My Brush Collection with mini-reviews

Makeupalley MUB had a bit of a brush stash theme this week, and I decided to join into the foray. I thought I would cross post here as well, with some additional verbiage.

Oh, the platter is from Anthropologie, but long gone.

Face brushes


L to R: RT Setting Brush, Sigma F84, RT Expert Face Brush, Hakuhodo K020, Chikuhodo Z-4, Suqqu Cheek, Chikuhodo Z-2, Hakuhodo H603 (retractable)

• Sigma F84 and RT Expert Face Brush: I use both for liquid foundation, thought I slightly prefer the Sigma because the bristles are a bit softer and more flexible. I'm happy to own both, though, and since they are relatively inexpensive, I don't feel bad when I clean them aggresively!
• RT Setting Brush: This brush is a great size and density for setting undereye concealer with powder. However, I'm in the market for a natural hair version (hopefully squirrel hair). Do you have any recommendations?
• Hakuhodo K020 was my first brush splurge, and also my first squirrel haired brush. It changed the way I applied blush! I still love it, but after getting the Suqqu Cheek brush, I now use this for loose powder instead.
• Suqqu Cheek brush: Irritatingly hyped and expensive, I love this little guy. Super soft, not too dense, and nice and small (my preference for a blush brush)! So glad I splurged on this! I purchased it from Selfridges.co.uk.
• Chikuhodo Z-4 is great for my blushes where I want to pick up a little more pigment than Suqqu Cheek (but just a tiny bit more, since it's denser, but still ultra soft). I purchased it in Ginza, Tokyo at the Tau Hiroshima Brand Shop.
• Chikuhodo Z-2 is a cool shaped brush, but I actually don't reach for it much. I should try to wear more highlighter I guess! I purchased it in Tokyo at the Tau Hiroshima Brand Shop.
• Hakuhodo H603 Slide Face Brush: I purchased this for travel, as it retracts. It's very convenient, but I often find myself missing my other blush brushes when I use this. If you are hesitant to travel with your blush brushes, this is a great one to have. It's very soft (mix of blue squirrel and sohoko goat).
• Here's a video I made last year when I got it showing the sliding action :)

Eye Brushes


L to R: Hakuhodo J146, J5523, K005, G5520BkSL (I think), G5529BkSL, G515, S123Bk, G537s, Shu Uemura 10N, 5R, Sigma ss266 (E65 now, I think), Yojiya Ebony Eyeshadow Brush Squirrel, Chikuhodo Artist Series 10-1, 8-5, 8-1

