What can you get for P250 bucks? An appetizer at a nice resto, a Starbucks drink with a cookie on the side,  a really cute notebook (or two), or a muli-tasking brush like the e.l.f Studio Blush Brush! I think e.l.f should rename this to well, anything else but "blush brush". If one doesn't know much about makeup then one wouldn't be able to truly maximize this interesting tool!

This cheapo brush has taklon, surprisingly fine and soft hair. These bristles are densely-packed in a small, flat-ish brush head. Yes, small and flat, about the size of a regular foundation brush - just slightly fluffier. This shape allows for a more precise application of cheek color and contour, but it also opens up a world of possibilities.

You can use this e.l.f brush for applying heavy coverage powder and liquid foundation, as well as cream colors on the cheeks.

Confession: one of my favorite things about traveling is, er, packing. Okay I said it. I love planning what outfits to wear, skin and body care products to bring, and picking out the best makeup to wear for the weather. I get such a thrill putting all of these things together in my head! I also enjoy physically placing them in the best possible arrangement. 

However, don't get any ideas about me being a pack rat. I like to travel light, which ups the challenge of planning the exact items to bring. If I can do without it for the next few days, I most likely won't be taking it with me!

That being said, one of my serious problems when packing is decanting my beauty products. I found these tools from Muji the other day to make my life easier!

Take a makeup sponge, then try to imagine why it should possibly cost a thousand bucks. Can you? I couldn't. I've said several times before that I am skeptical when it comes to the Beauty Blender hype. Until I got my own, that is! This was a surprise from Digital Traincase after attending her workshop with Jigs Mayuga (more on that soon).

Anyway, now I know why makeup artists adore the Beauty Blender. It blends wet makeup (liquid or cream) onto the skin seamlessly! I've tried brushes that blend makeup seamlessly before, sure, but the process is not as effortless and simple as using the Beauty Blender. With brushes, I end up blending and patting several times to achieve what Beauty Blender can do in two passes. This stuff really works!

What makes the Beauty Blender so different...and so expensive?

This sponge is non-latex, non-comedogenic, and doesn't have that weird chemical smell from cheap sponges. I didn't break out from using this at all! The shape is also ergonomic so it fits into the awkward corners of the face.

But that's just superficial, and obviously easy to copy. The difference lies in the material of this sponge. It swells up to twice its size when its wet, thus becoming exponentially softer and increasing its ability to deposit and blend the makeup perfectly. With little effort, might I add!

I randomly found these Pond's wipes in S&R while I was doing my groceries. I normally avoid the beauty and body care section because the things there can get quite expensive, but this product just looked too good to pass up - especially when I saw the ingredients list!

The Pond's Original All Day Clean Towelettes (P129 at S&R) are designed to remove makeup and other impurities in the gentlest manner possible. Yeah, it's the first time I've heard of it too! As far as I know this is not available anywhere else in the Philippines aside from S&R - but do correct me if I'm wrong. 

This is a water-based makeup remover that contains extracts of chamomile, Vitamin E, green tea, white tea, and honeybush. These ingredients can help freshen up skin and improve its clarity. True enough, my face feels really nice and smooth after using the wipes! These don't sting or taste like anything AT ALL.

They say expensive brushes are some of the best investments you can make if you're serious about getting your makeup right. That may be true five years ago, when only high-end brands would make brushes fit for the high strandards of makeup enthusiasts and professionals alike. But it's different today. It's easy to find good brushes without going over a thousand, maybe even 800 bucks a piece.

You can go even lower, if you like! Take for example this Ecotools 5-Piece Mineral Brush Set (P549 at Kalm Cosmetics). This travel-sized brush collection is a great buy for beginners and those who like to apply their makeup on the go! It's specifically created for loose mineral makeup but it can definitely be used with traditional pressed makeup as well.

The set contains a Mineral Powder Brush, Concealer Brush, Eye Shading Brush, and Mini Kabuki Brush. They're mainly for applying powder base makeup. The synthetic bristles are super soft and dense where it counts, thus turning your makeup into a smooth, even layer all over your face.

