Favorite Beauty Products of 2017: Makeup Brushes and Beauty Tools Edition

Hellooo, everyone!  I am so excited to bring you the first blogpost in a series I’ll be doing from now until late December/early January.  As 2017 is coming to an end, I have compiled a list of my top favorite beauty products of 2017.  These aren’t neccessarily all new products introduced in 2017 (who can keep up?!), as they will also include tried and true holy grails.  These lists will include pretty much any products I couldn’t put down this year and that I would wholly recommend.  To keep each blogpost from being too long, I am separating the products by categories (Face, Lips, Eyes, etc. ) so please stay tuned for those blogposts coming your way soon 😉.  Today, I will be going through my favorite makeup brushes and beauty tools!

SPONGES

Pur Contour Blending Sponge: This sponge set became a holy grail after I received it in a Boxycharm (blogpost here).  I didn’t think I would like these sponges initially because even after I soaked them with water and squeezed out the excess, they were still very firm.  However, they still work great for flawless blending and I find that because they aren’t as porous, they don’t soak up as much face product.  I love the round end for bouncing in foundation and the flat edge for concealer and baking.  Plus I’m a total sucker for the adorable colors.EcoTools Total Perfecting Blender: This was the only beauty sponge that overthrew the Pur blender Sponge from its throne.  It is super soft and bouncy once it’s been dampened and the tapered edge works wonders for baking the undereye concealer.  The bright green shade just makes me happy whenever I use it 🙂

FACE BRUSHES

Crown Pro Round Contour Brush: After getting this in a Boxycharm (blogpost here),  it made me a believer in these paddle type of brushes.  I absolutely love it for applying my BB Cream and Foundation. It spreads the product effortlessly and evenly over my skin while magically adding more coverage to my BB Cream.  The results are streak-free and totally flawless.  The ultra soft bristles are densely packed so I do feel it doesn’t soak up as much face product, a bonus in my book!BH Cosmetics Angled Contouring Face Brush: I LOVE BH Cosmetic’s high quality and super affordable brushes, as you’ll find throughout this post.  This slanted flat top kabuki was a part of the Sculpt and Blend Set.  The tightly packed bristles blends foundation flawlessly while the angled brush makes it easy to buff around the nose and undereye area.Real Techniques Sculpting Brush: Can you tell I like angled buffing brushes for foundation application? 😉 I love that this is so versatile, working wonderfully for blending out foundation all over, plus blending out undereye concealer as well.

Luxie 512 Small Contouring Brush: There’s plenty of ways you can use this brush, but I like using this solely for blending concealer all over my lids as my eyeshadow primer.  I know that’s very specific, but the size covers the entire area quickly, so I reach for this brush every single day.Real Techniques Contour Brush: This is my favorite brush ever for blending concealer under my eyes when I want full coverage.  This fits perfectly under my eyes and the bristles blends out product so well, while still maximizing coverage.

ELF Small Tapered Brush: This pointed brush sets the powder over my undereye concealer like a dream.  I’ve used this with both translucent and face powders and the results are flawless.  In a pinch, it works just as well as an all over powder brush.BH Cosmetics 109 Dual Fiber Brush: This brush is so soft and perfect for a lightweight application of powder all over the face.  It also works wonderfully for brushing off excess setting powder after baking.Glamour Dolls x Lisa Frank Angle Blush Brush:  Pink, unicorns, and rainbows?!  Lisa Frank plus makeup is the stuff of dreams for every 90s kid.  I squealed when I received this brush in an Ipsy Glam Bag (blogpost here).  It’s so pretty!!!  The angled brush is perfect for sculpting out those cheekbones with blush.So Susan Fan Brush: I received this in a Boxycharm (blogpost here) and it quickly became my favorite highlighter brush.  It has just the right amount of flex, effortlessly applying highlighter powders and creams on the cheekbones, nose, and brow bone.

ELF Flawless Concealer Brush: I have a birthmark under my right eye that requires an extra layer of heavy duty concealer/color corrector to cover up completely.  I like using this dense brush to blend out the cream concealer, before I go over it with a liquid concealer.

Sedona Lace EB 13 Brush: I like using a cream contour to shape the sides of my nose and this smaller dense brush blends it out flawlessly, while maintaining precision.

EYE BRUSHES

BH Cosmetics 12 Blending Brush:  I use this extra fluffy blender brush to quickly set my eyeshadow primer (concealer) with a translucent powder.  This also doubles as a great highlighter brush, for when you want to pack on the glow, but with precision.

BH Cosmetics 101 Blending Brush: This is a slightly smaller fluffy brush that works wonderful for applying a wash of transition shade in the crease and slightly above.

Coastal Scents BR- 250 Brush:  I have so many backups of this brush because I love it so much and it is so versatile.  I use it mostly for blending transition or darker shades in the crease, but occasionally also all over the lids as well.Coastal Scents BR- C-S08 Brush:  I use this brush for packing eyeshadow on the lids.  Because it is a densely packed synthetic brush, it works great for blending out cream shadows and Colourpop Super Shock Shadows, which have a mousse-like consistency.

Elizabeth Mott Blending Brush:  This is another brand I was introduced to through an Ipsy Glam Bag (blogpost here).  This worked fine as an eyeshadow blending brush, but nowadays, I like using this specifically to blend in the cream highlighter on the bridge of my nose. Luxie 221 Flat Definer Brush:  I like using this brush to apply eyeshadow over creamy eyeliner on my lower lash line to set it and prolong its wear time.

Coastal Scents BR-C-S01 Detailer Brush: This small, rounded brush is the perfect size for applying a pop of color or highlighter on the inner corners of my eyes.

BH Cosmetics 105 Pencil Brush:  I buff out my lower lash line with this pencil brush right after using the Flat Definer Brush (mentioned above).Morphe G24 Brush:  This is a great brush for precise eyeshadow blending in the crease.  This was one of my first brushes from Morphe and I’m happy to report, I’ve had no issues with problematic bristles or shedding.  Additionally, the gunmetal packaging is tres chic.

Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush: This is a versatile brush, but I like it specifically for applying my brow bone highlight.

LASH CURLER

Tarte Picture Perfect Lash Curler: This lash curler makes the most out of my wimpy lashes and it has yet to pinch me 👏 It creates a strong curl, which I can lock in right away with a coat of waterproof mascara.

Whew!  That was a long one, so thank you so sticking it through with me to the end.  Have you tried any of these products?  What are your favorite makeup brushes and beauty tools?  Stay tuned for the Favorite Face Products Edition coming your way soon! 😉

XO,

Mary Dee

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