks really natural and makes me feel really great about my makeup.

Metal Makeup Palette:

I picked this up from Ebay quite a while ago and just, never used it. Recently since I've had to mix in white foundation I've gained appreciation for it. It's a lot easier to put my foundation on this palette instead of on the back of my hand. It's a lot more hygienic as well as easier to clean up – I don't have to clean up immediately and it's better to forget to sanitize and wipe down the plate, compared to the back of my hand. Less embarrassing this way.

Nivea Men Post-Shave Balm for Sensitive Skin:

I didn't like this before, but I'm converted now. I used it before exclusively on areas on my body that I shave (it's fantastic for that) and tried it on my face as a primer a couple of times, and hated it. I recently tried it again since with all of this extra acne fighting it's been drying out the areas riddled with the acne. With fall moving onto winter, I can see this as being my go-to primer because it helps with keeping in a bit of moisture as well as keeping my makeup in place.

L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation – 101 Classic Ivory:

My initial thought was this foundation was going to be too dark, but no. Mixed with a white mixer and blended in, the foundation looks pretty damn perfect. It has a light to medium coverage, and every time I use this, I am just smitten with how good my skin looks. It doesn't cover up major imperfections, and lets my freckles show through, but it evens out my skin tone making it look really healthy.

Mario Badescu – Buffering Lotion:

I brought out the big guns this month. This is such a powerful product for taking down acne. I put some on after I wash my face before bed, and let it do it's magic. It dries out those spots a lot (so if you have dry skin, beware), but it helps take out the impurities in my skin. I'm really grateful for it because in the past month since work let out it cut the amount of cystic acne on my chin by half. 

Fyrinnae Lip Lustre – Ominous:

I'm so in love with this product still. It's the perfect dark lip, without being too deep. A violet-toned grey lipstick. It feels great, and even with being so creamy, it doesn't really smudge much, just starts to fade on my inner lips. It's such a fantastic product, Fyrinnae really knocked these out of the park.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick – Taupe:

I took forever to really get use out of this product. I use this as a base for other shadows, or when I'm lazy I just smudge this all over the lids for a grunge look and blend it out. It looks like I put a lot of effort into my look, without taking much time at all. Perfect if you're lazy like me.

Softlips – Vanilla:

This is back yet again, but for a slightly different reason than last month. I've been going through my makeup, getting a feel for the products that I like, and the products that just don't work for me anymore. When you're swatching about 100 lipsticks you can use as much help as you can get.

House of Uni Lipstick – Fountain of Lust:

I have been loving this lipstick. It takes a little work, because it fades in the middle rather quickly, but working with it makes it worth it. It's beautiful, it's pigmented, and just such a unique color. I didn't have anything like it in my collection and couldn't help but add it.

Thanks for reading!

Sonia Kashuk Color Crazed 10 Piece Brush Set

Hello again readers!

I recently picked up the Sonia Kashuk Color Crazed 10 Piece Brush set from Target since it's on sale, and I was so happy to have found it! Once I saw that they released blue/teal brushes, I couldn't resist! Since I loved the last brush set so much, once I had the opportunity to get this one, I snatched it right up and since then I've been testing them out in various ways, and I'm pleased to be able to do this review finally after so much trial.

Like the 15th Anniversary Brush set, this set has the gold design on them at well giving them a regal and luxurious look. They all have a weight to them and the quality of these brushes is really good. I don't have to worry about them breaking easily, and all of the bristles have stayed in place after the initial washing.

Since the bristles are dyed you have to wash these before using these. It's a little scary washing them and seeing all of that blue dye start swirling down the drain, but it doesn't make the bristles look any less vibrant.

The bristles are all incredibly soft and I loved how they felt on my face. Using these is a delight, and there are quite a few that I've been reaching for over the past set.

Domed Powder Brush

Unlike the other powder brushes I have, this one has a pointed edge. I was expecting to hate this on principle because I thought for sure it wouldn't give me enough coverage when I would go to powder my face and I was pleasantly surprised. The pointed edge allows me to easily set my under-eye concealer as well getting into the nooks and crannies of my face (mainly around my nose!) without much effort. Even though it has a pointed tip, the bristles splay out and it doesn't hinder the speed of powder application for the rest of my face. 