• Hakuhodo J146: Super cute, soft white goat hair brush. I use it for light blending between shades.
• Hakuhodo J5523: Infamous for being a "dupe" for MAC217, this is a great brush to own. Very soft, and great for blending. Can't go wrong with this one. I do wish I had a slightly smaller and shorter version of it, though (small lid space to blame, again!)
• Hakuhodo K005: a must have for me, use it to line lower lash line with shadow, and sometimes a soft wing with black/dark brown shadow
• Hakuhodo G5520BkSL: A standard pencil brush, but very soft! I don't use it much, but it gets the job done!
• Hakuhodo G5529BkSL: I use this to darken my small outer corner area, and it applies colour very softly (so it's hard to over do it).
• Hakuhodo G515: My first doe-foot shaped brush, this is SUPER soft and really versatile. I can do a whole eyelook with it. A pleasure to use and I should really give it more love!
• Hakuhodo S123Bk: This 100% Kolinsky brush is only available in Japan, and is similar to the Shu 10N, but larger. I prefer the shorter handle, and the gold ferrule is gorgeous too. I do wish the head was smaller though. Still, it's incredibly versatile just like the Shu, so I am happy to have it!
• Hakuhodo G537s: Another 100% Kolinksy brush only available in Japan. It is *so* good for applying and blending concealer, and I also use it to apply dots of foundation to my face before using a Beauty Blender. I purchased both these brushes from the Hakuhodo boutique in Omotesando, Tokyo.
• Shu Uemura 10N: My first expensive eye brush, but worth every penny (... 20% off, that is). It's incredibly versatile (both laydown and blending). My only gripe is that the handle is too long (I'm near-sighted so I like to get up real close to my mirror to do my eyemakeup, and the handle sometimes gets in the way)
• Shu Uemura 5R: This picks up and applies pigment brilliantly. I have to say I slightly prefer the Hakuhodo G5529 because the 5R puts down so much colour, that I usually need to blend the edges out, whereas the Hakuhodo applies colour more softly so I don't need to blend the edges (but I do need to layer and concentrate colour if I want it)
• Sigma ss266/E65: One of the few Sigma brushes I still own from the original set I purchased years ago. I use it for gel eyeliner exclusively, but I rarely wear gel liner anymore!
• Yojiya Ebony Eyeshadow Brush Squirrel: I purchased this at the Fa-So-La Tax Free Akihabara duty free shop at NRT for 3400 yen (slightly discounted from retail). It has been cited as a close "dupe" for the discontinued Suqqu S eyeshadow brush. It applies colour softly and blends amazingly well too, but is not great if you're looking to really pack on the colour. The handle is gorgeous, though!
• Chikuhodo Artist 10-1: This line is discontinued (or simply unavailable for direct purchase). This brush really picks up a lot of pigment!
• Chikuhodo Artist 8-5: This laydown brush also does a good job at applying pigment, but I do find it a tad pokey on my lids.
• Chikuhodo Artist 8-1: This brush is stiff, but not pokey, and is good for lining with dark shadow. I like these three for travel because they are so petite! I purchased at the Tau Hiroshima Brand Shop in Tokyo as well.

Lip Brushes
Not Pictured!

• I forgot to photograph my Hakuhodo Misako lip brush! It's my one and only lip brush, and I love it! :)

Not brushes, but related

L to R: MUJI Powder Puff, Koh Gen Do Powder Puff, scrubby pad I use to clean all my brushes, black and pink Beauty Blenders

• I use the powder puffs to apply loose powder (before brushing off the excess with my Hakuhodo K020). I find both the Muji and KGD perform identically. I purchased the KGD from Barneys in a pack of 2 for $16, while the Muji one costs $5.75 (probably much cheaper in Japan). The KGD one does come with a nice zip pouch for travel, though!

Phew! That took a long time to write up! I hope you enjoyed it! It's hard to believe I went from no brushes in 2010 to this collection four years later! I'm so happy with my brushes, but I do have some editing to do! (*whispers* and also some shopping, ho ho ho)

Lipstick stash arm swatches

I should have taken pictures of the lipsticks themselves, but I was too focused on the arm swatches, haha.

Since I always seem to buy the same 3 lipstick colours, I decided to swatch all my lippies and keep the pictures on my phone, so next time I go shopping I can at least try and prevent myself from buying another dupe.

For reference, my face is around NC25 with strong yellow undertones. I wear NARS TM Alaska, Bourjois HM 53, and GA Luminous Silk in 3.5.

First, I did swatches on paper so I knew how to group them for arm swatching. Lipstick bullets are so deceiving! These look more vivid on paper than IRL, though.



Berry / Fuchsia Group


L to R:
Beaute Liqui-Gel Stain Harlot
Fresh Sugar Berry
Lipstick Queen Butterfly Ball Fly
YSL Glossy Stain 5
YSL Glossy Stain 13
YSL Glossy Stain 15
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RS404 Drama
Maybelline 875 Vivid Rose
Revlon Lip Butter 063 Wild Watermelon
(I forgot to swatch my Annabelle TwistUp Retractable Lipstick Crayon in Cherry, but I think it's close to the Beaute stain)

Pink / Coral / Red Group


L to R:
Maybelline 870 Shocking Coral
Dior Addict Extreme 536 Lucky
YSL Rouge Volupte Shine 4 Rouge in Danger
MAC Viva Glam Cyndi
Guerlain Rouge Automatique 164 Chamade
Guerlain Rouge G 76 Gracy
YSL Glossy Stain 12
Lipstick Queen Red Sinner
Revlon Lip Butter 035 Candy Apple
YSL Glossy Stain 9


