Tom Ford Eye Color Quad Burnished Amber--Review and Swatches

Tom Ford Burnished Amber is my second Tom ford Eye Color Quad.  I know that these eyeshadows have recieved some criticism for their price, as well as the glitteriness and/or shimmeriness of a lot of the shades, but I think this quad is pretty flawless.  For one thing, none of these eye shadows are the sheer glitter-infused texture some don't like.  There are, instead, three shimmery shades and one satin.  One thing that has impressed me about both the quads I have is the color combinations, which are perfectly coordinated. 

The packaging is, of course, exactly what you would expect for the price, sleek and luxurious. I love the softness of the sleeve and it's good for polishing off fingerprints.  It also has a nice, big mirror, which is nice. 

 

The colors are absolutely perfect together, though unconventional. 

The lightest color is a pale, warm gold with a very shimmery finish.  It's too dark for a highlight on lighter skins, but would be lovely on darker skins.  I use it primarily to blend out the darker bronze color.

The next color is a deep magenta-tinged pink with a shimmer finish.  It's a very rich pink with a good balance of warm and cool tones.  I think even if you don't think you suit pink tones, you'd find this color flattering. 

The next darkest color is a golden bronze with a shimmer finish.  Again, it's not overly warm nor cool.

The darkest color is a dark bordeaux with a satin finish. 

 

The four colors can be used to make a golden look, a pink look, or all four together make a rosy bronze look.  The versatility of this palette is one of its best traits.  The pink-bronze tones make it very flattering to green eyes, which is one of the reasons I love it.  It also suits anyone who looks good in jewel tones, as the richness of the tones would be very flattering.

 

I have heard rumors that this was being discontinued.  It's still in stock as of this post at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman online, and I heard this rumor months ago, so I don't know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Guide to Brushes: Eye Brushes, Part 7: Miscellaneous Brushes

Miscellaneous Brushes: The brushes that don't have a home.  It's a stretch to call most of these brushes, as some of them are...sponges.  Okay, I said it.  You'll probably want to stop reading now and curl up in the fetal position with some Hakuhodos.  Sponge applicators have the reputation as the most useless piece of crap in makeup.  I'm not going to try and tell you the naysayers are wrong, but they're not exactly right.  Just give these the benefit of the doubt, along with their random brethren, and you may find a use for them after all.

 

Sponge Applicator

The joke of the makeup world, sponge applicators have a much worse reputation than they deserve.  Sure, they're thrown into every makeup palette from the cheapest to the most luxurious, but don't discount them immediately.  Forget any ideas you might have of blending with them, and consider a sponge applicator your secret weapon when it comes to powdery, glittery, or shadows with bad payoff.  Also good for packing any eyeshadow all over the lid, and they do a serviceable job of smudging pencil liner.  Oh, and you can still throw away the ones that come with eyeshadow compacts, they're still too short to hold comfortable.  (Well, actually, don't throw them away.  That's wasteful.  They're quite handy for arm swatching or if you have tiny doll hands.)  If you're interested in trying out the Cousin Oliver of makeup applicators, find one on a long handle (with replaceable heads if you can find it), like this one from NYX.

 

Silicone Glitter Applicator

This may look like a sponge applicator, but it's made out of silicone.  It's specifically formulated to use with loose glitters, pigments, and glittery eyeshadows to reduce fallout.  It does actually work, in case you were wondering, and I'd probably use it more often if I liked glitter or loose eyeshadows, but you do have to pack on a lot to get much payoff.  This one was made by Sephora, and I'm pretty sure it's discontinued, but I know some other brands make something similar.

 

Sponge Smudger

The pointy pencil-brush style cousin of the sponge applicator, the sponge smudge is often found on the end of pencil liners (though this ancient Body Shop one was not).  It's made for smudging liner, and it usually tends to remove more than it smudges, but it's fine in a pinch. 

 

Spoolie Brushes

Spoolie brushes look like mascara wands, and if you're so inclined, you could just wash an old mascara wand and use that.  The one on the left is a MAC 204, and the other is a bulk one-use mascara applicator (good for a kit).  These are good for applying mascara, if you're not a fan of the brush, or for hygiene purposes (though that pertains more to the disposable one).  They work well for combing out already applied mascara, especially if metal combs scare you.  They are most useful for personal use, in my opinion, for brushing through eyebrows to neaten them, diffuse previously applied product, or to apply a gel through the brow hairs (like MUFE Aqua Brow).

