Borghese x Kirkland Signature 2011 Brush Set and Stila Ulimate Color Palette

I've been back in NY since Thursday, so I've been pretty busy helping my mom put up the Christmas tree and doing the family thing. One thing my sisters and I always do when we come home is hit up Costco.

I haven't been there in forever so I never saw the 2011 Borghese Kirkland Signature Brush Set. I still use some of the brushes from my 2009 set (the angled brow brush, eye shadow brush, angled foundation brush, and the crease brush) but the brushes in the 2011 set are totally different.

(Sorry for the crappy pic but I haven't unpacked my good camera yet.)

This brush set includes 10 brushes and a black faux-croc case:

1. Big powder brush
2. Flat cheek brush
3. Stipling/skunk brush
4. Angled kabuki brush
5. Flat tip eyeliner brush
6. Highlighting brush
7. All purpose eye shadow brush
8. Tapered blending/crease brush
9. Tapered foundation/concealer brush
10. Angled contour/eyeshadow brush

I'm so in love with this brush set! I love that the foundation/concealer brush is designed to mimic your fingers. It's perfect for blending my Hard Candy Glamoflauge under my eyes. I also love the highlighting brush for contouring the sides of my nose. The skunk brush is great for blending bronzer at my hair line and jaw line. All of the brushes are really soft and the handles are thick and easy to hold. IMO, this set is excellent for the price.

I also picked up a Stila Ultimate Color Palette for $19.99, which includes 39 eye shadows, 15 lip colors, 4 cheek colors or blushes, 4 double ended applicators, and 4 lip brushes. I'm still not sure if I'm going to keep it for myself or give it to a friend for Christmas, but if I do keep it I'll definitely do swatches of all the pretty colors. There are so many options for different looks with this palette because of the range of colors. Also, the eyeshadows and blushes come in both shimmery and matte colors so there's a lot to play with in this kit.

Stila Ultimate Color Palette, $20

Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes

If there's one beauty ritual I hate, it's cleaning my makeup brushes. Shampooing 20 brushes is a pain in the butt- but waiting for them to dry is even more excruciating. Unfortunately, I have to clean them at least once a week or grime and bacteria will build up on them and break me out. I used to use MAC's makeup brush cleaner ($14, maccosmetics.com) but it can get pretty pricey in the long run since it's not concentrated.

Finesse Clean + Simple Shampoo for Dry/Color Treated Hair

This week, I decided to try Finesse Clean + Simple Hypoallergenic Shampoo for Dry/Color Treated Hair ($4 for a 10 oz. bottle, Amazon.com). This is a great product to use for your makeup brushes because it cleans them quickly and removes all traces of makeup but doesn't leave any residue or contain any sulfates or other skin-irritating ingredients. It also won't dry out your brushes because it's meant for dry hair and contains light moisturizing ingredients.