Pink and Undecided: usa brand

Review : Real Techniques Blush Brush (SPONSORED)

Hellow!

Before we start, i'd like to point out that this is the third post that i write within one day *it's quite a record so i need to write it down for memory keeping sake LOL*. As most of my posts are really long and detailed, this is no easy feat! I guess i'm really having a great writing day-also i practically didn't do anything the whole day so i feel better when i'm writing, at least i am being productive somehow.

Enough ramblings, now let's get on with the real post! I'm reviewing Real Techniques Blush Brush today that is kindly sponsored by Indoshopper! (read more about them in this post)

Now, i don't know about you-but if you're a die hard makeup junkie like most of my fellow (beauty) bloggers you must've heard about Real Techniques before, i sure did but that's as far as it goes. I HEARD about them but i never knew anything more. I, for once, certainly didn't know that it was a brainchild of arguably one of the most popular Beauty Guru on You Tube (i don't really watch You Tube tutorials so i'm quite clueless about Beauty Gurus except for Michelle Phan and Jen, but even i heard about Pixiwoo before even if just reading her pseudonym in other blogs) Sam Chapman and her sister Nic (read more about the story here) or that they only started on 2011! They're a young brand but sure made an impact since most people that somehow involved in beauty communities would've heard about them at some point.

I personally don't own a lot of brushes. I mostly do very simple makeup (i'm an eyeliner and blush kind of girl. Lately i am crazy about lipsticks too *sigh*) and i used to apply everything (except blush on) with my fingers *fact*. Then i began watching Michelle Phan's videos (not to learn anything but mostly because i love her soothing voice and seeing her transforms herself into different looks, but always ended up picking up a trick or two) and it piqued my curiosity. I started hunting for foundation blush (and never look back, totally hates applying foundi/BB cream with fingers now!) and my collection started to grow.

Still, most of my brushes are non-branded, the most expensive one being this ombre purple kabuki brush i picked up at Sasa solely for its color *haha* so i don't really have any experience with nice, professional brushes yet. Enter Indoshopper who very generously sent me a Real Technique brush and gave me a first experience with (affordable but) professional brush.

They sent me the blush brush because they noticed that there are blushes on my BH Cosmetics Forever Glam Palette that i purchased from them. How very thoughtful! (Picture taken from Google)

Let's talk packaging first :

The blush brush comes with a clear (at the front) mica box with details written on it. Very simple and no-nonsense but certainly professional looking. I was quite happy when i saw that they sent me a pink brush, coz i love everything pink and all :p.

More information on the back

If i didn't see this i would never know who created Real Techniques >.<

Moving on to the brush itself :

The wand of the brush is made of lightweight (but not frail) bright pink matte aluminum with cute writings of the brand and the makers' name on it. The wand is pretty long (normal length for blush brush, but i've been using my kabuki brush to apply blush on so i am used to a much shorter wand. It took me awhile to get used to this long wand).

The synthetic bristles (i heard that it's made of Taklon bristles) is plush, fluffy and quite soft (although not as soft as my kabuki brush, but i soon realized there's a reason for that).

Okay so on those two pictures above i was just camwhoring with my brush because i hadn't load it with anything yet >.<! But here goes :

I'm using it with the peachy blush on from my e.l.f Beach Beauty Palette for this post

The plush bristles feels soft enough for my skin, it's not the softest brush i've ever tried like i already mentioned, but it certainly isn't harsh or scratchy.

The bristles picked up the color super easily, but very lightly too so when i applied it the color turned out to be very soft and light, which is mind boggling for me because (for me) those e.l.f blushes are very pigmented (i heard that this palette doesn't show up on some people, but for me it shows up really well. Maybe because i am quite pale, it's so pigmented to a point where i have to be very careful when picking up colors to avoid looking like a clown). This is wonderful for people who tend to be super heavy handed with their blush on (i'm dangerously leaning on the crazy lady with the red cheeks territory sometimes) because then we don't have to worry about over application and just need to load more if the color's too sheer.

This i believe is got something to do with the soft but not crazy soft (like my kabuki brush which makes it very easy to over apply blush on even when i load it very carefully already) bristles! Now i can freely be heavy handed when loading my brush and not end up looking crazy anyway :D.

