Best #Beauty Tools

Missing are favorites such as Beautyblender and the sensuously soft Make Up For Ever HD Kabuki Brush, which I use to apply MUFE HD Microfinish Powder.

The 13 Best Makeup Tools

See which brushes, tweezers and eyelash curlers Total Beauty Readers love

Even if you use your fingers to apply most things, all of us have a few tools in our makeup arsenal that we wouldn't want to live without. TotalBeauty.com readers shared their favorite makeup tools, maybe it's time to add a few to your stash? See tools

No. 13: Shiseido Eyelash Curler, $19

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 9.1

Readers call this "the most perfectly designed eyelash curler …"

No. 12: Too Faced Kabuki Brush, $30

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 9.3

It "provides fuller coverage than the usual brushes that eat up your powder …"

No. 11: Bare Escentuals Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush, $20

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 9.3

It is best when you want "skin tone perfection," as it allows …

Want to see what's no. 1? Click here!

Beauty Strokes Mineral Optics brush collection giveaway

Beauty Strokes was so pleased by the success of our previous giveaway that it has donated a complete Mineral Optics brush collection for another giveaway.



There are six brushes in the Mineral Optics collection. Three are optic brushes, two are finishing eye brushes and the last, a brow groomer. The optic brushes have two types of bristles: natural goat hair (black) and synthetic (white). They include an all-over brush, a face brush, and an eye brush. These optic brushes are great for applying loose mineral powders.

The prize consists of the six brushes and a nylon travel roll. The six brushes are individually packaged with application tips.



YourBeautyStrokes.com is a leading supplier of Beauty Strokes and Mineral Optic cosmetic brushes. YourBeautyStrokes.com offers professional cosmetic brushes, makeup, and gifts for the most discerning of shoppers. Beauty Strokes cosmetic brushes are the finest quality professional cosmetic brushes, with detail techniques to help you look your very best. Beauty Strokes provides professional techniques for professional results.

Purchase the complete Beauty Strokes brush line or try the individual brushes. All Beauty Strokes brushes are offered at 30% off MSRP! Beauty Strokes brushes can be found on Amazon.com and YourBeautyStrokes.com. Shop now and save today!

You can help yourself to an extra 5% off Beauty Strokes brushes for a 35% discount off retail prices at yourbeautystrokes.com. Use coupon code STYLEPAGES. Good through the end of 2009.

For more information visit: http://www.yourbeautystrokes.com/.

Beauty at Douglas Cosmetics

Parfümerie Douglas is Germany's largest chain of beauty stores. In addition, Douglas has several stores in the U.S. I recently visited the Douglas store at Union Station in Washington, DC.

Douglas used to carry the German brands ARTDECO and BeYu. Even though I found nothing from ARTDECO and BeYu that appealed to me, it was fun to look because these brands aren't readily found in the U.S. Douglas has stopped carrying both brands: in the case of ARTDECO, it was on account of use of certain ingredients. No, the Germans don't always make good stuff! :-)

At Union Station, Douglas has discontinued carrying Universal Colors and blackUp Paris, two lines created for "women of color": odd, given the demographic.

Now Douglas carries only stalwart brands such as Clinique and Estee Lauder. Boring, boring.

So, what's worth checking out at Douglas? Its accessories and implements. It carries its own line of professional cosmetic brushes called Da Vinci, including several brush sets: Classic Look, Nude Look, and Smokey Eyes. I particularly like the flat headed eyeshadow brush in the Smokey Eyes kit: it works better than flat lay-on eyeshadow brushes or fluffy eyeshadow brushes to apply eyeshadow all over or on the lid.

One product that I hadn't seen before is this soap to wash brushes:

It's a gentle soap that doesn't strip oils from natural hair brushes.

Caring for your makeup brushes

Here's advice from Shalini Vadhera of Global Goddess Beauty in her e-newsletter that got my attention.

She provides the conventional wisdom about when to discard makeup:

Concealer: Up to 12 months
Powder: 2 years
Cream & gel cleansers: 1 year

Pencil eye liner: 3 years
Eyeshadow: 3 years
Foundation: 1 year
Lip liner: 3 years
Lipstick: 2 years, but if it starts to smell, replace it
Mascara: the fastest of these cosmetics to expire, will last no more than 3 months!

We know that cosmetics last longer than what she quoted: in fact, industry insiders have admitted that cosmetics are good to use five years after purchase.

Shalini then writes,

Here's a trick to keep your cosmetics lasting as long as possible. Use clean brushes, not fingers, for a healthy application. Brushes should be washed every 2-3 months in a mild detergent and laid flat to dry. If they begin to fray or split, replace them in order to ensure the smoothest application.

I was surprised that she recommended 2-3 months between washings. Usually, pros recommend washing brushes every month. This is especially important for eye makeup brushes for hygienic reasons.

Here's what I've learned about caring for makeup brushes:

* It takes about a day for eye makeup brushes to dry after washing.
* For face makeup brushes, it can take up to 2 days to dry after washing.
* Be judicious about using spray-on, tissue-off brush cleaners. These cleaners are a great convenience, but many contain alcohol or other ingredients that strip oils from natural hair bristles.
* If you develop an eye infection, it's essential to wash your brushes. You might want to avoid eye makeup altogether until the eye infection is gone.
* If you use loose mineral powders, clean your brushes often so that color applies true.
* Shampoo is essentially detergent, so you can use shampoo to wash your brushes.

Bed Bath and Beauty

Beauty at Bed Bath and Beyond? Hair appliances - check. "As Seen on TV" stuff - check. Now, however, Bed Bath and Beyond has partnered with Harmon Discount Health and Beauty and has devoted considerable floor space to products that one might find at the drugstore, including enduring brands such as L'Oreal, Revlon, Almay, Maybelline, and Max Factor.

In this post, I would like to mention some of the more unusual beauty products that Bed Bath and Beyond carries:

Rubiglo Powder Blush

Rubiglo (along with Indian Earth) was one of the original all-purpose loose powder cosmetics. As with Indian Earth, Rubiglo comes in urns reminescent of pottery that are plugged with corks. If you're a purist, however, you won't appreciate that Rubiglo contains talc (which IMO gets a bad rap) and parabens.

Wonder Cloth

The Wonder Cloth is a face cloth made of cotton and plant pulps that you can use with water and your favorite cleanser to remove makeup and provide gentle (mechanical) exfoliation.

Beauty Strokes brushes

Beauty Strokes is an inexpensive line of full-size natural hair cosmetics brushes (eye brushes cost less than six dollars). If you're like me and don't know which end of a brush is up, Beauty Strokes features application tips in the package inserts - French and Spanish also provided. You may also find Beauty Strokes at Amazon.com.

Makeup tools

Makeup application = product + tools + technique.


Sephora Brand Chocolate Croc Prestige Brush Set ($300 Value)

This brush roll provides all the tools you need, and more. It contains a Powder Brush, Blush Brush, Foundation Brush, Concealer Brush, Feather Shimmer Brush, Contour Brush, Large Eyeshadow Brush, Small Eyeshadow Brush, Smudge Brush, Flat Eyeliner Brush, Brow Brush, and a Lip Brush. The feather shimmer brush would be fun for teasing others!

Goddessy Rx 14-piece natural brush set

Goddessy is now selling its 14 Piece Brush Set and its other products through Amazon.com.


Goddessy's brush set.

The cosmetic brush set is packed in a cosmetics roll ready for travel.

I'm partial to the eye shadow brush which has a flat head but a slant edge - great for contouring. I'm also using combo brow brush/eyelash comb to groom my eyebrows prior to applying tint.