Looks: Soft Burgundy Gold

Lid: Boots No. 7 Wheatsheaf 55
Crease: Stars Makeup Haven Taz
Outer Corner: Mac Embark
Highlight: Mac Blanc Type

Have you tried any of Boots No. 7's eyeshadows?

I will review and swatch them soon. =)

Review: EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush

The EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer brush is one of the prizes for my current giveaway

and it is brand new and unused. 

The one that I'm reviewing in this post is from my personal brush collection. 

Don't worry, I don't give away used cosmetics or used brushes. =)

EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush 

Pros:

• feels teddy bear soft
• bristles are densely packed
• no shedding
• no dye bleeding
• no funky smell
• easy to wash, no staining
• great size for applying bronzer all over the body (as long as you don't mind wasting product because the bristles absorb a bit of the product)
• not expensive
• base is flat, handle can stand upright

Cons:

• head is too big for applying foundation in the small crevices of the face
• too dense and big for the cheek area, not ideal for applying blush
• too big for contouring
• not ideal for buffing out over applied products, such as blush (the brush can rub off your makeup)
• the bristles absorb some of the product (liquid and powder), which means you will have to use more product
• takes more than 14 hours to dry

The EcoTools brush is one of the softest brush that I've felt. It's quick and easy to use when applying liquid or powder foundation because the bristles are super dense; however, I recommend applying your foundation first before applying your eye makeup because it's hard to work around the small crevices of your face with the brush and you might end up ruining your eye makeup, if you're not careful. I also notice that with the EcoTools brush, some of the foundation gets wasted because it's being absorbed by the bristles when I buff. Although I use a little bit more foundation with the EcoTools brush, the coverage that I get is not as good as the coverage that I get from my Mac 187 brush. However, it's made from "taklon bristles, a recycled aluminum ferrule, and a bamboo handle". So, it's cruelty free and environmentally friendly .

Bottom Line: I recommend getting the EcoTools brush if you're always in a rush or on a budget. If you don't mind wasting product, and want something quick & easy to use, then this brush is ideal for you. The bristles are super soft & dense and I haven't experienced any shedding, dye bleeding or funky smell. 

EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush Compared to:

Royal & Langnickel BC180 $14.99 (review) - It's made of natural bristles, has a smaller head, & sheds 1-2 hairs after each wash. Although the bristles are less dense than the EcoTools brush, the Royal & Langnickel brush is still a dense brush itself and is by no means flimsy. It's ideal for applying bronzer, mineral & powder foundation and for buffing out over applied products, such as blush.

Mac 109 Small Contour Brush $32 (review) - It's made of natural bristles and has a significantly smaller head. It's ideal for contouring because the brush is dense & firm and the head fits perfectly in the hollow of my cheeks.

Mac 182 Buffer Brush Couture Limited Edition $55 (review) - It's made of natural bristles, is less dense, and has a wider head. It's ideal for applying setting powder, buffing out over applied products, such as blush, and for buffing in mineral & powder foundation, if you don't want heavy coverage. 

Note: The EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer brush measures 5.5 inches and you can purchase this at Ulta, Target, and drugstore.com for around $10.

How do you use the EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer brush?

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.

MakeupByJoyce's Giveaway (Prize Includes 15 Items)

*Prize* 

(You get to pick 15 items from the following)

Boots No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow in 25 True Gold 2g

Boots No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow in 50 Tender 2g

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers Eyeshadow Single in 710 Champagne 2.5g

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers Eyeshadow Single in 730 Swiss Chocolate 2.5g

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers Eyeshadow Single in 740 Brown Smolder 2.5g

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers Eyeshadow Single in 750 Mink 2.5g

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers Eyeshadow Quad in 215 Country Woods 5.5g