Blending is very easy with this blush and the rounded shape make sure that they are applied in all the right places. I snapped a close up picture so you can see how soft and perfectly blended the blush on became

Super close up, sorry for the huge pores >.< (the little pimple on the cheek was the one i talked about getting after using the Facial Cocoon). They claimed that their brush makes your blush on pixel perfect even in harsh light. I believe this is a based claim since my blush on look nicely blended with no streaking or patches. (PS : I darkened the close up pictures so you can see the blush on easier)

Overall i think this is a pretty fantastic brush, from the aesthetic down to the performance (and the fact that it's 100% cruelty free only adds to the plus point!), and certainly quite affordable if compared with higher ended brush brands. This blush brush is IDR 160.000 in Indoshopper (prices can go up and down though, since they are importing directly from USA so everything's greatly depending on USD exchange rate), pretty decent price for a blush brush!

In my introduction to Indoshopper post i already told you that one of Indoshopper main brand is Real Technique and it is definitely the best place for you to get your hands on Real Technique products with affordable price. You can even get an even more special prices for their products (as well as Urban Decay's Naked Basic 2 and Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot) by quoting "MindyBlogger" when placing your order.

Indoshopper's Contacts :

Website : http://po.indoshopper.com/ (for pre-order)

WA : 08.9999.02019

LINE : yunisipenjual

IG : @Indoshopper (for ready stocks)

BB Pin : 76B6605F

Do you have any Real Techniques brushes? Do you like them?

#Pink

PS : I forgot to remind you the last two days, but here's a reminder : join my giveaway! Hehe

10:56:00 PM
3 Comments

Lip-Talk 05 : Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm in Energizing Orange

beauty

Hellooowww!!!

You should know by now that i absolutely am obsessed with Maybelline's Baby Lips, so obsessed that not only i own every single one of the colorless and tinted versions available in Indonesia, i also hunted the Glow version that's available in a few other Asian countries (i saw them in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, to name a few). But that's not all, when i learned that they have a Neon variant in States, i also managed to get my hands on them (only one so far, but i have every intention to collect them all!). I also would love to own all of the US version *LOL*. I have no idea why i'm so cray cray about them, they are just lipbalms after all! I guess it's the combination of the cuteness (some people say the packaging is very nostalgic, reminiscent of lip balms we use as teenagers!), affordable price and function? I don't know, i just know that i love them!

So you guess it, i will definitely review every single Baby Lips that i own, starting with Energizing Orange!

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm in Energizing Orange (photo from Google)

Now, i actually got this Baby Lips (and other flavors >.<) long before they arrived in Indonesia. I told you many times that i have this curse, whenever i see an interesting new product i'll go gaga and hunt them overseas (most of the time they wouldn't be available in Indonesia yet), and soon after i got them, they become readily available in Indonesia, for a fraction of the price. FML. Yet, i never learn.

So i got it from Malaysia for RM 10.90 or roughly around IDR 36.000. Colorless Baby Lips in Indonesia is like IDR 18.000. WTH. Kill me kill me now! It's in a normal sized tube containing 4gr of lip balm

They contain SPF 20, great! I never even thought about shielding my lips against harmful UV rays! Bad bad #Pink!

Unlike USA (and Europe, i think) version where they come with transparent cap, the Asian (and i heard Australian) version come with full opaque plastic tube with little cap. Energizing Orange's tube has the combination of orange and purple that looks super cute!

The lip balm itself is white (it IS white, right? My eyes' not playing tricks on me? Coz the Smoothing Cherry's balm's very light pink! I'm staring at my Energizing Orange right now, convincing myself it's not very light orange!)

I have used two variants so far (this one and the Smoothing Cherry) and they both have slightly different characteristics for me.When i first opened Smoothing Cherry, i can smell a strong scent immeditely, but this Energizing Orange one didn't smell like anything! So weird. By the second usage, i can smell soft orange candy smell (very artificial smelling) but nothing too strong. This confused me because i read some other reviews and the reviewer complained about very strong, room freshener like smell!

I admit if you sniff it real hard then it MIGHT remind you of room/car freshener hehe, but mine has a very faint smell and definitely nothing too offensive. Now i wonder if the Indonesian version has a stronger scent (you know how the exact same items can perform differently when being manufactured in different countries? But the Indonesian version's also made in China like this one...), or if mine is a dud? Either way, mine doesn't bother me, scent wise. In fact, i wish the scent is slightly stronger so i don't smell the waxy lip balm scent (it kinda overpowers the soft orange candy scent), you know how Chapsticks smells like.

