Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Hello!

More of a filler post than anything, I did want to wish you all a very merry Christmas (or what ever you are celebrating) and Happy New Year!

For me, I'm spending Christmas eating a lot, and enjoying time with my family so no beauty related posts for now! I'll be back with more beauty posts in 2015 (I'm still struggling to believe that it's next week!). I'll be back to "regular service" on the 4th of January when I'm posting my New Year resolutions for my blog so look out for that!

Another thing I thought I'd add here is that I want to thank all the people who have followed me and given my blog love. Every time my email tells me I have a new follower on Bloglovin' or someone commented on my post etc, my heart warms and I hope in the coming year I'll be able to provide posts that you will enjoy! Let me know in the comment section if there's anything you want me to post about and I will try to!

I feel like that's all I wanted to say and also I'm being tempted away by food so I'll stop here and see you all in 2015!

Signing off now

Dusty Foxes

Review: Zoeva Face Brushes

A long time ago (about 2 months I believe, I got a bunch of brushes from Zoeva and posted a haul (link here). Since then, I've tried out the brushes I got and am now ready to post a few thoughts on them with pictures (hairpin for size). I broke them up into 2 sections and the Eye brush edition will be up later today. 

Before I get into each of the brushes I thought I'd do a quick kind of overview on the handles. The Zoeva brushes have shorter handles than my other brushes and I like that as they are a bit easier to hold when you're trying to get up close and personal with a mirror (as I am drastically short-sighted).

The handles themselves are a dark colour that looks black in the photos, but have a glitter inside... Kind of like there's a glittery centre with a see through layer on top. It's a bit hard to explain, but I really like that as they have more dimension than a standard black brush with silver ferrule and yet look sleek and professional. 

The brush names are engraved on the side with the number as well as Zoeva, and on the other side it has the brand's slogan, Color. Love. Makeup. Which I think is nice (though I spell it colour). I especially like that it's engraved into the handles as the writing on my brushes tends to wear away quite easily and then I have no idea what brush I'm using. Not really a big deal, but it just helps me figure out with brush is normally used for what function, especially when you have a large collection of brushes and you know there is that one particular one that you need to complete a look.

Now that I've waxed lyrical about the brush handles, lets get onto the actual brushes!

First up is the 101 Luxe Face Definer (Goat Bristles). The tagline for this brush on the website is "treat me with satin gloves" and is supposed to be used for powder or contour. I personally use this for powder and I really like the tapered shape. It allows it to powder areas like under my eyes really nicely. The brush is very soft and satiny and washed out white with no shedding, which is a big bonus, but I didn't really use very pigmented products.

Next is the 102 Silk Finish brush (taklon bristles). It is a highly raved about brush and I picked it up to give it a try. My first impression was that this was like the Real Techniques buffing brush (part of the core collection set), but on comparison, the Silk Finish Brush a more rounded and ever so slightly denser. I think this is a cross between the RT buffing brush and the RT expert face brush. The tagline is "a silky hallelujah".  I use this for foundation or blending out concealer on less makeup days. 

This is the 103 Defined Buffer (taklon bristles).The tagline is "Embrace your face". Erm.. ok.. besides the slight physical impossibility for me to hug my face, this brush is unlike any other I own. The angled shape makes it easier to reach places like around my nose and under my eyes more easily than a traditional rounded brush.The brush is silky soft and really gives a flawless finish. Not so much for those who want a skin-like finish, but great if you want a really full on look. 

Now is the 104 Buffer brush (taklon bristles).This is like the bigger, flatter, less dense brother of the 103 Defined Buffer. This brush has the tagline of "everyday gorgeous." and I would say that it is quite a nice brush for everyday. It is quite big, so you can really cover large areas of the face quickly. It's a good everyday brush and I like to use it to buff in foundation after I've dotted it around my face as I feel that's making the best use of the large head (normally I pick some up on the brush and buff it into a specific area instead).

Just a general thing, I used liquid foundation with all these brushes, I don't tend to powder foundations so if that's your thing, I'm sorry I haven't tried it with those.

