Happy Wednesday! Today I thought it would be fun to share with you my favorite makeup brushes. I noticed that I use the same brushes every day for the most part, and they work really well for me. In true Adventures in Polishland fashion, all of these brushes are super fabulous and affordable with the exception of one splurge that I think is worth every penny. Let me share with you my top five makeup brushes in no particular order!
1. BeautyBlender – $20 [BUY]
Let’s jump right in with the splurge item, which is the BeautyBlender. I’m sure you’ve heard of this cult favorite by now. It is the $20 sponge that somehow is formulated to apply liquid and cream products flawlessly. I avoided the BeautyBlender for a while because I couldn’t justify the price. I even went so far as to purchase a BeautyBlender “dupe” from Ricky’s NYC (see my comparison post HERE). When I received the real deal in a PopSugar box, I couldn’t believe it. The BeautyBlender is truly worth the money, and I use it to apply foundation and blend out concealer daily. I need to pick up a new one after a couple years of constant use and washing.
2. EcoTools Angled Eyeliner Brush – $3.99 [BUY]
I haven’t had much luck with the brand EcoTools, but one brush I do really love is the Angled Eyeliner Brush, which I use for my eyebrows. The brush size is great, and I like have the long handle that my eyebrow kits do not. The bristles are tightly packed in order to give a precise application, too. It’s a really great brush for an affordable price.
3. Real Techniques Setting Brush – $7.99 [BUY]
When it comes to highlighter, I always use the Setting Brush from Real Techniques. It is the perfect size, and I love that the bristles are fluffy so I can blend everything out well. This brush can be used for many other purposes as well, such as setting concealer or blending out cream products. I highly recommend it for highlighter, though!
4. Real Techniques Buffing Brush – $8.99 [BUY]
Another Real Techniques brush I love is the Buffing Brush, which is essentially a small kabuki. I use it to apply my translucent powder, and it does an excellent job. The flat top helps to blend and get a nice, even finish. It’s also great for mineral foundations if that’s your cup of tea.
5. elf Angled Blush Brush – $3.00 [BUY]
Last but not least is the elf Angled Blush Brush, which should come as no surprise to regular readers of my blog. This $3 brush is beyond amazing. It is super soft, but applies any blush I own beautifully. The angle allows me to control the product more, and can also double as a contouring brush. You need this brush in your collection!
That wraps up my favorite makeup brushes! As you can see, I stick with affordable brushes but add in a splurge product where it counts. I think that’s a great way to build your beauty collection, whether it be makeup products or tools. Definitely let me know in the comments what makeup brushes you use daily. I would love to hear your recommendations as well!
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Derma e is a skincare brand that uses nature’s post powerful natural ingredients and combines them with cruelty-free green chemistry. I absolutely love that the brand focuses on natural ingredients! I feel confident that I’m truly taking care of my skin when I use Derma e products. It’s always great to find a brand that is ethical in addition to providing top notch products. I’m also really excited that Derma e is now available at Target stores! You all know how much I love Target, especially if you watch my 
Now let’s talk about the Firming DMAE Eye Lift, one of the products available at Target. This eye cream is designed to visibly lift, firm, and tighten the eye area, and also smooth away crow’s feet. I have a lot of fine lines under my eyes, which I think is mainly due to dryness as I’m only in my twenties. I like the Firming DMAE Eye Lift because it can be used both morning and evening, unlike other eye creams with retinols. Plus, it’s light and has a slight cooling sensation. I haven’t noticed a huge difference in my under eye area yet, but I do like that the cream is gentle for my sensitive skin.
I also got to try the Hydrating Night Crème, which I’m absolutely loving! This crème is formulated to deeply hydrate the skin, reduce the look of fine lines, and replump the skin with moisture. I love the formula of this moisturizer because even though it is deeply hydrating, it does not feel heavy on the skin at all. It also has a very slight relaxing scent, which is not overpowering. I’m sensitive to smells and it doesn’t bother me one bit! My skin feels so refreshed whenever I use this product! It highly recommend it.
Covergirl mascara is always hit or miss for me, so I was a little nervous to try this one. I received the shade Very Black, which is what I wear regularly. The Plumpify blast PRO is designed to give extreme plump and life with a 50x volume claim. I like that there is an actual before and after photograph right on the box!
The formula for me is a bit on the heavy side. This is definitely a wet mascara, and I much prefer dry formulas. Nonetheless, I do get great volume with the Plumpify. My lashes did clump a bit because of the heavy formula, but I am liking the look. I also love that this mascara is hypoallergenic and removes with soap and water. Any time a mascara comes off with a makeup remover wipe I know it’s a good one!
The Full Exposure Travel Palette is a very compact palette. It comes in sleek black packaging that is about the size of a credit card, just a bit thicker. There are eight shadows inside this palette, and a good size mirror. Four of the shadows are shimmers, and four are mattes. I love that you can do so many different eyeshadow looks with just this one palette!
