Wet n Wild Brush Review

Affordable & Cruelty Free Makeup Brushes!

Wow guys, it has been forever since I've written a blog review & I've missed it SO much. What better way to start back up than with a Brush review? And cute, affordable ones at that!
Wet n Wild is a super affordable, drugstore brand with amazing quality products at a good price. Some of you may of heard of their popular highlighters circling social media a few months back, that's just one of the great products they have to offer.
Today I'm reviewing their two-toned, cruelty free makeup brushes! Soft & amazing for the price. These babies are so hard to find & I think they still sell out quickly so check out BeautyJoint.com for the entire collection, that's where I ordered mine & they're always in stock!

I've used each brush a few times to see how well they work with different products & washed them to see how sturdy they are. They're super soft on the skin, blend products well & they don't shed hair! Some of them are a little sparse & don't have enough hairs to apply certain products efficiently, like the flat top foundation brush sort of soaks up more product then it blends on the face.. And the eye crease brush picks up very little product & takes a lot of building up for colour pay off.

I love the design, the quality white handles & aluminium ferrules, pink/white ombre bristles & the placement for your thumb on the handle is a nice touch.

Face Brushes

Powder Brush - $2.99USD
This is a nice, dense powder brush but not too dense where it will affect any product already on the face. It softly blends powder products for a smooth finish but because it's not as dense as other powder brushes, you won't get as much of the extra coverage from powder foundations.

 

Blush Brush - $2.99USD

This is the perfect brush for picking up a little more blush than say a duo-fibre brush. You will get more colour pay off from your blushes with this brush but it's soft enough to prevent clown cheeks!

Contour Brush - $1.50USD

This brush has the same density of bristles as the blush brush, but is an angled brush with shorter bristles picking up a little more product but blending out softly & not too intense creating a carved contoured cheek. I've been loving this brush with my NYX Highlight & Contour pro palette!

Large Stipple Brush - $2.99USD

Perfect for applying those super pigmented blushes! The duo-fibre bristles pick up just enough product & blend out effortlessly on the cheek creating a smooth, natural flush. You can see the shorter pink hairs & the longer white hairs at the top. I personally prefer these brushes for applying blushes & this one is my new fave! Wet N Wild also have a small stipple brush available, I'm not sure how much smaller but would probably be perfect for applying highlight or contour. 

Flat Top Brush - $2.99USD

This brush is designed for applying & buffing in foundation. I personally think it's not dense enough to create a even, full coverage with foundation, it soaks up too much product & doesn't really buff or move the product & you need to basically drown your skin & the brush in foundation to stop it soaking up & wasting product -.-

Fan Brush - $2.99USD

Used for applying highlight to the high points of your cheeks & brows, but this brush is too stiff & plastic feeling to apply a smooth layer of highlight.. I think it needs to be a little bigger maybe?

Eye Brushes

Crease Brush - $1.50USD

Like I said above, it's quite sparse & doesn't pick a lot of product up. But I guess that could be a good thing when it comes to slowly building colour & transition shades. I don't reach for this brush very often..

Large Eyeshadow Brush - $1.50USD

I like this brush for applying base shadows to the lid or blending & defining the crease more. The length of bristles & density is perfect for picking up more product & keeping the depth of a shadow. It's also good to use with cream base products.

Small Eyeshadow Brush - $1.50USD

This a good flat shader brush for applying eye colours to the lids, like Colourpop super shock shadows. But the bristles are quite short, making it a little stiff feeling with not a lot of movement so I often use this brush for sharpening eyeliner or defining brows with concealer.

Smokey Liner Brush - $1.50USD

Short, dense bristles perfect for smoking out liners or shadows into the lashline. I also like to use this one with concealer for eyeliner or brows but I find the end isn't as tapered as the small eye brush so it doesn't create a super defined line.. Much better for it's intended use

Angled Liner Brush - $1.50USD

This brush is quite dense for a liner brush & like the one above, the bristle tips won't create that sharp line we all want with our liner, so I use this for filling my brows instead :)

Bent Liner Brush - $1.50USD

Designed for applying eyeliner easily with the bent ferrule & pencil like tip. I used this with a few different liquid lipsticks I wanted to use as eyeliners & I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to use! It's good for creative liner but using a black gel liner, it's harder to get a sharp line with. I guess because liquid lipsticks have a runnier consistency they're easier to apply & make the tip sharp, but gel liner have the thicker, gel consistency obviously..

I think these brushes are totally worth buying! They're unbelievably affordable & would be perfect for someone just starting to use makeup. The prices of them will vary depending on where you find them, I think the eye brushes are all $0.99 on WetnWild,com

I wouldn't recommend the Flat Top brush personally, but it's so cheap it's worth giving it a shot & seeing if it works for you! There are a few other brushes in this collection I haven't got like concealer brushes & the new kabuki, but I feel these all do what I want them to do without needing those. 