Frankly, I found I liked reaching for this brush over all of my others for touch ups, because it let me add extra powder to my oily t-zone, while avoiding the areas with less oil buildup so I didn't look cakey by the end of the day.

Flat Blusher Brush

I've used this blusher brush for quite a few things: applying basic blush, for applying baked blush, for blending out liquid/cream blushes.

The smaller shape of this, makes the application of blush more precise and packs on the pigment. It can get overwhelming very easily, so it's best to start off with just a little bit of pigment and work up to more instead of doing what I did the first time and just doing my usual routine (it did not work in my favor on that day).

I still prefer fluffier blusher brushes over this one.

Synthetic Buffing Brush

I was fully prepared to hate this. I never really reached for the other one much, but paired with the synthetic foundation brush,  I actually enjoyed it. It buffed out my foundation and concealer easier than I expected, and even with the odd shape, it still managed to reach the areas around my nose without too much trouble. I still prefer flat-top buffers over this, but this one isn't bad.

Angled Contour Brush

I can't get enough of straight-edged contour brushes! I was really happy to see this included because I really love how easy it is to carve out the cheekbones, and contour the nose. The shape makes the line a little easier to apply than a flat-top contour brush, and I was really thankful for that. The bristles aren't super dense, so I put the line down, and then sort of turn the brush in an angle so I can blend it out. If I want super sharp cheekbones, I'll reach for this.

Synthetic Foundation Brush

Generally I hate these sorts of brushes but after working at the Haunt, I've found a new appreciation for them. I really like this for mixing foundations and then painting it onto my face, letting me blend it only a little bit before going in with a buffing brush to spread the foundation out and blend it into my skin. As a one-step foundation brush, these suck, but as a prepping foundation brush, I like them. Funny how thoughts change over time.

Large Eyeshadow Brush

Always pleased to have new fluffy eyeshadow brushes. I use this full a full wash of color all over my lid, either for prepping for eye looks, or if I'm going for a one-color eyeshadow look. It's easy to use, easy to pack on the color, and easy to blend out shadows. Really nice eyeshadow brush.

Crease Brush

I wasn't too wild with this one, unless I use this to put down a crease shade to start off my eye looks. If I use this to put in shadow after I put down my lid shade, I find that it's too thick to get the look I want. I don't reach for it much for my eye looks, but I like this for also contouring the sides of my nose, or if I'm having a masculine day, to contour around my eyes.

Synthetic Concealer & Lip Brush

These brushes are always useful for covering up spots, defining the brows, or even fixing eyeshadow mistakes, because these synthetic brushes and concealer were just made for each other. Thought to try to use this brush for my lips too; and I loved it. The brush is thick enough that it makes easy sweeps of color over the lips, and the pointed tip lets me line my lips with the color making the application look even and polished. Really a shining diamond in the rough, and an unexpected favorite.

Bent Eyeliner Brush

I love this brush. No, I mean I LOVE this brush. This makes the most beautiful, sharp wings and allows me to get to my inner corners with ease. I used this brush to try out the new Colourpop Gel Liners, and it was like a match made in heaven.  

Lash and Brow Groomer

This is another brush that I feel like everyone should have at least one of in their collection. To brush through brows to get them to lay right, to sheer out brow color, and to brush through lashes to separate them after applying mascara. This little tool is super handy, and does so much with so little. 

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All in all, I was really pleased with the entire collection of brushes in this set. I used all of them, and I know I'll continue to use almost all of them often. It was well-rounded and well thought out.

Thanks for reading!

2015 Empties #3

Hello again readers!

This post of empties has so much more than I usually include. I went through some things, and wanted to get rid of things that went bad too. I went through all of my hair products, and makeup, and it was a little ordeal. I'm glad to finally get these out of my life so I can make room for the new.

Hair

Got2B Rockin' It Dry Conditioner – Old:

A good idea, but just wasn't for me. I have fine, wavy hair that just doesn't need so much extra conditioning added. If I add too much my hair gets really oily and gross. So I like the idea of this product but I really hated actually using it.