CoverGirl Eye Enhancers Eyeshadow Quad in 220 Urban Basics 5.5g

EcoTools Bamboo Eyeshadow Brush

EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush

ELF Studio Eyeshadow C Brush

Hard Candy Fox in a Box Blushing Quad in 358 Spicy & Sweet 5.7g

Hard Candy Fox in a Box Blushing Quad in 359 Smooth Talker 5.7g

Hard Candy Fox in a Box Bronzing Duo in 395 Truth or Dare 5.7g

Hard Candy Blush Crush Baked Blush in 127 Honeymoon 8g

Hard Candy Blush Crush Baked Blush in 128 Bombshell 8g

Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer in 129 Tiki 12.5g

Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer in 130 Tropics 12.5g

L'oreal Studio Secrets Eyeshadow Quad in 106 Desert Sunrise 4.8g

L'oreal Studio Secrets Eyeshadow Quad in 536 Lavender Smokes 4.8g

L'oreal Studio Secrets Eyeshadow Quad in 821 Neutrals 4.8g

L'oreal True Match Blush in C5-6 Rosy Outlook 6g

Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Single in 10S Vanilla 2.6g

Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Single in 165S Antique Jade 2.6g

Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Single in 170S Earthly Taupe 2.6g

Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Single in 250S Tastefully Taupe 2.6g

Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Duo in 70D Browntones 2.4g

Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Trio in 35T Almond Satin 3.6g

Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Quad in 06Q Amethyst Smokes 4.8g

Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Quad in 08Q Emerald Smokes 4.8g

Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Quad in 12Q Plum Smokes 4.8g

Milani Runway Eyes Eyeshadow in #3 Bronze Doll 2.1g

Milani Runway Eyes Eyeshadow in #04 Coffee Shop 2.1g

Milani Runway Eyes Eyeshadow in #13 Aubergine 2.1g

Milani Baked Eyeshadow Metallic in 602 I Heart You 1.5g

Milani Baked Eyeshadow Metallic in 604 Purrr-fect Purple 1.5g

Milani Baked Blush in 02 Rose D'Oro 3.5g

Milani Baked Blush in 05 Luminoso 3.5g

Milani Baked Blush in 07 Fantastico Mauve 3.5g

Milani Baked Bronzer in 04 Glow 7g

Milani Baked Bronzer in 05 Soleil 7g

Milani Baked Bronzer in 06 Golden 7g

Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Bronzer in 2160 Bronze Organics Medium Skin 9g

Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Blush in 2164 Rosy Organics 5.5g

Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in 002 Icy Nude 3.7g

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 120 Apricot Fantasy 4.2g

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 460 Blushing Mauve 4.2g

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 750 Kiss Me Coral 4.2g

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in 120 Pink Pursuit 5.9ml

Rimmel London Natural Bronzer in 027 Sun Dance 14g

Rimmel London SunShimmer Maxi Bronzer in 002 Sun Love 17g

Rimmel London SunShimmer Maxi Bronzer in 003 Sun Queen 17g

Target Up & Up Eye Crease Brush

*How to Qualify and Enter*

You must be 18+ or have parental consent to enter.

You must fill out the required questions in the form here.

You must follow my blog publicly through Google Friend Connect.

You must Google +1 my blog (located on the top left sidebar of my blog).

Make a post about my giveaway on your blog. +2 entries *optional 

Post my giveaway on your blog's sidebar. +2 entries *optional 

Make a youtube video about my giveaway. +3 entries *optional 

This contest is open to everyone. I don't care if you live in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, a different planet. If you win, I will ship these items to you someway, somehow. =)

This giveaway will end at 11:59pm EST on November 21, 2011.

The winner will be chosen randomly using random.org and will be announced on my blog.

Don't be discouraged if you don't win this giveaway because I will have another giveaway after this one and the prize will include 20 items. ^_^

By the way, I already shipped out the prize of my last giveaway on Monday. =)

Hopefully, Gaby (the winner) will receive it soon,
but we all know that customs can be a pain and delay delivery.

Swatches & Comparisons: Rimmel London 621 Orion Eyeshadow Trio

Pros:

• not expensive compared to other eyeshadows, such as Mac 
• doesn't crease when used with a primer
• no fallouts during application
• good color payoff when layered and used with a primer, such as Urban Decay's Primer Potion
• applies and blends easily 

Cons:

• fades a bit after 8 hours, even with a primer

Shade 2 - beige white with a shimmery finish

Shade 1 - nudish tan with a soft shimmery finish that's not too frosty when applied on the eyes; 
color is very subtle and great for everyday; 
looks misleading because in the pan, 
it looks more like a shimmery taupe shade under artificial lighting

Mac Cork - warm medium brown with a matte finish

Mac Espresso - neutral dark brown with a matte finish

Shade 3 - neutral medium espresso brown with a matte finish; 
lighter than Mac Espresso, but darker than Mac Cork

The quality of Shade 1 is good, but I'm not too ecstatic about the color itself, which is just a personal preference. The color is too subtle and plain for me. Another issue that I have with this trio is that the highlight shade is shimmery, which can look overpowering or too dramatic for daytime use. I prefer highlight shades to have a matte or satin finish. If you do use the highlight shade in the Rimmel trio, make sure you blend it well to create a softer finish or else it'll look too frosty. Shade 3 is really the only color that I like in this trio because it's perfect as a crease shade.