MLBB Group


L to R:
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RD203 Portrait
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RD311 Rubelite
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RD305 Nymph
YSL Glossy Stain 7
Revlon Super Lustrous 637 Blushing Nude
Revlon Lip Butter 001 Pink Truffle
Revlon Colorburst 040 Soft Rose
Shiseido Rouge Perfect RD732 Blush
(I'm missing Fresh Sugar Lip Balm in Petal, which is at the office)

A weekend after I took these pictures, I loaded them up on my phone and went lipstick shopping for a bridal lipstick! I wanted to find a colour between Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in Portrait (a bit too nude) and Nymph (which I love, but is a bit dark). The Shiseido Lacquer Rouge formula also transfers very easily, so I wanted the colour in a lipstick formula.

I went to Barney's and tried on Surratt Lipsliques. Thanks to bellyhead's Surratt Lipslique swatch post, I knew I wanted to try on Perfectionniste. I did, and loved it, so I boughts it.

When I got home from shopping, my Ichibankao order also arrived containing Visee Creamy lipstick in RD400.

Here are swatches next to a couple Shiseido Lacquer Rouges and my Guerlain RA in Chamade (all bridal lipstick contenders).

L to R
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RD203 Portrait
Visee Creamy RD400 (from Ichibankao) - 4g for ~$23 USD
Surratt Lipslique Perfectionniste (from Barneys) ~ 1.5g for $34 USD
Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RD305 Nymph
Guerlain RA 164 Chamade

Top picture is natural (though weak) light, bottom is flash



The Surratt is a tiny bit pinker than Visee (which is a little more orange/beige on my lips), but they look very, very similar, and feel very similar on the lips too. Price per gram, the Visee is a better deal, and also imo the Visee packaging feels more luxe.

I'm feeling addicted to lipstick lately! Especially after my HE lipstick haul last month... I want moreee! :) I should maybe purge my existing stash a bit, though, huh.

Updated stash pics!

I have been a bad blogger.

String of excuses: work has been very busy, wedding planning has been a pain in the neck, I've been having problems with my camera or lens, my cuticles are in no shape for macro photography, so on and so on.

As a peace offering, I thought I would post my latest stash pictures. I plan on doing a spring cleaning of my stash over the next month, and hopefully downsize a bit!

If you are interested in my plan of attack for purging, my last stash post had my "purge policy" written out in excruciating detail (lol). You can see that post here.

And here we go!

Pinks



Reds


Orange/corals


Light/mint greens


Greens



Olive/poopy-greens


Grey-greens


Turquoise


Teals


Light blues


Dark green-blues


Dark neutral blues


Bright blues


Medium blues


Periwinkle blues


Light purples


Medium purples


Dark warm purples


Dark cool purples


Taupe/brown/neutrals


Nudes


Whites


Greys


Black/silver


Gold/warm metallics


Topcoats



Mixed glitters


If you have any questions about what a particular polish is, let me know!

Current "State of my Stash Address" & my personal purging policy

Hi guys! I'm moving this weekend (across the hall, literally. We are downsizing from our 2Br/2Ba to a 1Br/1Ba to save $400/month on obscene rent), and recently organized my nail polish stash in preparation for my epic move (hehe). Currently, I have about 130 polishes. According to my spreadsheet, though, I have owned and purged almost 350 bottles! Wow!

Here's the whole collection in two pics:



Can you tell what my favourite colours are? LOL.

Here is all the polish put away in one Alex drawer. Nice and cozy!


I get asked quite frequently how I can purge polishes so easily. Like many of you, when I first got into nail polish, it was like an all-you-can-eat frenzy. I just had to have every polish I saw swatches of. I wanted the full collections. I wanted popular, discontinued and HTF polishes. I bought polish if it was on sale, even if I didn't like it that much. My stash ballooned like crazy. Then at some point last year, I was inspired by kittytokaren (of the excellent blog, Polish or Perish) to downsize my stash. I asked on NB for tips to purge your stash, and over the last year, I think I really have defined a personal stash policy:

1. I only want to own polishes I love.
2. I only want to own polishes I look forward to wearing.
3. I do not want to own backups.

