Sephora Dark Rainbow PRO Flawless Airbrush #56

I have a quickie review for you this evening- mostly because the VIB sale is coming up and I wanted to get in as many holiday posts as I can.

Yes, I'm a brush junkie. I used to purchase every single special edition I could get my hands on, but I've been more selective as of late.

Meet the Holiday 2017 Sephora Dark Rainbow PRO Flawless Airbrush #56.

Oh, the holo! She's beautiful!

OK, focus.

First, the basics. The Sephora Dark Rainbow #56 brush is exclusive to Sephora (duh) and retails for $32. I purchased mine from Sephora.com, and didn't check if it's in stores yet. One of the things I truly appreciate is that the regular brush also retails for $32. Nicely done, Sephora!

This is my second #56 brush- I picked up the Mara Hoffman collab a couple of summers ago.. I also have a mini since it was the Rouge renewal gift for 2017.

According to Sephora, this is supposed to be a synthetic foundation brush; I prefer a stiffer brush head if I'm going to use a brush for foundation. I find this to be nice for any number of powders- all-over face, finishing, even some cheek work. (For that matter, you don't have to use brushes for their stated tools- just understand what types of products they work well with and what might work with your personal technique!)

I really like this oil slick color- it's a beautiful addition to my collection that I can actually spot. Now, let's talk about the brush itself and whether it's worth picking up for you.

As I mentioned, this is a synthetic brush. It's got medium-long bristles, and it's initially fairly flat as it's packed from the factory:

Over time, this does have the tendency to spread but it's not by a lot. I find this most useful for applying cheek powders that you want a little precision with- but not a pointed brush. I've used it for a bronzetour and also for blush. Due to the density of the head, it does pack a punch. I find it's best with items that are firmly pressed- the synthetic bristles can pick up even the firmest pressed powders.

Is it worth $32? I don't know because there are more and more brushes that are kicking butt at the drugstore (hello, Wet n Wild) and this is a synthetic brush. I tend to hate synthetic brushes, but it's nice to have a few in my collection. This is a highly popular brush at Sephora because it can multi-task. If you've got one, I wouldn't rush out to get this. However, if you've been looking to pick it up why not grab the pretty rainbow one?

Glitter Tuesday Vol 1: Happy Birthday, America!

WOO! It's our nation's birthday, America, so let's take a long weekend and enjoy life!

And if you're not American, please just enjoy the glitter and my first attempt at drawing shapes on my eyes. WHAT? Please keep in mind your QBB is legally blind without her glasses. Double WHAT?

Let me take a moment to divert from the impending awesomeness to tell you how much better this post would've been if a company had shipped in a timely basis. I had planned to start a new series on this blog today that I've been dreaming about and feature the 2 new Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow shadows. And then Stila decided to take over a week to ship order #1. So, I started thinking about the best way to welcome Glitter Tuesdays to QBB, and then BOOM! I had a glittery American flag on my lid. WHOA. I did get them after I completed this look, naturally.

First of all, it takes a small army of products to do something fun:

Let me give you the step by step before I show my first real lid art attempt. Many of the products I used were limited edition, sorry!

1. Prime entire eye area with MAC Paint Pot in Painterly. Set with Kat Von D Bone down to crease, Kat Von D Linen in the crease and lid.

2. Take a small blending brush and work a mixture of Kat Von D Bone and Kat Von D Suede into the crease area to define the eye area.

3. Take NYX Eyeshadow Base in White with a small brush and cut the crease. Apply all over the eye.

4. Set with multiple layers of Kat Von D Linen. Don't stop until it's a bright white canvas. This is what you'll be building on.

5. Pick up a little bit of Giorgio Armani Liquid Eyeshadow in 2 on a tiny brush and pat onto the inner 1/3 of the lid. Build a nice consistent layer.

6. Immediately take a tiny brush and pick up Kat Von D Nebula and pack on top of the blue base.

7. Once that's all set, take a nail dotting tool, sanitize, and pick up a couple of flecks from Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow in Diamond Dog to create the "stars".

