CCO Haulage…I love love.

Last Friday I went to the CCO…I make it my business to get there at least every two weeks to purchase items to add to my collection. I love my CCO! I hear it’s a very good one so while it’s still new and nobody really knows about it then I’ll be getting all the goodies all the time. Yay!

OK so here is my haul…

- MAC Fix +
- MAC Brush Cleanser
- MAC Hello Kitty Dazzleglass in Kitty Kouture
-MAC Passionate Eyeshadow
- MAC Petticoat Mineralized Skinfinish (MSF)
- MAC 188 Brush
- NYX Suede (had to have it – not a fan of NYX shadows – but this one rocks! Thanks ColouredBeautiful)

Everything was new to the CCO except for Passionate, Petticoat and the 188 brush. I was happy to purchase my first bottle of Fix +. I have used it a couple times and I must say that it does wake my face it. Makes it feel fresh. I spray it on before my face and eye primer.

OK so I love Dazzleglasses now. Who would have thought? They are not too sticky and they give this wonderful, glittery shine. Love my Kitty Kouture Dazzleglass!

Passionate eyeshadow is just a very pretty pink (it’s more of a hot pink, but when put on the eye it has to be built up in order to get that hot pink to come out which is fine for me). I am wearing it lightly today and it looks great with MAC Tempting and NYX Suede eyeshadows. My NYX Suede eyeshadow a single eyeshadow (it’s a matte medium brown color with very little shimmer in it) and I love it because it is very close to my skin color, it doesn’t go on chalky like the shadows in the trios and it makes for a great blending color when I need to really blend out my lines.  I, of course, picked it up at the Fragrance Outlet because my local Ulta store didn’t have this color in so I paid full price.  Awww.  But I Love.

Petticoat MSF is just beautiful. It comes out on my cheeks as it does when I swatch it onto my hand. It’s shimmery like hell, but it’s so pretty. I love using it.

Love love love…what don’t I love? Love my 188 brush. It is hella small, but it picks up just the right amount of my NARS blush. NARS blushers are highly pigments and my Taj Mahal is very pigmented. I was using my Essence of Beauty Finishing brush to pick it up, but it would pick up too much. My 188 picks up the right amount. I just need to dip twice and I’m done! Love!

I have yet to use the brush cleanser and I should be ashamed of myself because all of my brushes are dirty and have been for a week.  Gross.  Yeah, I know.  Anyway!  Here are pics of my lovely CCO haul!

I really need to start reviewing some stuff since I am a NW45, NC45 and there are not many reviews out there for people with my skin color. I’ll do that soon.

Decided on the MAC 188 brush

I’m currently in the market for a good blush brush and I’ve looked into the Eco-Tools blush brush (if it’s anything like my powder brush then it will pick up too much product), the Revlon Blush brush (reviews are not so good on this), the MAC 116 (price is a little too much for me right now) brush and the MAC 187 brush (it’s too big and pricey). I remember people saying on the web that the MAC 187 brush is good for applying powders especially blushers and liquid foundations. I don’t wear liquid foundation (yet – I’m hoping my breakouts and scarring won’t last any longer) so I remembered that the MAC 188 (the smaller version of the 187) is available at my CCO. How nice.

What made me decide on the MAC 187 is that I read that it picks up a small amount of powder products which is nice because my NARS Taj Mahal is very pigmented so using a light brush is exactly what I need. I was using (and will continue to use) my Essence of Beauty Finishing brush (which is an odd brush to use blush for but I do not have a blush brush to use) to apply my NYX blush and it picks up a lot of product all at once and it’s the right amount for my cheek. When I go to use the same brush in my NARS blush the brush picks up too much or my NARS blush is very pigmented. I think it’s a pigmentation issue. The quality and pigmentation of my NARS blush is greater in that compared to my NYX blush, of course. I didn’t realize it because my only blush before my NARS was my NYX blush. No experience until now.

Anyway, what I had to do was go over my face with an MSF to cover up the over use of my NARS blush. It was too much product going my Finishing brush. I used my mineral face brush as well and I found myself in the same position. I’m hoping that the MAC 188 will pick up a small amount of product and will apply just right. I use a light hand in my NARS blush because I don’t want to waste it. I’m very careful with that blush as it cost me $25.00 for the one I have. Yikes!

Lastly, I was going to go ahead and splurge on the 131 brush, but I think it’s uncessary. I don’t really want to spend $40.00 on a brush I’m only going to use for blush. The 188 brush it is!

My Brush Collection is growing.

As I stated before, I have a love hate relationship with my Essence of Beauty Brushes, but I think I love them more than hate now. I’m learning how to work with them and they are great for the price. I will not throw them out. I’ve come to the realization that I hate dual brushes. I just don’t like how they look is all. I hate them.

It’s really sad that I have to report that the MAC logo and numbers of the brushes on my 239 and 217 brushes are rubbing off. I don’t know what’s up with that! I am so broken hearted. I am now careful to hold my MAC brushes on the ends of the wands when I’m washing them so that I don’t rub off the logo and numbers. So sad. They are still MAC brushes so it’s not really a tragedy, but it still hurts like hell.

Here is a pic of my brushes drying after their deep cleaning today. I use Johnson’s Baby Shampoo Extra Conditioning to deep clean my brushes. The only brushes missing from this picture is my Essence of Beauty Blush & Powder dual Brush that I don’t use because I don’t like it so no need to wash it and my Bare Escentuals Mini Buki Brush (which I’ve never used).  The MAC 224, MAC 219 and Sonia Kashuk Fluffy Eyeshadow brushes are my newest brushes. I have shaped them and here they are…

From left to right…

Eco-Tools Powder Brush (love love love)
Essence of Beauty Comb/ Eyebrows & Eyeliner dual Brush
Essence of Beauty Finishing Brush
Essence of Beauty Crease Brush (sorry the pic is cut off)
Essence of Beauty Blending & Eyeshadow dual Brush
Essence of Beauty Foundation & Conceal dual Brush

Bare Escentuals Flawless Face Brush (love love love)
Bare Escentuals Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush
Bare Escentuals Kabuki Brush
Bare Escentuals Contour Shadow Brush (love love love)

Sonia Kashuk Fluffy Eyeshadow Brush (I have yet to try this one out)

MAC 239
MAC 217
MAC 226
MAC 224
MAC 219

The next brush I’m going to get is the MAC 134, 109 and 209 brushes.