I am still struggling a little with #3. I have backups (single bottles) for Illamasqua Raindrops, OPI Absolutely Alice, and Lynnderella Ruby Red Ruby.

When I decide it's time for a little spring cleaning in my stash, I go through and sort it by colour. Say I have 3 turquoise cremes - there's no need for me to keep all 3, because usually when I want to wear a turquoise creme, I find myself reaching for the same one over the others. It is very difficult to move those other 2 polishes to the swap bin / purge pile, but if I'm totally honest with myself, I know it's the right thing to do for my stash. This is a true example of how Essie Turquoise & Caicos and Orly Gumdrop were dropped from my stash, in favour of Essie Greenport.

I also consider the following items:

• Brand (bottle shape and brush type): I tend to prefer thin brushes like Essie over OPI's pro-wide. I also prefer smaller bottles.
• Formula: Finicky polishes that can't be fixed with thinner tend to get the automatic boot from me.
• Colour: Is this colour group flattering on my skin tone / do I even like this colour. Answering this question honestly is how I got rid of every damn yellow polish in my stash.

I used to factor in sentimental value and how hard to find something was, but I am trying hard to ignore these items as reasons for keeping a polish.

When I decide to purchase new polishes, I always ask myself if I own anything similar and if it's something I can see myself loving. If the answer is 'no' to either of these questions, I usually don't even want to buy it.

I have yet to have any regrets! Well, I do regret getting rid of BB Couture Impact Driver *a little*, but I don't miss it so much that I would repurchase it.

As far as what I do with my purged polishes, I usually swap or blogsale the polishes here! It's surprising to see how your tastes evolve; some polishes that were on my first Top 20 polishes have been purged now (Orly Galaxy Girl was a favourite of mine, but suddenly, I no longer loved it.)

Purging and downsizing is not for everyone. I would not force yourself to do it, unless it's something you really want to do. For me, I just started getting so overwhelmed at the number of polishes I owned, I wanted to declutter this part of my life. Sometimes, I totally wish I kept every polish I ever purchased so I could have a more comprehensive collection from which to do comparison posts, but it's not a good enough reason for me to keep so many polishes :)

Phew, that was long-winded! Do you have any tips or tricks for purging? Do you have any challenging purges to share? :)

Current Stash pics!

I recently took pictures of my stash, and thought I would post them here! My stash is around 135 bottles, with about 20 more coming in the mail. I am almost always thinking about purging polishes from my stash, so I just wrote down some thoughts I had as I was taking the pictures XD I'm kind of nuts, right?


Pinks 1

OPI Let Them Eat Rice Cake, Lynnderella Heart Strings, Lynnderella ♥, Lynnderella Matter of the Heart, Essie French Affair, Essie Raise Awareness

Purge thoughts: I want to purge both those Essies, but DBF won't "let" me. I prefer Raise Awareness to French Affair, but DBF prefers the name of French Affair to Raise Awareness. He does know both names of these pinks, and conducts regular searches of my stash now to make sure they are both still there ._.

Pinks 2

Revlon Sublime Strawberry, Essie Your Hut or Mine?, Essie Watermelon, Illamasqua Collide, Zoya Dana, Zoya Alegra, Nfu Oh 63.

Purge thoughts: The first two are really close on the nail. I prefer Essie bottles, but the Revlon is scented and I am addicted to the scent. I wanted to purge one of Essie Watermelon and Zoya Dana, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I almost purged Zoya Alegra, but it is so pretty in the bottle, and on the nail (I just never reach for it). I'm thinkin about ditching the Nfu Oh, because I like my holos to be green/blue, not so much pink, you know? But it's nice. How can I do such a thing?

Reds

OPI Smitten with Mittens, Essie Limited Addiction, Essie Bonded, MAC Bad Fairy, Hello Kitty Red Sparkle, Lynnderella Ruby Red Ruby x2

Purge thoughts: MAC Bad Fairy doesn't look great on me, but it is amazing on the nail (I've only worn it twice, look how low it is in the bottle! what the nards!). I just got the Hello Kitty polish, and I might purge it.

