Unicorn, holo, rainbow, iridescent. These are what beauty enthusiasts are obsessed with from the recent trend. I think the key word is unique. Anything that is not the ordinary sells like hot cake. Then came the obsession with anything unicorn. And the Unicorn Brushes were launch and people go nuts!

The original Unicorn Brushes are not cheap and it is based on pre-order. Is there even such thing as the “original”? I don’t know. It’s the first to launch, it has better aesthetic look to it such as iridescent handle, evenly-made unicorn rainbow bristles and a unicorn brush pouch. I didn’t jump onto the unicorn brush bandwagon the minute it was out. I learnt through all the years of being a beauty enthusiast that some things are best to wait. And I was right this time. Unicorn Brushes are sold at RM90 per set of 5 or 10 on average, depending on the seller. Thanks to some shopping vouchers I obtained from some event, I had to browse through an online shopping portal that I discovered Unicorn Brushes selling for just RM11 per set of 5 or add RM4 to upgrade to a set of 10. But of course all the 10 pieces were sold out and I had to settle with a 5-piece set. I bought two different 5-piece set as I had to maximize my shipping fee. I got them weeks later and I hated them. Then I browse through the site again only to discovered the same seller changed the price to RM11 for a set of 10 pieces. This time I was determined to get another set but in plain white bristles. I got them weeks later again as seller informed me that it was sold out. When I got them, I was so happy with it. The plain white bristles with pastel purple handles are way better looking than the colorful bristles. Here are 5 Things You Need to Know About Unicorn Brushes.

1. They’re Light

These brushes are no doubt made in China. They are synthetic brushes with plastic handles. Despite some of the face brushes had a longer and fluffier bristles, overall they are light. The lightest brushes I own. It feels rather weird on hand especially when using it to do makeup as it is awfully light weight.

2. Plasticky Handle

The unicorn swirl handles are made with light, flimsy plastic material. It feels plasticky, it looks plasticky. It’s pretty alright. However, the workmanship surprised me the most. It is not badly made overall. Not even any glue were popping out of the sides of the metal ferrules. In fact these are quite well-made despite being a mass production and cheap product. Quite a neat job I say. Because the bottom are so light and the top bristles are much more heavier, it doesn’t sit well in brush container. It tends to tumble down if not placed properly. I think the handles are way too long. Sometimes it can get very inconvenient, hitting the mirror in front of me constantly. I am constantly worrying that I might snap the handles in two as they are so flimsy!

3. Easy to Blend

I notice that all of the bigger brushes especially the face brushes has wavy bristles. These brushes are made with synthetic taklon-like material so that they are soft but these type of material also makes the bristles to be “slippery”. Understandably it is harder for the bristles to grab products and this will pisses off users. So wavy bristles are used for better grip. I was surprised the manufacturer thought this through. Or do they? Is it just my thoughts? Maybe. Putting that aside, I absolutely love the eye brushes. The blending brush blends transition shade on the crease so effortlessly. I was shocked. One thing you have to bear in mind is that you are not paying hundreds so the least expectation the better.

4. No Discolouration During Washing

I was so curious to see if the color dye will comes off from the colorful bristles and so I washed these brushes several times and nope. There were no discolouration coming off from the brushes. I even run the brushes over a white towel to double confirm. Not bad.

5. Dry Fast

I also tested to see if these brushes dry fast. Compared to Sigma or Zoeva, these definitely dry faster even under fan condition. And they are so easy to clean and wash. It doesn’t stain the white bristles but that said, I haven’t left it unattended long enough. It may be a different case based on the product used with and based on how frequent you deep wash your brushes. I’m not too worried as this type of bristles are basically easier to wash through.

There you have it! My 5 Things You Need to Know About Unicorn Brushes. These are the basics you need to know if you have been wanting to get these Unicorn Brushes. Are they a good buy? I paid RM11 for a set so I have to say yes it is, as my spare brushes. I have no complain on them. I use a lot of brushes everyday so these would be good as rotation brushes so that I don’t run out of clean brushes before the next deep wash

The post 5 Things You Need to Know About Unicorn Brushes appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

I wasn’t supposed to have a post up today, but Breena Beauty’s last delivery is today and Breena Beauty Blending Pearl introduction price of RM30 is ending this 23rd June so I thought I better put this up before you girls kill me

Breena Beauty, the brainchild of fellow beauty blogger friend Sabrina Tajudin need no introduction. Everybody know Breena Beauty and my friend over here . Her recent launch kinda got everyone of us excited as she launched a beauty sponge named Blending Pearl. Now, I have a friend at Kota Kinabalu Sabah who bought the Blending Pearl, tagged me in a post and one of her friend/follower on Instagram commented that this is a copy of beauty blender. I shot that comment down because this may be a beauty sponge, it is so much different than beauty blender. Yes the concept is the same but if you have used both you will know that they are both different in so many ways.

First distinctive difference is the slanted flat side. Does beauty blender have it? No dear, they don’t. When I first saw this feature on the Blending Pearl for the first time, I raised my hands up to the air and praised the Beauty God. I always like the idea of a slanted cut on the sponge as this makes the tip even more pointy and the flat side enables the sponge to reach those hard to reach area. I particularly like it for the under eye concealer, baking and many more. This is one great feature of the Blending Pearl.

