Product of the Week: MAC Masterclass Brush Oval 6

Hi all! Before we proceed to the review, don’t forget to join my GIVEAWAY (worth up to $250 of gift cards)! Read more all about it in my Trend Trunk post!

So, I have been waiting for this MAC Masterclass brushes ever since I found out about it last month. When it was released last week, I couldn’t handle the excitement and ordered the Oval 3 and Oval 6 brushes! Today, however, I’ll be sharing with you how I feel about the Oval 6 brush.

When I received this brush, I put a picture of it on Instagram and people were saying that it looked like a toothbrush. It does look like a toothbrush, eh? This brush is definitely quite different than any makeup brushes that are around. The handle is different, the bristle is different and there is no ferrule.

MAC Oval 6 brush

I think the pictures above and below are pretty explanatory on how the brush looks like. The bristles are so lovely! It’s super dense, soft and fluffy. It is not too stiff, nor too flimsy.

From MAC Website:

Ideal for blush, foundation or powder, the rounded, medium-sized brush applies, blends and contours all over the face or cheeks for even, flawless coverage. Synthetic fibres. Handle features special grip design and tilted brush tip for ultimate precision. Sleek black finish.

MAC masterclass brush

MAC Pro Longwear before and after nc30

I applied MUFE HD Elixir primer all over my face using the brush. Then, I squirted a pump of MAC Pro Longwear foundation on the back of my hand, and then picked some of the foundation using the Oval 6 brush. 

I think the trick with this brush is to apply it in downward stroke. Doing small circular movement (otherwise called buffing) also helps, unless you have dry patches on your face. The buffing motion might cause the dry skin patches to flake, so make sure you moisturize your skin really well.

If you are a beginner, you’ll probably find that this foundation brush is easier to use than other brushes in the market. If you have issue with streak marks from foundation application, you might find that this brush would help to get rid of that streaking issue. I also find the Oval 6 brush is perfect for blending the foundation into the skin.

MAC Oval 6 brush review

How-to:

  1. Apply foundation using Oval 6 brush on the face. Apply from the center of the face outwards. You want to use downward strokes. I also used a small circular movement to buff the foundation into the skin.
  2. Using the tip of the brush, I applied the foundation under my eyes in a left-right motion.
  3. I also used a downward stroke from my jawline down to my neck.
  4. For the chin, I tilted the brush horizontally so it’s parallel to the floor. Again, I used downward stroke for foundation application.
  5. I used stippling motion for blemishes.

how to use MAC Oval 6 brushI simply love the result that I achieved using this brush! I feel like my pores were completely covered, and almost disappeared. Such flawless result!

Not to mention, this brush takes out the guesswork. It’s so simple to use! You can use any type of motion – downward strokes, buffing, stippling to use it.

It costs CAD$50.50 for Oval 6 brush. Pretty pricy, compared to a normal foundation brush, like the MAC 190 that costs CAD$41.

MAC Pro Longwear nc30

(Left: Bare Face; Right: with MAC Pro Longwear applied using MAC Oval 6 brush)

Pros:

  • Easy to use
  • Flawless result
  • No streaking
  • Great packaging
  • Soft bristles
  • Synthetic fibers
  • Multi-use: can be used for primer, foundation application, blush and/or contour.

Cons:

  • Pricy!
  • No Pro Discount

4.5 starts out of 5! Lost 0.5 star because of price.

Product of the Week: Shu Uemura Hard Formula Brow Pencil

Brows, brows, brows! I’ve been asked to do a brow tutorial, but been putting it on hold for the longest time. Let me first of all, introduce this brow pencil to you guys. Whether you are a beginner or a makeup artist, I think everyone should own the Shu Uemura Hard Formula brow pencil! This pencil is currently my favorite brow product, ever since I ran out of my Anastasia Brow Wiz.

Anyhow, so what is Shu Uemura Hard Formula Brow pencil?

Natural finish and shape. This unique eyebrow pencil only releases color pigment when it interacts with the oils in the brow hairs. The result is natural, defined brows. Smudge-proof and long-lasting. (Shu Uemura, 2013)

Shu Uemura Brow Pencil

If you happen to go to a Shu Uemura counter or their website, you might realized that the shape of their eyebrow pencil is not exactly like my photo. That’s because their pencil is shaped using a cutter in a Naginata shaped. I knew about the shape because I went to a Shu Uemura counter in Canada and they explained it to me back then. However, I purchased this pencil from Shu Uemura counter in Grand Indonesia mall, and they did not cut it for me in Naginata style, instead they handed me in this form. I don’t really care, Naginata or not, this brow pencil still rocks!