Not Your Mothers Clean Freak Dry Shampoo – Empty:
I really liked this at first. The smell is clean, and a little masculine, and it did make my hair look clean. The issue I had with this, is that it left behind a residue that never went away, no matter how well I brushed it out. I have rather light hair, so I didn't notice a white cast, but when I would run my fingers through my hair it would pick up some of the residue and just leave my hands feeling dirty.

Lusti Natruals Argan Oil – Old:

Same issue with the spray conditioner, I just didn't need this much moisture in my hair! I know this would work on other hair types, just didn't work for me. I barely used this at all.

Loreal Studio Hair Gel – Old:

I'm really bummed about this product because I LOVED the L'Oreal Paris Studio line ... can you even get them anymore? They smell so good, and worked so well for my hair. I still have a couple of products that are still going strong though, and I'm going to be crushed when they're gone for good ...

Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Smoothing Milk – Old:

 I remember when I used this all of the time in High School (not this exact bottle). I used it all day long to keep my  hair frm being frizzy, but my hair was an oily wreck and this did not help things. It didn't suit my hair at all but it was nostalgic to find this in the cabinet.

Got2B Glossy Shine Serum – Old:

This stuff is such a cute little product with a similar effect as the Garnier Smoothing Milk. This added shine to your hair making it look super hydrated and healthy. It was really easy to go overboard with this product too and I only used it when I had longer hair. I really liked this product for when I would do zombie/monster looks, because it made my hair look super unwashed and oily without any effort at all! To each their own I suppose. Unless I'm going to be doing looks like that again (perhaps next scare season!) I don't see myself buying this again.

Got2B Glued Hair Gel – Old:

I used to use this when I had shorter hair in the back, but I never really liked it. It would be great if you liked short, spiky hair (or if you didn't want your hair to move at all) but I always hated wearing it. It made my hair feel hard, crunchy, and really dry. It was a pain to remove too.

Face

So Fresh So Clean Deep Cleansing Nose Strips – Empty*

T.N.Dickinsons Witch Hazel – Empty*

SkinNutritions Facial Cleanser – Empty:

This is one of those cleansers that just soak up everything on your skin – including the good oils! I have oily skin and though I like my skin feeling clean I don't like it feeling "squeaky" clean. I like to have some natural oils still in my skin to keep it from acting up or getting dehydrated. This just didn't work out for me at all!

Daiso Charcoal Peel-Off Mask – Empty*:

I had my friend Ani pick me up another tube of then when she went to Japan, I really love it! I can use it all over my face, or just in my problem areas for a nice little extra. I don't use it too often, since I don't want to wreck my skin, but once every two weeks or so I'll put some of this on and just let it work it's magic.

Equate Oil-Free Makeup Remover – Empty*:

I haven't found a better makeup remover out there. This was the real MVP when I was a scare actor, as it removed fake blood, helped loosen up latex, removed waterproof mascara and liner, and even removed lash glue! What a fantastic bottle of magic!

St. Ives Apricot and Green Tea Facial Scrub – Empty*:

I tried both, and I think I'm going to be buying a large tube of the green tea. It really helped when I had a build-up of blackheads on my nose and helped calm my skin down a little. I really loved how gritty it was and out of the two of them, this was my favorite.

Mario Badescu Oil-Free Moisturizer SPF 17 – Empty:

This was okay. I don't see myself ever buying a full-size of this product, because I have better facial moisturizers with sun screen in them. Hell, I would rather just wear a foundation with spf in it. It was really thick and oily, and just left my skin feeling suffocated.

T.N.Dickinsons Witch Hazel Cleansing Cloths – Empty:

These are great if you're traveling. Saturated soft cloths soaked in witch hazel. Easy to pull out and use. I cut them into four squares, because an entire cloth is too big so I can get 100 uses out of it. Which, if you're going somewhere and can't take a large bottle of Witch Hazel with you, this is probably a better alternative.

