Who needs new brushes? I don’t but ya know I can always be tempted. Ecotools and Real Techniques both have new Spring 2021 launches popping up at Ulta this week! I always love both brands as they’re very affordable plus the quality is pretty good.

Oh and by the way Real Techniques has a new Brush & Sponge Cleansing Gel! I dunno if they reformulated it from the Gel Brush Cleanser! That stuff was pretty darn good. We’ll have to see how both compare! I know it’s an ounce smaller now and a little cheaper at $6.99 compared to the original 5.1 oz size at $8.99!

Real Techniques Filtered Cheek Brush $7.99
A new flat top brush that can be used with cream blush, correctors, or serums to easily buff them into skin.

Real Techniques Sheer Radiance Fan Brush $7.99
Apply highlighter easily with this soft, flexible brush.

Ecotools Jade Roller Duo $14.99
I really don’t need another Jade Roller but I am interested in the trying the eye roller included with this set!

Ecotools Total Senses Brush Duo Interchangeable Kit $9.99
Ok, so, this is interesting! Not only does this brush have two interchangeable brush heads (one powder brush and one flat foundation brush) but it also has a brush handle with ceramic beads inside it. The ceramic beads act to absorb essential oil! You can put a drop or two of your favorite oil into the handle and it’ll create and aromatherapy experience as you apply makeup! I’m not sure I need to be all that extra when applying my makeup but here we are!

The Real Techniques and Ecotools Spring 2021 Collections are available now at Ulta.

Where to buy

Ulta

The post New Makeup Brushes and Tools from Real Technique and EcoTools for Spring 2021 appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

EcoTools Dissolvable Brush Cleaning Sheets are a pretty interesting idea and the packaging is great but they don’t actually work. I love these in theory but after using them I’ll likely stick to Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Shampoo which I adore!

Ecotools Dissovable Brush Cleaning Sheets come housed in a 100% Plastic-Free packaging. Even the outer packaging is biodegradable! You can plant it, water it, and apparently it’ll grow into wildflowers! I popped it into some soil yesterday let’s see how it grows! I thought it was kind of cute that the box turned into a seed packet. That’s not the only cool thing about the packaging! The actual tin compact that holds the sheets of brush cleaner is cool! This is a larger tin that holds 30 sheets of dissolvable brush cleaner. The tin’s lid has a ridged brush mat or pad built right in. It’s just a really cool packaging design that’s not only environmental friendly but also, travel friendly and easy to store.

Sadly, the cool packaging is where things end! I can’t disliked the cleaning results. First off, you’ll get 30 cleansing sheets that clean two brushes each. I think I can probably get more brushes cleaned with a 6 oz bottle of brush cleaner or even a bottle of shampoo versus the 30 cleansing sheets included in this tin for $8.

To use the cleansing sheets you’ll pop on into the lid of the tin where the built in brush pad is and you’ll wet your brush and add a few drops of water to the cleansing sheet. Now swirl your brush into the lid and the sheet will begin to dissolve. According to the box this will create a rich lather but it actually doesn’t later up much at all. The tin’s lid is a little too small a space for some of my larger blush and powder brushes and I felt like I was splitting the hairs as I worked due to the lack of space. I didn’t work up much of a later and I only got one brush done with one sheet! There was no way I was doing two brushes with the one sheet not to mention the lack of later meant there was still a lot more color left on my brush and I had to re-clean the brush by following up with some of my regular Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Shampoo.

I thought maybe the fault was with my larger brushes so I grabbed some smaller eyeshadow brushes in the hopes I’d have better results. That was worst because the cleansing sheet didn’t dissolve as easily with a smaller brush and I was swirling it a chunk of the sheet around trying to get it to melt down. In the end more water helped but again, as before, it lacked later and it didn’t get my brushes fully cleaned! There was so much makeup left on my brushes it looked like I use wet and swirled them versus using any sort of cleaner!