8. Set up an area with some Too Faced Glitter Glue on a palette, some MAC Fix+, and some Pat McGrath Venom Microfine Glitter. Work with 1 brush to slowly draw part of the straight line across the crease and immediately tap the glitter on. Build the solid line.

9. Repeat to create 2 more lines.

10. Pick up Kat Von D Suede & Bone on a small blender and buff any crease mistakes.

11. Get rid of fallout. Do your undereye concealer. (I used Tarte Shape Tape and set with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light)

12. Do your brows. I use a combo of Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow & Brow Whiz

13. Pick up Tom Ford Eye Defining Pencil in Navy Black. Line upper and lower 1/3. Pick up Sephora Collection Diamond Eyeliner in Swagga and line outer 2/3 upper/lower.

14. Inner corner highlight- MAC Silver Pigment.

15. Finish with L'Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise.


And here's the look!

Not perfect, but not bad for a first attempt, huh? Keep in mind I'm legally blind without glasses, too!

Now, let's talk what Glitter Tuesdays will be. At least through the end of summer, if there's a post on Tuesday, it'll be a glittery product. Even though I'm in my 30s, I still adore glitter- just not every day. And on America's birthday when I didn't want to post a review, this seemed like a great way to kick off this series... since Stila decided to not cooperate and ship in a timely matter.

Oh, well.  If you've got the day off, enjoy it! If you're an international reader, sorry for any celebrating Americans in your midst. We like to have fun once a year, ok?

Have a wonderful day!

QBB Hauls: Sephora 2017 VIB Rouge Fall Preview Event

Welcome to the first of a new series for me- QBB Hauls. I used to mainly show hauls on Instagram, but I'd like to start posting on this site again. This also allows me to see if there's a highly requested item and rack and stack items I plan to review. Just because I hauled it, I may not post about it. I don't receive products for free, so I'm not getting new items every day. I find hauls fun- perhaps I've watched too many haul videos?

This past Saturday was the Fall 2017 Sephora VIB Rouge Fall Preview Event here in the US. Although US customers weren't treated to sample in our bag or candies, we did have an event. I'm not sure why Sephora favors their Canadian customers for these events (they had closed-door events when US ones were cancelled, and this is actually the 3rd sample bag that they've gotten deluxe samples with but US got an empty bag this year alone), but that's Sephora these days. Don't even get me started on the current status of their warehouses.

Anyway, I digress.

The small bag was the GWP during the event. 

I  also picked up yet another Sephora Collection Solid Brush Cleaner because I go through these like crazy. You'll see so many of these in my empties.

Next, I picked up one of the featured items- the Urban Decay Go Naked 100% Perfume Oil. I will review this in the next week or so.

I will also be reviewing my next purchase in the coming week or two- the Milk Makeup Holographic Lip Glosses in Supernova and Mars. I fell in love with these after swatching them. They totally transform any lip color, and I think Mars in particular will be incredible for summer.

I also nabbed one of the Natasha Denona Blush Duos (#19) because I'm so intrigued by the line and wanted to try a face product that isn't the $89 contour palette.

Oh yeah, and I also got the Natasha Denona Sunset Palette! I won't be reviewing because it's almost impossible to find now, but here's a pretty picture of it. If it ever becomes permanent, I'm sure I'll be happy to review.

I can't wait... and yes, I know. But this is a special shadow palette. I never said I wouldn't purchase palettes- I will be getting the new ABH, containing to build my Viseart collection, and buying more from Natasha Denona in particular.

Aside from the fact that Natasha Denona is incredibly pricey, this is a relatively sane haul, right?

Did you attend the 2017 Fall Preview event? If so, what did you purchase?

Snow Day Beauty

With so much of the country experiencing snow within the past few days, I thought I'd re-start the blog by bringing you my snow day beauty favorites. This is the exact combination that I wore while shoveling for hours- and why I chose each carefully curated item.  This comes from a lifetime of living in areas with snowy winters- and never having the luxury of a garage/snow blower!