Here are swatches of the four shimmer shades, from left to right: Chocolate Brown, Soft Gold, Light Tan, and Mid-Tone Slate. I’m not loving the formulas on these shimmer shadows, except for Light Tan which is beautiful. I find the others to be a bit on the chalky side, but I’m hoping once I get below the surface of the shadow they will be more blendable. I’m not too mad about this, though, because I am a huge fan of matte shadows!
Here are the matte shades, from left to right: Matte Warm Chocolate Brown, Soft Matte Mid-Tone Tan, Creamy Matte Beige, and Ashy Dark Brown. I am loving each of these shades! They are so pigmented and blend out really nicely. I recently did an eyeshadow look for the daytime using Creamy Matte Beige and Matte Warm Chocolate Brown and it came out really nice. I can’t wait to use these more!
I purchased the BROWdrama in the shade 250 Blonde because I have dark blonde hair, and I find anything for brunettes is way too dark for me. The kit comes with a brow wax, brow powder, highlight powder, a double-sided angled brush, and a spoolie brush. I love that you get everything you need for a complete brow look. I would have liked a mini pair of tweezers in the kit, too. That is one benefit that the Milani kit has over this one. That being said, I am very impressed with the quality of this palette. 
Here are swatches of the wax, powder, and highlight. As you can see, the wax is only slightly pigmented. I’ve never used a brow wax before, and I have to say I’m surprised at how much I like it! I apply the wax first, and it does a great job at keeping my brows shaped. I no longer have to use a brow gel! Then I apply the powder, which is the perfect shade for my brows. I’m so glad I finally found a true match! Plus, the powder is great quality. I do not experience any fallout, but it also blends really well. Last but not least is the highlight. This is the one product in the palette I’m not thrilled about because it is a bit on the glittery side. However, it is decent quality and most days I do wear it. I also wanted to mention that I have been using the brushes included in the palette, and they do a great job.
First up are the items that I purchased! I usually try to aim for $50 even, but this time I went a bit over that amount. I just decided to get some extra goodies!
Next up, I used a coupon code from the Weekly Specials page to score this little makeup bag filled with sample products. While I’m not the biggest fan of foil packets, they are great for travel. I am really excited for the makeup bag, though! I use pouches for everything in my purse and luggage – cords, pens and pencils, accessories, and more. Always make sure to use a coupon code when you shop at Sephora!
Last but not least, I got my three free samples. I love Atelier perfume samples, and I’ve heard great things about Rita Hazan hair care. The last sample on the right is a Peter Thomas mask, so that will be fun to try, too. I have entire drawer of samples in my makeup collection, so these will be added to the pile.
Here is a look at the three tiny bottles in the trio. They come with a traditional doe foot applicator, which I don’t mind when it comes to liquid lip products. I love the black and gold accents on the caps as well.
I wanted to share with you a one coat swatch of each product on my arm because I wear 2-3 coats on my lips. From left to right is: Sugar, Heartthrob, and Dahlia. You can see that Sugar is the most pigmented and creamy, and Dahlia is the least pigmented. I’ll talk about each formula more in the individualized swatches below, but I do want to point out that although these are all from the same makeup line, the formulas vary a lot. There is no consistency here unfortunately.
The first shade in the trio is Sugar. This is the shade that I owned as a sample previously and really loved. It is a beautiful mauve pink that is a ‘my lips but better’ color for me. I applied two coats of Sugar and allowed the first layer to dry before adding a second. I love how opaque and pigmented this lip stain is. It feels nice on the lips, and I know I’ll be wearing it often!
Next up is Heartthrob, a bright red shade. I immediately noticed a difference in Heartthrob’s formula in comparison to Sugar. It is quite liquidy, and I found it really difficult to apply. As you can see from my swatch, clean-up was hard, too. Because these are lip stains, they stain the skin upon application. I’m not a fan of Heartthrob because if a lip product is hard for me to apply and makes a mess, it’s one I’m going to avoid!
Last but not least is Dahlia, a dark berry purple shade. I also had issues with Dahlia’s formula. It was very sheer and took about three coats before I got a full coverage look. It also applied very patchy – you know that creepy ring around the lips look? Yeah, I had a lot of trouble avoiding it! While the end result is quite pretty, I’d rather find a different product that is the same shade with a better formula.
I got this bright coral blush in a Birchbox, and was surprised at how much l loved it! The blush is very pigmented, and has quite a bit of shimmer. Somehow it looked great on my fair skin! I wore it a ton this past summer. It is a high end product, but worth the splurge if you’re looking for an amazing blush.
I was really excited to find a new highlighter line at the drugstore by L’Oreal. I had to get the rose gold one, just because I love anything rose gold. This highlight is no exception! It is quite shimmery, but it works. I wore it a lot in the summer and fall, and will definitely reach for it again once winter is over. Don’t forget to use coupons on this one!
I’ve become really obsessed with Buxom in the past couple of months, and my favorite lip product thus far is Dolly. It is the perfect shade of mauve-pink, and it is so easy to wear. Plus, it feels great on my lips. I’ve been reaching for this consistently since I got it, and even wore it for Christmas Eve!