By Terry Eye Sculpting Brush

i have never tried anything from By Terry, the cosmetic brand from Terry de Gunzburg, make up artist and former director of make up design at YSL, originator of the infamous Touche Éclat. when i browsed through some different online shops, i found her brush line, which seemed to be newly released. it contains some basic brushes, but i was only interested in the eye brushes. and since i don't own any brush of this shape yet, i chose the Eye Sculpting Brush to try.
i ordered on niche-beauty.com, a german online shop with some hard-to-find beauty brands. By Terry is quite an expensive line, i paid 30€ for this brush but they didn't charge any delivery costs.
the delivery time was quite fast, my package came carefully wrapped in pink silk paper and a bubble wrap bag. you could choose 3 different samples, i went for 3 x Rodial.

the brush comes in a box and has a protective wrap around, nothing special. the brush itself is rather short. it's ferrule and handle is made very beautifully and detailed with silver metal. it doesn't attract so many fingerprints like i have worried. it has a delicate checkered pattern of "By Terry" lettering engraved. it lays well in the hand and has a nice weight. it seems to be very sturdy and well made.

the brush head is dense and precisely shaped like a doe foot with a sharp angle. it's made of brown goat hair i think. it only has a very slight animal scent which disappears completely after the first wash. it washes well, only bled a minimal amount of greyish dye and didn't shed at all. it dries without getting out of shape.

By Terry Eye Sculpting Brush, pre wash

By Terry Eye Sculpting Brush, pre wash

By Terry Eye Sculpting Brush, post wash

BUT: the hair seems a bit coarse to me. it's cut at the hair ends to achieve the shape, but if used with its angled surface, it feels scratchy to the delicate skin of the lid.
and, another thing i still hassle with: what to use it for? do you have such a brush? how do you use it??
i tried to use it as a crease brush, but it's surface is too big for my rather small lid space. such a special shape but only using as brow highlight brush or all over lid brush seems not to do justice to it. hmm...
i'll have to work out a good way to use it.

By Terry Eye Sculpting Brush - MAC 217

By Terry Eye Sculpting Brush - MAC 217

i'm a bit stucked with the By Terry Brush line, this one feels very high quality, but the (maybe) the shape determines the cut and coarse hair. so on the one side i want to write them off, but on the other side i still hope to get soft brushes with beautiful handles if i try further.


UPDATE: i just checked this review about the same brush, but an older version of it at The Non-Blonde. she said it was very soft, so i'm afraid they stepped up on the design and quality of the handle, but took a step down with their hair quality.

Guerlain Ombre Fusion 02 Havana

this is one of 3 new cream eyeshadow shades, the Ombres Fusion by Guerlain which where released with their summer look. they come in lipgloss-like packaging, so when i first saw their promotion pics, i thought: "what weird lipgloss shades! i'll skip them!" (because there is also a pink, that you could really take for a lipgloss).
but as i'm a big fan of cream eyeshadows, i was totally getting those when i knew what they really were.
the tube contains 6ml and costs 28.95€.
the packaging looks similar to Guerlain's KissKiss Glosses, but has a shiny dark maroon top and a bottom part of matte plastic (looked like frosted glass to me from the promotion images). it has a flocked doe foot applicator.
the scent is not as divine as the jasmine scented Sublime Radiant Powder but artificially and plastic-y.
02 Havana is a dark muddy brown with green undertones and because of its name reminds me of the colour of dried tobacco. it has a lot of multicolour shimmers, mainly green, gold and pink. the texture is creamy, it feels quite liquidy-fresh on my lids. the first spreading of the colour is a bit tricky and it seemed to get a bit blotchy and uneven to me, but then blended out surprisingly easy and left an even finish. i think it has to set for a few seconds, then gets very easy to handle when it sets to a thicker, more silicone-y texture before it dries completely. it feels light and non-sticky after it dried.
when it's blended, the peachy gold microglitter becomes most apparent as a beautiful shimmery sheen and makes the colour look more interesting. it sheers out to a rather transparent finish, but can be layered well to a more intense shade without getting too thick (like MUFE Aqua Creams).
it has an excellent staying power on me, applied on its own without a lid primer or powder eye shadow on top it lasted over 10 hours without creasing or fading. i think it would also be a good coloured base for powder eyeshadows, but i prefer to wear it alone.
this one also claims to have a metallic effect (which i don't find) and to be water-resistent (which still has to be verified ;) ). 
i think such long lasting cream eyeshadows are the perfect cosmetic item for summer, they last well, apply quick and easy and look effortless and glowy.
if you want, i could do some comparison swatches. but there are no cream eyeshadow lookalikes in my collection... (i'll have to search for powder eyeshadow similars, maybe TheBalm's All About Alex?)