You know I gotta mention the Beauty Blender sponge here, right? It's only proper. :P I've never tried it before so unfortunately I can't compare, but I was just never convinced by the hype. Sure the sponge is conveniently shaped for reaching awkward areas around the face, but a thousand bucks for one sponge? Hmm, I don't think so. Maybe I'll change my mind in the future. Until then, I'll go for more reasonable alternatives!

The Too Cool For School Marshmallow Puff Sponge (P279) has been sitting on my vanity since March. I never got around to using it after my first try though, because I felt that the sponge just ate the liquid foundation and didn't do a good job of applying it. BUT! I was just using the Puff all wrong, it seems.

Instead of sheer watery foundations, the TCFS works amazingly with cream compact and thick liquid foundations. It does a wonderful job of buffing in such formulas seamlessly!

I have a new hobby - crafting. I love doing things with paper, but I'm partial towards cardmaking. It is ridiculously fun! It's like I'm building my makeup collection all over again, this time with cutting tools, adhesives, and paper. It allows me to indulge in the process of creating something with my bare hands. I don't often get to do that in my line of work, but I believe that making something - any thing - is crucial to my sanity and happiness. So I do it when I can.

Anyway, while I was looking for more supplies to add to my crafting collection, I came across this set of Royal & Langnickel art brushes. I found them in Deovir in Megamall (Megamall A, 5th Level)! I wanted to have reaaaallly precise brushes for my acrylics and gouache paints; these three taclon brushes look perfect. And guess what - I only paid P120 for the whole set!

Royal & Langnickel is famous for their cosmetics brushes, but their other business is art tools. Their basic makeup brushes actually aren't expensive, but the ones from the luxe lines - whoa. They're gorgeous and will gouge a hole in your wallet. I wish they're available here though! I would love to try them someday. For now I'm happy to have these three.

So wait why am I writing about these art brushes in my beauty blog? Three guesses. ;)

Brush Week is finally drawing to a close. I think it's only fitting to write about my five favorite brushes, the ones that I never fail to use! I mean, there are a lot of brushes that I rotate quite often, but these five are absolutely indispensable to my routine. 

You'll notice that my picks here are mostly inexpensive. I don't feel the need to invest in a lot of expensive brushes since I only apply makeup on myself, and the ones I have here work perfectly. In fact, my favorite powder brush is only P120! Seriously. It's so awesome but unfortunately I can't find it anymore.

Anyway, here's why I LOVE these brushes!

The Large Powder Brush is my favorite foundation brush, hands down. It's super soft and quite large, but I like the size because it really cuts down the amount of time I spend on powder application.

This is a common question: "I'm new to makeup, what are the basic brushes I need to buy?" I always recommend just three brushes - a powder, kabuki-type brush that can double as a brush brush, an angled brow brush, and a mid-sized fluffy eyeshadow brush. You can use your fingers for liquid and cream makeup. These three brushes, IMHO, are indispensable. 

When you start to feel the need for more precision, that's when you should start purchasing individual brushes or brush sets - not before! Some girls would flat out get a set and then later on think that they got a crappy deal. Thing is, they should have considered first if the brushes in the set are something they would need in their routine. When buying brushes, think of your normal makeup routine first - what kind of makeup do you prefer to wear? What kind of look and products do you want to incorporate in the near future? Then, buy brushes accordingly.

Anyhoo! Today I have here the Charm Travel PRO Sonia Makeup Brush Set (P2,750). This is a special edition set from Charm to celebrate their fifth (going on sixth) anniversary! The case is extra pretty and the matte gold ferrule whispers "luxe".

The brushes inside are the same ones as the current, slightly cheaper iteration of the Charm Travel Pro. I have already reviewed that one with tips on how to use it so I won't go into detail on Sonia. Just enjoy the pictures! ;)

It's been years since I tried anything from Mary Kay! A couple of weeks back, I received a brush, loose powder, and mirror compact from the brand. I fell in like with all of them, especially since they are beautifully packaged, effective, and inexpensive. Today I'll quickly talk about the Mary Kay Cheek Brush, a beautiful brush that can be used for both blushes and powders.