Two other things that concerned me was the fact that I was getting the lid completely soaked and wet. Would it rust over time? And secondly, you’ll have to wait for the lid to dry before putting it back on because it could potentially wet the other sheets.

I love the idea of this as it’s travel-friendly not to mention the tin is reusable (Although at this time they don’t technically sell cleansing sheets by themselves! So, the brush pad in the tin is reusable but the actual tin becomes useless without cleansing sheets inside that aren’t yet replaceable?!) but the actually cleansing sheets are very disappointing and didn’t get my brushes cleaned well at all!

Oh well!

Anyone try this?

Do share your results!

The post EcoTools Dissolvable Brush Cleaning Sheets Have Awesome Packaging But Don’t Work appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

EcoTools 360 Ultimate Blend Kit ($16.99) is a new trio of densely packed makeup brushes for blending foundations, concealers, and cream or liquid blushes. I picked this up on a whim last month from Ulta.com and I’m every soft happy I did as I’m loving this set at the moment. I think it deserves mentioning I was pretty disappointed with the Ecotool Complexion Collection that launched in 2015. Those brushes didn’t quite live up to what I was hoping for.

These new Ultimate Blend Brushes though are exactly what I was hoping for though and I may go ahead and pick up a second set with my Ulta 20% Off discount.

Here’s the deets on this set!

This set contains three full-size brushes which are:

• Ultimate Buff
• Ultimate Pop
• Ultimate Cover

The brushes have sturdy handles with a flat head that has dense, short haired soft bristles. I love brushes like this! They just make application so easy not to mention they sheer our heavier, more pigmented formula to a natural, airbrushed finish.

The larger brush works best with cream or liquid foundations and BB Creams. You can easily buff in your foundation with this brush or as I mentioned sheer our a more pigmented one so your foundation looks more natural and even. The brushes are dense yet quite soft. I apply with a circular motion and although the head is round it still fits around the contours of my face easily like around my nose.

The smaller Ultimate Cover Brush worked best for concealer application. It’s a little iffy around the eye area for me as the bristles actually felt a little too dense for that delicate area but if I use a lighter touch it does buff concealer into the wells of the eyes easily. I wish this was a touch easier to use around this area. For some reason I felt like I was tugging versus buffing! But I think in reality this was created to buff concealer onto blemishes or imperfections versus for use under the eye.

And finally, they Ultimate Pop Brush which is my favorite. This is such a fab little brush for using with cream blush! It makes cream blush mess-free and also, it prevents me from being to heavy handed. Every single time I used it I got the perfect natural flush! I’ve taken to dipping it into my cream blush and proceeding to dab it very lightly into a highlighting powder. This gets me the perfect luminous flush! Love, love how well this applies cream blush!

The EcoTools 360 Ultimate Blend Kit was a success for me! I really like this style of brush anyway (I have brushes like this from other brands) and I’m happy to add more like it to my stash as it applies product flawlessly.

I’m going to Muse Approved this set! It’s worth checking out! I do wonder how long it’ll be before Ecotools does some sort of Artis dupe considering how many brands have gone this route.

Where to buy

Ulta

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It wouldn’t be the holidays if you didn’t have at least one makeup brush set to look forward or two in this case! EcoTools Holiday 2017 are arriving as well as a bunch of new brushes they just released for the Fall 2017 season.

Here’s a look!

Ecotools Soft Smokey Eye Brush Set $14.99
Four brushes that will help you to achieve a perfect smoky eye as well as a brush holder to house them!

Includes:

Large Shadow Brush
• Defined Crease Brush
• Precision Blending Brush
• Controlled Setting Brush
• Brush Holder

Ecotools Beautifully Bronzed Brush Set $29.99
Conceal, Brush, Bronze, and Lip with this seven piece selection of brushes and sponges.