this is how it looks applied, sadly you can't see the beautiful golden shimmer in the cloudy lighting.

i used Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Silk Eyeshado #6 on the lower lashline (review here).

UPDATE: comparison pics!

Guerlain Havana - Benefit Where There's Smoke - The Balm All About Alex - Essence Back To Khaki

Guerlain Havana - Benefit Where There's Smoke - The Balm All About Alex - Essence Back To Khaki

Guerlain Terra Inca Sublime Radiant Powder

the Guerlain Terra Inca Sublime Radiant Powder is probably the most anticipated item of Guerlain's summer look and definitely a luxury piece at almost 60€. it contains 14.5g, quite a big amount - but is also meant to be used on the body. i ordered mine on douglas.de and used a 5€-off code next to several others for some goodies.

the packaging is very special with this, and i didn't expect it to be less at this price point. it doesn't come with a velvet pouch, though.
it's a dark wooden case with a beautiful pattern on the lid, which really is reminiscent of an antique jewellery case. ideal to decorate your vanity, and definitely a collector's item for Guerlain lovers. the lid has a magnetic closure and holds a big round mirror, it fits perfectly on the bottom part.
the case lays nicely in my hand, i like the soft and warm feel of the wood. it's sturdy and well made.

the powder itself has a beautiful sun-like pattern. the thing that i love the most is its amazing jasmine scent. not a violet scent like all the other Guerlain powder products, but a fantastic strong jasmine smell. i love it! i could sniff it all the time ;)
the center piece is of a warm gold and the outer part is a rosy tan, swirled together it's a shimmery peachy tan shade. both shades have a high shimmer level, but the shimmer is very fine and pearly.  i wouldn't use it as a bronzer on my face as the shimmer is too much, almost frosty when swatched heavily. the effect reminds me of MAC's MSFs, but much softer and finer. it applies evenly and blends out well.
it's beautiful as a blush-highlighter hybrid and gives a golden summery glow, on deeper skin it would be a warm highlighter. it also looks good layered on matte blushes and i can imagine that it'll be great on tanned skin like the cleavage, the shoulders, the legs... and combined with this heavenly scent, hmmm...
i carefully apply it with a duo fibre brush (MAC 187), only in stippling motions to avoid it getting too intense and emphasizing my enlarged pores. using a pore refining primer on the cheek area also helps. if you suffer from very oily skin or don't like a dewy appearance and shimmery blushes, you can easily skip this ;)

Guerlain Terra Inca Sublime Radiant Powder in the shadow: center shade - outer shade - swirled together

Guerlain Terra Inca Sublime Radiant Powder in sunlight: center shade - outer shade - swirled together

Guerlain Terra Inca Sublime Radiant Powder in sunli: center shade - outer shade - swirled together

 this is how it looks applied: i only have Terra Inca on my cheeks here.

MAC brushes.

since my NARS Blush series has ended now, i'm going to start a new one with MAC brushes. i think those will make nice short posts to fill in gaps.

i started to "collect" MAC brushes more than 2 years ago, back then i only knew of the drugstore, Zoeva, Coastal Scents and Sigma brushes in the "affordable sector" and was blind for anything than MAC brushes in the "luxury sector". of course i thought MAC would satisfy me ever after and their quality is the highest out there (when even professionals use them?).
now i'm a bit wiser, tried more brands, and also found better alternatives.
MAC does a big variety of brushes and their range is most established among beauty-lovers. they are sturdy and well made, the quality is consistent, but  i think most of the brushes by MAC are very overpriced, especially in germany (we pay about 20% more than in france, for example).
with their discount for professional make up artists i think they are better and more placed on that field. they are no luxury goods to me anymore, they are functional but not pampering.
partially i kind of regret having bought so many of them, even though most of them i didn't pay the full price, so i want to introduce to you each to show you their pros and cons. they are a good "common" measure point. still my brush collection is about 30-40% MAC.

oops, i hope i didn't turn you off of my series beforehand, but the negative things have to be said.
we'll start with face brushes soon.

p.s.: and if you want some brush care tips, take a look here.

Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in "Where There's Smoke", bad sales associates and the ultimate battle of murky shades.

Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Where There's Smoke is the other shade i bought during the Glamour Shopping Week (about 2 weeks ago now). click here to read the review of Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Fawn Over Me.

story:
they gave away a Bad Gal mascara sample as GWP, and you could get a "professional" make over and make up lesson worth 40€ for free. but on the day i went there, the girl "forced" me to try on a lipgloss (although i asked for another shade that they discontinued), then i asked her if this counter would get a brow bar in the near future (no they won't) and she told me that my brows are too short, especially on the right side - i know, i'm on the way to grow them a bit wider, but i just don't like the look of drawn on brows that much, so i keep the drawing at bay - and she took her great brow pencil (which has a good ashy colour, i have to admit.) and drew on 2 thin intense lines on my right brow!!!!!!!! one on the beginning of the brow, one on the end!!!!!
and that pencil was so soft and intense, you could clearly see those weird lines on one single brow only, i looked like a crazy lady with that frosty lipgloss and one weird brow. omg i didn't know if i should laugh or just kill her with a look. and then she said: looks much better, don't you see? she was finished! now brushing out, no evening out, two lines and finito.
i snatched the brow pencil out of her hand, and also figured to get a brow spooley and tried to rescue what's left. sure i refused that make up lesson-offering.

back to the topic:
the Velvet Eyeshadows contain 3g and cost 19€.
they come in nice and sturdy acrylic packagings with loving doves printed on the lid.

Where There's Smoke is a muddy pewter/taupe/whatever colour with tiny multicolour shimmer in it. in the shadow, it almost appears as a satin finish, only in sunlight or strong artificial light you can see the shimmers. that's my only criticism with this shadow, i like such shades to be shimmery (i know, i already have so many of such, and a satiny shade would be a better extension to my stash, but i can't help :P).
the texture is very smooth and fine, it applies even and pigmented and blends out well. i like to use it on the outer corner for a soft smokey look. i don't have any problems with its lasting power.
the Velvet Eyeshadows are colour coordinated with Benefit's Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows, this particular one goes with the CCS in Skinny Jeans.
this shade is often compared with MAC Smoke&Diamond, but i find them to be totally different and can easily justify owning both ;) but for this shade, i still prefer the cream shadow version.

Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Where There's Smoke in the shadow & in sunlight

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Skinny Jeans - Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Where There's Smoke

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Skinny Jeans - Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow in Where There's Smoke

this is how it looks applied: (notice the too short brow ;) )

Benefit Fawn over me on the inner half and lower lashline, Benefit Where There's Smoke on the outer parts

MAC Smoke&Diamonds - Benefit Skinny Jeans - Benefit Where There's Smoke - Lancôme Erika F.

MAC Smoke&Diamonds - Benefit Skinny Jeans - Benefit Where There's Smoke - Lancôme Erika F.

EDIT: in the end, i find it looks better in the pan than applied, but applied it looks better than swatched. and i forgot to swatch TheBalm All About Alex next to these, also an Essence shadow could look similar. i will update this post tomorrow with those comparisons.
out of these four, i like MAC Smoke&Diamonds best, it has some peachy shimmers in it that makes it more complex than the other shades. next would be Erika F., this has beautiful crystal sparkles and looks great in an evening-smokey eye.

what about you? do you like such shades? do you have such bad experiences at cosmetic counters?

UPDATE: more comparisons.

Guerlain Havana - Benefit Where There's Smoke - The Balm All About Alex - Essence Back To Khaki

Guerlain Havana - Benefit Where There's Smoke - The Balm All About Alex - Essence Back To Khaki