This brush is made of soft animal hair. It's dense enough to blend loose powder effectively, but not so dense that it becomes too stiff to apply blush properly. This is generally good at packing color and blending it. I always love having brushes that can be used two or more ways! Saves me time from trying to pick out my next tool.

If you love watching YouTube makeup gurus, then you already know how popular and ubiquitous the MAC 217 Blending Brush is. It's been on my wish list since I saw Lisa Eldridge use it with cream eyeshadows - it looked so easy to use, and the results were stunning! I finally got my own MAC 217 a month or so ago since I got to visit Duty Free with my family.

It retails for about P1,300 locally if I remember rightly while it's 26 USD in Duty Free. The price difference is only minor so just buy it from the MAC counters. I thought it'd be considerably cheaper at DF but nah, the wait wasn't really worth it for a savings out about P170.

Anyway, on to the brush! I had mixed feelings about it the first few times I used it. It didn't wow me, I mean, my eyeshadows looked the same as when I used a cheaper brush. As you know I have been using the Suesh Pointed Blending Brush and it works super well - why bother with the MAC 217?

The MAC 217 has long bristles that taper to a rounded edge

It took me a while to notice it, but there is a marked difference, not just to the naked eye!

Do brushes make the artist? I'm inclined to say no. For me it's not the tools that make good makeup (or any creation for that matter), it's the vision of the artist behind the work. Some people acquire the skills while some are just plain talented, but in the end the beauty of the finished material is dictated by the person's creativity. 

Still, good, specialized brushes can make application easier and quicker. The results are also cleaner and better blended! That's why you should only use brushes that have nice, soft hair and a shape that does what it's meant to do. Naturally the best brushes costs a pretty penny, but there is always one within your budget - just make sure to look and compare!

I have reviewed many brushes for you guys in the past. This week I'll be reviewing a few new ones I haven't featured yet. So, without further blabber, I present to you Project Vanity's Brush Week!

I'm gonna start with three brushes I purchased from Suesh early this year. I love these eye brushes since they are fairly affordable, soft, and excel in applying eyeshadow. I have been using the Large Eyeshadow Brush and the Pointed Blending Brush almost exclusively since I got them. As in, I panic whenever I don't find them in my table!

Let's begin with the Large Eyeshadow Brush (P400). It's made of stiff yet soft sable hair that's great at picking up and packing in powder eyeshadows. I actually prefer to use this kind of flat, rounded brush for my lids instead of the usual fluffy ones - it just works better in making the colors vibrant!

Thought I'd end foundation week with a tool instead of makeup! The Charm Pro Angled Foundation Brush (P700) is the latest creation from the popular local brush brand. It's a flat brush with a gentle angle to it that allows you to blend in liquid foundation even in tight spots. It's super easy to use, and works best with watery foundations and BB creams to get maximum coverage.

The brush has soft synthetic hair that's dense and stiff at the base. It's pliable on the tapered edge, which gives it this nice blending action if you swipe it back and forth. I wouldn't recommend it for heavy-coverage, thick foundations since you will need a denser, rounder brush to get those properly worked onto the skin. This however is perfect for light foundations that have sheer coverage - it somehow increases the opacity of these types of foundations, and give them a smoother finish. 

Is there really a difference between high-end and cheap eyelash curlers? Yes! High-end lash curlers give a better, higher curl, and keeps it up there for hours on end. They also have less of a tendency to pinch the upper lids as they fit the eyes better than cheaper curlers. If you haven't yet invested in a good lash curler then you'll think I'm just spewing BS, but promise, you'll feel the difference once you try it!

So what is the best eyelash curler out there? Many a makeup maven has sworn by the Shu Uemura one, but I have also heard a lot of great things about the Shiseido Eyelash Curler (P1,300). I'll be reviewing it for you today, and compare it with the Shu later on.

What I love about the product

• Zero pinching on the upper lids! This is actually the most important thing for me when it comes to lash curlers! I would hate for my lids to have wrinkles before their time. Plus pinching is motherthumping painful, ha! Shiseido has a thin metal clamper (I think it's called) so it doesn't fold the lids over. Hope that makes sense.