Please note the yummy throw- it may show up from time to time as a background. It seems right since we're talking winter. This picture really was taken by a fireplace (which was in use recently).

1. If you're planning to spend all day digging out in the snow, it's important to pamper your face a little bit more. I upped my moisturizer to L'Occitane's Shea Butter Ultra Rich Comforting Cream ($34, 1.7oz)(sample from last holiday's L'Occitane Advent Calendar) to give just a bit more protection. It has 25% shea butter, which allowed my sensitive skin to deal with the cold elements with nary an issue.

2 + 3. UV protection is a MUST, and you'll be getting a lot more UV (reflection from the snow) than you may estimate. Even though it's winter, protecting your skin is essential. I trotted out my regular daily duo- Chanel UV Essentiale  Complete Sunscreen UV Protection Anti-Pollution Broad Spectrum SPF 50 ($55, 1 oz) and Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream SPF 34 ($35.50, 0.6oz). In the time that I've been away from blogging, I have re-dedicated myself to a SPF'd lifestyle. This combo is my HG for use with daily makeup and provides as high of a SPF content as I can find.

4. A light base- I personally love Iope's Air Cushion XP as an awesome cushion compact. It's not available directly for sale online in the US, but it's worth tracking down. I'll post a full review in the coming weeks, as well as more info on how to find the most pale-complexion-friendly cushion compact on the market (IMO).

5. Even though I went au natural for blush and the cushion compact let my freckles (and rosacea) shine through, I have a few spots that I wanted to cover, plus my naturally-occurring dark circles. I could've pulled out my NARS Creamy Concealer, but Sephora Collection Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer ($14) has been in my rotation far more often as of late. PS- my NW15ish skin likes shade 01- Bavarian Cream.

6. Right now, my hair is a few shades darker than my natural shade, so filling in my brows is a must or I look silly. I adore my Tom Ford Brow Sculptor ($45) in Chestnut for a quick one-step brow.  (In case you're curious, I love using MAC Cork with some Fix+ for additional coverage.)

7.  This was one of two totally unnecessary steps, but honestly I wanted to test this out after getting a deluxe sample during the holidays. Any totally neutral eye pencil will do, but I wore NUDESTIX Magnetic Eye Color in Angel ($24), a lovely nude shade. It's my eyes but better. It wore decently well while exerting myself, but if I was going to do this over I'd pull out Laura Mercier's Eye sticks.

8. Pick out your favorite waterproof mascara. This is the one that I have open right now, Chanel Le Volume Waterproof Mascara ($32).

9. Your lips will need some pampering. Do it up right with the Rolls Royce of lip balms, By Terry Baume de Rose. I pulled out the special edition from Holiday 2015- the Gold Baume de Rose Parure Lip Balm ($31). It's Baume de Rose with shimmer. It's the best of both worlds- the luxurious lip balm and a glittery gloss.

10. Let's be honest, friends. Shoveling is an awesome cardio workout. Continue smelling awesome with a little bit of perfume oil. I pulled out one of my favorites, Elizabeth and James Nirvana White Perfume Oil ($35).

11. If you're heading out to shovel, or if you're simply taking a halftime break, a great dry shampoo is essential. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo ($28) is my HG and beats the pants off of any other dry shampoo I've tried.

If you want to simplify, simply edit out the mascara and eye pencil. I didn't wear them on the first day that I was shoveling.

What are your snow day beauty must-haves?

Sephora Collection Super Supreme Body Butter

Since I shared my favorite self-tanner with you earlier today, I thought it was only appropriate to share my new favorite lotion for the summer that I use on the days that I'm not self-tanning- and it continues the budget beauty theme today.

Sephora Super Supreme Body Butter comes in 2 sizes- 3.2oz ($8) and 15.8oz ($25).  Consider this a case of sampling gone right.  I tried this first in the sample packets that are available with online order at Sephora.  I adore Bliss' Body Butter for the winter, but it's a little pricey for year-round use.  Enter Sephora Collection Super Supreme Body Butter.