Moving away from foundation brushes, this is the 105 Luxe Highlight brush (natural-synthetic mix bristles). This is literally a mini version of the Luxe Face Definer and the tagline is "light my fire" (erm.. how about no.) I would say it is a bit less soft and silky than the bigger brush. I've used this brush to tap highlighter on, but also to contour lightly. The shape is really nice and sits under my cheekbones (what little I have of them) nicely. It really reminds me of the Charlotte Tilbury Powder and Sculpt brush which is raved about, but I think it may be less tapered. But the Charlotte Tilbury one is £35 for a single brush, so I don't own it and therefore cannot make a comparison.

This is the 106 Powder brush (taklon). Tagline "velvety finish." I use this for powder (no duh) and I like it. It is big, soft and silky, but I prefer the 101 Luxe Face definer better as it powders my under eyes better. However, that being said, this brush is still really nice and I find myself reaching for it quite a lot as it's taklon bristles are easier to clean than the goat hair. 

This brush is the 109 Luxe Face Paint Brush (natural-synthetic hair mix). This brush basically looks like a paint brush. The squared top, the rectangular shape, it's really really different. The tagline for this is "on the edge" and it is a contour brush meant to be used with powder products. When I first got it, I didn't really want to try it as I thought it would give me stripes. I'm used to rounded brushes that buff in the colour, but this has fast become one of my favourite brushes to contour with. I just very lightly slide it along my cheekbone and it just works. I think the fluffy head buffs in the powder as I'm applying it. I also use the side of the brush to pop highlight onto the tops of my cheek bones so it's a great one for travelling I think. The shape does remind me of the NARS Ita brush, but that's another expensive brush so I don't own it and cannot really compare.

This is the 110 Face Shape brush (taklon bristles). Tagline "Beautification". This brush is like a smaller version of the 102 Silk Finish Brush mentioned earlier and a bigger version of a brush coming up (Concealer Buffer). I use this brush for contour, specifically when I want a more concentrated look or when using cream products (like the Bourjois Bronzing Primer). Having taklon bristles, this brush is easier to clean. Also, the density of the bristles mean more product is being picked up leading to more colour. For very pigmented colours, I take a bit off on the back of my hand before putting it on my face. The shape is good for under my cheekbones, but this brush is also small enough to blend in concealer or in a pinch, blend in foundation, however, I have other brushes that are even more suited to those, and this brush remains as a firm contouring brush.

This is the 122 Petit Stippling Brush (taklon bristles). The tagline is "Smooth Operator". This is essentially a really small Stippling Brush. I use this for cream blush. I've also tried this for under-eye concealer and it's really nice for that, but the preference is still for cream blush. Nothing much to say about this really as I haven't used it all that much.

This one is the "Big Brother" of the Petite Stippling Brush. This is the 125 Stippling Brush (taklon bristles). Tagline "Prepare your canvas, makeup artist". I have tried this for foundation, but personally, I prefer the buffing type brushes. Stippling is not a technique I have mastered yet. That being said, this is a nice brush. The tagline makes it seem like this brush is meant for primer or something like that, but I don't use primer on my skin that often and I tend to use my hands so I may have to try that one day.

I've included a picture comparing the 2 stippling brushes so you can see the difference in size.

This is the 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek (Goat Bristles). The tagline is "cheeks like snow white", which I think is cute. The angled head shape is one of the most popular cheek brush shapes, but to be honest, it isn't one of the ones I use that often. However, this brush is so incredibly soft, using it is like a dream. I love this with blush as it just diffuses colour onto the cheeks in the most natural way. Really nice brush.

Last but not least, the 142 Concealer Buffer Brush (taklon bristles). This has the tagline "get coverage". I swear that since getting this, I have used this almost every time I put on makeup. I love the small size that is great for pinpoint concealer as well as under my eyes. If the Face shape brush was a mini of the Silk Finish Brush, this is the ultra mini for both. I was almost tempted to put this into the eye brush category as it's so small. I've also used this to put on eyeshadow primer, and that was good as well. Basically, this brush is holy grail for me (big claim as I own far too many brushes).