One thing you have to note is the size. At it’s original state (dry, undampened), the Blending Pearl is larger and wider in size compared to the beauty blender. When you run this sponge under a running tap, it gets bigger and bigger. What I notice then is how soft the sponge is. Usually you will know if a beauty sponge is going to be a good one or not once you dampen it. That is when I knew I am going to like this sponge.

I notice that there are a lot of white foams or rather soapy foams at first rinse. This went off immediately and I did not see it on second rinse onwards. Blending Pearl is a latex-free sponge that can be used wet or dry. Personally I prefer to use it wet . It comes in just one color – Baby Pink. It really doesn’t look very pink when it is expanded.

I have been using brushes for my foundation because I am so lazy with damping my beauty blender. Somehow I find that the dampness from beauty blender sort of diluted my foundation and I don’t like that. However, I did not encounter this issue with Breena Beauty Blending Pearl. It bounces so easily on my face and due to its gigantic size and softness, I finished my base routine in no time. It doesn’t really soak up product so I get a good coverage with my foundation. Recently I have been trialing out the new Physicians Formula Youthful Wear Youth Boosting Spotless Foundation and also trialing out this Blending Pearl at the first time. The foundation is a serum foundation which is more watery so naturally I was so curious to see how Blending Pearl took it. To my surprise, the foundation that used to give me a sheer courage goes on so well with better coverage compared to every other tool I’ve tried. I’ve tried foundation brush, I’ve tried beauty blender and I’ve tried my fingers. I only like Blending Pearl with it.

I loveeeee the slanted flat side. It fits under my under eyes perfectly and blends the under eyes concealer away in no time. No matter how many layers of concealer I layered on, this Blending Pearl blends it away without caking it up. This slanted flat side is also good for under eye baking and contour line baking. I don’t have the photos with me now as I bake lesser but I’ve tried it several times on days I needed my makeup to look more precise and I love this sponge for that purpose. Blending Pearl also work for cream contour product and cream blush. All good!

If you’re thinking to spend RM99 for a blending blender, don’t. I can tell you this Breena Beauty Blending Pearl is so much better. I own 3 beauty blender and I hardly reach for it as it soaks up so much product. Some said it gives a flawless finishing but I find it doesn’t do that for me. This Blending Pearl does. Not only I get my base makeup done faster, I get a good coverage with it and the finishing is amazingly smooth. Now go get it before the introduction price of RM30 ends. Then, you will pay RM35 for it. Don’t say I bojio

Disclaimer: Product was sent to me for review consideration. This doesn’t affect my judgement in the review in any way.

The post Breena Beauty Blending Pearl Changed My Perception on Using Beauty Sponge for Base Makeup appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

A few months ago, I read the news about Miniso and how they are Japanese brand but strangely they had only four stores in Japan while having more than a thousand stores in China. What exactly is Miniso, you asked? Miniso is a Japanese lifestyle and fast fashion brand that sells merchandise such as homeware, bags and electronics at low prices. You know, something like Daiso? Strangely the store’s logo resembles Uniqlo. They even had the dupe for some Uniqlo products. Hah!

At the same time I saw Miniso hoarding board at one of the shop lot in NuSentral. Before I know it, I walked past a Miniso outlet in IOI City Mall. I went in, glance at the beauty section and saw a few brushes and brush set that looks exactly like Real Techniques. I did not buy any at that time eventhough the price point is really attractive. A duo eye brush set retails for just RM10 and a Cosmetic Bag With 3 Brushes Set retails for RM39. Needless to say I went back a week later just to grab a set of the Miniso Cosmetic Bag With 3 Brushes Set.

The set’s name according to the label is Cosmetics Bag With 3 Brushes Set. I removed the ‘s’ from the word cosmetics as it does not sound right. It is also strange how Miniso mentioned the pouch included first. Pouches or bags are usually mention last, not at the beginning. Oh well. Whichever works for Miniso.

Miniso Cosmetic Bag With 3 Brushes Set is the exact replica of Real Techniques Travel Essentials Set. It comes with three brushes – a multi-functional brush, a flat foundation brush, and an eye shadow brush. Even the colors of the metal handle is the same as Real Techniques . I absolutely hate the rubbery bottom part of the handle of Real Techniques brushes, sadly Miniso copied the same style as Real Techniques as well

Since I do not have Real Techniques Travel Essentials set to do a perfect comparison, I thought I might show you how it looks like side by side with Real Techniques. I have to say, after using the Miniso brushes for a few weeks now, I kind of like it especially the multi-functional brush and the flat foundation brush.

I believe Miniso Multi-Functional Brush is the dupe for Real Techniques Multi Task Brush. I used the brush for powder mainly to set my foundation. It is fluffy and soft, slightly tapered. When I run my fingers through both brand’s brushes over and over again, I can’t tell the difference. Both are equally soft but the Miniso one are so much softer. Probably it is flufflier. I also did a comparison with my Real Technique Blush Brush off camera and Miniso wins! It is way more softer than the Real Techniques.

