Billy B. Brushes

Have you heard the news? Billy B. Brushes are now available in Canada and are being sold exclusively at Holt Renfrew stores!

I sat down with Billy yesterday and talked to him about his brushes, which I have and of which I am a big fan.

Billy told me that he chose to make brushes because he wanted really good tools that he could use himself and that would be great for everyone. The great thing about the brushes is that they're amazingly light, and are just the right size to fit the contours of your face.

Take a look at the powder brush, for example. It's small enough for you to apply powder under your eyes and in the corner of your nose without getting powder everywhere. It also won't pick up too much product which means that you'll be able to use just the right amount.

Also check out the size of the ferrule of the brush (the metal part). It's very long and is almost half the length of the brush. Its size is key because it means that when you wash your brush, there's less of a chance that you'll get the wooden part wet. That part can be damaged easily with water, and a long ferrule is the best way of protecting it. These brushes will last a long time and are a great investment.


I also like the foundation brush and would always recommend a brush instead of a sponge for applying makeup. Billy B. also pointed out that it's much better for the environment if you use a makeup brush because you won't be throwing latex sponges in the trash! I think this is an excellent point, and if you haven't switched to a foundation brush yet, you should consider it.


Another hit from the Billy B. line is the lipbrush which is retractable and lidless. It's great to throw in your purse loaded with product, ready for touch-ups.

You can also get the brushes from Billy's website and the essentials set is really great. It's small enough that you can take it with you very easily, so do check it out.

Billy was at Holt Renfrew's beauty event last night - did anyone attend?

Reader Question - Brush vs. Sponge

Here's a reader question I received today!

What is the best way to apply cream foundations found in compacts? I have been using MAC and the sponge that comes with it. Is it better to apply these with a foundation brush and then blend?

First of all, hello to you too, yes I'm having a great day, and thanks for writing in!

The sponge is good but I find that it absorbs too much product which can be a waste. I do prefer a foundation brush and if you use a nice one you don't have to do any extra blending after your initial application. Try it - I think you'll be pleased with the results.

New York Fashion Week - ThreeAsFour

Check out the lashes on the model above backstage at the ThreeAsFour show - they are bright blue! Gordon Espinet, the lead creative for this show told me that the look was very wearable and I have to agree with him. The pop of colour is very flattering and so interesting.

Gordon and his team used a MAC fluidline to create the blue eyelashes. They first applied fake eyelashes on the outside corner of the models eye, and then prepped with MAC's Prep + Prime Lash so that the Fluidline would have something to adhere it to the lashes.


To apply the products on the lashes, the makeup artists used the MAC 205 Mascara Fan Brush. The brush is very stiff so it applies product evenly and easily.


The final effect is glam yet subtle and the look was finished with pink cheeks and a rose lipcolour.

I'm thinking that the look could be easily adapted for everyday by applying a coloured mascara to the tips of lashes or putting a bright line of colour right at the lash line.

Eyeliner How To

I always always get asked by my friends whether they should wear eyeliner - and I always say yes - and then I get asked how to put eyeliner on.

If you have the time and the patience, you can experiment all you want. Play around with different brands of pencils, different kinds of liquids, and different nibs. After all, practice really does make perfect.

But, if you're a true beginning and you want a short cut to emphasizing your eyes, here's the real deal - eyeliner made easy!

The first thing you need is a cream eyeliner. Smashbox makes a great one in a waterproof version, but honestly many department store brands offer them so get whichever one suits your fancy. They last a long time and are fully worth it. The next thing you need is this arced eyeliner brush from Smashbox. Yes, Smashbox is the only company that makes this and it makes putting eyeliner on much easier!
Now, once armed with those two products, you simply dip the brush into the eyeliner and walk it across your eyelid. I'm not being simplistic, it's really that easy, and those two products really are the ones that will do most of you work for you. Trust me - I have put on a lot of eyeliner and done a lot of experimenting and I know how to get the best results.

If you're a beginning, don't worry if you have to go back and fix mistakes. Even makeup artists have to do that, and it'll give you a flawless look. To make any corrections, I like to use a sponge shadow applicator dipped in some makeup remover. I find that the Q-Tips sometimes get caught in my eyelashes.

Good luck!

