Beauty Product Reviews

Soap brow but without the mess

I instantly fell in love with this pomade. If you like the effect of a soap brow but find the process too messy/flaky/waxy/sticky/etc. this is a product for you.

After coating the brows you can easily manipulate the hair to stick up instead of downwards and create the famous bushy brow look. The effect isn’t crunchy or glued down so if you mess up you can still move the hairs around where you want them.

All in a small tight package without having to wet a spoolie and a whole bar of soap.

Sheds more than my pets

Let’s start with the good. I love the shape of this brush. It works wonders for blending out cream foundation and concealer, that’s mainly what I use it for. I can get around every contour of my face and add coverage with precision.

The one thing I hate about it is how much it sheds! I washed it twice hoping to get all the loose hairs out but every time I use it I end up having to pull at least 10-15 brush hairs off my face and also out of the brush. You can clearly see them come out one by one.

I just can’t recommend it to anyone. Hopefully the manufacturer will figure out how to keep the excess hair in the bundle and off the users face. Right now it’s kind of a mess.

New holy grail

Is this brush extravagantly expensive? Yes. Am I willing to pay? Absolutely.

This is the kind of brush shape I was missing among Wayne Goss and Sonia G brushes available at Beautylish. I much prefer it to a standard round or candle shaped brushes because thanks to the slant the blending area is bigger and can apply more product and spread it more evenly. It’s my new holy grail powder brush! Fits so perfectly between the nose and undereye area and doesn’t disturb my makeup one bit. I could honestly do all my face makeup with just this brush (with the exception of liquid products of course). You can swipe, tap or buff without any friction thanks to the soft hair.

I’m already planning a purchase of another Surratt brush. Perfect for sensitive skin because it will never scratch or poke.

Not for oily skin

I got a deluxe sample of this powder. It’s finely milled and smooth. I like the slight yellow tint so I doesn’t leave a white cast.

Unfortunately it doesn’t have the hyped up longevity I was looking for. My nose is really oily and this powder lets the oil though and makes me look greasy after less than 4 hours.

My RCMA No Color powder keeps me matte for 9+ hours. I only have to blot once and my foundation is back to perfect matte.

If you’re dry or normal skin this will be a nice powder (though very overpriced). If you have a very oily skin I would recommend RCMA or Cover FX instead. They’re really budgeproof.

Holy grail!

This product is fantastic! It flattens bumps overnight, much faster and less drying than my usual BPO that takes 2-3 days to get rid of a zit and dries my skin out horribly.

I like that it dries down completely and I don’t mind the look of pink dots on my face. I’d rather walk around with cute pink dots all over instead of angry red zits. xD

This is the best spot treatment I’ve tried so far and I tried many, from Clinique to Paula’s Choice, Neutrogena and over the counter Benzoyl Peroxide... this one feels and works best.

I don’t know what to think

In photo: Sonia G Builder One vs. MAC 239 side view.

The brush takes a little getting used to.

You can’t use swiping motion because the brush is too smooth to pick up anything. The recommended way to use it is to wiggle the brush in the pan which does pick up a decent amount of product but it will not replace finger application, at least for me.

My main gripe with it is how thick it is. The handle is almost as thick as my thumb! The ferrule is too thick and when you go wiggle in the eyeshadow you will rub the metal part in it too which is annoying and wastes a lot of product.

It’s also hard to maneuver on the eyelid because you end up dragging the metal part on your eye also. It’s just not a pleasant experience. I don’t want to bang a metal ferrule on my eyeball.

The brush should’ve been pinched a little more and made smaller. That’s my preference.

I tried it for spot concealing and it does a good job at covering blemishes. Doesn’t absorb product.

5 stars for beautiful design. 2 stars for ergonomics

Packs a punch!

This brush is small but can carry a lot of pigment so you have to be aware of that before you accidentally highlight yourself into a tin man. The bristles are very soft, they feel like the older Wayne Goss brush set with dyed bristles. I think it will be perfect for subtle contouring or even a thin veil of blush on the cheeks. Such a versatile little brush!

Severely disappointed

I was super excited to try the Nudestix, especially the shade Freckle. After wearing them for a while I have to say that the formula is not for me.

The lip pencils are thick, chalky and drying. If you put a balm underneath they get sticky. If you put them on bare lips they feel like the desert.

They make Kat Von D lipsticks feel moisturizing in comparison!

I’m super sad because I was looking forward to this set but I must return it because it’s impossible for me to wear them longer than an hour because of how drying they are.

Also they don’t survive through eating (even something like plain yogurt) and they crumble and hang onto your teeth. Not a cute look!

Provides quick relief but doesn’t really heal.

My hands get super dry and painfully cracked in winter. This cream provided very quick relief and soothed irritated and dry skin.

Sadly, this effect isn’t very long lasting. The skin is smoothed out but never completely healed and I have to constantly reapply. I think this hand cream is just not moisturizing enough for me, especially in harsh winter season.

It’s great if you hate greasy creams because it absorbs super fast and leaves a matte finish without residue, so you can go back to using your phone/laptop/etc. within minutes.

For severely dry skin that needs more moisture and protection I would recommend Neutrogena concentrated hand cream instead.

Worked great for delicate Japanese brushes

I noticed that my ultra-soft brushes were becoming a bit dry and less soft after many washes with basic brush soap so I decided to try this.

After a single wash my brushes were already silkier and had more spring and were visibly conditioned! I had no problem with lathering and I appreciate that it doesn’t lather endlessly like dish soap so it doesn’t take forever to rinse out.

For my synthetic foundation and concealer brushes I had to do 2 washes. The shampoo washed my Beauty Blenders with ease but for heavy stains and extremely hard to remove foundation I would recommend a stronger brush cleaner.

This brush shampoo is obviously meant to condition and preserve delicate brushes like Wayne Goss and I appreciate that it’s gentle and doesn’t strip the bristles completely.

I’m not the biggest fan of lavender in general but that’s just personal preference. I will probably get grapefruit next once it’s back in stock.