 

Mascara Fan Brush

Another way to apply mascara, a fan brush is great for a more natural mascara look, or to apply mascara to the top of the lashes (if you're asking "why would anyone do this" you obviously don't have blond eyelashes), it can also build up mascara and provides more separation than a traditional mascara brush.  This one is a art brush by the Princeton Art and Brush company, but I know MAC has one in their Pro line, too.

 

Pros and Cons

Pros:  Some of these brushes seem at first glance like the Cousin Oliver of makeup brushes.  While some of them (hello Sponge Smudger, why I have kept you all these years, I'll never know) are certainly useless, some of these brushes--the mascara fan brush, and, yes, even the sponge applicator--have their place in your makeup drawer.  If you use a lot of glitter, you may want to hunt down a silicone applicator, and everyone needs a spoolie brush, even if it comes with your mascara.

Cons:  Some of this stuff is worthless garbage.  They throw those cheap sponge applicators into eyeshadow compacts and smudgers onto the end of eyeliners for a reason:  they're cheap.  As separate brushes, none of these are essentials. 

 

The brushes featured in this post are:  NYX Sponge applicator, Sephora Professional Glitter Eyeshadow Brush #24 (dc'd), The Body Shop Line Softener, MAC 204 Lash Brush, Disposable mascara applicator from a Beauty Store (I misplaced the bag after this photo was taken, so I don't know the brand), Princeton Art and Brush Company Fan Brush 3050FN Size 20/0.  All were purchased and I received no compensation for featuring them.

A Guide to Brushes: Eye Brushes, Part 6: Detail Brushes

This post features a variety of eyeshadow brushes for use on small areas of the eye.  It includes pencil brushes and various smudge brushes.

Pencil Brushes

The most common and used of detail brushes, I believe.  The first on the left, which is an Essence of Beauty Fine Crease Brush, notwithstanding, a lot of pencil brushes are goat, like the MAC 219, Hakuhodo G5514BkSl, and Hakuhodo G5515BkSl here.  This picture makes them all look so big, but the Hakuhodo G5515 is about an eighth of an inch long.  These brushes are great for blending out eyeliner, applying shadow to the upper or lower lash lines, precise crease shadow placement, detail in the outer corner (like the dreaded "outer v") and highlighting the inner corner or the brow bone--basically anywhere you want focused or intense placement of eyeshadow.  Goat is a good fibre for this sort of brush, because it provides a good amount of stiffness and softness and holds up to cream eyeliners, but the white hairs get stained so badly (as evidenced by the faint pinkness of my 219.  The Hakuhodos are so pristine because they came straight out of the package before this picture.  The smaller one is now a lovely shade of blue.  The stains do respond usually to oil cleansing, but since oil cleans best when used dry, if you're halfway through cleaning when you realize that pigment is not coming out with cleanser, then you have to wait for it to dry.  At that point, the "Eh, it's clean, and I gotta do ma face" instinct kicks in and next thing you know, you're justifying a pink brush on the internet.  Uh, yeah.  These brushes do their job well, and as detail brushes go they're the most common and most used. 

 

Pointed Smudge Brushes

A variation on the pencil brush, pointed smudge brushes are most commonly found as "Smoky Eyeliner Brushes", like the one on the right from Sephora, which is synthetic.  The one on the left, also by Sephora is a discontinued point smudge brush.  Both these brushes, though they have different shapes, serve the same purpose, which is to apply or smudge eyeliner and apply eyeshadow to a small area.  I think they're more precise than pencil brushes, especially the point smudge, though it's scratchy.  The smoky version of the brush is great if you're looking for a synthetic detail brush, and it is quite good for smoking out liner.  It's less useful for applying powder, unless you want a subtle effect. 

 

Mini Smudge Brushes

These brushes are like tiny flat shader brushes.  Often they're proportionately shorter as compared to width of a shader brush, but neither of these examples really are, which are a Real Techniques synthetic Accent brush, and a Paula Dorf Smudge brush.  These are amazing for applying shadow around the eye, and I love them for smudging the edge of liner.  They provide more control than the previous two styles of detail brush and can be used to smudge or finesse the edges of liner.  Interestingly enough, they often make for excellent gel liner or tightline brushes.  While they do offer more control than a pencil brush, that makes them a little harder to use.

 

Domed Smudge Brush

Similar to a pencil brush, but with a dome instead of a point, this Make Up For Ever smudge brush, is useful for most of the same effects, such as smudging and highlighting, only it will provide a softer less focused or intense effect.  I think this is especially useful for a smoky eye, where you want a smooth gradation of shading. 