Includes:

• Total Perfecting Blender
• Airbrush Concealer Brush
• Blending & Bronzing Brush
• Precision Blush Brush
• Perfecting Detail Blender
• Shade Brush
• Detail Lip Brush

They also released quite a few budget-friendly Fall 2017 Makeup Brush Sets and single brushes. Some of the ones to catch my eye were the Wonder Cover Complexion Brush ($8.99) created for cream or liquid foundation as well as the Glow Buki that has short, dense but soft bristles to buff highlighter into cheeks and face.

Shop EcoTools Holiday 2017 and the rest of the new brush line at ulta.com.

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The EcoTools Contour Perfecting Applicator, EcoTools Total Perfecting Blender, and EcoTools Color Perfecting Minis are hitting drugstores now so, if you’re in need of a new facial sponge grab these budget friendly options up.

Here’s the deets!

EcoTools Contour Perfecting Applicator $5.99
Not a lot of people did but I really liked the Maybelline Dream Blender Foundation Blending Sponge if you’re in the boat with me you’ll be excited about this sponge. This rounded tip sponge is attached to a sturdy handle and allows you to easily contour your face, apply foundation, or concealer.

EcoTools Total Perfecting Blender with Cup $5.99
This handy little blending sponge comes with it’s old stand and can be used wet or dry. When you’re done using it just pop it into the stand until the next use.

EcoTools Color Perfecting Minis $7.99
Need a helping hand with concealing and correcting? These little sponges are color coded so you can use them with different shades of correctors or concealers and remember which shade coordinates with each sponge.

Get these new Ecotools Sponges now at target.com.

The post Need a New Facial Sponge? EcoTools Has Three To Choose From! appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

Ecotools has launched three new, limited edition makeup brush sets, Prepped for Change, Eye Am Courageous, and Glow For It, in collaboration with the Glamour The Girl Project. The Girl project supports global efforts to help girl’s finish their education and give them a safe passage to school with donations that help fund tuition. School is something a lot of people that for granted. It’s also something that we see as a chore sometimes. But imagine not being able to afford it or even living in a country where as a girl you wouldn’t be offered the option to further your education. That’s where the Girl Project comes into play. Ecotools will be donating $1 to the Girl Project up to $100,000 from purchases of their new brush sets which will help girl’s all over the world to finish their education plus help with tuition as well as school supplies, and more.

So, if you’re in the market for some new makeup brush sets you can feel good knowing that your purchase will help benefit and empower girls.

Ecotools Prepped For Change $19.99
Includes:

• Facial Scrubber
• Prep & Prime Brush
• Skin Perfecting Brush
• Detail Concealer Brush
• Correcting Concealer Brush
• Setting Kabuki

Ecotools Eye Am Courageous $19.99
Includes:

• Angled Tweezer
• Micro Blending Brush
• Round Shadow Brush
• Defined Crease Brush
• Detailer Brush
• Lash & Brow Groomer
• Compact Mirror

Ectools Glow For It $19.99
Includes:

• Pointed Concealer Brush
• Angled Powder Brush
• Highlighting Fan Brush
• Eye Shading Brush
• Detailed Lip Brush
• Compact Mirror

You can the new EcoTools The Girl Project Makeup Brush Sets at ecotools.com.

Save

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Ecotools the Best Sellers Collection is available now for a limited time at Ulta.com for Holiday 2016 and features 5 full size Ecotools Makeup Brushes! Best part? You can get it for 20% off!

Here’s a peek at the set as well as another new set Ecotools has available!

The Ecotools the Best Sellers Collection is 20% off today at Ulta.com so, instead of the $19.99 retail price (which is still a great value) you can get it for $15.99 using coupon code 407307.

The set includes:

• Large Powder Brush
• Precision Blush Brush
• Flat Foundation Brush
• Custom Coverage Buffing Brush
• Eye Enhancing Duo Brush
• 2 Makeup Brush Cleansing Wipes

There’s also a new EcoTools Boho Luxe Duo Brush Set which is $19.99 ($16 on sale) and comes with 3 dual-sided makeup brushes as well as a makeup brush roll to store them in!

