Product Review: Bdellium Tools Brushes and Lip Crayon

Hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend and an amazing Diwali!!

I love makeup brushes and have tried brushes from many different brands with different price points. Some of my favorite brands include Zoeva, Mac and Bdellium Tools. I was fortunate enough to be sent 2 brushes and a lip crayon from Bdellium Tools in exchange for an honest review.

I own many brushes from their studio line and a few from their Maestro line and I love each and every brush I own. Some of the things I love about their products are:

• They have an amazing price point 
• They offer a wide range of options that caters to makeup lovers, beginners as well as professional makeup artists 
• Some of their brushes have very unique shapes which sets them apart from the rest of the brushes in your kit
• They have vegan-friendly options 

In general, I prefer smaller to medium sized brushes in my kit since they can be used on everyone as opposed to having larger brushes that do not give enough control and precision. I was extremely happy when I saw the brushes they sent me as they are just the perfect size! 

                                               

The 944 Tapered Contour Brush is great for powder contour or for blending out cream or liquid contour. I always use my brushes for multiple functions and I can see myself using this for highlighter and setting under eye concealer. This would be great to set under eye concealer since the tapered edge reaches the inner corner of your eye nicely.

The 787 blending brush has quickly become my favorite brush. It is a great multitasking face brush that can be used for blending, powder highlight, blush, contour, setting under eye concealer with powder and setting your T-zone with powder after applying liquid or cream foundation. It is definitely a must-have in your makeup kit! 

I have never tried any of their makeup products and I was excited to try their auto lip crayon in the shade Pink Cadillac. I was expecting this to be like a tinted lip balm, however it is far from that. It is in fact as pigmented as a lip stick! It is very moisturizing and easy to wear. I wear this particular shade as a lip stain. The staying power is similar to a lipstick and it lasts for about 4 hours. 

All in all Bdellium Tools have great reliable products which any professional artist can add to his or her kit confidently. The quality of the brushes is comparable to some higher end brands and I know a lot of celebrity artists who use these brushes too. I would recommend everyone to try their products no matter what your level of expertise is. 

FTC: I was sent these products from the company in exchange for my honest review. 

Makeup Kits Essentials

I recently bought a traincase and put together my makeup kit. And that's when I realised it can be very confusing to shortlist products in your kit. Many a times we meet clients for the first time and so we have to carry a number of foundation and concealer shades. But carrying extra products can make the traincase too heavy.

I am writting this post today to share with you what I like to include in my kit, and what I do to make it light and travel friendly.

I do not have a very big case, but it is bigger and more spacious than a regular traincase. It has a shoulder strap to carry it around. I would recommend everyone to go for a traincase that has wheels so you do not have to carry it around and break your back! The Zuca is a great option, but for me at this point, I do not need such a big case so the one I have works perfectly for me.

Here is that my case looks like:

The essentials necessary for any makeup kit:

1. Foundations (liquid or cream, according to your preference, I use liquid) for oily skin

as they can be used on both oily and dry skin, whereas foundation for dry skin would not be suitable for oily skins. Carry the most popular shades instead of carrying 10-15 shades. Carry one dark and one light shade to mix them with any foundation colour to get the right shade you are looking for. The foundations bottle can be heavy at times, so you can transfer the product in smaller plastic bottles and containers. 

2. Concealers are usually compact and easy to carry around so there is not much problem here. I carry 5-6 shades. 

3. Loose powders are a very important part of the kit and people generally do not invest in different shades. It is not necessary to buy a very expensive powder, but its always a good idea to have 3-4 shades like translucent, yellow, natural beige-ish shade and a slightly darker shade. Benneye does good loose powders. Just transfer the powders in a smaller container so that its light and helps reduce the weight. 

4. I carry around 12-15 lipstick shades. I mainly carry reds, pinks and neutrals which would go with all looks I plan for my brides. You can depot the lipsticks and make a palette of your own and also mix colours to get the perfect shades. 

