In My Toolkit: New Brushes, Sponges, Puffs...

... Oh my! I happen to be a bit monothematic this month, so here's some more beauty tools I've recently added into the mix (thanks, IMATS!). It's a bit of a weird mix of brush hits & misses, foundation sponges, powder puffs, a hair brush and even some cotton squares; but I'm pretty excited about some of these discoveries and I'm hoping you'll find something interesting here to try out.

First of all, since I'd never tried the original pink beautyblender, Kar Yi agreed to split a discounted pack of two that we got at IMATS with me, which worked out at $11 each - I could never quite stomach the original price tag of $19.95. I mostly wanted to compare the beautyblender to the Real Techniques Miracle Foundation Sponge I reviewed here - and you know what? My gut feeling was pretty spot on, both of these sponges work exactly the same, except the Real Techniques retails for $5.99. The Beauty Blender is slightly smaller and obviously the shape is different, but I actually find that the Real Techniques sits a bit more comfortable in my hand when applying foundation... and the beautyblender leaks some of that neon pink dye when washed.

While browsing at IMATS, I also picked up a new jar of powder from Kryolan, fearing my other powders wouldn't stand a chance against the hot and humid New York summer (more on the powder in a separate post). They had this cute Triangular Powder Puff laying around, and at $2.90 or something ridiculous like that, I really wanted to try it out - especially that pressing powder into the skin with a puff controls the oil a bit better than just dusting on with a brush. I find that getting the right amount of product onto the puff is a bit of a learning curve, but the triangle shape works really well for getting into the little nooks and cranies around my nose and eyes, and the finish is not any more cakey than when working with a brush.

Following on the face make-up theme, here are my two new blush brush loves. I hadn't been satisfied with my blush brushes for a while and silently promised myself not to settle on a mediocre one and actually shell out out the money for something outstanding. And this is it: the goat hair Hakuhodo J 4003 Highlighter Brush Angled, $40. You may notice that the brand calls it a highlighter brush, but on my small face, it works very well for precise blush placement - and it feels like my cheeks are being stroked by a soft, furry kitten paw. The knowledgeable staff member at the Hakuhodo booth explained to me that the brush is meant to be used in a sweeping motion at an angle, and not for vertical swirling and buffing motions, which is how I've been yielding it, and I'm very happy with the results; it works for both softer/ more pigmented as well as stiffer blushes.

At the bdellium booth, I decided to spring for a stippling cream blush brush: the Studio 953 Duet Fiber Foundation, $14. I'd never had a smaller stippling brush for cream products and previously always used my fingers for blending, but this brush makes it so much easier to get an even layer of product - and I love that I can seamlessly add more at the end of my make-up routine without disturbing the foundation and concealer underneath.

Speaking of bdellium tools, here are two brushes that did not work out for me: I picked up the Studio 945 Contour, $11 to use with contouring powders and bronzers for a more sculpted application, but I found the bristles to be a bit too stiff and scratchy - and it's also the first of my bdellium brushes that actually sheds quite a bit. The round Studio 949 Pointed Foundation, $14 was a bit of a let down as well: it leaves some brush marks on my face, but more importantly, soaks up a lot of the product and needs to be cleaned after every use. I can't fault the quality of this brush, it's just that perhaps, the bristles are bit too densely packed and too resistant to successfully blend my liquid foundations.

Now for the slightly more unusual tools that I now can't be without: my fine hair has always been extremely tangly, and as a little girl I would run and cry when my mum attempted to brush it. How I wish I had the Wet Brush Detangling Shower Brush, $14, back then! It looks just like any old plastic hair brush, but the longer, fine, soft bristles work amazingly well to detangle my longer locks, without pulling or breaking hundreds of strands in the process. It works well on wet and dry hair, and I in fact, I now enjoy brushing my hair and massaging my itchy scalp with this brush.

The other odd product to talk about are these Cotton Clouds cotton squares (I got a set of three packs, 200 cotton squares each, for $11.99 + $3.15 shipping on Amazon). I first heard about these from Kristen Gehm on YouTube; she said they were dupes of the more expensive Shiseido cottons I've always wanted to try. In the photo, you can see one square compared to my regular Studio 35 cheap cotton: the Cotton Clouds are much thicker and comprised of many layers - you can peel them apart how thick or thin you want. They're both softer and much more durable than the cotton squares I'd tried in the past, and most importantly, don't leave little infuriating cotton fibers all over my face. I'm really happy to have found those!

I think I'm now all set with my new tools for a while; it's always fun to upgrade the basics you're reaching for every day and thus enjoy the grooming process a bit more again. Life's little pleasures! Have you found any interesting new beauty tools recently?