1st Impression Review on 白鳳堂 + Sephora (こつぶ)

[Wow, I have not touched this blog for almost a year now. So sorry for not updating this blog.]

Item Name: 白鳳堂 + Sephora  こつぶ
Price: $38 USD
Fiber: Synthetic
Description (taken from the site): Kotsubu Small Teardrop Pointed Highlighter (Kotsubu) A revolutionary medium-point highlighter brush for precision contouring and highlighting.

 

I wanted to love this brush because I have a small handful of brushes from Hakuhodo.  My J5223, J210, and BJ004 are more than 2 years old.  They are kept in great condition and cherished very lovingly.  The J5223 is still cheaper, blends like a dream, and softer than a MAC 217.  The BJ004 is great for packing on color.  My J210 is perfect for blending out the blush and/or contour. 




 

The only  redeeming quality of this brush is the packaging.  I added this powder from ICING as my "banana" for scale.

The こつぶ (via the tissue test) is very weak in my opinion in holding any pigment from my current contour collection.  I could try it on my skin, but I thought I should try out the former instead. 

It's safe to say that the fibers are synthetic.

I used the BB as my “banana” for scale since I am terribly lazy to bust out a ruler.  I tried my best to show you a close up of the fibers and how well it held up.  I added a bonus shot of my other contour brushes just to compare its pick up strength with the こつぶ.  

The bronzer in my LORAC Pro to Go palette did not show up at all on the tissue.

The same thing goes for my NARS Casino bronzer.

The brush barely applied any pigment onto the tissue.  It's so disappointing to see an HE brand fall flat. 

 

I can honestly say I am ready to send myself over to the nearest Sephora and get a refund ASAP.

This is too light for my taste.  The brush will force me to waste too much product.

From Top to Bottom: 

 - Hakuhodo J210 

 - ELF Studio Small Tapered

 - Kotsubu
 - Sephora Pro Contour #74

 Left side has no flash.  The right has flash applied.

If you have any more questions about this brush, please let me know.

NOTE:  I am starting to add watermarks on my work just to satisfy my sanity.  I used GIMP as my pic editor and used this video as reference in creating my watermark.  If you want to add in the copyright symbol, click here.     

Tony Moly is Now Available at Sephora

I have seen the company's products in Asian markets for quite some time now and I am happy to see that they are now made available at Sephora.  Here's a simple description behind the brand:

"Tony Moly has its finger firmly on the pulse of global beauty. Launched in Korea, the brand’s name translates to “nice and trendy,” and cult beauty fans can’t get enough of the too-cute-for-words products, which blend innovation and must-have
cosmetics with brightly colored, playfully adorable packaging." 

So far there's only 2 items made available for sale at Sephora and I hope that they continue to expand their lineup.  

What would you like to see more from this line?  Let me know in the comment section below.

 

Random Experiment #1 = Discovering A New Way to Dry a Sponge

On a whim, I bought a beauty blender dupe from Marshalls this week.  It costs less than $4, so why not?  After I cleaned the item before it's first use, realized how the heck am I going to dry it?  It has not handles and I don't have an unused egg carton at the moment.  I remembered that I bought these lovely brush guards from ICING almost a year ago.  

Looks slightly disturbing, but it's doing a decent job in holding it in.

The first part of the experiment worked!  Now, I have to wait patiently overnight to see if it takes hold.  If it does, then I know what I'll be doing the next time I need to give this product a nice bath. I'll post a simple step-by-step tutorial real soon.

Any suggestions on what I should try next?  Let me know in the comments section below.



  

Burman Industries Cleaner - My HG Daily Brush Cleaner. What's yours?

I've been getting into makeup for almost 1.5 years.  I noticed my current brush collection has been growing lately.  It's a mixture of drugstore and high-end brands such as ELF, MORPHE, Real Techniques, and Hakuhodo.  The downside of owning brushes is sometimes that you have to make sure that the brushes are clean after their first use.  I've given them a couple of swipes against a baby wipe before I use them on a different product.  After that, I would have to wait until they are completely dried.  I don't to wait very long and this deters me from using makeup.

I've recently heard of the method of using a daily brush cleanser.  It can give a brush a nice clean look without having to wait for more than a minute to dry.  So, I went to a popular independent beauty supply shop to see my options in person. 

Added the Bioderma for scale.

This company did the right thing by using this seal to help preserve the integrity of the product from leaking.

Found this lovely little thing and it gives out a scent similar to cotton candy.  Burman Industries is the maker behind this lovely concoction.  This item I know so far is only being sold at this site.  

Current sale price as of 07/13/2014.

It's currently on sale.  I don't know how long this sale will last, but it's best to grab this while you still can.  To show the power of formula, I randomly picked out a few brushes from my collection. 

From L to R: Bdellium Tools Pink 959, Hakuhodo J210, RT Expert Face Brush, Bdellium Tools Pink 785, 781, and 766.

Pictured below this pic is the result of the trial process.  I used a travel-sized spray, sprayed the liquid onto the brush, and wiped it onto the paper towel.   The RT expert face brush and the 959 may need more than 4 tries to completely eradicate the remnants.  If you have a hard time seeing the results please click here.

FLASH (left) and NO Flash (right)

If you have any questions in regard to this product, let me know in the comment section below.