5. Lip pencils are a very important part of the kit as well. You may skip lipsticks, but never leave out lip pencils. Carry the basic colours- pink, red, nude, orange and a brown. You don't need 2-3 red shades or brown shades, one or two from each family is enough.

6. You can save up on lip gloss and carry only one transparent gloss, but if you want more options you can carry one from each colour family. 

7. For the eyes, customized palettes are a better option than readymade palettes. The generic ready made palettes available in the market are god options for beginners, but we usually do not use all the colours in the palette. Hence palettes like Inglot and Mac, which allow us to make cutomized palettes are better as we know that we will be using all the colours in it. You get palettes for everything from eyeshadows to blush/highlight/contour to foundations and concealers.

8. For brides, I generally stick to black liner and kajal, hence I only carry one black smudge-proof liner pencil and a black gel liner. You may carry a liquid liner if you want. I love the Jordana liquid liner. Its jet black and matte, just the way I like it. I tend to avoid liquid liners that leave a glossy effect. 

9. Around 5-6 shades of blush, two contour shades (light and dark) and two - three highlighter shades (golden, champagne and pink) are enough. With experience you will realise that we do not need too many shades of blush. Powder blush is a good option as it can be used on oily as well as dry skin, whereas cream blush would be better on dry skin. Hence it is generally better to carry products suitable for oily sensitive skin, as they can be used for all skin types. You could use different blush shades to highlight or contour or carry separate products.

10. Eyebrow grooming is very important but often neglected. I prefer using powder eyeshadow and transparent mascara to tame and fill the brows. You do not need to buy extra powders specifically for this. If you are not comfortable using powder, you could invest in brow gel or pencils. 

11. As far as brushes are concerned, I go crazy when it comes to brushes! I definitely have more than required! You need only the basic brushes but that may vary from person to person. The main brushes required would be: foundation brush (flat top/buffing brush/traditional foundation brush),powder brush, small blush brush which can also be used as a contour/highlight brush, flat top eye brush, pencil brush, fluffy blending brush, eyeliner brush and a lip brush. You could also carry a fan brush, but I personally rarely use one. I will write a separate blog post on my favourite essential brushes going more in depth about them. 

12. Miscellaneous things like moisturizer, eye creams, primers for all skin types,cotton swabs, setting sprays, water spray, alcohol spray for spot cleaning brushes, paper napkins to clean up any mess and business cards would be a few things to carry. 

These are just the basic requirements for a beginner. As you go along you will add on more things according to your and your clients' requirements.

Let me know some of your favourite things to carry on set! 

Product Review: Lakme Rose Powder

Hello everyone! 

As the summer sets in we need to start switching to powders and oil-free summer friendly products to keep our face clean and our makeup from melting away. If oil accumulates on our faces it may lead to acne and blackheads and hence it is very important to keep a face powder handy. 

Today I am reviewing my favorite and most used face powder: Lakme Rose Powder. I mainly use this after I apply my sunscreen. Let the sunscreen set in your face for a few minutes and once it is absorbed into the face,dab some powder on. 

Packaging: This powder comes with a thin powder puff which is what I use to apply it. It gives a heavier coverage with a puff compared to the coverage from a brush. You could change the puff after 2 weeks to maintain hygiene, or you could use a powder brush. 

Price: I bought the powder for Rs.99 a year ago but it has now risen to Rs. 130. It is great for the price and very comparable to other brand face powders. 

Performance:I have extremely oily and sensitive skin and this powder manages to control the oil on my face. It does not cake up so you can put on a generous amount or even layer the product.

It does have a strong rose scent to it, which may bother some people. This does not affect the performance of the product in any way. 

It has an inbuilt sunscreen which adds to the benefits, but I would definitely recommend wearing your own sunscreen prior to applying this powder for additional protection. 

Recommend: I would definitely recommend this to everyone specially during the summer months. I personally prefer this powder for oil control compared to my Maybelline and Ben Nye banana Powder. 

This powder comes in two shades:  Warm Pink and Soft Pink, I have a warm undertone and so use the Warm Pink shade. 