Overall these brushes wash out nice and clean and did not shed. I really like the quality of these, I call these the "grown up Real Techniques" as the quality is similar in that they keep their shape, wash well and work well, but the Zoeva brushes do look a bit more grown up with the professional looking handles. They are also all very very very soft.

I would recommend any of these brushes, but my top picks are the Concealer buffer, Face Shape brush, Luxe Highlight and the Face Paint brush.

Next up will be the Eye Brush edition and that's going to be another long post, so follow my blog to get the latest updates. Links on the right.

Signing off now,
Dusty Foxes

Review: Zoeva Eye Brushes

This is the Eye Brushes edition of the Zoeva Brushes I have. The Face brushes are here and the haul is here.

For a review of the handles, I mentioned them (well, dedicated a paragraph to them) on the Face brush edition. 

Before we start, I feel like I am obligated to mention I am a make up brush addict and half of my collection is dedicated to eye brushes. So it takes a lot to impress me for eye brushes. Now that's out of the way, let's get started!

First brush on the list and first one I tried is the 221 Luxe Soft Crease (natural synthetic hair mix). Tagline "it's all in the details". This brush is great for blending work. It's a nice size and the fluffy shape means the colour is sheered out nicely. It's not great for applying colour though, so I tend to use this solely for blending once the colour is on.

This is the 222 Luxe All Over Shader brush (Natural synthetic hair mix). Tagline "Shady Lady". This brush has the fluffy paddle shape I love, but at the same time it's a bit too big for my eye. I have small eyelids, so I prefer a smaller one. However, this is great when I want to put a colour all over the lid (like the name says), but I do need to be a bit more careful (I use just the very tip). The fluffy shape is also good for blending as you apply, but if you have smaller eyes and are a bit more heavy handed, I would recommend to give this one a miss.

This is the 223 Petit Eye Blender Brush (Taklon bristles). Tagline "set a course". This is a small dense brush that is meant to be used for pinpoint crease work, but I seem to use this more like a pencil brush. It's a really nice small size that works really nicely.

This is the 226 Smudger brush (Synthetic bristles). Tagline "the mystery girl". The website says this is for cat eyes and smoky eyes. I like this brush to smudge colour onto my bottom lashline or smudge eyeliner on my upper lashline. A really nice brush for that, but not really necessary if you're like me and tend to simpler (non-smoky) eyeshadow. Also, colour on my bottom lashline tends to make me look tired so to be honest, this brush isn't very used. However, if you're always doing smoky eyes and need a brush to smudge things out with some detail, I would recommend this.

This is the 227 Soft Definer Brush (goat bristles). Tagline "define your soft side". This is probably the do-it-all brush for me. You can do a full eye look (a basic one anyway) with just the one brush. The slightly squared shape applies colour well and the fluffiness blends it out. I really enjoy using this brush and to be honest, I use it almost every time I do my makeup. I am actually thinking of purchasing duplicates because I'm really lazy when it comes to cleaning brushes. I'm thinking I may get the Vegan version of this to see how it compares. But that seems more appropriate for cream products (natural hair picks up pigment more easily) so I may just get another of the goat hair ones. I think you can probably tell this is one of my favourites, but considering they made a vegan version of the brush, I think it must be pretty popular! I believe people have said this is a dupe for the 217 by MAC but I'm not 100% sure as I don't own the 217.

This is the 228 Crease Brush (goat hair). Tagline "the art of softness". This is a classic kind of crease brush with a generally tapered shape. It's classic for a reason. This brush is great for blending eyeshadow into the crease and for transition colours. As I have an "asian eye" with no defined crease, I use this for transitional colours.

This is the 230 Luxe Pencil Brush (pony bristles). Tagline "hot spot". This lovely, soft and small brush is great for really detailed work. It 's soft enough not to be scratchy which is good for the delicate eye area, but stiff enough to be precise. I use this brush to place colour in the inner corner, under the eye, in the outer V corner thing, anything precise.

