Beauty Product Reviews | Page 3

Dream Blush Brush

As I noted on my review of Brush 4, before Wayne Goss started making his amazing brushes, I thought I could only use synthetics. My skin has always been sensitive to natural brushes, and nearly every other face brush I tried scratched and irritated my skin, or removed foundation and concealer in the process. Wayne's brushes are the softest brushes on the planet. I'm talking kitten fur, pussy willow, golden retriever puppy soft. I may or may not brush them on my face even without product from time to time. And I love that they are handcrafted and cruelty free.

This brush is the perfect for applying powder products to your face. The product info accurately describes it as a more rounded, larger take on Brush 2. I love Brush 2 for highlighting and contouring: the angled tip allows for precise application. But Brush 11 is the best brush I have ever tried for applying blush! The rounded tip picks up the perfect amount of product, and the soft bristles allow you to blend without disturbing foundation one bit. My go-to blush is Hourglass's Ethereal Glow, and this brush fits so perfectly into the compact you would think they were meant to be used together. Brush 11 is also great for bronzing and powder, although I prefer the Holiday Brush to set my makeup.

Like all of Wayne's brushes, Brush 11 washes and wears well, making it well worth its price. It is irreplaceable in my collection and I use it every day. If you don't have one already, subscribe to email updates and snap it up as soon as you can!

Holy Grail Crease Brush

Before Wayne Goss started making his amazing brushes, I thought I could only use synthetics. My eyes are extremely sensitive, and nearly every other natural hair brush I tried irritated my eyes or felt like they scratched or dragged my lids. Wayne's brushes are the softest brushes on the planet. I'm talking kitten fur, pussy willow, golden retriever puppy soft. I may or may not brush them on my face even without product from time to time. And I love that they are handcrafted and cruelty free.

I have slightly hooded/deep set eyes, and the size of this brush is absolute perfection for adding definition in and above my crease. The shape allows for precise application exactly where you want the color, and the softness makes blending an absolute dream. It also picks up and holds the perfect amount of color with virtually no fall out.

Brush 03 is perfect for that finishing touch; it's larger size makes the task quick and easy, and it's softness means you won't undue any of your eye contour during the blending process. If I could only choose two eye brushes from the line, these would be it (although that would be a tragedy, because they are each unique and amazing).

Wayne's brushes wash well and hold their shape (and, most importantly, their softness). I've had mine since January 2014 and it's in impeccable shape consistent use.

Pretty but too messy

I have the shade violet, and it is such a pretty color. I was hoping it would give me a glossy alternative to my beloved Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick, but alas, it did not.

The sponge applicator is messy and imprecise, the product bleeds and migrates almost immediately after application, and it barely lasts two hours before I need to reapply. I also found it very drying. I would hesitate to call this either a liquid lipstick or a stain; at best, it's a full coverage lip gloss (on my lips). The shade berry was very pretty as well, but I couldn't justify the purchase in light of violet's less than stellar performance.

Je ne sais quoi

I can't think of a better way to describe this incredible product. But here's my secret: I don't use it as directed. I've tried Wonderglow under foundation and didn't like it at all: the layering seemed to negate the glow factor, and it didn't wear well throughout the day (perhaps it was just one too many layers?). I also tried layering it on top of foundation for extra glow, but this also made me shrug.

I have very fair skin, so for years I've tried mixing various things into foundation to help me find a better color match (white foundations, primers, highlighters, sunscreen, moisturizer--you name it). But each of these concoctions ended up affecting the coverage and wear of my foundations for the worse. I also love dewy makeup, but I find many highlighters have more glitter than glow. Then I read the Beauty Professor's glowing blog post and Wonderglow became my best friend. She mixed Wonderglow with foundation, and this, my friends, is magic.

I mix nearly equal amounts of Wonderglow and medium to full coverage foundation on the back of my hand before applying with a dampened Beauty Blender. And voila, the elusive lit from within glow. Wonderglow improves the coverage and wear of foundation while providing a natural, not even remotely sparkly glow.