The Makeup Corner Rating: 4.5/5

Product Review: Kryolan Brush Cleaner

Hi guys hope everyone had a good Rakshabandhan! 

Today I am reviewing the Kryolan Brush Cleaner.

I have been using this brush cleaner for quite a few months now. Besides deep cleaning your brushes it is important to spot clean them once every 3-4 days. If you are a makeup artist you can spot clean between two clients to make sure the brushes are clean and there is no transfer or any germs or infection. 

Priced at Rs.400, the Kryolan brush cleaner comes in a can kind of container with 500ml product.

It is a mainly petroleum based and should not be brought in contact with skin or eyes.

You need to be very careful while using this. Put on a glove or keep a napkin or a cloth handy.

For convenience I have put some of it in an empty perfume spray bottle. Just spray some of it on the brush and clean it off on a napkin. It will not get rid of the dirt 100% but is sufficient to clean the brush good enough for daily use.

Things you will need:

1.       Kryolan Brush Cleaner

2.       A napkin or a cloth (here I am using an old  t-shirt)

3.       Dirty brushes

Steps I follow to spot clean:

1.       Spray the liquid onto the brush  (be careful not to get any on your skin)

2.       Swirl it around on the cloth gently to clean off any product on the brush

3.       Repeat if necessary

4.       Leave it to dry for around 10 minutes

5.       Wash your hands thoroughly to make sure they do not have any solution on them

Before Spot Cleaning

Spray some cleaner onto the brush

Swirl it around gently on the cloth

After spot cleaning

Store the bottle in a well ventilated place so that it does not fill up the room with the harmful chemicals which may be fatal if inhaled.

I would not recommend this simply because one has to be really careful while dealing with it. It may not be safe for traveling as it may cause leakage.

The Kryolan Brush Cleaner works great and is good value for the money. But the deal breaker is the fact that we have to be extremely careful while using it.

The Makeup Corner Rating: 3/5

Review: Elle18 Lipsticks

I have 6 of the Elle18 Lipsticks to review today.

I have tried out these lipsticks a couple of times and am loving then so far. Even though I purchased these a while back, I just started using them  a couple of weeks back.

This are by far the cheapest lipsticks I have come across in India.  There are ofcourse many lipsticks avaiable which are cheaper than these but they are generally belong to the local brands.

 Packaging:
These come in a small black packaging with a dome shaped cap, almost like the Mac lipsticks but a little wider. They are small and light and easy to travel with. Some of you may find them a little bulky, so you could try and depot them and make your own lip pallette.

Quality:
These lipsticks have a white moisturizing substance almost like a balm which keep your lips moisturised and make the application very smooth and easy. They contain coco butter which is good for your lips.

Staying Power:
The staying power of these lipsticks is around 3-4 hours. You may ave to reapply it after eating too.
But since these are not drying  and since the application is easy, I dont mind reapplying at all!

Pigmentation:
These are extremely pigmented for the proce we pay. We can obviously not compare them to highend lipsticks, but you will be pleased with the colour payoff of these lipsticks.
You will not need more than 2 swipes of the lipstick to get an opaque colour on your lips. The dark ones require only one swipe!

Price:
They are priced at Rs.100 a piece. But this price was a few months back and now since Elle18 is kind of relaunching themselves and coming out with different products, the price may or maynot be the same. It is definately lower than most of the lipsticks available.

Colour Selection:
The colour selection on this one is pretty good, they had around 20 shades suitable to all skintones.
I, however gravitated more towards the neutrals and reds and picked up only 6 shades.


The 6 shades I have are:

(L) 31 Pinken, (R) 30  Cinnamon Bun

  

(L) 35 Berry Blast, (R) 04 Apple Springs

(L) 15  Rusty Red, (R) 22  Pink Fever

Here are the swatches of the lipsticks:

 31 Pinken

Pinken is a neutral pink which is perfect if you want a pink that is not too overwhelming and bright.  

 30  Cinnamon Bun

Cinnamon Bun is my absolute favourite shade to wear with a coral look or a smokey look. It is a coral shade which looks great on Indian skin without looking too brught. It is very easy to wear and matches almost all eye looks!