Lips

L'Oreal Color Riche Balm – Laze in the Maze and Legaly Regal – Empty:

These were nice sheer colors, but I wasn't blown away with either of them. Legally Regal was nice, but a bit too white-toned for my liking, and Laze in the Maze was just too bright of a pink for me. A nice soft, hydrating formula though.

Revlon Lip Butter – Gumdrop – Old:

I'm really sad I can't get another tube of this. I really loved the cool-toned lavender look on my lips. It was so cute!

NYX Round Lipstick – Minimalism – Old

Maybelline Color Whipser Oh La Lilac – Empty:
Nothing blew me away with this product. It was a sheer wash of color, but that's all it delivered.

LUSH Popcorn Lip Scrub – Old*

Fyrinnae Lip Lustre – Dragon's Blood, Pygmy Hippo, and Winter Romance – Empty*:

I already have full-sizes of Pygmy Hippo and Winter Romance, and if you even think you're going to like a color, just go for the full-size, it's better worth your money. I used these maybe for a week straight each, and then ran out of product. Full-sizes will get you through what feels like a lifetime.

Eyes

NYX Gel Eyeliner and Smudger – Teal, Cobalt Blue, and Jet Black – Old:

All of these just, dried up. I never was super fond of them, save the Cobalt Blue shade. They were okay, without being waterproof or smudge proof. Aside from that, they did last quite a long time, and through an eight hour long day, which is what most of us need from an eyeliner. I wasn't wild about these, and I was thinking of re-buying the Cobalt Blue and Teal ones, but you can't get these on the Ulta website, just on the NYX website, and they raised the price of these. I could have sworn I remembered getting these when they were only about six dollars ... Oh well.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Bad to the Bronze and Seashore Frost – Old*

Maybelling Color Tattoo Tough as Taupe – Empty*

Essence Gel Liner – Miami Ink – Old

Miscellaneous 

Wet n Wild Silent Treatment Trio – "Empty":
I just buy this trio for the cool-toned taupe shade at the bottom. Well, it shattered, so I depotted it into another container and I'm throwing away the rest of the trio since I have no use for it.

ELF High Definition Undereye Setting Powder – Empty*:

This product is fantastic for setting the under eye area. I'm not wild about the glitter (if they took the glitter out, it'd be PERFECT) so it could be improved, but it sets my under eye concealer so quickly without looking cakey and drying the area out that I love to use it!

Real Techniques Beauty Sponge – Old:

I really loved this sponge. Blended out my foundation with ease, and never left too much product to settle on the skin. I didn't use it all the time since I still prefer brushes, but when I wanted a very natural look, I would reach for this one. I haven't decided if I'm going to buy a new one or not, since I have some new sponges I wanted to try out first.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer – Fair – Empty*:
I already bought a new one, since I couldn't live without this product. It has such a strange peach/grey tone to it, that I can't get enough. It doesn't highlight my under eye, just brightens it only a little (it's practically my skin tone) and it blends into my foundation seamlessly. Really enjoy how easy it is to use this product.

NYX HD Concealer – 02 Fair – Empty*:

Really love this concealer. It matches my skin tone, it's easy to blend, and with medium coverage. Haven't gotten around to purchasing a new one quite yet, but after I'm done trying out a couple other ones I know I'll snatch one up soon.

NYC Smooth Skin Sunny Bronzer – Old:

This product ended up getting hard pan. No matter how much I would rub and scrape, I'd use it once and it'd harden all over again. I did have it for quite a while, and although it was a nice matte product, it was too orange for my tastes. I won't be buying a new one.

"DarlingGirl Cosmetics Greyicious Lilac" – Empty*:

I have the quote around what's actually in the little baggie, because technically, this baggy is for Notoriously Morbid's Necromancy Blusher, which I put into the Greyicious Lilac container for easier use. I did use up the Greyicious Lilac powder, and I LOVED it. I bought a full-sized to continue to use, just have to finish up Necromancy first!

My Pretty Zombie Cosmetics Dr. Pickles' Miraculous Beauty Dust – Empty:

I was really confused, because when I first got this product, I swore up and down it was an eyeshadow that was just terrible quality. Only to find out that it never swatched properly because it's a green setting powder! This helps neutralize redness, and it doesn't leave a green-tint to the skin. Double win! I don't have much redness on my face, so I don't personally have a use for a green setting powder.