Bottom Line: Although this trio is not as pigmented as Mac or Urban Decay eyeshadows, I still recommend it if you like the colors because the quality is good for a drugstore brand, but I personally wish that the highlight shade had a matte finish and that the lid shade was a more eye catching color like Mac Jest, Mac Naked Lunch or Urban Decay Sellout because those colors brighten up your eye look, while still looking appropriate for an everyday look. 

Note: The Rimmel Orion eyeshadow trio contains 4.2g and you can purchase this at Ulta and drugstore.com for around $5. As with any drugstore product, I would definitely wait for a sale because there is always a "buy one, get one half off" or even a "buy one, get one for free" sale.

Have you tried any of Rimmel's eyeshadow trios?

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.

Announcement: Giveaway Winner

The winner of this giveaway is Gaby (G A B Y). Congratulations! =)

Please email me the 10 items that you would like to receive and your shipping address. 

Please don't be discouraged if you didn't win because I will have another giveaway next week 

and the winner will get to choose 15 items as the prize. ^_^

Swatches and Review: Maybelline Natural Smokes Eyeshadow Quad

Pros:

• not expensive compared to other eyeshadows, such as Mac & Urban Decay
• doesn't crease when used with a primer
• no fallouts during application (except for the lid shade)
• crease and liner shade has good color payoff when layered and used with a primer, such as Urban Decay's Primer Potion
• crease and liner shade applies and blends easily 

Cons:

• fades a bit after 8 hours, even with a primer
• lid shade is difficult to apply and blend

Base - pale beige with a satin finish; looks matte under artificial lighting and is a little bit chalky;
decent color payoff when layered and used with a primer; applies and blends decently 

Lid - shimmery taupe with microglitters; decent color payoff when layered and used with a primer;
difficult to apply and blend; some fallouts during application

Crease - shimmery neutral brown; good color payoff when layered and used with a primer;
applies and blends easily

Liner - matte charcoal espresso; good color payoff when layered and used with a primer;
applies and blends easily

The lid, liner and crease color are too close in intensity and it's difficult to get any contrast from them when applied onto the eyes. It almost looks like I have a black eye when I use the palette as directed by wearing all 4 of the shades together. However, the colors look nice when used separately or when used with other eyeshadows. For example, it looks really nice when I use Urban Decay Sellout on the lids with the Maybelline crease color on my crease and the Maybelline liner color on my outer corner. 

The problem that I have with this quad is the lid color because it is the hardest to work with, but you can still get decent color payoff when layered and used with a primer. It just takes a little more work to blend and I have to use a transition color, such as Mac Soft Brown, to create that faded and blended look.

Side Note: This is another reason why I'm not a huge fan of pre-made palettes. There is always a shade that I'm not too fond of and it's a waste of money to buy a pre-made palette if I'm just going to use some of the colors and not all of the colors. I much prefer eyeshadow singles. 

By the way, the lid color looks disgusting in the pan. Usually, an eyeshadow will look like that or will have a "shiny film" on top when oil gets on it. I never swatch my eyeshadows using my fingers because our hands produce natural oils, and I always use a clean brush to apply. So, I don't know why the lid shade in the Maybelline quad looks like that.

Bottom Line: The crease and liner shades are great, but the lid color is really a pain to work with. Since the price is pretty cheap, you have to expect the quality to be compromised. In other words, you get what you pay for, but please keep in mind that there are mixed reviews about this quad. So, maybe I just got a defective one? It is also important to note that Maybelline recently changed their packaging and the one that I'm reviewing has the new packaging.

Note: The Maybelline eyeshadow quad contains 4.8g and you can purchase this at Ulta, Target and drugstore.com for around $5. As with any drugstore product, I would definitely wait for a sale because there is always a "buy one, get one half off" or even a "buy one, get one for free" sale.

Have you tried any of Maybelline's eyeshadow quads?

*This post contains affiliate links. None of the products mentioned are sponsored.