The brushes include are:

• Foundation Brush
• Concealer Brush
• Powder Brush
• Blush Brush
• Eye Shading Brush
• Angled Liner Brush

The Ecotools Holiday 2016 Brush Sets are available now at Ulta.com.

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Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Cloths ($6.99) is one of several new makeup brush cleansers that launched for Spring 2016.

If you’re one of those people that’s lazy about cleansing their brushes or you just want an easy way to clean brushes between shades you’ll want to grab a pack of Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Clothes as they are quite a handy little tool to have around.

Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Cloths are a larger cloth that resembles a makeup cleansing cloth you use to clean your face but these clothes are used to cleanse your brushes. Each cloth is saturated with a plant-based cleanser that contains cucumber and aloe. If you’re using three or more eyeshadow shades in a look these are a handy tool to have around to swipe off excess color so you aren’t blending out muddy. Simply remove one from the packaging and swipe your brush across it a few times to remove eyeshadow, oil, etc….

Sephora has cleansing wipes like this that are currently on sale, I personally never tried them but I did try the old Sephora Make Up Brush Cleansing Wipes and I really liked them! Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Cloths are nice but not as saturated as Sephora’s version. I wish they were slightly more saturated but for color switching they are an ideal pick. You can’t really rely on these for cleansing brushes fully as they won’t remove most makeup but if you’re doing an intricate eye look and you use to switch a shade so your look doesn’t go muddy these are perfect. You can lay one next to you as you’re doing your eye makeup and simply swipe the brush across the wipe a few times to remove shadow. The cloth won’t wet your brush and any wetness that does occur is very quick to dry so you can switch shades super fast using this method.

If you need to do a very quick clean up job with your brushes these wipes are also nice to have around but they don’t remove a ton of makeup so I think they make a handier tool for color switching versus hardcore clean up. They do struggle with cream in my opinion and work best with powders. Below I have two photos of two Real Techniques Eyeshadow Brushes I used two apply eyeshadow with. The first photo shows the brushes after I applied the eyeshadow and the second brush shows after I used one of the Ecotool wipes. You can see the eyeshadow isn’t as intense on the second photo but it still is very much there.

I think of these as more of a lazy girl or guy’s guide to cleansing brushes. They are nice to have around for in between cleanings but they won’t take the place of a regular deep clean of your makeup brushes. For me, I like having them around for color switching so my eye look doesn’t go all muddy!

You can get your hands on Ecoltools Makeup Brush Cleansing Clothes now at drugstores or online at Ulta.com.

The post Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Cloths Review appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

There’s no bigger chore than having to clean ALL your makeup brushes. Ugh! It’s such a project and so much work! It’s particularly a pain if you have a lot of different makeup brushes. I tend to do it once a week at least because it’s pretty important to have clean brushes.

It seems like makeup brush cleansers are a trending at the moment. There are so many new options for cleansing your brushes from Ecotools to Japonesque everyone seems to have some new and exciting way to get your brushes clean and sparkly.

Here’s the latest new makeup brush cleansers that are worth trying!

Japonesque Waterless Brush Cleanser $16
So you don’t really have time to wait around for your brushes to dry after a cleansing right? Well this new waterless brush cleaser dries in seconds. Mist it on, wipe your brushes off, and get to putting on your makeup in a few seconds. No dry time, no water, simple, easy, done!

Sephora Color Switch By Vera Mona Brush Cleaner $18
Muddy eyeshadow application got you down? This dry, makeup removing sponge allows you to switch colors instantly without the need for water or even cleanser. When you’re using two or more eyeshadows in a look you can simply swipe your brush over the sponge to remove shadow easily and move on to the next eye color. No muddiness!

Sephora Solid Clean Solid Brush Cleaner $8-$14
Wanna clean your brushes when you’re traveling? This solid brush cleanser allows you to swipe your wet brushes across it to work up a lather that will remove makeup, oil, and dirt easily from brushes!

