Hakuhodo brushes

Hi loves, I wanted to share some of my favourite brushes with you today. I had been lusting after the Hakuhodo brushes for years and finally got my hands on some last year at  IMATS.
 I was fascinated by the pretty orange handles and the gold ferruls. I had heard some rave reviews and knew I needed them in my life.

Top to bottom- s103-  210- Yachiyo, Small - s111

I picked up two brushes from the s100 series ( the beautiful vermilion and gold ones) , one from the 200 series ( a dupe for macs 109) and one of the traditional brushes.

S-103

I love this brush it is so soft I use it for bronzer and translucent powder it retails for $93. I know these brushes are on the pricy side but they are an investment and you need to look at it like that with proper care they will last you a lifetime.

S-111

This is the softest brush i have ever felt, it would not be unusual to find me sitting at my dresser brushing it all over my face ( even when i'm not putting makeup on ). I use it for liquid foundation sometimes but mostly for powders ie, blush highlighters. This one retails for $93.

210

I LOVE this brush it is a very close match for the MAC 109 with out its infamous hair loss. This is my favourite brush for blush I get a fantastic fool proof result every time with this baby. Retails for $36.

Yachiyo, small purple

I had to own one of these beautiful traditional japanese brushes, I would love to add more of them to my collection, and hope to do so at this years IMATS. I love this one for highlighter and translucent powder under my eyes. This one is $32.  

               

                      What do you think? you can find them here http://www.hakuhodousa.com/ 

My first attempt at the caviar manicure

OK so I have been in awe of the new trend and have been searching high and low for micro beads. I have had not luck anywhere locally, mostly I was met with a "mirco wha???" accompanied by an unattractive snarl from the craft store attendants. So I scrounged the beads and found some tiny glass beads to have a run with. Yes I know I could have ordered them online but i'm a I want it and I want it now kind of girl.

I painted my nails a nude colour first. I applied one coat of OPI's Samoan sands and let it dry completely.

 

I let the first coast dry completely and then got a small bowl, and the container I had stored the beads in ready to go. 

One nail at a time i applied a second liberal coat of the polish, and instantly poured the beads directly onto the nail over the bowl to catch the spare beads.

Mill Hill Petite glass beads - OPI samoan sand

After the nail was covered I gently patted the beads to make sure they were all stuck I also had to flick a few off from around the cuticle area.
As soon as the first nail was finished I was tempted to remove it and give the whole "caviar Manicure " thing the flick, It looked like crap to me but hubby and the kids loved it so I persevered.

I did the same steps with all ten nails, I was still really unhappy with them. Maybe it is my anal retentiveness and my need to have nice smooth nails, it may just have been that the beads are not as small as the micro beads and gave the manicure to much volume, I don't know but I was not sold.

To add insult to injury Hubby and I were going out last night and i had to get him to help me get dressed, I know crazy right... The outfit I had picked out required fishnet tights and i couldn't manage them with the beads.
It kept getting worse we went to a dear friends place for dinner and ribs were on the menu, so yummy but finger food was not a great combination with my nails either... I think I swallowed about 10 beads.

I will order some micro beads and give this another try but at the moment the Caviar Manicure is not for me what do you think of my attempt?? Is it something you would try??

Haul - all the way from USA

I have been looking to add a new foundation to my kit and had been reading lots of reviews and asking other artist what was in their kit and the vote was pretty clear RCMA was the way to go.

 Its a foundation I have been lusting after for a long while now but availability n Australia was a huge issue. I could get the smaller sample pallet's here but it was much more economical to get the full size product.

During my research i discovered most people were purchasing RCMA through Camera Ready Cosmetics. I was so happy that an American based company shipped to Australia.
I will do a separate review of the foundation once I have had a good play with it.

I also picked up the beautiful Ben Nye Fireworks wheel, it is another product that I had seen prior and loved but never picked up, so with the cheaper price it was a no brainier for me. I love a good highlighter so I think this pallet will be well loved.

swatches 

Have you found any great international cosmetic companies that ship to Aus????

The new love of my life - The Zuca Sports

As a freelance makeup artist one of the major issues I have is portability of my kit. To have all the products I may need on hand means carting a huge amount of makeup with me most of the time. I have previously shown you what is in my kit and how it was packed here. I also said that I was on the hunt for a new train case and the Zuca was high on the list.
So I bit the bullet and here it is my new Zuca sports.

Zuca sport 

I chose the red frame and the black mystic bag, I think it reflects Madame Rouge very well.

It came with four pouches with clear plastic tops that make knowing whats inside much easier. The other feature that made me go with the sports rather than the artist pro, was the double wheels. This makes taking the case upstairs a joy.

inside pouches

I purchased my zuca from ebay the seller was really helpful and the prices are fantastic check her store out here.

I have had a bit of a play today and I am amazed at how much fits inside this little beauty, I will fill her up and report back soon. xx