- Lucy Maria xx

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Foundation & Concealer

My favourite kind of blog to write is a foundation review, and today we're looking at two of Tarte Cosmetics products, part of their Rainforest of the Sea range, water-based Foundation & Concealer! Both contain 20% water to hydrate dry skin as they mask redness, dark spots & uneven skin tone. Water based products don't work well with silicone (primers, beauty oils etc) so try to use these with other water based products. With concentrated levels of pigments, these products offer a lightweight medium to full coverage that should last up to 12 hours. Plus packed with Tarte's antioxidant Rainforest of the Sea complex & non-chemical SPF 15 sunscreen, the hypoallergenic formula helps to brighten, restore & protect skin!

♥
Rainforest of the Sea Foundation 1oz - $39.00USD
Luxurious frosted glass bottle with a voilet to gold ombre pump lid & a dropper applicator. I'm not a big fan of the dropper applicator after trying Stila's Aqua Glow foundation, it's just annoying & can get very messy.
Tarte recommends 1-2 drops for Light coverage 
Or 3-4 drops for Medium to Full buildable coverage

Pump Lid

Drop Applicator

♥ Before & After

I got the shade Fair Neutral, the lightest shade available for fair skin with yellow & pink undertones. As always, I tried this foundation one side with a Beauty Blender & the other with a flat top kabuki to see the difference in coverage & longevity.

Beauty Blender:

Medium coverage, natural radiant finish, smoothed over imperfections & pores. It blends like a dream with a beauty blender & I actually noticed better coverage & buildability possibly because the dampness of the sponge works so well with the water base in the foundation & doesn't soak most of it up. 

Flat Top Brush

Medium coverage also with a natural radiant finish. This foundation blends out so smoothly it just glides over imperfections! The lightweight hydrating formula looks like skin & retains radiance even after setting with a powder. Using a brush gave pretty similar results to using a sponge for me, only it's a little faster to blend over the face.





I personally love LOVE the finish if this foundation! The water base hydrates the skin giving it radiance, settling to a demi-matte finish giving it that natural appearance. It blends out easily using a brush or sponge & has the same results. It glides over imperfections leaving the face looking flawless & smooth. I like the fact it can be worn light but it's easily buildable to a full coverage. It doesn't patch up or cling to dry patches (unless using the wrong primer/skincare) & lasts well throughout the day without fading off. My only negative is the drop applicator as it's very messy & inefficient.

♥

Rainforest of the Sea Aquacealer Concealer 0.34oz - $26.00USD
Similar luxe packaging to the foundation but has a large doe foot wand applicator making it super easy to apply in desired areas - under eyes, forehead, chin etc to mask redness, dark spots & acne or to brighten under the eyes. This concealer is HUGE you get a massive 0.34oz of product, but it smells horrible & strongly of chemicals but that doesn't last once blended out.

 Doe Foot Applicator

♥ Before & After

I got the shade Fair for fair skin with pink undertones, the lightest shade available. I also applied this concealer one side with a Beauty Blender & the other with a flat top kabuki to see the difference.. Pictures show before foundation, with foundation & then with concealer.

Beauty Blender:

Medium coverage, natural finish but a little creasy because of the water formula, the damp sponge doesn't soak up much of the excess. It was easy to blend with a beauty sponge but I noticed only a little dark-circle coverage & brightening, nothing outstanding. 

Flat Top Brush

Medium to Full coverage, natural finish, it can be a little dry under the eyes because it's quite a thin consistency & kind of settles into fine lines if not set quickly with a powder. Remember! If you already have fine lines or naturally creasing eyes, there is nothing to avoid a concealer creasing on top of it.. It blended easily with the brush & gave better coverage with a smoother, brighter appearance. 

I like this concealer, it blends in well with the foundation, it smooths & brightens but I wouldn't recommend it for people with dark-circle concerns or to cover imperfections flawlessly.. It's thin so it doesn't go cakey but its slightly dry so not the best to build up on itself. The smell is something I really don't like and I feel could have been avoided, but thankfully it doesn't hang around after blending. I love that you get so much product in the bottle & I quite like the big doe foot for quick easy application.

How I apply my concealer before blending

Overall, I love the foundation and have been rocking it everyday, even on nights out, and I like the concealer but I don't think it's anything amazing, just the fact you get a huge 0.34oz for the price.