Beautyblender Liquid Blendercleanser $30
Remove excess makeup, germs, dirt, and oil from either your Beautyblender sponges or your brushes with this low-sud formula that’s earth friendly.

Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Shampoo $7.99 (Review)
This gentle plant-based ingredient cleanser gets brushes soft and clean.

Real Techniques Gel Brush Cleanser $8.99 (Review)
Alcohol-free and non drying this makeup brush cleanser gel quickly and easily remove dirt, gunk, and makeup from your brushes.

Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette $14.99
Cream foundations, eyesahdows, and BB Creams proving difficult to remove from your favorite brushes? This palette allows you to gently scrub and break down cream from brushes so they prove easier to clean. Works great to get brushes deeply cleansed!

Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Cloths $6.99
Whether you’re switching between shades or you’re just too lazy to wash brushes these cleansing clothes allow you to quickly swipe away makeup and gunk without getting your brushes soaking wet!

Sigma Dry’N Shape Tower Face & Eye Set $49 or Sigma Dry’N Shape Tower Eye Set $39
Don’t have the space to lay out all your brushes to dry? Or just don’t want them laying all over the place as they dry? These new towers from Sigma allow you to air dry all your brushes easily by standing them up in one place so they drip dry and retain their shape!

Have you tried any new makeup brush cleansers that are rocking your world at the moment?

Do share ’em!

The post New Makeup Brush Cleansers to Try appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

The new Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Cloths ($6.99) have arrived at Ulta and I’ll be picking up a pack for sure. A while back ago Sephora had these awesome brush cleaning wipes available that I fell in love with. The basic idea was that you could use a wipe between brush cleanings to remove surface dirt, oil, and makeup. They also didn’t soak brushes so if you wanted to have a wipe handy to switch out colors that was an awesome option as well. I actually loved them for exactly that reason! I’d keep one hand so I could wipe off the color I was using on my eyes and use a different color without creating a muddy mess.

They were handy!

I’m hoping that the new Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Cloths can be used in a similar way!

EcoTools Makeup Brush Cleansing Cloths contain cucumber and aloe and each wipe can be used to quickly and easily break down makeup, oil, and dirt from your makeup! I’m hoping, like the Sephora version, you can also use them to switch out colors!

These recently launched at Ulta.com for $6.99.

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Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Shampoo ($7.99) is a new makeup brush cleanser that launched for Spring 2016. This formula washes away makeup, oil, and dirt so your brushes are nice and new again.

Let’s take a peek!

I love how many brands are releasing beauty budget friendly makeup brush cleansers lately. I’m seeing more and more brands available at the drugstore who have launched their own makeup cleansers and I couldn’t be happier about it. Don’t get me wrong, I love MAC Brush Cleaner and I’m a die hard Cinema Secrets (I’m sad for you if you haven’t discovered the joys of Cinema Secrets Brush Cleaner) fan girl but it sure is nice to be able to walk into my local drugstore and grab some brush cleanser quickly when I need it. No trips to Nordstrom, no need to go to a MAC store, etc…I can just grab some makeup cleanser on my way home from work! Done!

Even better? The fact Ecotools has their own brush cleanser now!

Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Shampoo comes in a 6 oz bottle for $7.99 (betcha get a good deal on it when it goes on sale at drugstores). This is a clear thick gel formula that has a light citrus fragrance. I’m not a big fan of using shampoo or baby shampoo to wash my brushes so I’m pretty much a lover of products like this. For one thing I like they are a low lather formula! This means I’m not sitting there rinsing and re-rinsing my brushes to get all the shampoo out of my brush. This gel formula barely works into a lather but it still manages to whisk away makeup and dirt really easily. It’s very gentle on my brushes and I had no issues with it not rinsing clean away. It also left the bristles of my brushes as soft as when I originally purchased them. I purposely used it on some super dirty brushes and although it struggled every so slightly with cream, it did a wonderful job with powders such as blush, eyeshadow, etc…!