Oranges and Bright Blues

OPI Ecuadorable Coral, MAC Imperial Flower, ESsie Vermillionaire, Zoya Robyn, Illamasqua Fern, OPI Absolutely Alice

Purge thoughts: The Essie is my favourite, hands down, but I also like the OPI and MAC. But if I'm going to wear a bright orange polish, do I really need a choice of 3? To be fair, the OPI is not that bright. Love all three of the blues. I used to own yellows, but they're all gone now (Zoya Pippa, AA Butter, OPI Fiercely Fiona).

Purples 1

Essie St Lucia Lilac, Essie Bangle Jangle, Lynnderella Nosegay, Lynnderella LavenDear, OPI Planks a Lot, Nails Inc St John's Wood

Purge thoughts: Essie SLL used to be an HG of mine, but I havent worn it in so long, I can't remember, so I need to rewear it.

Purples 2

Illamasqua Baptiste, Orly Fowl Play, Orly Plum Noir, Zoya Valerie, Lynnderella Very Pretty Vampire

Purge thoughts: The only one I am waffling on is Orly Plum Noir.

Purples 3

Zoya Neeka, Zoya Lovey Dovey, Nina Ultra Pro Never Glum Plum, Zoya Pinta, Nails Inc Belgrave Place

Purge thoughts: I might need to purge the Nina (which I used to love a lot, but now that I have Neeka, would I ever reach for NGP?).

Blues 1

Zoya Crystal, Nfu Oh 65, Speciallita Hits Poseidon, Illamasqua Raindrops, Essie Sag Harbor, Franken, DL Glitter in the Air, Revlon Whimsical

Purge thoughts: I'm not sure about Essie Sag Harbor, now that I have Raindrops. I should get rid of DL or the Revlon, right? I'm not sure which to keep, so I'm keeping both for now :x the DL has a sheerer base, which is better for layering, but less glitter. I'm a bit worried about the Revlon glitter bleeding, so I don't want to give up the DL yet!

Blues 2

Zoya Caitlin, Essie Cocktail Bling, Essie Lapis of Luxury, Essence Forget Me Not, Essie Smooth Sailing, Lynnderella Forget You Not, ChG 2NITE

Purge thoughts: I need to wear Essie LoL and Essence Forget me Not to figure out if I need both. Essie Smooth Sailing is a little lukewarm... need to rewear it.

Blues 3

Nfu Oh 52, Zoya Charla, Missha JBL01, Joe Fersh Peacock, DL Across the Universe

Purge thoughts: the only one I'm thinking about purging is the Missha, due to its awful rose scent. But I think it actually looks better on the nail than Zoya Charla, which I love! So I don't know what to do there.

Blues 4 (wow I have a lot of blues, huh)

Orly Royal Navy, Orly Stone Cold, Lynnderella Mlle Violette de Bleu, Fingrs Blue Glitter, MAC Ming Blue, Speciallita Hits Apolo

Purge thoughts: I purged Revlon Royal in favour of Orly Royal Navy. I hate that the shimmer sinks and I need to prepare to wear it by tilting it upside down.

Blues 5

AA Mount Royal, RBL Catherine H, OPI Glacier Bay Blues, CND Midnight Sapphire, Essie Bobbing for Baubles, Misa Office Polish-tics, NARS Midnight Express

Purge thoughts: AA Mount Royal because I never reach for it, but it has a nice formula and is not dupey to anything I have. I'm not sure about Essie Bobbing for Baubles because it's somewhere between the Misa and a darker colour... and for darker blues, I really like the formula of the CND. NARS ME is HG status for me. It's halfway down the 'N' D:

Blue-Greens 1

Joe Fresh Teal, RBL 360, Essie School of Hard Rocks, ChG DV8, Speciallita Hits Hera, CND Urban Oasis, Illamasqua Muse, Orly Sapphire Silk

Purge thoughts: JF and RBL are total dupes, but the JF is in a smaller bottle (0.3 oz vs 0.4 oz), but Ji is so irritating. But if I purge this RBL, then my bottle of Catherine H will be lonely! Essie SoHR is nice, but looking at it in the lineup, is it too close to JF/RBL?