I didn't detect any added fragrance, which is one of the things I look for the most in a body butter.  I prefer a neutral scented base for any perfume I choose to wear.

This body butter also gets high marks for absorbing quickly (a must for first thing in the morning) and doing so without making my skin feel greasy.  I'll be replenishing this tub when I run out for sure.  I do love the smaller size- product stays nicer.

Overall, I'd call this a great basic body butter. Don't be afraid to give it a shot- my legs have been loving it!

Sephora Collection Press Play Foundation Touch Up Pen

When I first spotted the Sephora Collection Press Play Foundation Touch Up Pen, I knew I had to have it in my life.  I've side-eyed Bobbi Brown's Foundation Touch-Up Sticks for years but had never pulled the trigger due to the price.  At $16, this seemed to be a decent compromise.

Here's the basic info:  the Sephora Collection Press Play Foundation Touch Up Pen is a synthetic fiber, fillable pen with a click mechanism that pushes the foundation/BB/CC of your choice through a thin tube into the brush head.  You can then use the brush head to blend out the foundation.  This is touted as the perfect tool for mid-day touch-ups.  For us ladies with 16+ hour days between leaving and coming home, perhaps an economical way to make mid-day touch-ups.

After a few days of testing it, I'm left with a distinct mix of emotions when it comes to the Sephora Collection Press Play Foundation Touch Up Pen.

First, the good.

At $16, it's affordable.  If one wanted to invest in several of these with different liquid makeup products in each, it's not rough on the wallet.

It's customizable.  Whereas I drooled over the Bobbi Brown stick that matched my old HG foundation, not everyone has a perfect color match in that line or particularly likes a stick foundation.  This allows you to take your favorite product with you.

Each click dispenses a small amount, which is excellent.  This is truly meant for touch-ups.  You don't get a face-sized amount with one click, you get enough to cover about half a hand.

This photo shows the width of the line of foundation you get with one click:

Here's the dispensing mechanism:

The synthetic brush is shockingly effective as a blending tool.  I wouldn't want to do my entire face with it, but it would work well in a small area- just as designed.  I'm a huge brush snob, so for me to enjoy this inexpensive synthetic brush is a bit out of character.

A close-up of the brush head:

Now, the not-so-good.

Look carefully at the size of that reservoir.  The fill line (which is essentially required in order to get it to function properly, as I learned from testing) is about 90% up.  It's a foundation hog!  If you're not sure if this product really will work for you, it could be an expensive endeavor.  In that photo, the ends that fit into each other are both facing the bottom of the image.

The refillable reservoir is also held in place by screwing it into the body of the pen.  It doesn't feel substantial to the touch, and I can easily envision a scenario where those small plastic grooves become stripped with usage and the two pieces separate in your bag.  The grooves are inside of the main body; the reservoir is smooth.

Speaking of the plastic body, there's no "hard click" with the lid.  I didn't attempt to break it, but I have my reservations about this will hold up in a purse.  If one of the major upsides to this product is portability, how much is lost if it needs to be within (preferably) a plastic bag or something else that you wouldn't mind getting foundation on.

Overall, I like the concept.  At $16, it's not hard on the wallet and worth a try. However, I'm still cautious about the durability of the product and protect my handbag and makeup cases accordingly.

The Sephora Collection Press Play Foundation Touch Up Pen retails for $16, and is available exclusively at Sephora.

Quick Five: Essential Mani Tools

Today's Quick Five is a bit different- here are my essential mani tools.  Although most of my nail looks are swapped within a day, I do try for longevity from time to time.  Here are my top picks:

1. Nail Files: I love my Sephora glass file in combination with this plain pink nail file I bought at Harmon when I lived in the NYC area.  I love them so much that I buy a handful of these every time I'm back in the area.

2. Buffer: I use a Revlon Crazy Shine buffer that I picked up at Ulta.

3. Tools: My nail clipper is Sally Hansen, from the drugstore, and I use Sally Hansen nail nippers.

4. Hand Cream: What's a mani without a hand massage? I've been using Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream lately.