I've mixed Wonderglow with serum foundations (YSL and Zelens), Cle De Peau's cream foundation, and By Terry's Densiliss, and it blends absolutely perfectly. It's not the best combination for thin, liquid foundations (like YSL Fusion Ink), but I find these formulas tend to have enough glow and natural finish on their own. I also love that Wonderglow doesn't add any color to foundation, which I was worried about at first since it's got a light, bronzy tone. I haven't tried the Light Wonder foundation yet but I imagine these two products are a match made in heaven.

A little bit goes a long way, so it's a great value at $55. I use it almost every day and have barely made a dent. And the sqeeze bottle packaging makes it easy to dispense only what you need and pop into a handbag or carryon.

Worth every penny!

I’ve tried a ton of primers but didn’t fall in love until By Terry. It's expensive, but one pump is enough to cover my entire face, and the bottle has lasted me six months with daily use. Why is this a non-negotiable part of my morning routine? It blurs imperfections, smooths the skin, and helps foundation both apply like a dream and last forever. I’ve tried it over both physical and chemical sunscreens, and with a variety of foundations, and it has yet to disappoint.

And much to my delight, I recently discovered that it is gentle enough for my incredibly sensitive eyes! The skin under my eyes is very dry so I can't go without an eye cream, but this often makes concealers move, crease, and separate. A tiny dab of primer is the perfect barrier that allows me to stay hydrated and as free from dark circles as possible, especially when used with By Terry's Densiliss concealer.

I use the primer in conjunction with anti-aging skincare, and it does not irritate my acne prone skin one bit (in fact, my adult acne is virtually gone). As my skin has cleared, I find myself applying less and less foundation, made possibly in part due to the color correcting, flawless finish of this primer.

Bottom line: it's an amazing product, and there's no better place to buy it than Beautylish! I received a personal email from Nils (CEO + Co-Founder) in response to a question about an order. Can you imagine that happening at Sephora? Best customer service, period.

Didn't work for my sensitive skin

I really, really wanted to love this cream. I tried the sample a few times before the cream was available, but I was also trying new foundation so I didn't isolate any ill effects before ordering the jar. Unfortunately, the magic cream makes my very sensitive skin break out after even one day of wear, and I need a moisturizer with more SPF. (I'm in love with the Josie Maran SPF 47 sunscreen now, moisture plus SPF with no irritation). I've been using the magic cream on my neck and décolletage, however, and love it! If you have non-sensitive skin, I highly recommend trying it out. I don't mind the smell at all and the finish is beautiful.

Very natural

It's difficult to achieve defined brows with this pencil but it does fill in very naturally. I appreciate the light shade, as many pencils are too dark for my fair complexion. But the highlight powder is much too dark for my skin tone. It's not my favorite Charlotte Tilbury product but good for every day use if you have naturally shapely brows.

Holy grail

I adore this foundation and am on my second bottle--very excited to see the By Terry line on Beautylish! This is one of three foundations that lives up to my admittedly picky standards: medium to dull coverage with a natural finish that lasts all day. Shade two is the perfect match for my very fair but neutral skin (~N10). I can't begin to list the many lines don't make a light enough shade for me (eg Mac, Chanel, Tom Ford, Armani, etc.), so I was surprised to find that the "lightest" shade was not right in the Densiliss. Be sure to pick the right undertones when you're trying to find a match (the Beauty Professor posts extremely helpful swatches and descriptions and led me to the perfect match!). The price was hard to swallow at first, but it is absolutely gorgeous and truly worth every penny. I recently started using it with the Densiliss primer (which I hope to see here soon!) and the combo is long-lasting perfection.

Speeds drying time

Love this. It holds all sizes of brushes, from thin eyeliner to wide-based real techniques. This lovely stand dries brushes in a flash while taking up less space on your counter, and then it folds flat for easy storage. Plus you can fit a lot of smaller brushes in together so you can wash everything at once. Genius!