 

Pointed Detail Brush

This one (a Hakuhodo 5529, blue squirrel hair) is like a long thin pencil brush.  It's less useful for smudging liner ( especially this one's soft squirrel hair), but more useful for crease work.  It provides a soft, diffused line, but with exacting detail.  Perfect when you want delicacy and precision at the same time.

 

Round Detail Brushes

Similar, but sturdier, to the pointed detail brush, and obviously featuring a round end rather than a pointed end, these brushes (Kevyn Aucoin Small Eyeshadow Soft Round Tip, and Royal and Langnickel Smudger) are super precise crease brushes and are great for smudging around the eye and applying eyeshadow under the eye, in the outer corner, or along the top lash line. 

 

 

Pros and Cons

Pros:  These brushes do what none of the other featured brushes can do.  They are like an eyeliner brush crossed with a blending brush.  Tiny, but capable of blending small areas.  If you have small eyes, you may prefer to use one of these brushes for your crease instead of a classic crease brush.  These brushes' versatility means that you will probably want one in your brush collection. 

Cons:  They're tiny.  That's pretty much it.  If you don't want a small brush, or if you like to keep your brushes to a minimum (something which I obviously have no idea about), then you don't need one.  They're tiny brushes; that's the point, but that means they can't do the things a bigger brush does. 

 

The brushes featured in this post are: Essence of Beauty Fine Crease Brush, MAC 219 Hakuhodo G5514BkSl, Hakuhodo G5515BkSl, Sephora Point Smudge 16 (discontinued), Sephora Smokey Eye Brush 24 (from the discontinued platinum line, but the shape and number are still in the current Pro Line), Real Techniques Accent Brush (form the Starter Set), Paula Dorf Smudge brush, Make Up For Ever Smudge Brush 14S, Hakuhodo G5529BkSl, Kevyn Aucoin Small Eyeshadow Brush Soft Round Tip, Royal and Langnickel Smudger Brush.  All brushes were purchased and I received no compensation for featuring them.

A Guide to Brushes: Eye Brushes, Part 4: Angled Eye Shadow Brushes

Part four of my brush guide is angled shadow brushes.  These come in two styles: round and flat.  Think of either the blending crease brush or the flat shader brush sliced at an angle.  These are versatile eye shadow brushes, good for applying and blending eyeshadow.

Round Angled Shadow Brushes

Here are three sizes of round angled brushes; they are Paula Dorf Eye Contour, Hokuhodo G515 (Canada squirrel) and Make Up For Ever 18s.  They are all good for applying eyeshadow to the crease, and the three sizes would then fit different eye shapes.  They work well in a windshield wiper back and forth in the crease.  The largest is great for softening all edges after everything is applied.  I love the smallest also for applying eye shadow to the outer corner, patting it on really gets a good dark outer corner. 

The angled shape really fits into the crease well, and is great for a defined crease.  One thing I really love about them is that, as opposed to using one of the rounder or oval blending brushes to apply to the crease, you don't really get any shadow on your lid, it stays limited to the crease and upper lid areas.  This is amazing if you have small eyes because you can create the illusion of a larger lid space.

Flat Angled Shadow Brushes

These flat angled brushes are a Hakuhodo 239 and a MAC 275.  The MAC is the second brush I've featured that I haven't actually liked, I think.  The Hakuhodo, on the other hand, is divine, so consider all the pros related to that one and the cons for the MAC.  These are good for applying eyeshadow to the crease by using the tip of the brush; the angle fits nicely into the crease.  I also like them for a soft wash, and if you want to apply a large shadow use them the other direction across the tip.

You can use these brushes just like you would a medium or large flat shader brush, plus the angle means they're better for the crease.  It's also a good shape for shading the sides of the nose to make it appear slimmer from the front, which I really need to remember to do for my photos. 

Pros and Cons

Pros:  These brushes' unique shape allows for them to fit precisely in the crease.  The shape of the round ones in particular, make for almost foolproof crease placement.  They are a great finishing brush, too, blending out any harsh lines without disturbing placement.  I love them for outer corners and creases. 

Cons:  As a more unique brush shape, they might be either hard to find or expensive.  If you're building your brush collection, they probably won't be your first priority.  I think it's definitely worth having one of these, but I think you're more likely to buy one if you find traditional crease and blending brushes not working for you. 

The brushes featured in this post were Paula Dorf Eye Contour, Hakuhodo G515 Eye Shadow Brush CM Angled, Make Up For Ever Eye Shadow Brush 18s, Hakuhodo 239 Eye Shadow Brush Angled, and MAC 275.  All were purchased and I received no compensation for featuring them in this post.

A Guide to Brushes: Eye Brushes, Part 3: Blending Brushes 2

Part three of my brush guide is all about crease blending brushes.  These brushes are good for either applying color to the crease, blending color already applied to the crease, or both, and they all have round ferrules.  This post features some of my favorite brushes, and certainly my favorite styles of brushes.  At least one of these styles is a must for anyone's brush collection

Pointed Crease Brushes

From smallest to largest, Hakuhodo 146 (blue squirrel), MAC 226, Hakuhodo 142 (blue squirrel), Bobbi Brown Eye Blender.  The smallest of these brushes is less tapered than the larger ones (but still ends in a point, which is why I included it in this set); it is great for applying color to the crease or for really careful blending of a strong or cut crease.  The medium and large brushes have a fat belly, which tapers to a point.  The medium sized brushes are good for applying a basic crease on small to medium eyes.  The largest of these brushes is probably too big for applying to anyone's crease, but it is a good finishing brush for removing edges, especially since it's soft.  It's also a fantastic powder brush for small areas; it's my go-to undereye powder brush.

The pointed crease brush is really useful because the tip gets into the deepest part of the crease and the surrounding taper blends it as you go.  If you're new to blending eyeshadow or not very good at it, this brush does a lot of the work.  I'd suggest using this brush in a windshield wiper motion, going back and forth in the crease.

Rounded Crease Brushes

MAC 224, MAC 222 (goat), Urban Decay Crease Brush (synthetic), Paula Dorf Sheer Crease, Daniel Sandler Blending Brush.  These brushes are quite similar to the pointed crease brushes, except that, instead of coming to a point, they end in a dome shape.  The Paula Dorf actually was tapered when I first bought it, but a few uses and washes and it fluffs out into a rounder shaper, which is what I wanted from it, so I'm including it here.  These are great crease brushes and work well for applying a wash of color on the lid, too.  I should probably say that I'm not a huge fan of the MAC 224.  I'm willing to give it another try after using a brush guard on it (for this picture), but I still think it's too floppy for applying shadow and not great for blending it either.  A lot of people love it, though, so I'm not excluding it on personal bias.

These brushes are amazing for buffing shadow into the crease, using small circles.  The Paula Dorf and Daniel Sandler brushes are both favorites of makeup artist and YouTube guru Lisa Eldridge, who uses them in a lot of her videos, so I suggest watching to see these babies in action.  Actually, what are you doing reading this garbage; go and watch her videos now, all of them, and learn things I couldn't even start to teach you.

Domed Crease Brushes

RT Deluxe Create Brush, Sonia Kashuk Large Domed Eye Shadow Brush (goat).  These large, fluffy brushes are very round along two axes.  The SK one is nearly spherical in shape.  I really like these for blending the outer corner, but they're good for blending really large creases (either anatomically or application-ally).  When I first bought the SK, I tried to use it as a crease brush, and the results were frightening.  I imagine with a lighter hand it could work, but I still think it's best to stick to it for blending.

These also make for amazing concealer brushes.  The RT, because it's synthetic, is actually one of my go to concealer brushes, as it is for it's creator.  I like it as a concealer brush so much that I'll be including it in that post, too. 

Synthetic Crease Brush

I had no idea what to call this brush, so I just called it what Sonia Kashuk does.  This brush is, obviously, synthetic and is perfect for applying cream eye shadows to the crease.  I think that's something often overlooked by brush manufacturers.  You see, this isn't just a brush made synthetic for people who don't want animal hair (like the UD Crease brush above), it's a brush that's actually great for using cream eyeshadows in the crease.  I also use it to apply cream eyeshadows to the mobile lid.

Smoky Shadow Brushes

This is a great brush style; it's a personal favorite of mine, and the Smashbox 15 on the left is my first department store brush (it's still awesome).  Featured alongside are a Hakuhodo Kokutan T (blue squirrel) and an Essence of Beauty Crease Brush.  This style is a must for small eyes or deep creases.  They are also amazing for blending eyeshadow under the eye, deepening the outer corner, highlighting the inner corner, and they're often marketed to be used to apply a thick, smoky line of shadow around the eye (hence their title).

I could say of a lot of brushes that I would recommend them, but this style, I actually do, all the time.  I don't think there is a thing this style of brush can't do.  Whether you like smoky looks, or really defined looks (or both), this brush can do it.

Pros and Cons

Pros:  The brushes featured here are some of the most useful brushes to have.  There isn't an eye shape or size, whether you have a crease or not, that won't find at least one of these brushes useful.  They are terrific for crease application, crease blending, and some of them are good for outer corner and under the eye.  Because they tend to be softer than the oval blending brush, they are useful if you tend towards a heavy hand when blending.

Cons:  As great as these brushes are for blending the crease, you may need to use another blending brush in tandem when creating a smooth gradiant.  But honestly, if they suit your style, you could likely use any one of these brushes for anything you need to do, they're that versatile and essential.

The brushes featured in this post are: Hakuhodo S146, MAC 226 (LE), Hakuhodo S142, Bobbi Brown Eye Blender brush, MAC 224, MAC 222 (dc'd), Urban Decay Crease Brush (from the Naked 2 Palette, though it is available separately), Paula Dorf Sheer Crease Brush, Daniel Sandler Blending Brush, Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush, Sonia Kashuk Large Domed Eye Shadow Brush, Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Domed Crease Brush, Smashbox 15 Brush, Hakuhodo Kokutan Eye Shadow Brush T, and Essence of Beauty Crease Brush.  All were purchased and I received no compensation for including them in this post.

A Guide to Brushes: Eye Brushes, Part 2: Blending Brushes 1

Part two of my comprehensive brush guide is blending brushes, which will be separated into two posts themselves.  This post features blending brushes with pinched ferrules, while the next post will feature round ferrules.  The pinched ferrule makes this set wider than they are thick, so they have two directions to use.  The pinched ferrule makes them similar to the previously featured flat shader brushes, but they are all fluffier and thicker, which makes them better suited to blending than the shaders are.

Fluffy Blending Brushes

Here we have three very large blending brushes: Hakuhodo Kokutan L, Paula Dorf Eye Blender, and Kokutan MLL.  They're pretty big; the Kokutan L is an inch long, 5/8 inch wide at the ferrule and 1/2 inch thick.  The two Hakuhodos are both blue squirrel, and the Paula Dorf is soft too.  I wish all brush purveyors would list the hair type on their website.  Of course, then they might face the wrath of PETA.  Heh.  I guess you've noticed these brush posts are not for vegans.

These brushes are all super soft and great for applying a soft wash of color over the whole lid area and for all over blending. Since they're so soft, they're great for heavy handed blenders, but since they're huge, they're terrible for detail blending. I like to use them "off-book" for applying cheek highlighter, blush, and powdering small areas.

Oval Blending Brushes

The be-all and end-all of blending brushes for a lot of people, here we have MAC's classic 217, also a Sephora Pro Oval Blending brush 27, Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush, Sephora Classic blending 29, a Paula Dorf eye shadow brush (sorry; it's from a travel set I've had for forever), and a RT Domed Shadow brush.  The two white are goat hair, the two RT's are synthetic and the other two are soft hair of unknown origin.  MAC's 217 is a beloved brush by many people, for blending edges, for applying color to all parts of the mobile lid, and for applying to the crease.  I think they're great for both blending and applying to the lid, but I almost never use one for the crease.  I don't think it suits my own eye shape, but, honestly, I never use it for anyone else's crease either.  The goat is good for light touch blenders, a group to which I belong, but if you're heavy handed, you  might find the synthetics or a soft hair, like squirrel more suited to your technique.  The goat hair also holds up better to cream products.

These blenders are great for applying a smooth gradiant over the lid and into the crease, a feature lacking in flat shader brushes.  That makes these useful for smoky eyes and cat eyes (a cat eye, though often a mislabeled doe eye, which is eyeliner that flicks out at the end, is used here to mean eye shadow that emphasizes the outer corner in a point.  I suppose I could use the internet invention "outer v," but I think that would confuse you, as they're often first added with a detail brush.  Not to mention the fact that the "outer v" as a thing is both nonexistent and silly.).  An overall great blending brush and shadow brush, these are also good for concealer.

Pros and Cons

Pros:  These are  great all around blender brushes, good for both application and blending.  Very good for creating a gradiant; they work well in conjuction with flat shader brushes to create a wide variety of eye makeup styles.  The fluffy brushes will apply a sheer amount, and are good for all over blending on large eyes.  Oval blending brushes are denser and great for both applying and blending, and a lot of people use them for crease brushes too.  Look for hair types that suit your blending style; denser goat for light handed blenders, softer hairs like squirrel for heavy handed blenders.  Both types of blenders are great multi-taskers, being useful for face powder and blush/highlighter or concealer.  It's a good idea to have more than one blending brush in your collection, whether you need an assortment of sizes and shapes has a lot to do with your eye shape and what you want them for.

Cons:  I think oval blenders are ill-suited for creases, and people with small eyes or deep creases will likely agree with me.  When they are used for creases, it often results in a lack of precision.  The fluffy blending brushes are probably also too large for people with small eyes, too.  These sorts of brushes are a hit or miss; if they work for you, they are probably staples, and if you don't, you find yourself frustrated and confused why they seemingly work for everyone but you.

This post featured: Hakuhodo Kokutan Eye L, Paula Dorf Eye Blender (the eye blender currently on the website seems smaller), Hakuhodo Kokutan Eye MLL, MAC 217, Sephora Pro 27, Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush (found in the Starter Set), Sephora Classic 29, Paula Dorf Eye Shadow (from travel set, dc'd), Real Techniques Domed Shadow Brush (from Travel Essentials).  All brushes were purchased and I received no compensation for featuring them.

A Guide to Brushes: Eye brushes, part 1: Flat Shader Brushes

This is part one of a comprehensive series on brushes. I decided to start with the ever handy flat shader brush, sometimes called a laydown brush.  It's the most basic of all the eyeshadow brushes, and I think when you're just getting into brushes, it's probably where you should begin.  The shader brush is available from nearly every brush line at every quality level, and in every possible fiber from synthetic to goat to super high quality kolinsky.  This post will cover three sizes: small, medium, and large (okay, kind of obvious, but I could have called them Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and then you'd be confused).  I will also discuss uses for each size, brush hair, and how you should pick a shader brush.

Small Shader Brushes

These brushes are both about 1/2 inch wide and are the smallest shader brushes in my collection.  The one on the left is a Sephora synthetic and the one on the right is a sable brush from a beauty store.  In this case, sable probably means blunt-cut, like a second from a higher quality brush.

This size is obviously good for smaller lid areas, so if you have small eyes, you might want to consider this size.  It's also good for detail work, applying eyeshadow to the inner third, highlighting the center, or darkening the outer third, as its small size ensures dense placement.  It applies a strong highlight to the brow bone and shadow under the eye to define.  This size also makes a terrific lip brush, especially for fuller lips.  I actually bought the Sephora one for that purpose.

Medium Shader Brushs

 

 

The medium shader brush is the most basic of all eyeshadow brushes.  This is the most versatile of all the sizes, and is what most people will be looking for.  This set is about 3/8ths of an inch wide, and vary in length between 3/8ths of an inch and 5/8ths of an inch. 

 

 

These are great for applying eye shadow to the lid, especially if you want to pack on color, for either a strong look or when using a sheerer shadow.  They can be turned on their side and the tip used to apply shadow in the crease or under the eye.  From left to right they are an unknown hair by Japonesque, a goat hair by MAC, Real Techniques shading brush which is synthetic, a mix of natural and synthetic by MAC, a beautiful weasel by Hakuhodo, and another sable by Brandon that I got at a beauty store more than a decade ago and was my first "real" brush.  The natural/synthetic mix is good for laying down either powders or cream, and the goat is especially good for dense applications, the weasel is amazing and applies eyeshadow super smoothly.  These are also likely going to be the brush to turn to for applying powder shadows wet for foiling or super-dense application.  They can also double as concealer brushes for applying under the eyes or on large areas for redness.

Large Shader Brushes

These large brushes are about 1/2 inch wide, and are synthetic MAC, mix of synthetic and natural by Paula Dorf, and sable by Brandon. 

These are good for applying a base, either cream or powder.  Even though they are very wide, they are still flat, so they apply more product to the lid than a fluffier brush would.  This makes them great for something like a MAC paint pot, when you want to apply a thin but very even layer.  They also work well, obviously, for someone with a large or flat eye area.

Pros and Cons

Pros:  The flat shader brush is easy to use and versatile.  It's good for basic looks or as a base or detail brush for more complicated makeup.  They work well for wet or dry application and, depending on the hair type, are appropriate for cream shadows. They can double as concealer brushes and lip brushes.  They are useful for applying shadow to nearly every part of the eye area.  A shader brush is likely available in every line and price range, is often the core of the line, such as the Shu Uemura Natural 10, or the MAC 242, 239 etc. 

Cons:  These are not blending brushes.  While they can soften the demarcation between two colors applied to the mobile lid, these won't work well to blend a gradiant, so you'll need to use another brush to blend (fortunately, blending brushes will be the next brush types featured).  While they make for surprisingly good crease brushes when the tip is used, most eye shapes will prefer to use a separate crease or blending brush there. 

I fully believe a flat shader brush should be everyone's first eyeshadow brush.  These three sizes were my first three brushes, and I still remember the pride that my eyeshadow finally looked the way I wanted it to.  Choose one that fits your eye size, your budget, and how you want to use, and you will likely find yourself using it every day, whether your eye makeup is subtle or exciting.

The brushes featured in this post are: Sephora Synthetic Eyeshadow 18 (dc'd), Brandon Mini Shading Brush, Japonesque Eye Detailer Medium, MAC 239, Real Techniques Shading Brush, MAC 242, Hakuhodo S132, Brandon Fluff Brush, MAC 249, Brandon Shading Brush, Paula Dorf Wet/Dry Eye Color.  All were purchased by me and I was not compensated for this post.  One caveat:  the Brandon brushes I own were bought more than a decade ago, while they still have brushes by the same name available, I make no promises that they are the same brushes featured here.

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow Review and Swatches

I bought 7 of these: Audacious Asphalt, Bold Gold, Painted Purple, Tough as Taupe, Bad to the Bronze, Fierce and Tangy, and Pomegranate Punk.

These have been compared to MAC's Paint Pots, but to me, the comparison isn't great. The Color Tattoos are both softer and less creamy than PPs, more gel than cream. When I used one of my favorite brushes to apply PPs, the Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Domed brush, it pretty much dug a hole in Tough as Taupe. Of course the colors hardly compare to the permanent line of Paint Pots most of which are neutral colors and used as powder eyeshadow bases. Few of these are neutral and none of them resemble anyone's skin tone. I believe some might be similar to LE PPs, like Artifact and Pomegranate Punk, but I don't have any of them, so I'm not the person to tell you. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to Paint Pots, a dupe if you will, don't get fooled by the little glass pots, these aren't the same.

So, now that I've got the inevitable Paint Pot comparison out of the way, let's see how these fare on their own merits. They promise 24hr wear; I hate when marketing makes outrageous claims, even if they are based on lab research. These don't last on me, but not a lot does. Some of the Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams do, but not all of them, MAC Paint Pots don't, Benefit Creaseless Cream shadows don't, though I haven't tried those since they reformulated them and ditched all the awesome colors they used to have, UD Primer Potion doesn't make powder shadows last either. I am cursed with oily lids and eyelids that cause a lot of migration (slightly hooded, with really narrow and deep creases). I've barely gotten four hours, let alone twenty four. I've tried on their own, layered with primer, layered with powder shadows, and layered with primer and powder shadow. I've applied with my fingers, flat brushes, fluffy brushes, synthetic brushes, natural hair brushes, a mix. The best results I had were applying with a synethic/natural hair mix fluffy shader brush over NARS Smudgeproof Shadow Base topped with Powder eyeshadow, like here http://www.bepeachy.blogspot.com/2012/03/estee-lauder-mad-men-collection.html. After a few hours, one eye was pretty intact, while the other had creased. I know other people don't have this problem; a friend who suggested Bad to the Bronze wore them all day. I think if things don't normally crease on you, these probably won't either. If you get creasing due to oily or sweaty eyelids, these probably won't crease. If creasing is a regular occurance, even with creaseless products, I think you'll still have creasing with these.

Very few of these products are a swipe-and-done sort of eye look; pretty much Bad to the Bronze the only one I think anyone would feel comfortable with on its own, though I'd wear Audacious Asphalt, too. The rest would likely be used either in conjunction with another or with a powder shadow layered over it. Tough as Taupe is great as a layer beneath any and all taupe shadows, for creating a neutral base underneath warmer shadows, especially if they turn orange on your skin, or for adding depth to the crease. Some of the shimmery shades don't build up well; neither Pomegranate Punk nor Bold Gold were able to be layered to full opacity, as if the act of applying more (with finger or with brush) took off what was already there. I tried an eye look layering the two together and it was an unmitigated disaster. I was actually kind of bummed, as I bought them for that exact look.

It's rather interesting that Maybelline would choose to launch the product with so few "wearable" shades. Most companies have a core color line of neutrals with a few colors thrown in, while these have a teal, a green, a purple, an orange, and a burgundy right from the start. It's lacking "skin tone" colors such as beige, caramel, and brown tones in either shimmery or matte finishes. I think it's a great thing for lovers of colors, but I also think that most women want a simple and pretty look that doesn't require as much thought as most colors require.

L to R: Audacious Asphalt, Bold Gold, and Painted Purple. Audacious Asphalt is a shimmery gray, it has good payoff and could be used on its own if you like cooler colors. Bold Gold is an almost glittery cool gold. The payoff was lacking and I couldn't layer it to get full opacity. Painted Purple is downright terrible. Very little payoff, an almost lumpy texture, which you can see in the swatch, and what you've already applied disappears as you try to apply more to even it out. That it's a lovely shimmery violet is pretty much irrelevent since it won't actually apply.

L to R: Tough as Taupe, Bad to the Bronze, Fierce and Tangy, Pomegranate Punk. Tough as Taupe is a matte grayish-taupe. On my skin it's a taupe, but I've heard other people describe it as a cool-toned gray on theirs. It has great payoff. Bad to the Bronze also has great payoff. On me it's a metallic rose-gold shade with a definite warm undertone, but again, I think your skintone varies the color a lot, because on the friend who recommended it it was much more of a golden taupe. Fierce and Tangy is a satin finish golden tangerine shade; there is a small amount of shimmer. It has amazing payoff; it would be the first I'd recommend buying if I thought it was a color most people wanted to wear. Pomegrante Punk is a shimmery to metallic burgundy color; there is a hint of warm brown, especially around the edges. I had trouble layering this one to opacity.

A comparison of MUFE Aqua Cream 1 Anthracite, Audacious Asphalt, and Aqua Cream 2 Steel. Anthracite is much darker, almost black in comparison to AA, while Steel is much more reflective and metallic, lighter, and, though it isn't obvious in this picture due to the reflection, slightly warmer.

Overall, I'd say these are a step up from most drugstore products, especially where cream eyeshadows are concerned. They vary greatly from color to color, though, and I'd recommend some and not others. I would suggest Bad to the Bronze and Audacious Asphalt, especially if you are looking for a cream shadow you can wear on its own for a simple day look. I'd also recommend Tough as Taupe, especially if you love taupes like I do. I'd also recommend Fierce and Tangy as its the best quality of the seven I have, but only if you want orange eyeshadow. I tried it as a blush and I think it would work only if you have super oily skin or over a rich cream as it just won't blend over the skin. I think Painted Purple should pretty much be taken off the market and reformulated, it's terrible and useless as even an eyeshadow base. The others depend how much you want the colors.

Tom Ford Look

Eyes: Sahara Haze Eye Color Quad. The khaki color on lids, the glittery green in the crease, outer corner, and underneath, the darkest shade as a liner, smudged quite liberally, and the golden beige on the brow bone and inner corner.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! on curled eyelashes (with the Tarte curler)

Skin: Make Up For Ever Face and Body Foundation in 38

Make Up For Ever Full Cover concealer in 4 on blemishes and under eyes

Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Intensity One under and on cheekbones

Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in S5 Rosy Flush

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder

Brows: MAC Eye Brows in Fling and Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel in Blonde

Lips: NARS Lip Liner in Rosebud

Tom Ford Lip Color in Casablanca

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad 08 Sahara Haze

Sahara Haze is a beautiful quad; I think the four eyeshadows work well together and in combination with other products.

The first color is a golden sandy-beige with a shimmer finish. It's unbelievably smooth and buttery with amazing color payoff.

The second color is a khaki-taupe color with a satin finish. It's a cool color, but there's an unmistakable green tinge to it. The payoff was not as perfect as the beige, but it still had a beautiful smooth texture.

The third color is a glittery forest green. It has noticeable glitter particles, but they seem to be integrated into the eyeshadow better than Urban Decay's sparkly eyeshadows do, for instance. I had very little glitter fallout, and the sparkles didn't blend out without the base color, as some sparkly shadows have a tendency to do.

The final color is a super dark green-tinged charcoal with gold shimmer. It's not overly shimmery, but the shimmer pieces are sparce and smaller than the glitter in the forest green shade.

This palette is pricy, for sure, but you really get your money's worth. The darker colors are perfect for a smoky look, and the lighter colors would work well for daytime. All in all, I think it's a palette that perfectly straddles neutral and colorful. Only the glittery forest green shade is a true green, the other two green shades only have a tinge, which makes them totally usable even if you're afraid of color.

I hope to be posting a look using this palette in the next few days.