5. Cuticle Cream: Dior Creme Abricot is the OG for a reason.  I'll type out a review of it one of these days, but it's the only thing that has kept my cuticles healthy.

Sephora Collection Outrageous Prisma Chrome Metallic Eyeshadow: Beige, Taupe, and Lilac

Consider this post part of my clean-out of old posts in draft stage!

Admittedly, I'm a bit late to this party since these shadows are already on clearance at Sephora.com and in stores (pro tip: always check your local Sephora in JCPenney - SiJCP for the best clearance deals).  I found these at my local SiJCP in the clearance section.

I picked up three of the shades, Beige (#1), Taupe (#6), and Lilac (#10); you'll find others in your local stores and online.

Each shadow weighs in at 0.12oz, and originally retailed for $16 each.  Sephora is the exclusive retailer for their Sephora Collection products. A brief note on Sephora Collection in general- I find their products to be excellent quality and value, especially at the price point. I tend to use a lot of high end products, and find these to be on par.

Overall, I found these to be beautifully pigmented and well worth the money.  I did struggle with fallout.  With primer, these lasted a full 8 hours; I removed them before they faded.

Now, lets look at these beautiful eyeshadows.

Beige is the lightest of the colors and compares with MUFE Aqua Cream #15, NARS Hollywoodland, or other metallic almost-nude golds.

Outside

Taupe  is very similar to Urban Decay Mushroom.  It's a beautiful shade that belongs in most collections.

Lilac is similar to MAC Softwash Grey.  It leans heavily blue when swatched.

Overall, I love this formula.

Sephora Party Starter Brush Set (Holiday 2013)

Sephora has introduced a number of limited edition brush sets for Holiday 2013. Today I bring you the Party Starter brush set.  It retails for $16, and is exclusively available at Sephora.

Party Starter has 4 mini brushes and is encased in a black glittery case:

The brushes themselves are glittery and adorable:

There is one face brush, and three meant for eyes.  Here's a shot to give you a sense of the size:

They're obviously mini and not appropriate for doing an entire look.  What they're perfect for, however, is tossing in your bag for touch-ups during the day.

Bottom Line: Adorable mini brush set with lots of glitter.  It's more cute than practical, but I found it to be worth the price.

Let's Talk Brushes!

I know that the blog has been a bit light in terms of content the last few days- I'll be working extra hard to make up for that! I pulled back the curtain a bit with the nail posts by admitting that I pre-swatch my NOTDs; due to my career, it's hard to blog outside of the weekends.  I'll do a better job in balancing the posts throughout the week- but this week, I wanted to bring you Chanel holiday 2013 ASAP!

Let's talk brushes for a moment- or at least, brush care.

This is what I'm usually presented with each weekend:

Those are the brushes that I've used throughout the week that are due for a deep cleaning.

I love makeup, but I've also learned that it's vital to have the right tools- and that quality matters.

I have settled into a two-step cleaning program that keeps them in good condition and clean.  I'm a bit of a germophobe, so clean brushes are a must.

There are two products (both very affordable) that keep my brushes clean, healthy, and in good condition:

Sephora Daily Brush Cleaner: After I use a brush, it takes literally a couple of seconds to spray the brush head with this mist, then wipe it with a tissue.  Daily Brush Cleaner is great to remove excess product and give it an antibacterial spritz.  However, after I've used a brush once, it can't go back into my clean brush containers. It goes into a smaller brush holder (you see two of the various glass containers I use for this purpose in the first photo).

Sephora Makeup Brush Shampoo: Once a week (usually on Sunday), I gather up the brushes that have been used at least once during the week for a shampooing/deep cleansing. This is almost gel-like in consistency, much like actual shampoo. I've tried many other brush cleaners, and find this works just as well as far more expensive brands.

Both are carried exclusively at Sephora, and are available in 2 sizes: 2oz ($6) or 6.75 oz ($14).