Foundation - 4.5/5
Concealer - 3/5

What foundation or concealer would you like me to test & review next!? Leave a comment here or on my Instagram - Lucymaria_x

LucyLoves! xx

Smashbox Lighting Theory palette

Swatches & Review

I'm back with another palette review & some gorgeous swatches to satisfy your beauty needs. - Smashbox Master Class Lighting Theory Palette

I couldn't wait to review this palette & show you guys the colours, I love Smashbox Master Class palettes, I also have the Master Class 2 palette & Master Class Colour & Contour palette & the variety you get in one palette make these, in my opinion, some of the best "Value for Money" palettes out there!

This new Lighting Theory palette has everything you need! -

16 Powder Eyeshadows

3 Powder Blushes

3 Cream Shimmer Highlighters

3 Contour Creams - Bronzer, Contour & Highlight

4 Colour Correcting Creams - Lavender, Green, Peach & Orange

"A face palette to create an even complexion, add depth & dimension, cast a high-voltage glow, & achieve eye looks for any occasion" All in one super secure, holographic case for $65USD at Sephora 

♥

The packaging though?! When I said super secure, I meant super secure! This baby is definitely going to keep everything inside of it safe & protected, making it perfect for travel. And it's holographic! The only problem is it's quite bulky, but with the amount of product in there, you wouldn't need to carry much more makeup anyway! And as you can see below, both palettes inside clip in & out of the case itself so you can change them around, or if you have any of the other palettes with the same design eg. MC3, you can swap the inserts around & take the two you would use most.

 As always, Smashbox threw in a few instruction cards to help guide you through colour correcting & how/where to use each one

♥SWATCHES♥

Cream Colour Correctors:

Lavender - Corrects any yellowness/dullness areas of the face
Green - Corrects any redness (acne blemishes/scarring, rosacea etc)
Peach - Corrects dark spots for fair to Medium skin tones (under eyes etc)
Orange - Correct dark spots for darker skin tones

Cream Contour & Highlighters:

Contour - Add shape & definition
Bronzer - Add sunkissed warmth
Highlight - Brighten areas of the face
Luminous Pink, Gold & Peach - Shimmery highlights create a dewy glow

The first four are the colour correctors, all very pigmented & super creamy. If you remember the colour wheel from art class at school, you'll always remember how to use these on your face. The lavender brightens up any dull, tired looking areas of the face, purple is opposite to yellow meaning purple will neutralise any yellowness on your face. The green will help to counteract any redness on your face, this shade is also very creamy but could be a little too smooth because it moves around blemishes easily when blending over it, it may be better used for redness on the cheeks/face as appose to blemishes that tend to have more redness.. The peach is great for dark under eyes on fairer skin, I like to mix it with a little bit of the orange shade if they're a deeper purple & are harder to cover, the peach is slightly too light I think.. And the orange is great for darker skin tones to correct blue/deeper purple under eyes or mix with the peach shade to get your preferred coverage. Both are super creamy & blendable. The next three are the defining shades. The contour shade is so creamy & blends smooth & evenly for a perfectly cut contour using a sponge or brush! It's a good shade, not warm but not too cool either, but could be too light for anyone with deep skin tones..The bronzer I haven't tried on it's own, I mixed a little with the contour shade & it looked great adding just enough warmth. It's quite a golden brown & would give the face a nice sunkissed glowy tan. I must try it alone this summer! The highlight is actually more of a light banana cream & works great for highlighting areas of the face like under the eyes, centre of the forehead, nose & chin. This was the only cream that was a little harder to blend, not much! Just not as smooth as all the others.. And finally, the luminous highlighting creams. These are very soft & natural looking, they give a glow from within, but pop some powder highlight on top & BAM! Glowing for gods baby!

 Eyehadows

Sand - Pastel Beige Matte
Totally Nude - Pinky Beige Matte
Nectar - Peach Matte
Almond - Warm Nude Matte
Truffle - Taupe Matte
Light Wave - Midtone Brown Metallic
Sunrise - Warm Gold Metallic
Sunlight - Rose Gold Metallic

Optics - Deep Grey Metallic
Metallic Violet - Deep Purple Metallic
Metallic Bronze - Bronze Metallic
Metallic Brick - Red Brown Metallic
Nocturnal - Navy Metallic
Blackout - Black Matte
Sumatra - Dark Brown Matte
Backlit - Black with Red Pearl Metallic

Blushes 

Candlelight - Midtone Pink Matte
Carnation - Light Pink with Gold Pearl
Spectrum - Midtone Brown Pink





As you can see, the eyeshadows are insanely pigmented! They're so smooth & swatched like butter on my arm. The colours are to die for & there's probably every shade you need to create endless looks for daytime to evening. Mattes & Metallics, light transition shades & deep smokey shades. There is a bit of fallout with these shadows because they're so soft. The blushes are the same, so smooth & pigmented. Compared to the Smashbox Masterclass 3 palette, there are only 5 double ups - Nectar, Nocturnal, Blackout, Sumatra & Carnation blush. I like to swap around the inserts between both palettes, say the neutral shadow palette from MC3 & the cream contour side from the Lighting Theory. Clip them both in one case & away you go!