Brushes to Use With Your Mineral Makeup

Changes are that if you haven't tried mineral makeup already, you will in the next year, and that means that if you don't own some already, you will, and then you'll wonder how you can put it on properly.

The trick, my friends, lies in the brushes. So, here are the brushes that you could use with your mineral makeup and the effect that you get with them.


I'll start with a Kabuki brush because it's the most common and chances are that whatever mineral makeup kit you're buying, you'll get one of these brushes free with it. The brush has densely packed natural hairs. Because there are so many hairs in such a small space, you pick up more pigment and can't play with it as much. This means that you get medium to full coverage when you use this brush. The handle is usually short so that you can sweep it all over your face easily. If you try the makeup on in the store, 9 times out of 10 the makeup artist will use this brush and make your skin look flawless. Once you leave the store, however, you may realize that this is too much for everyday, and if you have dry skin it may look overly powdery. It's all a matter of taste. A kabuki brush might really work for you too.
Kabuki brushes also come in retractable varieties which seem great for travel but aren't that great for application. They simply lack the heft and ease of use that regular brushes have.

And then there's this guy...


Commonly known as a skunk brush or stippling brush. This brush gives medium to medium-light coverage. This is the brush that I actually use to put my mineral makeup on because I like the control that it gives me. My coverage is not too heavy and I can always layer on more if I want to. I would recommend that beginners use this brush to play with their mineral makeup. It's better to start off with less foundation than with too much. You can also blend nicely with this brush and make sure that it doesn't look like you're wearing a mask.

Or you could use a brush that you probably already have and have had for a long time.And that's a powder brush. Yep, don't knock this one, because it works too. The rule is that the fluffier and larger the head of the brush, the more lightly it will distribute powder. For this brush more than any other, look for something that is super-soft against your skin. A powder brush will give you light coverage. That is for people who don't need to wear a lot of foundation but just want something that will make them look finished and put together. I sometimes use this brush to put mineral foundation on top of regular foundation to give it more lasting power. You can also use this one for blending your mineral foundation.

You could also use a foundation brush but this will give you heavy coverage. Yes, that's what some people want, and so I'm putting it out there. A foundation brush is great if you have problematic areas that you really want to cover.

But what if you have those areas and they're really small?

Do what I do. Dip a concealer brush into your mineral makeup and put it on the areas that need more coverage - under the eyes, beside the nose, any spots you might have. Then take your face brush of choice, and use it to put the mineral makeup on the rest of your face. Don't skip the problem areas - just blend the foundation over them too. This way, you get heavier coverage where you need it and light coverage where you don't!

And yes, you may have already guessed that I've been playing around with mineral makeup quite a bit over the last little while and I'm going to be reviewing some brands very soon!

MAC Foundation Brush

I now have a MAC Foundation Brush that is a part of the Face Brush set in their Heirlooms collection. The brush is very thickly bristled and so soft. It's a reminder that MAC has some of the softest brushes in the market which means that they're soft on your face too. The density of hairs makes it easier to spread foundation around and put only a sheer layer on your skin. It's now one of my favourite brushes.

Herbal Essences Clarifying Shampoo

I was going to write about Herbal Essences much earlier, but I'm glad I waited because today I got the best response ever:

"Hey, your hair smells nice today!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, what is that, Herbal Essences?"
"Actually, it is Herbal Essences!"

This came after I used their shampoo and conditioner. Their scent together wasn't too strong for me, but I guess people who sat behind me could get a whiff of it now and then. I used the Degunkify shampoo and Drama Clean Conditioner which smell like "icy pineapple". I would try to clarify what that smells like but their label is actually pretty accurate. It's like a very fresh pineapple scent.

Remember how I wrote that clarifying shampoos are great to have around? Well Herbal Essences Degunkify deserves a space on the shower shelf. I've been using it a couple of times a week - when I want to "degunkify" my hair or after I have a particularly strenuous workout and I love how shiny and soft it makes my hair but without stripping it of moisture completely. I love this shampoo and recommend it.

Also remember that clarifying shampoos are great to use when cleaning your brushes because they won't leave add or take anything away. Simply fill your sink with warm water and a smidge of shampoo and swirl your brushes in the warm soapy water. Leave to dry on a towel and you'll be left with clean soft brushes.