When you have as many brushes as I do it starts to become a tedious process to clean them all. Although I have probably around 50 of these things laying around, I have my set few which I use pretty much everyday but because of so much use, they often get a lot of buildup of product in their bristles, and in the case of eyeshadow, can become quite dirty if I’m using a certain colour.
Ever do a smoky eye on the weekend and then reach for that same brush for Monday to use with a light eyeshadow? Whoops, there’s still black on there that will get transferred to your lids if you reuse it without washing. Brushes are such a pain to clean and take forever to dry (I wash mine at night and let them air dry overnight). I think most of us had have this problem and Sephora has a solution for it.
The Sephora Collection Color Switch by Vera Mona Brush Cleaner is a dry makeup-removing sponge that allows you to wipe your brush off and switch colours without having to switch brushes. Available in a regular and travel-sized version, this sponge which is housed in a tin is a dry alternative to that makeup brush cleaning problem. All you have to do is swipe your brush over the sponge until the pigment is removed. The sponge is reusable, in fact you’ll see it getting dirty, and once it’s too dirty to keep using, simply turn it over. When both sides have had enough, you can wash the sponge with warm water and soap or can be sprayed with a disinfecting brush cleaner for a quicker clean.
I was very sceptical about this product because at first I thought that it would have some sort of residue on it that would remove the powder, however, it just appears to be a sponge. I have a few white-coloured brushes that I thought would be perfect to try this out on and although it didn’t fully take the colour off the brush bristles, I didn’t experience any colour from the previous shade that was on there. I’m really curious to know what this sponge is made of since it looks like it’s a regular-looking sponge that you pay a few dollars for, as opposed to the C$23 that it retails for at Sephora.
Overall, I think this is a really cool product and perfect for travel. I mean, who wants to pack 15 different brushes with them when they travel? I was super hesitant that this would work, but was ultimately really impressed with the fact that it didn’t transfer previous colours which were on my brush. Unfortunately, the only downside is the steep retail price, but to be fair, a Beauty Blender retails for around the same price as well and it’s also just a sponge…
Have you tried the Sephora Collection Color Switch by Vera Mona Brush Cleaner? What were your thoughts?
Please note, I was sent these products from PR. All opinions are my own.
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I think the last time I just about freaked out about an eyeshadow was when I saw the Stila Magnificant Metals Foil Finish Eyeshadow in Kitten. It was my first Stila product and when I kept seeing YouTubers using it, I had to own it.
Fast forward about two years now and when I saw the new Stila Magnificant Metals Glitter & Glow liquid eyeshadow in Karma Kitten, again, I died a little (I literally grabbed my coworkers arm and we were both like “oh. my. god.”).
In case you haven’t seen these glittery goodies, they are a long-wearing, sparkly liquid eyeshadow that gives you the most perfect blend of glitter and metallic that will give anyone a wink of shine every time you blink. Available in 10 shades (eight available through Sephora), these are incredibly lightweight and have a water-infused texture that glide on your lids effortlessly. They do dry quite fast and don’t loose their lustre once they are set.
I ended up getting the colour Karma Kitten, which is a champagne with silver and copper. It’s the most wearable, stunning shade, in my opinion. My coworker and I did swatch a few shades at Shopper’s Drug Mart, however, this one was the most glittery for some reason. Already owning Kitten in the Magnificent Metals version, I know how universal and stunning the shade is.
When a different friend swatched it on her hand, she did mention that there was a lot of fall out of the glitter and what was left was just the metallic colour. When I used this on my lids though, I found that there was some slight fall out, but for the most part, the sparkle stayed on through the night.
Stila recommends applying this to your lash line and the centre of your lids, and then using a brush, blend it out. I actually just applied it using the brush to the whole lid, but went in quite gently with it. A little goes a long way, but you can definitely pump up the volume by adding another coat. The product dried quite fast and didn’t crease. I also applied this over a taupe eyeshadow as I didn’t know what to expect. I do recommend doing a full eye and then adding this on after, but before your liner. Honestly, if you love glitter, you need one of these (or all of them) in your collection.
