Brushes + Tips for Mineral Eyeshadow Application/Blending

My company Brija Cosmetics: NEW Disney Villain Collection

Hi lovelies! I still have to make the collection video on my Youtube channel, but the Brija Cosmetics Villain Collection is out, inspired by my favorite Disney Villains! I'm incredibly excited about the new cream highlight stick - it's one of my favorite products I've made so far! 

I thought I would share some photos of the collection! 

The final villains and products are...

Hades - Electric Underworld Eyeshadow

Yzma - Yzmopolis Eyeshadow

Scar - King of Bones Eyeshadow

Maleficent - Glittering Assemblage Cream Shadow

Ursula - Unfortunate Souls Lip Pencil

Queen of Hearts - Painting Roses Lip Gloss

Cruella Deville - Stolen Luxury Cream Stick Highlight

Support from other green beauty bloggers means the world to me - thank you to those of you who have already tried Brija!

Purchase on my site and Etsy

Skincare Routine/Sample Update!

A lot of you are interested in how my skincare trials are going with trying out some samples from La Bella Figura, One Love Organics, and Pai Skincare. I am going to have a separate post and video for each sample kit, but I wanted to share my findings thus far and what I'm loving. So, I thought I would share my current morning and evening skincare routine.

Morning:

George's Aloe Spray

One Love Organics Morning Glory Serum

Pai Skincare Chamomile + Rosehip Moisturizer

Episencials Cheeky Salve

Night:

Coconut Oil (to remove makeup)

Devita Mud Mask or Nourish Organics Cleanser

La Bella Figura Barbary Fig Renewal Serum

Episencials Cheeky Salve

So - I've been using the Morning Glory serum in conjunction with the Pai Moisturizer for about a week - my Honeybee Gardens powder foundation looks FANTASTIC over them together. Absolutely smooth, lasts all day, amazing. I wanted to see if just one of them would give the same effect, and they don't.

Then, yesterday, I decided to try the Geranium and Thistle Moisturizer by Pai, with my Sea Buckthorn Oil, to see if that combination would leave my face smooth as well. As soon as I applied the moisturizer, my skin started to itch and my dermatitis started to get inflamed. Mini "boils" started to form, but I went with it anyway. I found out later that the thistle is derived from Safflower Oil, which has an oleic acid content of 75%+. High oleic acid contents can worsen eczema and dermatitis because they make bacteria fester. To make matters worse, I looked at reviews later on MakeupAlley of the moisturizer, and a few people said it made their eczema worse too.

At first I was doubting that the OLO Serum and Pai Moisturizer were really doing anything, but after yesterday, I notice how much less red my face looks, and how calm my dermatitis is when I use both products together. They work together as a tag team to calm inflammation. I'm almost definitely going to purchase the discover size Morning Glory ($29), but I'm hesitant to spend $60 on a moisturizer that doesn't have SPF.

To treat my inflamed, red face last night, LBF Barbary Fig Renewal Serum came to the rescue! I knew I loved this serum before, but when I tested its ability to calm my super inflamed dermatitis, it blew me away. My rash went down 3/4 the size of what it was the previous night. I'm more amazed with this oil every day, and I'm almost positive I'm going to spend the $125 on it.

What skincare items are you currently loving?

My Favorite Face Brushes - Categories!

Today I'm sharing with you my face brushes! 

I have a few more at my apartment, but these are the ones I brought home with me for 2 months - my favorites!

To hear my thoughts on each brush, watch my video!

Cleansing:

Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap

Sigma Dry + Shape

Foundation:

Real Techniques Buffing Brush - Liquid/Cream

EcoTools Bronzer Brush* - Powder

Powder: 

EcoTools Powder Brush

Bronzer:

Real Techniques Powder Brush*

Sedona Lace Powder Brush 376

Contour:

Sigma F05 

Real Techniques Contour Brush *

Sedona Lace Angled Top 602 (Cream Contour)

Blush:

Tjmaxx Random Brush*

Elf Studio Blush Brush

Elf Studio Small Stippling Brush

Sedona Lace Round Top 480* (Cream Blush)

Highlight:

Bdellium Tools 787

*Means it is my preferred favorite in that category

My eye brushes will be coming when I do my mineral makeup application and blending video! 

Do you have any favorite face brushes right now?

The Honest Company: Shampoo + Body Wash Review

I hardly ever try new shampoos, because nothing can live up to my favorite shampoo bar routine. However, I was interested when Aaron picked up a double pack of the Honest Company's Shampoo + Body Wash at Costco for around $14. I do use a bottled lathering shampoo when I remove henna from my hair, but aside from that - shampoo bar and vinegar rinse all the way! I only tried this product as  a shampoo - but I love that it's multi-purpose. Aaron loves it for that. 

I don't like the coating agents that are typically in shampoos, but this one doesn't have panthenol, so I was excited to give it a try. It's a thick gelly-like consistency, and it smells like vanilla and orange. The scent is nice, but not intoxicatingly good.

The product was a little hard to lather in my hair - it felt as if it were almost tugging on my hair. Definitely not a smooth feeling, probably because (as far as I know), it doesn't have any coating agents. It also made my hair strands swell up A LOT. It's a very odd feeling. It rinsed out alright, and I followed with my vinegar rinse. 

The main aspect to note with this product is how much VOLUME it gave my hair. I was very surprised, and had to take some pictures to show just how much volume it gave. My hair isn't even all the way dry in these photos. With volume came a little bit of frizz the next day, but if you use a smoothing oil or serum, I don't think it would be much of a problem.

Aaron says ; "No complaints. I wish it lathered more. I feel like you have to wash your hair twice before it really lathers".

Would I use this again? Probably not. In a pinch I would, but I don't think this product would be useful to me to get the henna out of my hair because of how it dragged. 