Maybelline Tastefully Taupe Eyeshadow – Broken:

Usually I'd press eyeshadows that broke, but this was just too messy, and I didn't reach for it enough to put forth the effort. I just have so many other taupe shadows I would rather use. Oh well, into the bin it goes.

Beautiful Day and Dancing Waters AntiBacterial Gel – Empty*

EOS Cucumber Hand Lotion – Empty:

I really hated thsi hand lotion. It was super thin, and didn't do much to moisturize my hands at all. If they were already drying out, well then i was out of luck. If my hands were fine, it just made them feel softer, but not hydrated. Sort of like their round lip balms, where if your lips are already hydrated it'll just ... do nothing to really help you but they smell nice. Really disappointed with it.

These boots finally kicked the bucket! They got me through working in the Haunt, and that's all I really expected them to do. They were incredibly worn before I even started, being almost two years old. By the end there were holes forming inside of them, tears on the outside, and the sole was coming up off of them too. They hung on until the end! That's true dedication!

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 *Asterisks are items I have backups of, or I plan to repurchase.

Thanks for reading!

Disney Villains Collection 2015

Hello again readers!

Disney has struck again, with their launch of the Disney Villains collection for 2015. So many different products to choose from, featuring three of our favorite villainous ladies: Ursula, Grimhilde, and Maleficent!

The Shimmering Powder in Leviathan is a silver shimmer in a plastic container featuring Ursula. The lid is a basic, glossy plastic lid that closes properly, even though when I look at the packaging it looks like it's tilted off to the side slightly. The packaging is a bit cheap, but I don't blame it too  much because it does keep the shimmer from getting all over the place, which is a very good thing.

Under the lid, there's another lid, with grooves that press into the holes. This is perfect, especially for something with so much glitter, so it doesn't contaminate my highlighter drawer. It's firm, and if by a long shot the top lid was lost, I would have this to keep the product from leaving the jar.

 The shimmer is more like a glitter. It's a fine glitter, but it's still a glitter. It makes for a very dramatic highlight, if that's the route you take. i find this to be a very versatile product because I can use it on my cheeks, or on my body for a really over-the-top glow, but if you're one for subtlety this is not the product for you.

The Shimmering Powder in Leviathan retails for $3.49.

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The Grimhilde Jealous Blush instantly fell right into my heart. It's a nice peachy-pink shade with slight gold shimmer.

The texture of the blush was smooth, and running my finger over the product I was really happy with the feel of the powder. It wasn't chalky at all, and pigment was easily picked up. It does have a bit of fallout (most powder products do), and with how soft this product is I do notice a fair bit of fallout when picked up with a brush.

The gold shimmer in the product wasn't something too noticeable. Unless I was really looking closely at my face it didn't jump out at me. It wasn't subtle, not by any means, but it wasn't glaringly obvious I was wearing a blusher with flecks of shimmer either. I really enjoy this blusher as it looks really natural on the face.

The Jealous Blush retails for $3.49.

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The Spellbound Sculpting Palette I will admit I picked up, only because it had Maleficent on it. I couldn't help myself! It has a highlighting shade, a sculpting shade, and a bright blusher shade. I wasn't really overwhelmed with the color selection.

The texture of this palette is similar to the blusher with the powders feeling very soft to the touch and easy to blend out.

The highlight isn't too bright, or too shimmery either. It has a bit of a peach tone to it. The glow it gives is pretty natural and as long as I blend it nicely I don't notice that it doesn't blend int the skin. It's not too noticeable.

The bronzer is really warm. It's not the best to contour with. I have others that I prefer over this one.

The blusher I expected to hate because it's just such a crazy fuchsia shade. Though, on the cheeks it blends out to look a little better than the swatch, it definitely doesn't natural, but it doesn't look bad either.

I wasn't too excited about this once I used it, and wish I didn't buy it, no matter how much I like Maleficent.

The Spellbound Sculpting Palette retails for $3.49.