Anyways, I might drop by the Shu Uemura counter again just to ask them to re-shape my brow pencil.

Pros

  • The color is perfect. Mine is Hard 9 (Acorn), and I think it has just enough warm undertone for my warm undertone hair. It’s not too red, and at the same time not too ashy.
  • It brings a certain warmness to the face and it works for a lot of people. I’ve used this pencil on several people and for bridal makeup as well.
  • Since its hard formula is very waxy, when you draw this pencil in, it mimicked your brow hair. You can get the most natural finish with this product.

Longevity

I’ve worn this pencil for a good 8-10 hours without any smudging whatsoever in a very warm and humid climate (a.k.a Bali).

Price

I don’t quite recall how much it cost in Jakarta since I’ve bought it quite a while back.  I will let you guys know once Shu Uemura Indonesia answers my tweet 😉

Anyways, I know this pencil costs CAD$29 in Canada and USD$23 in USA.

Cons

  • Since it’s a hard formula and very waxy, you might not be able to swatch this on your hand. I managed to do it after going at it several times the back of my hand.
  • They carry 2 more colors in Asia than in North America, namely Acorn and Walnut Brown.

Shu Uemura Brow Pencil no. 9

Keep in mind, even if your hair is black, you might want to use brown instead so your brows don’t look harsh.

Also, if you want to know how I shaped my brows, please visit my tutorial in Brows 101.

How-to:

1. Starting with a clean brow, use a clean spooly (or mascara brush) to brush the brow hair upwards. Trim any excess with a cuticle scissors if needed.

2. I like to start with the tail of brow. Just filling it in and extend it slightly.

3. I created a diagonal line on the lower part of my brow from the head to just below the arch (hard to explain, please look at photo below…bahahaha).

4. Next I drew a diagonal line along the top of the brow to the highest point of the brow (i.e. arch).

5. I filled it the rest of the brow using the pencil. (I purposely drew a lot in so you can see the difference between my non-filled brow with the filled-in brow).

6. This step is optional, but works wonder if you want an extra shape or an extra lift. So, using a flat sturdy brush, I applied M.A.C pro conceal/correct palette in yellow corrector along the bottom and top part of the brow. I blended it out using a clean flat brush.

7. At this stage, I brushed my brow hair upwards again using a clean spooly (or mascara brush) for a natural finish look.

Pretty much, lots of my tutorials prior to this post used the Shu Uemura Hard Formula Brow Pencil.

how to do brows

Product of the Week: MUFE Aqua Creams

I’ve been wanting to do this review for the longest time, and finally I have the chance to do it! If you are looking for a cream shadow or a base that is smudge-proof, crease-proof, water-proof, sweat-proof, tear-proof and everything else (you get the idea), this is the products for you! The aqua cream has a great range of colors, which is definitely one of their assets in this era of cream shadow. I’ve been using this line since 2010, and have never looked back.

What is Aqua Cream?

From MUFE website:

The Aqua Cream is an ultra-pigmented, long-lasting waterproof cream. Highly concentrated in mother-of-pearl pigments, it provides an immediate color intensity with a luminous finish.
Its long-lasting formula will not crease or smudge under the most extreme conditions.

Available in 22 shades, the multipurpose Aqua Cream can be applied on your lips, cheeks and eyes.

Shades #5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 are formulated for the Lips & Cheeks.
Shades #1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, and 22 are formulated for the Eyes & Cheeks.

Formula:

Volatil oil
Filmogen polymer
Synthetic Ester
High concentration of mother-of-pearls and pigments
Kaolin mineral powder
Paraben free
Dermatologist and ophtalmologist tested

MUFE Aqua Cream

Pros

So, I owned 6 different colors (top-bottom, left-right):

  • #1 Anthracite – gunmetal with a silver sheen. The color is leaning towards dark grey than black. I love using this as a base for smoky eyes.
  • #15 Taupe – metallic medium brown with warm undertone. This will look dark brown on lighter skin tone, and light on  darker skin tone.
  • #11 Gold – metallic golden yellow.
  • #12 Golden Copper – rich copper with red undertones.
  • #9 Coral – light coral pink.
  • #8 Red (for cheeks and lips only) – red with orange undertone (think fire trucks). I feel that this product has a golden sheen to it.

