My Birchbox came today! Oh, and some eyeliner talk...

Good evening everyone! I came home from work today and found this in my mailbox!

YAY It's my September birchbox! This month came with some awesome stuff... including Incoco nail polish appligues in zebra print (cuttteeee!), Attimo perfume, Jurlique firm and lift cream, Jouer lip enhancer, and Colorescience sunforgettable mineral powder! I will make sure to try each item and give my reviews by the end of this month.

So, on to other things.

I am really into eyeliner. I own about 20 different eyeliner products, and when working for MAC, I was known as the "Eyeliner queen" :) Today I will talk about eyeliner brushes, and the different looks that you can achieve with different style brushes. I will be using the same kind of gel eyeliner for each of the brushes shown above.

Lets start with the first brush:
THIN

I used the 210 brush from MAC cosmetics. This brush is obviously most similar to the kind of brush that you find in an ink well style eyeliner. This is my least personal favorite type of brush due to my shaky hands. If you're really really good at keeping a steady hand, and want a really thin line, this is so for you. I use this brush for fantasy style and really detailed makeup looks, like Halloween makeups or masquerade masks, but not so much for my personal eyeliner.

Unfortunately, my camera is CRAP. Anyway, Another thing I do not like about a thin eyeliner brush is the fact that you don't get the color payoff you would with a thicker brush.

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SMUDGE

For this look, I used a brush that came with the gel liner that I used, which I will be talking about tomorrow. This brush is intended for smudgy looks, but I used it to create a chunky, bold liner.

LOVE the color payoff this type of brush gives. Really bold, and I only had to dip into the gel once for each eye. This kind of look is good for someone who wants to create the illusion of a rounder eye. No wing, and high point in the center of the eye.

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SMALL ANGLE

I got this brush a while back when I was working at my local Planet Beauty. I can't tell you what brand it is, but I can tell you that both Smashbox and MAC have a great version of the same brush.

Good color, but I did have to dip in more than once for each eye. Also, this brush can be used for multiple looks, and is GREAT for eyebrows, too. Thick, thin, winged, this brush is very versatile. If you don't have one, get one. It's a great staple brush.

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WIDE ANGLE

Ahhhh, the wide angle. MY FAVORITE BRUSH. This thing is like the last brush on steroids. (DISCLAIMER: Steroids are very, very bad. Don't use them. Makeup won't help you if you're a druggie! HAH!)

Check out that line! That color payoff! This brush creates effortless, winged out looks. It literally took me seconds to get this line. It's so much smoother and stronger than the other lines. This is obviously my style of liner right here, and totally benefits many eye shapes, especially girls with closer set eyes. IF you do have close set eyes, make sure the inner part of your liner is much thinner then the rest of the line. Gradually thicken the line to your desired amount, and then wing!

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FLAT

 This brush is my favorite for getting liner into the water line, but I also use it for a "controlled smudge" under my eye.

Don't mind the tired bags under my eyes :)

So, what I did here was take the same gel eyeliner, put in into my water line (Not recommended for all gel liners, make sure to ask your cosmetic expert what is safe for that area! Seriously, I've been a guinea pig for my clients plenty of times, we know!)

Then, I spread it down a bit, using a back and forth motion with the brush, and there you have it.

You can also use this brush with some dark colored eyeshadow, and pat in some color right about your eyelashes. Almost like an invisible eyeliner. This makes your eyelashes look thicker!

Ok that'll do it for me tonight. Hope you enjoyed this! Good night!