I particularly like this was created by Ecotools as you can use in on their brushes. I tend to be extra careful with synthetic bristles as they tend to become dense after washing. I had absolutely no issues washing my non-animal hair brushes with this formula. It left the bristles clean and soft.

Those shopping a budget friendly makeup brush cleaner should check out the new Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Shampoo.

It’s available now at drugstores or online at Ulta.com.

The post Ecotools Makeup Brush Cleansing Shampoo Review appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

It’s that time of the year again, kids! Time to shop for makeup loving stocking stuffers and this Ecotools Mini Essentials Holiday Set is a perfect addition for stuffing into stockings.

Take a look!

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, I love little stocking stuffer gifts. It’s one of my favorite things to shop for! I love filling my sister’s stocking with stuff I know she loves like little flavored lip balms, hand lotions, shower gels, and other beauty doodads. Typically it doesn’t all fit in her stocking so she and I have taken to picking out a pretty new purse for each other and filling that with our stocking stuffers.

I actually have more fun opening the stocking stuffers she gifts me than some of my bigger gifts.

Now my sister isn’t much of a makeup lover so this little Ecotools Mini Essentials Holiday Set would be lost on her but it is the perfect little stocking stuffer for makeup lovers out there or for those that travel a lot.

This contains three really mini essential brushes. I can’t begin to tell you how crazy OCD I am about my makeup or in this case my makeup brushes. I dislike traveling with my good makeup brushes because no matter how carefully I pack them they seem to get squashed or end up with split hairs, etc…during my travels. That’s why this set is perfect for travel! The brushes are small, take up absolutely no room, have soft, shed-free bristles, plus if by some chance they get ruined you won’t sob yourself a river over them because they only cost $2 each!

The set includes a powder brush, eyeshadow brush, and an angled liner brush. Pretty much the basics for creating a quickie look and since I typically go minimal with makeup when I’m traveling this is pretty much all I need!

I’ve always been a fond fan of Ecotool Makeup Brushes. Budget pricing, sturdy handles, soft yet dense bristles, shed-free, and they clean easily!

This little set is $5.99 and comes housed in limited edition snowflake packaging for the Holidays (or you can get the regular packaging which includes the same brushes for the same prices but not in the cutesy Holiday packaging at Ulta.com) is launching now at drugstores and mass retailers for a limited time.

The post Ecotools Mini Essentials Holiday Set Review appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

The weather doesn’t quite know what it wants to do at the moment. Right now it’s fairly warm but there’s a little bite of cold in the air. Now in the morning, well, it’s pretty cold in New York already and it almost feels like winter wants to break through the crisp, fall weather and just take over.

Let’s hope that doesn’t happen too soon yes?

I’m shivering just thinking about it.

I’ll tell you a little secret…even if below zero weather I still go out of the house with wet hair. Anyone sobbing in absolute horror? Yup, I’m one of those girls. I like my hair up in a bun, out of my face, and as simple as possible when I’m work so that typically means I wash it and go. I don’t blow dry it, I don’t too intricate styling it, and, well, this could potentially translate as I’m incredibly boring when it comes to styling my hair in the AM.

Now if I’m going out I take a bit more time with it but when I’m heading to work as long as it is out of my eyes I’m happy.

But as I get older I seem to get colder easily so I started drying my hair in the mornings and this can be a very tedious task particularly when you have hair as long as I have.

When you have tools like the EcoTools Ultimate Air Dryer Hair Brush laying around though, drying your hair becomes a lot less of a chore. This is a great brush for detangling right out of the shower. Drying your hair aside, this actually works quite brilliantly for tangles. It’s an oval shape with a cut out that acts as a diffuser when you’re drying your hair with a hair drier. Personally I find both the shape and the lack of bristles great for detangling my hair as there’s less bristles here to yank on my hair so the brush is gentle as it strokes through and doesn’t catch on my tangles.