35 Berry Blast

Berry Blast is a my-lips-but-better kind of a colour. SInce most Indians have a mauve lip colour as their natural lips, this one looks very natural and is an everyday lip colour. You can wear it to office or college without looking very madeup.

These last three shades all fall in the red lips category. Apple Springs in particular was the most pigmented out of the 6 shades I own. These have a slight shimmer to them so you don't need to wear gloss over it. If you don't prefer wearing red on a daily basis you can wear a small amount of these and smudge it iver your lips with your fingers to give it a more subtle look. These would be great for special occasions like weddings where you wouldn't mind being a little made up.

04 Apple Springs

15  Rusty Red

22  Pink Fever

This is an overview of all the shades I own!

Without Flash

With Flash

These are great products for those who are on a budget and/or want to expriment with different shades.
Even though the staying power is not the greatest ,these are brilliant comparred to others in their price range.

I would definately recommend you to try them out!

Pros:
great price
good colour range
good sturdy packaging
moisturising


Cons:
not easily available in the market
stays on for approx 3 hours

The Make-Up Corner Rating: 3.5/5

Be Monsoon Ready!

Don't you just love the Mumbai Monsoons!
Just the rains in general bring a smile to my face!
The long drives, the hot chocolate, the trip to lonavala and the hot pakodas!

All these things makes monsoons my favourite season, but picking up makeup products can be a bit tricky.

I am not going to write a long blog about this ,but there are just a few tips to wear makeup in the monsoons.

I would recommend you to skip makeup completely. But if you are going out to lunch or dinner or any occasion and want to wear some makeup, waterproof makeup would be your best bet!

Just some foundation, eyeliner and a bright lipstick!
There are many waterproof foundations available in the market. There is the Mac Studio Sculpt and Estee Lauder Double Wear to name a few.
Let the lips be the focal point. Eyeshadow and eyeliner can be messy and might get smudged. You could wear waterproof eyeliner too.
Avoid lipgloss as it may get too sticky.

For the day go for a fun bright pink or orange, and keep it classy and formal in the evening with a red lipstick!

p.s. - Don't forget to always have a hand sanitizer with you while travelling to avoid any germs and diseases during the monsoons!

Let me know what your monsoon favourites are!

Product Review: Castledew Eyeshadows

I recently visited the Beauty Centre and found a few budget-friendly eyeshadows of the brand Castledew.

I have used them a couple of times and this is my opinion about them:

Price:
These eyeshadows are only Rs. 75 a piece, which is excellent as they are pretty pigmented.

Quality:
These eyeshadows have a smooth silky texture which is very easy to work with.
Out of the 5 I own, 4 have some glitter in them which makes it a bit messy to work with. But overall they glide on smoothly and give a good colour payoff.

Packaging:
They come in a sleek silver packaging which is very travel friendly.

Colour Options:
They mostly had light and pastel colours, not many dark or bright options.
I was looking for a dark chocolate brown for my crease but couldn't find one.
Like I said before, not many matte options.

I picked up a mix of neutral and jewel tones.
The purple and olive green compliment the Indian skintone very well.

I would wear these shadows mainly to highlight the centre of my eyelids or team them up with neutrals and give a smokey look.

You can use the colourful ones to line your lower lashline to add a pop of colour to a neutral look.

Lasting power:
These do not last too long, but you cannot expect more at Rs.75!

 Top to Bottom: Purple, Olive Green, Gold, Peachy Pink, Taupe

Here are the swatches of the eyeshadows. 

These are only swipped once, so you can see how well pigmented they are (especially the neutral ones)

Pros:

• budget-friendly
• nice packaging
• good pigmentation
• nice texture
• easy to work with
• blendable

Cons:

• result in fallout
• not many colour options
• not many matte options- mostly shimmery 
• powdery

I would recommend these to those who are just starting out with makeup and are on a budget.

You get more than what you pay for with these. 

I haven't found these anywhere else though, only the beauty center at Bandra.

The MakeUp Corner Rating: 3/5