(Top is Masterclass Lighting Theory, Bottom is Masterclass 3)

I highly recommend getting a Masterclass palette for yourself one day, the pigmentation & variety for the price is unreal! This entire palette was only $65USD & totally worth it because it's valued at $399!

"Every formula in this palette - from colour-correcting & contouring creams to high-voltage highlighters & velvety shadows - was designed to demystify contouring & simplify strobing for everyday looks that stand out under office or evening lights" - Smashbox

LucyLoves! xx

Becca X Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection - Face Palette

Palette Review & Swatches

This is another palette that I wasn't sure about reviewing, because it is limited edition & i'm unsure if it's still available to purchase :/ but it's such a beautiful palette & Becca have added more to the Jaclyn Hill champagne collection since, with duo compacts including the blushes & highlighters from this palette, so I thought i'd post a quick review for those interested in the new compacts or if this palette ever comes back!

The face palette includes Jaclyns original baby "Champagne Pop", along with a new highlighter "Prosecco Pop" better for deeper skintones & 3 new blushes "Rose Spritz", "Amaretto" & "Pamplemousse" all for $52 USD (or $102 NZD from Sephora NZ)

♥

If you have ever watched Jaclyn Hill on YouTube, you would know the woman is extremely talented & has a mind full of makeup knowledge! She knows what she wants from her makeup, she is an absolute perfectionist when it comes to her passion, so I knew these products were going to be amazing quality & to the best of Beccas abilities they made that happen.
Now I know this collection had a bit of controversy revolved around it due to the eyeshadow palette that was part of the collection, including one shade Jaclyn created, had to be made in a different factory in china, so some palettes were perfect but most were not up to par, resulting in Becca completely dropping the palette from the collection. Which I think is cool because it shows if they can't make something perfect for us, they won't make it at all. Jaclyn Hill was very honest about the whole situation over snapchat & expressed her disappointment, but people are always looking for something shady or sinister behind everything & started attacking Jaclyn over the internet about the whole collection being a sham & that everything was made in china, the face palettes Champagne Pop is different to the original BLA BLA BLA! Yet nothing was said about the other products before the info about the eyeshadow palette was known.. Some people are far to quick to judge & desperate to see others fail. It's makeup everybody, it's not that serious!

Just had to get that out of the way, I know about the eyeshadow palette but that is definitely not the case with the face palette. I'm literally in love with this palette! Champagne Pop was the first product I ever bought from Becca, because Hi gotta support JH! So this was the first time trying their blushes & wow! I was in shock at how smooth, buttery, pigmented, delicious these were! Wait till you see the swatches below, one touch of every shade & one swipe on my arm, the texture is amazing & so smoothly swatched down my arm like actual butter! I compared my original Champagne Pop with the new one in the palette & at first glance I thought the original was slightly more peachy but my friend pointed out the gold palette would throw your eyes off a bit, swatched next to each other they're exactly the same! The texture is the same, the shade is the same & end result on the face is the same!

A quick little mention about the packaging, IT'S THE PRETTIEST THING I OWN!
It's super high quality, quite solid & heavy gold case with a white champagne spritz top, amazing mirror inside that doesn't bend or blur, like Jeffree Star said "it's an expensive mirror!"

♥SWATCHES♥

Champagne Pop -

Jaclyns original, Soft white gold with pinky peach undertones 

Prosecco Pop -

Medium warm gold

Rose Spritz -

Soft peachy pink with pale gold shimmer

Amaretto -

Matte toasted almond  

Pamplemousse -

Matte warm coral pink

I wish you could see how smoothly these swatched on arm, the pigment dragged all the way & didn't go patchy or powdery. These are the best blushes I've ever used (not that I'm a big blush fan, but I'm starting to use them more) and of course the highlights are so creamy and reflective yet melt in to the skin making them appear very natural
If they ever bring this palette back I totally recommend getting it, once you see the quality you'll be using them all the time! But if not, don't forget Becca & Jaclyn have also added compact duos to the collection including combos like Prosecco Pop + Amaretto, the perfect pair for tanned/olive skin or there's Champagne Pop + Flowerchild Blush (not in this palette but a more wearable combo versus Champagne Pop & say Rose Spritz) or Prosecco + Pamplemousse, another good combo for deeper skin. Check them out at Sephora US & AUS/NZ

LucyLoves! xx