But the real benefit of the brush is the lightness of it and the fact that it works easily to dry your hair faster which means a lot less heat damage. The cut out oval shape allows air to travel through the brush as you stroke and blast your hair with your drier. As it separates tangles, heat travels through the oval and allows heat through to your hair which makes for quicker drying times. If your hair is as long as mine and as wavy you likely feel like you’ve had a major work out after drying it! As between holding your hair drier and a larger brush it feels like you’ve been through a half hour of good cardio versus the simple task of drying your hair! This brush is super lightweight so my arm never felt tired as I worked plus add to the fact I can detangle and dry my hair in 10 minutes versus 20 and I’m a happy less exhausted girl!

If you need to cut your drying time in half the EcoTools Ultimate Air Dryer Hair Brush is a good tool to have around!

How do you dry your hair quickly?

Do share your tips!

The post Get Your Hair Dried Faster with the EcoTools Ultimate Air Dryer Hair Brush appeared first on Musings of a Muse.

I love a beauty budget deal but I don’t like forsaking quality for something cheaper. To many times I purchase a makeup or beauty product for a few dollars, get it home, and I’m disappointed with the performance.

So of course, like any good shopper, I’m always excited when I find a beauty product cheaper but also one that’s of excellent quality! So it goes with Ecotools! I remember the first post I did about Ecotools in 2008 and I also remember being a bit of a snob about makeup brushes at the time but quickly changing my mind when I realized how great their line of brushes was!

So for those who like a deal but don’t want for forsake quality here are some Budget Friendly Brushes for Hair and Face from EcoTools that I’ve been loving on recently.

Ok, so who even knew that Ecotools has an entire line of hair brushes? I did not! These are $10.99 each (but let’s face it with all the drugstore sales you’ll likely pay even less) and come in six different designs. My two favorites are the Ecotools Smoothing Detangler Hair Brush and the Ecotools Styler + Smoother Hair Brush.  If you have wild and crazy hair like me with a good deal of wave and curl you’ll really like the Smoothing Detangler Hair Brush! I was super impressed with how well this handled tangled just out of the shower hair. It removes tangles easily without tugging or pain. It’s a very gentle paddle brush and I had no breakage when using it! I tend to like to air dry my hair but when I do use a dryer I reach for the Ecotools Styler + Smoother Hair Brush as this is a nice one for gently curling the ends of my hair and it actually has a eco-vent design that allows me to dry my hair faster. That’s always a plus because lord knows I hate drying my hair!

Ecotools Smoothing Detangler Hair Brush

Ecotools Styler + Smoother Hair Brush

Dry skin girl here as you already know but in the Summer I tend to get a bit of oil around my nose and forehead. I always want to use setting powder especially in the Summer when I’m busy being shiny but I tend to avoid it because it cakes and clings to drier area. I’ve been experimenting with a variety of different brushes to apply a lighter layer of powder. I’m always seeking a brush that applies a sheer layer of powder, just enough to curb shine and set makeup but not leave me looking all cake face and made up. Since I had them on hand I started using the Ecotools Complexion Collection Mattifying Finish Brush and the regular Ecotools Large Powder Brush. I actually had a few issues with the Complexion Collection Brushes as the brushes felt a little scratchy to me particularly the concealer ones but the Mattifying Finish brush is lovely! This brush has very soft, full bristles with a nice bit of floppiness to it. Yeah, I know, floppy sounds horrifying but it’s exactly what you want in a powder brush as bristles like this pick up just the barest amount of powder so you can’t over do your powder application and you’ll get a soft, sheer even layer of powder! The Large Ecotools Powder Brush is quite lovely as well for powder use. This brush has an exceptionally larger head with super soft bristles so can easily sweep on powder for a flawless look.