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The Maleficent Dragon's Lair matte lipstick is a gorgeous brown-red. I love this shade, as it looks a bit like dried blood, and it applies rather well on the lips. The biggest gripe I have is that the scent of this is rather plastic-like, and it's not that appealing.

The lipstick retails for $3.49.

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Out of all three beauty books, this is the only one I wanted, and the only one I knew I'd get any use out of it. The book looks beautiful, inside and out, and I just couldn't resist adding it to my collection.

The inside includes 9 eyeshadows, a blusher, an eyeliner, an eyeshadow brush, a lipstick, and an eyeshadow primer. The primer was okay, sort of reminded me of the ELF Essential primer. Not too overwhelming, since I have better primers.

Diablo Eyeliner:
This eyeliner is just a basic black liner. It dries with a satin finish, isn't waterproof, and won't last on me at all.

Revenge Lipstick:
I really would have rather had another blusher shade, instead of this. It's a bright berry shade with a lot of glitter in it. It has that issue where I can feel all of the glitter on the lips and it's very uncomfortable to wear.

Evil Enchantress Blusher:
A very natural, neutral peach shade. Looks very nice on the face without being too overwhelming.

Slumber:

A light lilac violet.

Fairy:

Blackened Violet. Not very fitting for the name.

Dragon:

Blackened green with sparse glitter.

Slided:
Light lavender violet.

Flame:

Blue-violet. This doesn't go with 'flame' at all, what a terrible name for this shadow. I mean, if it was a green shadow, I could see it more, since her magic flames are green, or even a yellow-green. Pretty shade, terrible name.

Spellbound:

A blackened blue with just a bit of violet in it.

Vanish:

A light, off-white green shade. Really such a pretty shade for highlighting under the brow-bone or the inner corner. Very fitting for her skin tone.

Spindle:

A nice mid-tone green. Really loved the pigmentation on this shade, it was such a pleasure to work with.

Bramble:
A more vivid version of what I expected Spellbound to be with. It's like Spellbound is the watered-down, duller version of Bramble.

The beauty book's shadows are pretty sheer and better to be used with a nice base. I love the color palette, but not so impressed with the pigmentation.

The Maleficent Beauty Book retails for $9.99.

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The Maleficent Contour Brush Set features three brushes: Angled Buff Brush, Stippling Brush, and Concealer Brush. The set retailed for $10.

All of the brushes come with Maleficent's Dragon form embossed on the side, black bristles that lead into a beautiful berry violet at the ends. The color theme of these instantly grabbed my attention.

The angled buff brush was designed to go over the work of the stippling brush, but I use this as just a regular angled brush. It seemed really ridiculous to use two brushes, just for contouring. I tried it that way and wasn't that impressed.

I tried this out by using just this brush to apply contour powder, and I loved it! Very easy to apply, blended out, and looked so nice. Both natural, but sculpted at the same time. A happy medium.

The Stippling Brush says to use it as a contouring brush, but seeing as I generally use powders I hate it for that purpose. Even with contour/bronzing cream products I don't like it all that much.

I tried it for foundations, and while it works, it takes forever since it's so small. I tried it also for cream blushes and had the same issue. It's too small for any of those things, and while it looks really nice, and flawless, it's just too much work.

The best use I found for this brush, is to gently blend in concealer. It's fantastic for that! Really nice, easy to use, and doesn't buff away the coverage.

The Concealer Brush I don't really use for concealer, unless it's to fix my eye wings. I use this to pat on eyeshadow instead. Versatile brushes!

The largest gripe I have about this brush set, is that the glue that holds them into the packaging, is almost too good. It's so incredibly sticky, and I still haven't gotten all of the glue off the bottom of these brushes. Also, the base of these brushes are rather lack-luster. There's nothing amazing about them, they just get cut off. What a shame.

I love that they're Maleficent themed brushes, focusing heavily on contouring, but I don't think these are a need to have in your collection.

The brush set retails for $9.99.

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Really I'm happy with my purchases, and I really like playing around with them. Will I go back and buy more? Maybe. Maybe not. It really depends. If they go on sale, I'll probably pick up the other brush sets, maybe the lip set, but I'm not completely sure.

Thanks for reading!