Blue-Greens 2

AA Office, Orly Gumdrop, OPI Mermaid's Tears, Essie Greenport, Essie Turquoise & Caicos, Misa Dirty Sexy Money, Nails Inc Warwick Way (wow this is totally green IRL, but photographs blue!)

Purge thoughts: I would like to purge the AA if I can find a dupe for it (hoping one of the Spring Orlys will do it!). Hoping that Zoya Bevin will be a dupe for OPI Mermaid's Tears so I can purge it (I don't like prowide brushes, and Zoya bottles are preferable to OPI's to me). I wish I didn't have all three of Orly Gumdrop, Essie T&C and Essie Greenport. If I had to choose 1 of the 3 to keep, it would be Greenport, but whenever I wear the other two, I think about how nice they are and can't let them go! The Nails Inc photographed way bluer than it is in real life, though.

Greens 1

ChG Emerald Sparkle, Illamasqua Rampage, Essie Going Incognito, Zoya Veruschka, Brucci Black Emerald (decanted), Zoya Ivanka, Nfu Oh 56, ChG Glittering Garland

Purge thoughts: the only one I want to dump is Zoya Ivanka. But it is soooo pretty in the bottle... I stop myself every time.

Greens 2

Illamasqua Milf, Nfu Oh 66, Essie Da Bush, Essie Sew Psyched, Essie Power Clutch, Illamasqua Hectic

Purge thoughts: I'm thinking about the Nfu Oh. I still haven't worn it as a full mani yet. :/

Neutrals/Taupes

OPI Samoan Sand, SH CSM Fedora, Orly Country Club Khaki, ChG Ingrid, Revlon Stormy, Essie Chinchilly

Purge thoughts: love all these. I wish I could find a true dupe for Fedora, though, because I flipping hate the brush and stem on that thing! I know $OPI has a close dupe (UMTC), but I hate that bottle as well -.-

Bronze/Golds

SH CSM Sequin Scandal, Hello Kitty Night Sparkle, Face Shop GR501, OPI At Your Quebec and Call, OPI Spark de Triomphe, Orly Luxe

Purge thoughts: I need to try the first two together and purge one. I wore the HK one recently and it had an amazing formula, though dried quite dark. I can't remember if SS was that dark. I love the Face Shop polish, but if the Jessica-graphite dupe is better, I will probably purge this one.
I don't know if I love OPI AYQaC; I purged BL Wallis in favour of this. I want to try NARS Mash, I think I would like it better.

Glitters

ChG Party Hearty, Lynnderella The Glittering Crowd, Lynnderella Boy-Girl Party, Lynnderella ChocoLotta Love, ChG Fortune Teller

Purge thoughts: My precioussss...


Lynnderella Sweets to the Sweet, Lynnderella Love, Lace and Lilacs, Essie Marshmallow, OPI Skull & Glossbones, Nfu Oh 61, AA Hassid

Purge thoughts: I might purge the Nfu Oh when Jessica Disco Diva comes to live with me. If I purge my other AAs, I want to purge Hassid too. I hate loner bottles. I purged all my other light greys in favour of OPI S&G.

Topcoats 1

CND Effects - basically all of the sparkle topcoats

Purge thoughts: I don't use these too often, so I wonder if I should keep them all... ?

Topcoats 2

Color morphing pigment topcoats from Noelie, Face Shop topcoat 05, Maybelline Colorama Cold as Ice (decanted)

Purge thoughts: If I purge my other Face Shop I will let the topcoat go too. I love Cold as Ice (I think that's the name), and have been looking hard for a dupe. I thought CND Sugar Sparkle would be one (no), then Zoya Sparkle Gloss Topcoat (no), then Essie Pearl Purefection (no), then Confetti -something- (no), and SH Diamond (various, all no). There's just something about it that I can't put my finger on!! Sigh.

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So, what's the last polish you have been thinking of voting off the island?