I wore this look out Friday night and had a few people asking me what I was wearing on the lids. With glitter in general, it can be a little hard to pull off. For one, you usually have to pack it on the lids, or if will fall out over your face, leaving you with a glittery mess. This product stayed on all night and didn’t fade away or crease, which was very impressive for a liquid eyeshadow. If you do experience fall out with this product, as some people have commented on Sephora’s site, you could try laying down a glitter glue prior to applying this. I do highly recommend applying a base eyeshadow though prior to laying this on.
These retail for C$31 through Sephora. You can also find them at Shopper’s Beauty Boutique for the same price. Seriously though, you need to see these IRL, they really are magnificent.
Have you tried Stila’s Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow yet?
Please note, products sent by PR. All opinions are my own.
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Is your blonde hair looking a little dull?
No matter how many times I go dark, I always go tend to go back to my beloved blonde hair colour. I don’t think I’ve ever really dyed it fully, but instead tend to just add tons and tons of highlights to lighten up my features.
At the end of last year I went back to a darker ombre but as soon as I got back from Asia this past January, I made an appointment to go back to a lighter shade, similar to my hair this time last year (tons of blonde highlights to the roots). Unfortunately my stylist didn’t quite listen to what I wanted and instead I have some fine blonde highlights throughout my hair with blonde ombre at the ends. Although I was frustrated that I sat there for so long and didn’t get what I asked for, months later I’m actually digging the colour. (Fun fact: globally, about 46 per cent of women who colour their hair go blonde).
Anyways, this takes me to today’s post. When you go blonde, you want to make sure that you’re using the proper haircare products so your blonde looks fresh and bright. You can get some purple shampoo to make this happen, or lines that are targeted for blonde hair, like Joico’s newest innovation, Blonde Life.
Blonde Life is a line of care and lightening products created for hair that’s been bleached, double-processed, or lifted to blonde shades. The line consists of a brightening shampoo, conditioner, masque, and powder lightener, and contains cutting-edge Arginine (amino acid that instantly replenishes, strengthens, and lightens strands to help reduce breakage) and Monoi (an exotic blend of coconut oil and Tahitian gardenia flower extract) and Tamanu oils (an oil from Southeast Asia which bumps up shine and protects hair colour) to banish the challenges of brassiness, off tones, fading and damage that blondes often experience.
I received three of the products from the line, the brightening shampoo, conditioner, and mask. The Brightening Shampoo (C$20.95 SRP) is sulfate-free and lifts away dirt and oil, as well as restoring hair to the optimal pH level. It also reverses brassiness and contains anionic surfactant molecules which interacts with dirt and oil particles, trapping them in a bubble-like cocoon that gets rinsed away (high tech, I know). The Brightening Conditioner (C$22.65 SRP) is the perfect complement to the shampoo as it revives blonde hair without weighing it down. The product looks like a lotion, and for a girl that tends to use way too much conditioner in general, a little really does go a long way.
As for the Brightening Masque (C$25.95 SRP), this stuff works just like any other masque, coat your hair in it, leave it on for a few minutes, then rinse. The masque contains their bio-advanced peptide complex which targets and reconstructs damaged strands. I like applying a masque once a week to my hair just to hydrate, soften, and add more shine and luminosity to the hair.
I’ve been using Joico’s Blonde Life for a few weeks now and have noticed how nice my blonde has been looking. When I first started using this I had some of the L’Oreal Colorista left in my strands and although I loved the product, I was kinda finished with it being in my hair. After one use of this stuff, the remaining pink was gone. My hair also feels super healthy and I’ve been digging the added shine. In fact, my boss even asked me if I did anything different with the colour. I mentioned it was courtesy of Joico ;).
I have noticed that each time I use this combo, my hair does look a little brighter, which is amazing since it’s billed to prevent and reverse brassiness. Joico says that it keeps blondes bright and on-tone for up to eight weeks, when you use the combo of the Brightening Shampoo and Conditioner or the masque.
Since going blonde can take quite the investment in both time and money, it’s worth it to take good advantage of the colour. Joico is a salon brand, so you can find this at your salon if they sell Joico products, or at beauty supply stores.
Have you tried Joico’s Blonde Life haircare line?
Please note, I received this product from PR. All opinions are my own.
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