This is the 231 Luxe Petit Crease (goat bristles). Tagline "fall in love with your eyes". This brush. Oh Em Gee this brush. I think that about sums up my feelings for this brush (totally not showing my favourite brush here...) This brush is unlike any other in my collection and I'm wondering why. The shape is so unique, it has the tapered shape that is reminiscent of a face brush but this is the most amazing crease brush ever. Well for me at least. The size and shape and stiffness and softness all work together to just blend shadow as a transition, or to do detailed shadow for a smoky eye or to run along the upper or lower lashes. I need like 3 more of these. If this brush could apply shadow all over the lid, it would be perfect. I don't tend to do very detailed eye looks day to day, but this is one of my most used brushes just to add depth. If you have smaller eyes or like to do quite defined eye looks but find pencil brushes too small/ too stiff for blending, I highly recommend this.

Here we have the 233 Cream Shader Brush (taklon bristles). Tagline "that fire in your eyes...". To be honest, this was a bit of a meh brush for me. I tend to use cream eyeshadows with my fingers because I prefer the finish with that. I tried this with both cream and powder products and it works, but it just... didn't do it for me. I mean it works, but I don't think it's a must have and rarely use it. When I do, it's usually to apply concealer just on my brow bone when I want a really defined brow, but overall, it's just a bit useless in my collection (though that's not to say it won't be someone else's favourite).

This is the 234 Luxe Smoky Shader Brush (goat bristles). Tagline "step-by-step smoky". Remember up above when I said the Luxe All Over Shader was too big for my small eyes? This is a smaller, less fluffy version of that and personally, I prefer this brush as it suits my needs better. That being said, this is a bit small for all over. I think this is great for more detailed smoky eye work if you have big eyes, and if you have smaller ones, this would be a good all over shader. I can use this to put colour on the outer 3rd of my lid, then I blend it with the Crease brush for a quick smoky eye.

Look how tiny this 237 Detail Shader brush (goat hair) is! It is literally the size of a bobby pin head. This isn't even the smallest brush! Tagline "sophisticated shade". This brush is tiny. That is all. When I first saw this I had no idea what it was for, but the site says it's designed for inner corner highlighting so that's how I've been using it. It's small and soft so it's good for that, but I don't think this is a must have. It's still so cute though!

The one brush smaller (in my collection) is the 312 Detail Liner brush (nylon bristles) Tagline "walk away like a movie star". Let me be honest here, I don't use this for liner. It's too small for my tastes and I seem to end up with mistakes. One for those with more steady hands! BUT I use this to fill in my brows. Being so small, it draws really small hair-like lines when I'm doing my brows. The brush head is like one line of bristles so it's really delicate and I feel like it's just great for that. You could use this for eyeliner as well, but I just make too many mistakes when I try!

Here is the 317 Wing Liner Brush (nylon bristles). Tagline "Soul Queen". This is a very fine brush. Like the one above, it is almost like it's a single line of bristles. This brush, again seems to me to be for those who are more steady with their hands. I am not one of those people. Because it is so fine and soft, it means it's easier to make mistakes so I use this brush for my brows as well. I need to work on my liner... 

As if using both liner brushes as brow brushes wasn't enough, this is the 322 Brow Brush (taklon bristles), Tagline "the brows have it". Before I got into makeup, I never cared about brows. Now thanks to a Miss Delevingne, all everyone (who is into makeup and beauty) seem to be doing the big bushy brows trend.  This brush is for those who want those really really really dark drawn on brows I think. It's thicker and denser and longer than what I usually use. This brush is what I go to when I want the perfected brows that I personally don't like that much. 

Overall, the eye brushes from Zoeva did not disappoint. They are all very soft, clean well with no shedding and are really well made. Standouts are the Soft definer and the Luxe Petit Crease. The rest are all really nice as well and I would recommend. 

Let me know your thoughts on the Zoeva Brushes in the comment section below! And since I am a self-professed brush addict, let me know what brushes you are loving!

Next week is Christmas, so I won't be posting a regular beauty update, but after that... well you'll have to follow me to find out! Links on the right!

Signing off now,

Dusty Foxes