The foundation brushes I am going to review are MAC187, MAC190 and MAC181. I don’t have the full size brushes. I only own the special edition short handled brushes that I am posting pictures of.

Foundation Brushes. Left to Right: MAC187SE, MAC190SE, MAC 181SE

My favourite foundation brush is MAC187. This brush is best to use with lightweight foundation. It’s a stippling brush. It has duo fibre. The black fibres are goat hair and the white hairs on top are synthetic hair. It is best for lightweight application. It doesn’t pick up too much product so foundation application is not cakey. If you apply foundation and starts blending – you won’t benefit from this brush, you would rather use a dense brush instead.

To get the most out of this brush I stipple the foundation on my face. I use it with my Makeup For Ever HD Foundation. I pump 1 pump on the back of my hands. I dip this brush on the foundation and only get half the product on the tips of the white fibre (very lightly). Then I use a quick stipple motion on my right side of the face. I keep stippling till the foundation blends in (I don’t swirl). Then I pick up the rest for my left side of the face.  It gives a flawless application.

MAC187  has a narrow version MAC188. MAC 188 can be used the same way – the advantage is that it can be reached to places like sides of the nose, close to eyes and above the brows.

My next favourite brush is MAC190. This is a traditional foundation brush. It is great for foundations with thicker formula such as Revlon ColorStay or MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation. You pick up the foundation onto the brush from the back of your hand. Then apply it on your face with a downward stroke. It works since the tiny facial hairs also go downwards. If you move the brush upward the hairs will stand up. Keep blending the foundation in as you apply it.

Another brush that you can apply liquid foundation with is a kabuki brush like MAC181.  If is designed to apply powder foundation but it works great with liquid foundation. The only con is that it can be hard to get to narrow places like the sides of the nose.

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So not everyone can afford the best makeup and you don’t need to buy expensive makeup exclusively. Only some staple products in your makeup vanity should be enough. So the products I think are the most important and thus I would invest money in are:

1. Foundation: Foundation is the base for all your other makeup. It is totally worth it to spend some money towards it. Even if you don’t have a face primer, even if you have a cheap concealer, a great foundation will make you look fabulous nonetheless.

2. Brushes: Brushes are very important. Yes, foundation can be applied with hand, but you apply more, waste product and it goes on cakey. Yes eyeshadow can be applied with a sponge tip applicator, but colours won’t blend and won’t last long. Brushes achieve the details needed for a complete look.

3. Eye primer: Eye primer will enhance the colour of your eyeshadow, prevent eyeshadow from creasing and will make it last longer. An eye primer will increase the value of your eyeshadows even if you have budget friendly eyeshadows.

4. Waterproof eyeliner and mascara: Most women have eyeliner and mascara anyways. When you run out of them and make your next purchase, consider getting waterprood liquid and pencil eyeliner and waterproof mascara. It will prevent smudging.

5. Clear Lipliner: You don’t need to waste money getting every coloured lipliner for every lipstick that you own. Get a clear one – I recommend Revlon ColorStay Lipliner in Clear. It will go with every lipstick/lipstain/lipgloss. Line the edges of lips and then fill your lips in with it. It will prevent lipcolour form bleeding and will make it last longer.

That’s all I remember right now. I will edit this post if I find something new. You don’t have to get all these in one day. I call these investments because they are worth a bunch of money. Get one product per paycheck and you will have all the staples within a year or so. Enjoy the weekend.

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[phpbay] eye primer, 1, “, ” [/phpbay]

[phpbay] clear lipliner, 1, “, ” [/phpbay]

Anyone who ever wore make up, knows a little bit about foundation. They should also know that the cake-on look is so over. Modern day foundation has is light-weight and gives medium to full coverage. There are a few types of foundation. Creams foundation are best dry skin, powder foundations are best for oily skin and liquid foundation works on all types of skin. Tinted moisturizers are great for sheer coverage. Mineral foundations are good for sensitive skin and for sheer coverage. But everyone is different. To find your best foundation and your exact shade, you might need to try more than one or two foundations – which can get expensive. I think it is worth spending money on foundation since it is just that- foundation for the rest of makeup. Foundation needs to look flawless for eye makeup, blush and lip stick to look good. If face is even and blemish free, confidence comes from within.