As for the flat top foundation brush, Miniso one is the best in comparison hands down. I like that the Miniso one has thicker brush head compared to the Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush. I do not use the Miniso Flat Foundation Brush for foundation but for concealer on my under eye. More bristles means easier to dab and blend. The Real Techniques one is just too flat and small for my liking.

The least favourite brush for me from Miniso set is the Eye Shadow Brush. I have always been wanting the Real Techniques Domed Shadow Brush so I was pretty excited to see one in the set. This is the main reason why I bought the set. It is crap. It is just too hard for buffing out eyeshadow color. I may still get away with using this brush to do eyeshadow packing.

Now, the pouch and also the brush stand case. Both looks the same and function the same. Both has a toggle and string to tighten and create a brush stand. Undeniably, Real Techniques case are much more harder and well-made. But Miniso one is not too shabby at all. It works just as well even though it is not as thick as the Real Techniques.

I get this question a lot whenever I share about Miniso brushes on my Instagram – is it worth to buy? Worth it or not depends on individual. Some think it is just brushes so why not, some cannot take dupe products. As for me, I say why not? I personally uses a lot of brushes at one go so I need more brushes to rotate with. For RM39 I get a decent brush stand/holder, one multi-functional brush, one foundation brush, and one eyeshadow brush. What’s not worth it?

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored review. I bought the product on my own.

The post Dupe Alert: Miniso Cosmetic Bag With 3 Brushes Set and Comparison With Real Techniques Brushes appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona

Ever since MAC came out with Masterclass brushes, I want one. And when Artis Brush came out with similar brushes, I want the whole set! What set me back was the price. The hefty price tag that does not justify the purchase at all especially when USD conversation is off the chart now. When I saw one at Etude House a few months ago, I was overjoy. But RM100+ for a brush still does not make sense to me. Not when I have so many new brushes yet to be used at home.

Now, this Missha Professional Oval Make Up-Brush is unexpected. Every other bloggers told me they knew about this brush as they did some research on MISSHA before going over to the store opening. I of course just charge ahead to the store with no googling . I was among the first few to arrive early to the store and the brush shelf was facing the registration counter. After registering myself, they first thing I browse at was none other than makeup brushes. I scanned row by row from top to bottom and guess what I saw? A familiar looking “toothbrush” alike brush! And the price is so reasonable. Like RM55 reasonable! I bagged it of course.

I did not practise what I preach with this brush. I did not wash the brush prior before using lol. I was too excited to start using. Oh boy. I have not had such excitement with beauty products for so long. So I kind of forgive myself this time round . Don’t do what I did girls. ALWAYS wash your new makeup brushes, let them dry properly before using

This Missha Professional Oval Make Up-Brush is only available in one universal size (I think). The brush head size is just right. It is not too big and not too small. At one glance you might think heck, this is too small for foundation for the face. Yes but because it is so efficient, it does the job in a jiffy.

The brush head is in a tear drop shape. The middle part of the holder is flexi and elastic so it bends according to your face shape as you are swiping it on the face. I always tell myself to go light. Just in case I broke the brush unintentionally. I was relieved that the bristles are in golden chocolate brown rather than the usual white or black. It’s refreshing.

The bristles are very densely packed BUT ultra soft. Each of the hair are so fine that it does not leave any brush strokes on the face. And because of this also I find it hard to wash. No matter what I cannot seems to get it as clean as my other brushes. Perhaps I did not use enough Daiso Detergent For Puff and Sponge. I don’t know. I am going to try again

What I learnt from Youtube with this type of makeup brushes is that you swirl the brush on the face. But I heard from other blogger that Missha recommend to use the brush in a single direction. You know me. I do not follow direction. I just use whichever method I know suits my preference. And that is to swirl all over the face as if I am buffing car wax on my car. There is no right or wrong. Remember that

What I love about this brush? Plenty! I did not know where to start. Firstly, I find that the most tricky foundation that either is too watery or too dry goes on the skin easier with this brush. There are no brush strokes AT ALL. Nil. Zero. Zilch. It covers my ginormous pores, which I could never do so with other brushes or beauty blender. The brush smoothes the foundation over my pathetic pores like icing on the cake. And for some odd reason, the coverage seems fuller. Sometimes I feel that the bristles does not soak up a lot of product as all the products will ended up on my face. But with such fine hair it is impossible that it does not soak up product, eh? Let’s talk about my nose. Let me tell you I have headache applying foundation on my nose. This brush? Takes care of it for me, covering all the pores, and minus the brush strokes #love. The size of the brush head fits the inner corner of my cheeks, nose, corner of my nose, under eyes and everywhere!

I was lucky to be able to bag this brush home as there was only two available at the store. Partly because some bloggers who reached early has no idea what it is or how to use it or what to use it for or have no use for it, and they are distracted with makeup products heh! If you managed to find this at Missha store at Sunway Pyramid, BUY IT. Do not think twice or thrice as it may be sold out by the time you made up your mind.

The post Missha Professional Oval Make Up-Brush: For a faster, poreless, smooth, streak-free application appeared first on Street Love. by Fiona