Ingredients: Water, Decyl Glucoside, Lauryl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Glycerin, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract*, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract*, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Citrus Tangerina (Tangerine) Peel Oil, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Protein, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Triethyl Citrate, Citric Acid

Retails for $9.95 for 8.5floz. Aaron purchased this himself!

4 Recent Makeup Looks

 4 recent makeup looks from the past week! I had fun naming the looks :P This post also features all of the products from the upcoming Villain Collection from my brand Brija Cosmetics. 

I think my favorite look is Romantic Purple. 

Which is your favorite? 

(Click to enlarge the photos)

 On the face in most of them;

Honeybee Gardens Pressed Foundation in 'Geisha' (My Foundation Routine)

Everyday Minerals Amazing Bronzer

Zuzu Luxe #1 Bronzer

OhSudz Concealer in 'Light Yellow Based' (My Review)

Silk Naturals Sleep In a Jar in 'Extra Light Peach'

Zuzu Luxe Brow Pencil in 'Russet'

 Darling Villain

All shadows from my brand Brija Cosmetics - all from the upcoming Disney Villains collection. I LOVE a neutral look with a pop of color liner. 

Eyes:

Brija Cosmetics 'Bachelor Watson'

Brija Cosmetics 'Keith Scott'

Brija Cosmetics 'King of Bones' (Scar)

Brija Cosmetics 'Glittering Assemblage' Cream Shadow (Maleficent)

Brija Cosmetics 'Electric Underworld' (Hades)

Cheeks - All Natural Face 'Peachy Rose' Blush

Lips - W3ll People Nudist Lip Shine #7 

Green Goddess

I was inspired by Andrea's recent GRWM and decided to use some green! I love using green and am going to use it more often

Eyes:

Brija Cosmetics 'Mean One' Cream Shadow

All Natural Face 'Forest Floor'

Shiro Cosmetics 'Lingered in Twilight'

Brija Cosmetics 'Whitelighter'

Cheeks - Lucy Minerals 'Juicy Peach' Blush

Lips - Brija Cosmetics 'Unfortunate Souls' Lip Pencil (Ursula)

Sweet Sparkle

I experimented with some eyeshadows I hardly use!

Eyes: 

P&P 'Doe Eyed'
Silk Naturals 'Tiger Lily'
Darling Girl 'Beast'
Brija Cosmetics 'King of Bones'
Darling Girl 'Whimsy'
Sobe Botanicals 'Avalanche'
Brija Cosmetics Glittering Assemblage Cream Shadow
Ardell Natural Lashes 110

Cheeks: P&P 'Fire Dance' Blush

Lips: W3LL People Nudist #7, Pacifica 'Coral' Lip gloss

 Romantic Purple

I LOVE this look and think I'm going to make it my Valentine's tutorial for this year.

Eyes:

Pumpkin+Poppy 'My Precious' Cream Shadow

Brija Cosmetics Wide Eyed Pencil Liner

Brija Cosmetics 'Consulting Detective'

Brija Cosmetics 'Reindeer'

Brija Cosmetics 'King of Bones'

Darling Girl 'Boogeyman'

P&P Inventor Cream Shadow (Liner)

Salon Perfect Purple Lashes

Cheeks: Brija Cosmetics 'Stolen Luxury' Face Highlight (Cruella Deville)

Lucy Minerals 'Juicy Peach' Blush

Lips: W3LL People Nudist #7, Brija Cosmetics 'Painting Roses' Lip Gloss (Queen of Hearts)

 A mineral eyeshadow application + blending video is coming soon to my youtube channel. 

Be on the lookout! 

I think my favorite look is Romantic Purple. 

Which is your favorite? 

Skincare + Food Haul! Lucky Vitamin, Samples

Haul time!
Here's a mini review of everything and some links.

Lucky Vitamin
King Arthur Pancake Mix
Enjoy Life Cinnamon Roll Bars (First impression is in the video!)
Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Granola
Mighty Leaf 'Detox' Tea
Caprylic Acid Pills (Talked about them here)
Ecos Magnolia + Lily Detergent

George's Aloe Spray - $4.77
-I use this on a cotton pad in the morning to refresh my face instead of washing it. Very multipurpose!

Episencial Cheeky Salve - $8.99
-Get this stufffff. It's amazing and so multipurpose. Great for eczema, sensitive skin, etc. 

Jojoba Oil - $7.26

Beautysage
Yarok Feed Your Roots Mousse - $16.50/2oz
-I got this to help hold my steam curls better, but it honestly didn't hold them that well. I'll probably just use it as a root volumizer now. I like the ingredients, but it's pricy! 

Shea Terra Chocolate Scrub - $12
-Not a fan. The smell, the texture - I'm disappointed. 

Skincare Samples
La Bella Figura Holiday Mini Set - $60
-I feel somewhat terrible for posting this because it's sold out, but all of the individual products are still available. The infatuation that other green bloggers have with LBF is justified - I seriously am having a love affair with their products! I always thought $125 was ABSURD for a face oil, and now I'm about to buy the full size of the Barbary Fig Renewal Serum. It's heaven and smells like heaven too. The first time I used the trio, I had just taken a shower and when my mom walked by, she asked if I was burning a candle because it smelled amazing - that's how great they smell!!

Pai Skincare Trial Pack - $15 
-I've been really loving the cleanser and the sensitive skin moisturizer. I really think the moisturizer is make my makeup last better through out the day.

One Love Organics Trial Pack - $4.95
-They say 'single use', but for me they definitely aren't! I will probably get at least 3/4 out of the serums. I was most excited to try out the Morning Glory + Love Springs Eternal Serum. 

Are you sampling any skincare lately? I've been adding items to my wish list and researching products night and day. Let me know specifically what oils and serum you're currently loving!