Modern day women have to keep their makeup up with technology. If an event is video graphed, possibility is that the camera is High Definition (HD). HD cameras can pick up more than naked eyes. So even more blemishes can be seen – which is kind of scary. However, as technology is improving, makeup is also improving along with that. I have tried tons of foundations and will try to give brief reviews on a few of them.

High End Foundations:

Make Up For Ever’s HD Foundation is the holy grail of all foundations! It gives awesome coverage but looks amazingly natural on skin. It is very light weight for the coverage. The application is smooth and dries within a minute or two. It feels very light on the skin and the natural looking finish amazes me every time. It is $43 CDN but worth every penny. It has 25 shades – everyone should find their exact shade (or a better shade compared to other brands). It can be found at Sephora, Sears and some select Shoppers’ Drug Mart in Canada.

Vincent Longo Liquid Canvas Dew Finish Foundation. It has SPF 15 and called Radiant Glow foundation. It’s great for dry skin. It gives a glowy finish and has awesome coverage. I don’t recommend it for oily skin since oily skin doesn’t need more shine. The darker shades can be a bit orangey.

Mineralized Skinfinish Natural by MAC is a mineral powder, but it is pressed. I like that I don’t have to deal with the trouble of loose powder going all over the place. It gives a natural but dewy finish. It’s great for summer since it can be applied with a Kabuki brush within a minute. And none likes the feel of liquid or cream foundation on their face during summer (except for special occasions). However, it can be really shiny on oily skin and can look greasy in photographs.

Sheer Colour SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer by Stila has SPF 15 and is great for a natural look. They also made an oil-free version of this recently – which is even a better news to us oily-skinned girls.

Studio Sculpt SPF 15 Foundation by MAC is a cream foundation is best for dry skin. It gives a dewy finish. It is a full coverage foundation and can look cakey if too much is applied. People with oily skin should avoid it.

Benefit makes some kind-a-gorgeous foundation. It is a cream foundation and is supposed to match every skin tone. Though I would not agree with the skin matching part. It also has a slogan on the package, “Fake it, don’t cake it”. But unfortunately I think it does look cakey.

Elizabeth Arden makes Flawless Finish Mousse Makeup. It has a good packaging, it comes out like a mousse, applies smoothly and feels good on the skin. And that’s how it is sold. However, it is $40 CDN and is a does nothing for the price. It gives a very sheer coverage. Within an hour, it starts looking really shiny and wears off very easily.

Budges-Friendly Foundation:

Revlon ColourStay Makeup Foundation is the best low-end foundation, period. They make two versions – combination/oily skin and normal/dry skin. There are quite a few shades to choose from. Some of the foundations have SPF 15, some have SPF 6 and some has none, I don’t understand the chemistry behind that. But it really lives up to its name. Once it goes on it won’t go on your dress and it lasts forever. The formula is very thick – designed to give full coverage. But it can be sheered out with a moisturizer.

My second budget-friendly favourite foundation is also by Revlon. Revlon Beyond Natural Skin Matching Makeup is great for the days when you want medium coverage. It has SPF 15 and looks natural.

Dream Matte Mousse Foundation by Maybelline is a great foundation for oily skin. It gives a matte finish.

ELF is the acronym for Eyes Lips Face. This website has a lot of products for $1 USD only (There are a few exceptions, i.e. Mineral and Studio line). But if you are ordering from Canada beware of the big shipping fee. ELF makes Shielding Hydro-Tint SPF 15 foundation. It has 4 shades. It is not the best, but it is quite nice for the price.

ELF also makes a mineral powder. It only has 4 shades and can look cakey after a few hours.

All Over Cover Stick by ELF is a cream foundation that comes in a stick and has 4 shades. It is very cakey – I only recommend it for theatrical makeup.