Not only the scent was concealed when i first use it, the lip balm itself was kinda tough and solid that i made it hard for me to use. But as the scent pops out in second use, usage also became very easy. The lip balm turned very soft and even melty, wonder if it's the heat?

Now, it is colorless (but when you apply too much there would be a white waxy layer on your lips, so use sparingly!) so a swatch would be useless, but i want to show you the magic-like effect it has on my lips so i took pictures anyway. My camera's a b*** when it comes to taking close up pictures, therefore the photos are very very blurry, i'm so sorry! But i think it'd still be able to give you a general picture of the effect.

You can't see it in this stupid blurry pic, but sometimes my lips gets REALLY REALLY dry and parched. Like, super dry with huge crusts >.<. I tend to forget to drink on days i am not working out zzz

I applied Baby Lips Energizing Orange generously, you can see how the balm clings on the super dry parts in white chunks. LOL.

Within a few minutes the balm melted into my lips and SOFTEN my lips tremendously, the super dry patches softens (and sometimes peels off. I know some people hates that, but i really don't mind the peeling part) and my lips looks super juicy and healthy! This was taken just a few minutes after the earlier picture! Crazy, right?

I have LOTS and LOTS of lip balms, while some of them do a similar job to this Baby Lips, a lot others are not strong enough to soften my lips to that degree in such a short time. So Baby Lips are definitely the lip balms i reach for a lot when my lips are dry!

The texture of the lip balm is, of course, very balmy. It is very soft and not super waxy (it does feel a bit waxy like most thicker lip balms, but not overwhelmingly so). It doesn't just sit on your lips making a layer of protection, but it actually sinks in and soften your lips but doesn't disappear once your lips' softened. This lip balm is pretty glossy (don't worry, it's not crazily so), so when i use it under my lips i don't have to add lip gloss on top of them to make my lips look glossy. This is a good thing for me but i imagine it'd bother people who like matte lipsticks because if you wear Baby Lips under your matte lipstick then it wouldn't be matte anymore! If i do not eat or drink, this lip balm (with or without lipstick) would last pretty long (for hours and hours!), i can feel my lips still feeling moisturized and plumpy after 4 hours! That's pretty impressive for a lip balm :).

But this lip balm is not perfect, one thing that i do not like from it is the taste! Of course i don't go and taste my lip balms, but you can't help but taste them sometimes when you drink or eat! It's super yucky tasting! I don't mind tasteless lip balms (i prefer them, actually) or sweet tasting ones like EOS, but this Baby Lips... *shudder*... It just horrible, taste wise haha.

The claims :

Instant 8 Hours Moisture : Shed away rough dryness for supple, smooth and cushioned lips all day long.

Well, it sure stays and moisturize my lips pretty long, but not 8 hours and definitely not all day long! I'd say it definitely moisturize my lips for at least half of the time they claimed or more! It really does shed away roughness in almost an instant so the latter claim's definitely justified (remember, this is MY experience. Different people might get different reactions!)

In one week rejuvenated lips : The centella essence would reduce fine lines, increase elasticity and suppleness.

Unfortunately i am way too lazy to apply lip balms when i'm not going out (hence the constantly dry lips-on top of my tendency to forget to drink!!!) so i never use it for a week continuously! I however did wear it every day for a week or so (when i went out everyday haha), and in my case if i do (using this or any other lip balms) wear it daily then yes-my lips are definitely super smooth, supple and healthy. I don't think it's a REMEDY though, as in if you stop using it then your lips would not retain its great condition-you need to CONTINUOUSLY use it to maintain it.

I would highly recommend this Baby Lips (in Energizing Orange particularly and all variants in general) for every girl (and woman) out there! It's cute, simple, fuss free, cheap (seriously, it's IDR 18.000!!! That's cheaper than a rice package in McDonald's LOL!), and it works really well!

Not recommending this for those of you who hates artificial scented lip balm (to some nose it might even be as bad as room/car fresheners although i couldn't smell it) and yucky tasting lip balm (just avoid eating them! LOL. Btw, i just read another review that described it as tasteless. Now, maybe i am overly sensitive, but it's quite yucky tasting for me hehe). But seriously, i hate the taste but i still love it and use it a lot! LOL.

If it's not apparent yet, i LOVE my Baby Lips! I aim to collect every variant available world wide (i want the USA version, they have so many other flavors it's not fair!) and you can expect a lot more Baby Lips reviews!