Ecotools Large Powder Brush

Ecotools Complexion Collection Mattifying Finish Brush

And finally here’s a makeup hack if you’re struggling with the too pigmented Colorpop Super Shock Blushes (or any pigmented brush)! I tried the Complexion Collection Skin Perfecting Brush when it originally launched but I felt the bristles were a bit scratchy and not as soft as the original Ecotools Collection. Funny because even though this brush was designed for use with BB and CC Creams I find it works best with Colorpop Super Shock Blush or any pigmented brush really. This one has dense bristles which allows it to sheer out pigmented brushes to a nice flush of airbrushed color. So even though it doesn’t quite work with my BB and CC Creams I loved it for use with pigmented brushes particularly cream ones.

Ecotools Complexion Collection Skin Perfecting Brush

What are some of your fav Ecotools Makeup Brushes?

Have you tried their hair brushes?

Do share!

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So how do you pack makeup lightly for Summer Travel? I know I personally want to take everything with me! And I do really mean everything, literally. I’m just not a light packer and it’s impossible for me to settle on a single eyeshadow! I need like 100 choices.

This year, I didn’t really yet take a long vacation. In May I was away for nearly two weeks but for the Summer I decided I’d do a lot of weekend trips and one big getaway in the Fall. During my recent travels I made my head hard to pack super light and that meant I really had to down size on what I packed makeup and beauty wise. Because believe me given the chance I’d just take my entire makeup collection with me.

So I made a promise to myself I’d be ALL about traveling makeup lightly this Summer.

Since a lot of my trips revolved around concerts this year (I’ve had the chance to see some great bands this Summer like Otherwise, In this Moment, etc…) I decided I wanted to go as light as possible with makeup because a lot of the concerts were outside and its been really humid the last few weeks. No one wants to wear a bunch of makeup in the humidity and having it dripping off their face and smearing all over the place. NOT a good look! In This Moment had an early showing at Krockathon on Saturday and people were packed in to see them outside (or maybe just to catch a glimpse of Marie Brink as she screamed her little heart out!). Now, don’t get me wrong, Saturday the weather wasn’t bad! It was actually nice but when you’re standing almost back to back with people in the Summer sun it can get hot fast so you wanna keep it really light with your makeup but not so light that you aren’t looking your very best.

I decided tinted moisturizer, concealer, a really nice blush, a minimal eyeshadow or liner, mascara, and a good set of brushes was all I needed!

Since I can never decide on makeup brushes to pack I decided I’d go with the Ecotools Lovely Looks 5 Piece Set because it contained all the essentials I needed and Ecotools have some great brushes with soft bristles and sturdy handles! This was a good choice as the brushes are the perfect size for travel and the set had all the essentials I needed for my eyes and face. Since I packed a cream eyeshadow, which was completely finger application friendly, I was able to multitask and use the eyeshadow brush in this set to apply my concealer! The set served its purpose well and I had everything I needed including an excellent flat eyeliner brush to apply my gel liner. I love the flat, square head of this brush as I’m so NOT one for getting a straight line down well. I like that I can walk it across my lash line and proceed to go back and smudge it up gently. I’ve been using the Ecotools Flat Eyeliner Brush lately to apply my Milani Fierce Foil Eyeliner in Brown Foil using this method. Seriously, that eyeliner has become liquid gold for creating fast yet super sultry eye looks in a flash and this liner brush makes it a snap to appy!

For my look, I was all about a simple yet stand out eye look so I applied my liner and smudged out, loaded up on mascara, and I was good to go! Simple, easy, and I didn’t have to pack a ton of makeup to get the look! Follow up with a golden peach on my cheeks, a nice simple nude lip look, and I was so done! Plus my makeup wasn’t so heavy that it ended up smeared or faded at the end of the day.

Needless to say packing makeup lightly is a challenge but I think I’m slowly learning to do so!

Where have you visited lately that you had to pack lightly?

What sort of looks did you create using the minimal makeup you packed?

Do share!

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