Don’t mind the crack in some of them. I had to travel with it a few times (Canada-Jakarta-Bali etc).

Longevity

For all of them, I’d say they (all except #8) lasted a good 8 hours on the eyes. I’ve used this mostly on brides and photoshoots. Once it’s on, it stays ON. This product once it’s on the eyes, it will not move. Like I said, it’s crease-proof, water-proof and smudge-proof.

For #8, I used it for 4-hour and it stayed put throughout. However, when I tried to remove it, it stained my lips pretty much the whole day. It has a velvety finish to it when it dried, so if you prefer a glossy finish, you can apply a clear gloss.

Finish

Out of the 6 that I owned, 4 has a metallic finish (#1, #15, #11 and #12). #9 has a gold shimmer and #8 has a golden sheen to it.

Coverage

You can apply this as a wash of color, or you can build it up in layers.

Packaging

Plastic container with a screw on lid. Very light, made it very easy to travel with.

Price

The product cost CAD$28 for 6 gram in Canada (Sephora). In Jakarta, when I bought #9, it cost me Rp. 250,000 for 6 gram. It’s cheaper in Jakarta than in Canada..(that’s a first!). Since it is cheaper in Jakarta, I might go over and buy a few more colors..hehehee *update as of June 2, 2013* MUFE Indonesia is selling their aqua creams at Rp. 300,000 each. Now, for price-wise, it’s similar to the Canadian counterpart.

Cons

Again, I’ve to repeat this: work fast with this product and in thin layers. The product dries very fast and once it dries, there’s no way of blending it. If you apply this product too thick on your first few layers, you might see a build-up of products on the skin. There’s no way of re-blending it once it becomes lumpy.

Also, for that price, you are better off buying Maybelline Color Tattoo 24-hour gel shadow which cost CAD$6.95! However, the color range might not be as much as the Aqua Cream. On top of that, the color tattoo line is not available in Indonesia.

I’m giving the Aqua Cream 4 winks out of 5!

p.s.: for tutorials using the aqua creams, please check the links below:

Silver Fox

I was mesmerized by Chanel’s Spring 2013 RTW runway makeup, that I’ve decided to do an inspired look based on it. I usually prefer warm-toned colors, like gold and bronze over silver, so it was definitely interesting to do this look.

I used Tinsel eyeshadow from the Sleek Makeup iDivine Sparkle 2 palette in this tutorial. I believed the makeup artist for Chanel used a silver cream eyeshadow (illusion d’ombre) to create the look. Since I don’t own any silver cream eyeshadow, I decided to use a powder eyeshadow. Tinsel eyeshadow is very creamy and can be easily blended.

It’s a very simple and wearable look. Since the focus is on the eyes, everything else is downplayed. In the runway, models were seen with bare face, but I decided to add a blush just so that I don’t look too washed out.

How-to:

1. I applied Tinsel all over the lid using a flat eyeshadow brush.

2. Using a fluffy blending brush, I blended the color from the crease all the way up to the brow bone.

3. Using a small shader brush, I applied Tinsel on the lower lid.

4. I created a winged liner along the upper lashline using Kate Sharp eyeliner.

5. I also lightly lined the lower lashline using the same eyeliner.

6. I lined my waterline using L’oreal Voluminous Smoldering eyeliner.

7. I curled my lashes, and applied Maybelline Express Volume Turbo Boost mascara on both upper and lower lashes.

8. I filled my brows in using Dolly Winked Brow pencil no. 3. (if you notice the difference between the last 2 pictures below on the brow, that’s because I brush the brows after I filled them in using a clean spooly).

chanel inspired makeup

9. For the face, I applied Urban Decay Naked foundation using IPKN Auto Wave makeup.

10. Under the eyes, I applied MAC Pro Conceal/Correct palette in Medium.

11. I powdered my face lightly on the T-zone using loose powder.

12. On the cheeks, I applied MAC Dainty blush.

13. On the lips, I applied Chanel Levres Scintillantes in Volupte.

silver makeup