Beauty Product Reviews Archives

Kat’s Kit Spotlight:Skinprep FX Primer by Cover FX

01/05/2010 No Comments

In yesterday’s post I mentioned I used an extra primer for skin that needed a bit more help in the texture department. I sometimes find myself finding my moisturizing/primer in one (Embyolisse) is just not enough for my mature clients. That is when this stellar primer steps in: Skinprep FX by Cover FX.

I ran into this gem at the Chicago Artist Summit I was teaching a workshop at. I was asked to do a class on “Makeup for Mature Women” and I ran right over to the Cover FX booth to find a particular foundation but ended up talking to the reps at the booth about this baby. I started to play around with the consistency on my hand and added it to silicone based makeup to see how it could thin some of my favorite products out. Kevin, from one of my favorite lines, even came over (his booth was across there’s!) and started showing me why this primer was considered “Liquid Gold” in the makeup artist community. I mean seriously, when you have people coming from competitor’s booths to show you something that says a lot!

I went ahead and snatched some of this product up and used it in my demo as well for many faces I had worked on shortly after. I am not even exaggerating when I say this stuff makes such a difference in the appearance of foundation, not just for mature skin, but for all skin types! Being a makeup artist I do have different primers “just in case” that I hoard in my kit, some I will talk about in a separate post, but this primer makes it out for my normal/mature/sensitive/dry/extra dry… you get the ideal, it makes it out for just about everyone.

I definitely challenge anyone who has a silicone based foundation, who wants to thin down the consistency for a different look and feel to their product, to try mixing this “liquid gold” with it. I have tried it with their own Cover FX cream foundations, Yaby foundation, Make Up For Ever HD, and have loved every result.

Also, don’t even get me started on their ClearPrep FX Primer! That really deserves it’s own post since it is a primer to help mattify and smooth oily skin while helping to prevent/heal acne. YUP! I said PREVENT and HEAL acne- in primer form! That is basically unheard of these days, but I will have to save that for another love letter, ahem, post one day. 🙂

SkinPrep FX Primer by Cover FX: You are a“Kat’s Kit” Spotlight product!

Beauty Product Reviews

Kat’s Kit Spotlight: Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè

01/04/2010 No Comments

I’ve found through reading various blogs that there are different types of product reviews. There are reviews of products that one has thoroughly tested for wearability, texture, coverage, and all the other elements that goes into making a beauty product great. It’s tested for the day and then decided upon whether the product is fantabulous, okay, or something you give to your kids to do art with. There are also the reviews that have come from the writer truly knowing the product thoroughly and who has fallen in love with it enough to use it on a daily basis. Those are the beauty products that will be featured in “Kat’s Kit Spotlight” . I have a number of products that I have used and abused on every shoot or event because of it’s reliability. When I use these products I know that it will do precisely what I need it to do which makes the job that much easier. I’m sure over time this section will be condensed more and more to being affectionately known as a “KatKit” product, but for now I introduce you to my first official product spotlight…

Beauty Product Reviews

The Brush Guard- Pamper, pack, and preserve your brushes with love.

01/28/2009 No Comments

Those who take that extra step to preserve their makeup brush hair, or those like me who have a slightly unhealthy obsession with their brush health overall, will appreciate this product from “The Brush Guard”.

I first ran across this product at The Artist Summit by The Powder Group in New York. I know of a number of artists and brush consumers alike who have run into instances where a favorite brush has gone flat or just become wonky and warped from being placed in the wrong spot. This product offers a simple solution to keep them intact. Some of my own brushes have fallen victim to fraying bristles when I’ve rushed to pack my stuff up after a job and left it unprotected. I’ve even had to sacrifice my XL “aDesign” powder brush to the abyss that is the inside pocket of my makeup kit due to lack of room in my brush roll. I pray it is still intact every time I go into the abyss to reach for it!

So, between a combination of a forum post asking about this product and the fact that my 3 year old has been running around with it on her finger all day, I figure it’s time take a closer look at The Brush Guard to see what it can do for me and my brush set.

“The Brush Guard” comes in different variety packs from assorted sizes to multiple same size guards in one pack and total $5.50/pack. I had received one medium brush guard to try out so I will show you what I was able to do with it. 🙂

The Brush Guard

My first question about this guard was “Would it keep the integrity of the shape of my brush?”. The last thing I wanted was for my nice fluffy blush brush to end up looking like a tube when the guard came off. I quickly did a simple test and figured out that the shape of the netting naturally gets fuller in the middle without a brush in it. As you can see from above, the brush guard has a little more give in the middle of the netting allowing your brushes natural fullness to rest easy without too much pressure. I went ahead and tried it on a “normal size” blush/powder brush from Billy B’s brush collection and here are the results…

Brush Guard Demo with Billy B. powder brush

The brush was now slick and compact and free from frayed frazzled doom. I was impressed, but the real test would be my poor neglected adesign powder brush. I took it out from the abyss, had a little talk with it about how I was selfish and put my other smaller brushes before it’s needs, then we started over with a clean slate while I gave it it’s new Brush Guard coat.

The Brush Guard on adesing XL brush

She (the brush) is now sitting comfy cozy with the rest of her friends in the brush roll and will be used a lot more in the future. I’ll be placing my order for the assortment pack to get her in the proper large size soon enough. For now I will let her enjoy her new svelte self in the medium guard so she can regain her confidence in knowing she won’t be going into the abyss pocket anymore, but I doubt she’ll be letting her Guard down anytime soon.

Here is a video from the makers of The Brush Guard so you can see it in action: