theNotice: a beauty blog

The product: karl lagerfeld for shu uemura Eyelash Curl & Karl

Out this month with the Holiday 2012 Mon Shu collection is the Eyelash Curl & Karl, a limited-edition version of the classic Shu eyelash curler. This one comes with a red silicone pad (plus a spare), as well as a little detachable Mon Shu keychain looped through the tool.

Creepy red-eyed keychain or not, I have to say: the curler’s cute! I love the classic silver-on-black aesthetic, but sometimes it’s nice to mix it up a little, you know? (I’m still tempted to pick up the matte black MAC + Carine Roitfeld Full Lash Curler, which is ridiculous. I really, really don’t need any more lash curlers!)

The aesthetic aside, though, I wasn’t terribly smitten with the design of the Shu Uemura curler. It’s sturdy, but it’s also on the stiff side — I found myself having to go over my lashes two or three times (squeezing hard and curling 3x from base to tip each time) just to get a curl in.

The opening’s a little on the small side (vertically), too. I think it’ll keep the curler in good shape for longer, but it was just too hard to get all of my lashes in, a problem I’ve never had before. With my stick-straight, downward-pointing Asian eyelashes, I really had to work at getting them all in there, which I just don’t think you should ever have to do with a curler.

So, how about that shape?

I would personally recommend the Shu Uemura curler for someone with fairly curved eyes (so, not monolids) and lashes that need a bit of a boost, but aren’t stick-straight to begin with (again, not Asian lashes.) I’ve always been puzzled as to how something like this came out of Japan, but, well — to each her own, I suppose!

The verdict?

The Shu eyelash curler doesn’t fit my eye shape, unfortunately, but I don’t want to write it off entirely. I do know a lot of bloggers who are very happy with theirs, and if you have slightly-curled lashes on a curved lashline and a good, strong grip, this LE version might be worth a look.

(I’m not kidding about the grip, you guys. You really need to squeeze! with this one.)

The Eyelash Curl & Karl is $4 more than the regular Shu Uemura curler (putting it at $24 USD / $24 CAD), but it’s essentially the same product. If you’re a fan of the classic curler & need a replacement, have a look at this styled-up edition, too.

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The product: SEPHORA + PANTONE UNIVERSE Enchanting Dual-Sided Brush Set

Of all the Sephora + Pantone products to come out this season, this set was the only one to really grab! my attention. I missed out on the split fibre brushes in the MAC Semi-Precious and In Extra Dimension collections (last winter & this spring, respectively), so I was hoping these would fill the gap.

And they did, sort of. Maybe. Kind of.

The build: It’s always interesting to work with really novel tools, and these rather were. With a synthetic side (great for picking up and spreading out cream products) paired right up against a natural-fibre side (perfect for buffing and blending), they’re a different experience than normal brushes, and I think it really works in their favour.

What I’m not so crazy about, though, is the natural-hair side of these brushes. It’s a little on the rough side, and I find they shed, particularly when I’m working with heavier products, like concealer or cream foundation. For the results and expediency, I’ve been putting up with it, but the shedding really keeps these from being a HG brush set.

The individual brushes

I’m not crazy about the overly-fluffy powder brush, but I’m actually quite pleased with the other three shapes in this set. (It’s a first, for me — maybe it’s just because this one’s on the small side, but I find brush sets typically have at least three or four brushes that I just know I’ll never use.)

The eyeshadow brush is great for applying concealer to the eye/undereye area, as well as around the nose, and the foundation brush is kind of brilliant, at least in shape. The shedding’s a letdown, but I can finish my face in less than half the time with this than I’d need with a regular (all-synthetic) foundation brush, or even a kabuki brush.

But the true star of this set’s the blush brush. While it doesn’t look small, there’s just something about the build and shape that makes it surprisingly versatile. I can use it for sheer washes of colour, strong pops of pink… anything!

Since I started using this set, the blush brush is the only thing I’ve been using to contour – it puts down just the right amount of colour and blends with ridiculous ease.

The bag

Cases usually aren’t a selling point for me, but I actually really liked this one. Sleek and well-pocketed, it fits the brushes well, and has space to hold and sort a few basic products, too.

It’s easy to clean and travel with, and I think it manages to take the set from “pretty okay” to “actually rather impressive.”

The verdict?

If the Enchanting brush set had just one flaw, I’d say the $42 USD/$50 CAD price tag was a really good deal. With two, however (I could do without the powder brush, & the natural fibres do shed quite a bit with “stickier” cream products,) my praise is a bit more reserved.

That said, I do actually really like this set, and both the foundation & blush brushes have weaselled their way into my permanent (personal) brush collection. At $50, the price is a touch too high, but there are whispers that Sephora’s annual Friends & Family sale is coming up ;)

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The products: Japonesque Pink Heated Mini Eyelash Curler and Manicure Kit

The Heated Mini Eyelash Curler

A pink version of their regular heated lash curler, this cut-and-dry tool is a great update on a basic. With a sleek silhouette (seriously, straight heated lash curlers are so much easier to throw into a makeup bag than actual lash curlers) and a rubbery finish that makes it hard to drop (but in a good way, not in a NARS way), this is a pretty great find, from an aesthetic point of view.

