Lise Watier vs. Essence glitter eyeshadow brush

Most of my reviews so far are about make up products and certain collections which was never my first intention to do so in the first place. I got sidetracked I guess but I wanted to focus on brushes as well so today will be the first of (hopefully) many brush reviews.

For the loose pigment fans out there, I don't  need to explain how difficult and messy it can be to apply loose pigment eyeshadow (esp. if you're using natural hair brushes) so for that purpose Lise Watier has come out with a glitter eyeshadow brush.

It seems to be quite popular because when I was rumbling through the clearance bin at a local drugstore, I discovered that Essence has made one as well for a limited collection in the past.

What's so interesting about these kind of brushes is that's made of a silicony material that will make any loose pigment of glitter stick to it better and therefore makes it easier to apply it.

The brush is shaped as typical sponge applicator to give a precise application. But because of the silicony rubber material it's not the easiest brush to blend shades but then again bear in mind that the purpose of this brush is application and nothing else besides that.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the Essence one is very simular to the more expensive Lise Watier brush in size.

If you take a look at the sides of the brushes, the Lise Watier one is a bit thicker at the wider part where the ferrule starts but it's hardly noticable in real life.

Ok now to the part about how it performs. Do these brushes make a lot of difference in applying loose eyeshadow? I will test it out with my Fyrinnae pigments.

Anyone who is familiar with Fyrinnae loose pigments knows that it can be a pain in the ass buttocks and has a lot of fallout when not applied properly.

So this is how it looks if I just apply the pigment with a natural hair brush.

Lots of fallout and messy which was to expected from loose eyeshadow.

Now using the Lise Watier and Essence glitter eyeshadow brush.

From L to R:

Lise Watier - Essence

A lot more precise and minimal fallout when I applied these. The loose eyeshadow adhere better to the silicony material than to natural hair brushes and gives a better result.

They perform equilly the same so it's impossible to tell that the one is better than the other.

Another great thing about these is that they are washable after each use. Just soap and water will do the trick to make them spot clean again and they dry almost immediately.

The Lise Watier glitter eyeshadow brush retails for $15 USD and can be purchased online on their website and ships only to the US and Canada for now.

The Essence multi tasker brush cost 1,29 EUR but was part of a limited collection is not available anymore. Essence can be found at Ulta (US) and at several drugstores in the EU.

Nars Satin lip pencils

Although I generally don't consider myself as a huge Nars fan, their lip pencils are definitely one of their better products in my humble opinion.

When I heard that they were going to release a new formula in February, called the Satin lip pencils, of course I had to go ahead and order so I could try these for myself.

Trying to restrain myself I only got 5 of them: Yu, Luxembourg, Lodhi, Golshan and Isola Bella.

Packaging is simular to the other lip pencils they make, black tube with a colored bottom end to indicate the shade.

The positive thing is that it's a sleek tube and not made of rubber like the blushes so it's much easier to clean. But the (only) negative thing I have to add is that you have to sharpen these lip pencils (unlike BITE beauty or Addiction lip crayons) which seems to be a bit of a waste to be honest, especially considering the amount of money you pay for these.

The texture is extremely creamy and glides on your lips like butter. Quite pigmented (especially the darker shades) and fairly long lasting on me and fades to a prety stain on my lips.

It sure feels slippery on the lips at first but when it settles it will be quite hard remove. I also find the shade range of the Satin lip pencils to be a tad better because it gives a bit more variety compared to the other lip pencil ranges.


Golshan.

Described as a 'spiced wine' and I quite agree. It's definitely a warm toned red without being too bright.

Me wearing Nars Golshan

Luxembourg.

A very interesting shade and according to Nars a 'vivid watermelon' shade. On me it has more of a red undertone to it but quite bright nonetheless.

Me wearing Nars Luxembourg.

Lodhi.

Any coral lovers will definitely love Lodhi. Although it's been described as a 'vibrant coral' I don't find it to be that vibrant at all on the lips. Very natural and perfect for everyday wear.

Me wearing Nars Lodhi.

Yu.

A shocking pink and the brightest shade of the whole range. It's cool toned so I was worried it would not look good with my rather warm Asian skintone but surprisingly I find it very wearable.

Me wearing Nars Yu.

Isola Bella

The most natural looking shade and definitely falls under the catagory 'My lips but better' shades. It's a peachy beige shade with a little hint of brown in it. A must have for those who love nude shades.

Me wearing Nars Isola Bella.

Here are some swatches on my arm to conclude this review.

Indoor swatches- From L to R:

Isola Bella - Lodhi - Yu- Luxembourg- Golshan

Same swatches- outdoor lighting.

The Nars Satin lip pencils retail for $25 USD/ 25 EUR and can be purchased online on the Nars website and at any Nars counter.