For functionality, though? It has a few handy features (like a little running light, and a clever on-switch that can’t be moved unless the cap is off), but I’m just not sold on heated lash curlers. I find that I can’t get the same kind of lift out of them that I can with a good, traditional, clamping one — the effect is pinch- and crimp-free, but they’re just not for me.

The lash curler heats up really quickly, though, and the effect does last. If you have really hard to curl lashes and find that heated curlers tend to work well for you, this one’s $18 USD at Ulta right now (plus $5 off a $10 purchase in-stores), so check it out before it disappears.

The Manicure Kit

Another quick basic dressed up for the BCA season is Japonesque’s manicure kit, which (like the lash curler) typically comes in black. It’s not the most space-friendly, but the fold-apart bag-slash-case keeps your tools (and then a few extras) safe and secure from whatever else you have with you, so you’ll never have to worry about scraping up other objects or losing your tweezers to the depths of your bag.

The set, which retails for $28.35 at Dermstore.com with free (US) shipping, comes with tweezers, a file, scissors, nail clippers, and cuticle nippers.

It’s pretty basic, all around; well-made basics and everything you should really need for a simple, polish-free cleanup. I haven’t given these a try (might give the set away, instead), but Japonesque do tools more or less exclusively — and they tend to do them quite well.

The verdict?

It’s great to see brands getting on the BCA bandwagon, but I think Japonesque could have gone a little further, you know? $1 out of $11 (which the  collection starts at) isn’t bad, but $1 out of $28 isn’t a lot — not when brands like Jane Iredale or Estee Lauder are donating 100% of the proceeds for some of their products.

If you’re looking for pink products that pack a charitable punch, I think you’re best giving these a skip. If you’re a fan of the brand, though (or if you just want some rosier hues in your collection beauty tools), don’t miss this month’s limited-edition pink versions of some of the brand’s bestselling tools.

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I’m still rather smitten with my Japonesque Safari Chic Bronzer Brush, so it’s no surprise that I had a bit of a “haven’t we been here before?” moment while browsing the new launches at Nordstrom.com. Chantecaille’s upcoming Zebra Kabuki Brush (pre-order it here) follows the same animal-print trend, but at a much higher price point — a cringe-worthy $69.

Made from goat hair and designed to buff or build any and all powder products, I’m sure the Chantecaille brush will be lovely… but that doesn’t really change the fact that it’s almost $70, you know?

$22 (and cruelty-free!) is a lot easier to swallow, and aesthetically speaking, I actually prefer Japonesque’s version — while the Zebra Kabuki could be mistaken for just any old white-and-black striped brush, the Safari Chic brush is definitely animal print.

What kind of animal print, I’m not sure (big cats were never really my forté, by which I mean that I am kind of terrible with all animals, ever), but definitely an animal nonetheless.

And probably not a crocodile or giraffe or something.

The product: Japonesque Safari Chic Bronzer Brush

The brush: Do you have any idea how hard it is to write about a fantastic, adorable, cruelty-free brush and not just babble affectionately about it the whole time? (Hint: it’s hard. Like, extremely hard.)

Japonesque’s Safari Chic collection features a three-piece mini brush set, but it showcases this little guy, too. Densely-packed and oh-so-soft, the Safari Chic Bronzer Brush is basically the bronzer brush that all the other brushes grow up wishing the could be. Plus, the whole collection has been done in animal-friendly synthetic fibers, making them a kind of ridiculously perfect gift for animal lovers.

I love it for: Not bronzing, actually! I’m not huge into bronzers, and when I do wear them, I do so quite sparingly. This is too big for me to use as a bronzing brush (but only because I’m a werido; check out Dovey’s review at Cute & Mundane for size comparisons), but I love it as a synthetic kabuki. 

The size and dense, luxuriously soft bristles make this one perfect for buffing in liquid and creme products, and I think it would do a pretty okay job with powders, too.

The brand: As a beauty blogger, I definitely recognize the name — but as a consumer? I live in Canada (and try my very best not to leave the house unless absolutely necessary), so I’ve never actually seen the line in stores.

So, as a quick primer: you might recognize this tools-and-accessories-only brand from their precision lash curlers, tweezers (did you know that they have a tweezer reconditioning program, like Tweezerman do?) or cult-favourite lipstick palettes — honestly; I think every makeup artist owns at least one of those by now. (And so they should; the palettes are brilliant!)

The verdict?

Yes. Absolutely. I honestly can’t think of a bad thing to say about this brush — it’s gorgeously soft, luxuriously dense, and animal-friendly. I’ve been reaching for it a lot recently to buff in base products, and (even though it wasn’t the intended purpose), this bronzing brush does a wonderful job with it.

But perhaps most importantly… this is so cute! I’m of the firm belief that animal print is usually a bad idea, but even still, I’m ridiculously fond of this one.

Availability: $22 USD; Ulta is probably your best bet. (Japonesque has a store locater here, though, if that helps!)

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