My MAC Brush Collection - #109, 129, 168, 219, 239

Over the last couple of years, I've started a MAC brush collection, and have slowly added to it one by one. Currently, I have a total of five MAC brushes. That doesn't seem like a lot to some people, but I find that these are enough to get me ready every day. Even though I have a drawer-full of other brands of brushes, I keep coming back to my MAC ones, and have decided that they are the only ones that are good enough to be used on my face. Should I consider myself a MAC snob now?

Since each brush retails on average for $50 Canadian, I consider each one I buy an investment. My heart races, palms get sweaty, and I have a general feeling of euphoria and giddiness each time I pick one up. I take care of my brushes, and wash them in mild brush cleaner once a week. Because of this, all my brushes look and feel the same as the day I bought them.

These are the brushes in my collection currently...
#109 - Small Contour Brush
#129 - Powder/Blush Brush
#168 - Large Angled Contour Brush
#219 - Pencil Brush
#239 - Eye Shader Brush

From top to bottom: MAC 109, 129, 168, 219 and 239

#109 - I use mostly for highlighting with my beloved Dior Amber Diamond above my cheekbones, around the brow line, and down the center of my nose. The brush is super soft and is made with natural fibers. I love this brush because it's small enough that it doesn't deposit the shimmer powder all over your face so you look like a disco ball. It places the powder only in the areas where you want it to, and makes your face look glowing and radiant.

MAC 109 - Small Contour Brush

#129 - I love using this brush to contour my face with.  It's about twice the size as the 109, and is so soft and fluffy.  Even though the 109 is called the 'contour' brush and is marketed for that purpose, I actually prefer the 129 for contouring, because it provides a more natural and blended application rather than a harsh bronze line (which you do not want!).  My favourite bronzer at the moment is theBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer - say that fast ten times!

MAC 129 - Powder/Blush Brush

#168 - This is the softest brush out of the five.  Not sure if it has to do with the white hairs, but I LOVE the feel of it against my face.  The diagonal angle of the bristles makes it easy to apply my blush precisely where I want it.  It picks up product extremely well, and I only need to dip the brush lightly into my theBalm Frat Boy blush for it to be pigmented enough.  If I had to pick only one brush to keep, this would definitely be the one!

MAC 168 - Large Angled Contour Brush

#219 - This brush is fantastic for lining my eyes with eyeshadow when I don't want to use an eyeliner.  It provides a softer, more smokey-smudged look that I prefer sometimes.  I love using Busted from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette for this.  It's also great for applying highlighter to the inner corners of the eye.  This brightens the face and creates the illusion of the eyes being wider apart. 

MAC 219 - Pencil Brush

#239 - This is my go-to brush for applying eyeshadow.  It's the perfect size for applying powder from crease to lash line.  The flat shape of the brush makes it easy to pick up the product.  The bristles are extremely soft, and not at all irritating for my sensitive eyes.  My favourite eyeshadows to use are in the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette.  Even though I have a gazillion number of eyeshadows to choose from, I find myself reaching for this palette constantly.

MAC 239 - Eye Shader Brush

So there you have it...My MAC brush collection thus far!  Hope this helps you out when researching which brushes to buy for yourself.  Please let me know which brushes you have, why you love them, and which ones I should get in the future!  Thanks for reading my blog, and feel free to post a comment!  Bye for now! ~Janice ❤

My First Blog Post!

I can't tell you how excited I am to officially write my very first blog post!  Being a newbie to the blog world, I find it can be overwhelming at times with all the options available in creating a blog. Please bare with me as I learn the ropes, and discover all the creative and exciting ways I will be able to improve my blog.

A little bit about me... Let me first just say that I am a wife and Mom of two kids living in Canada. When I first decided to start a blog, I began by throwing around different ideas for the subject matter and content for it.  My interests range from music to movies, from reading to writing, from tennis to Bikram Yoga. Then I narrowed in on three things that I really had a passion for, three things that I am constantly Googling and researching.  The three things I came up with were Makeup, Food, and Photography.

Growing up, I was always interested in playing with makeup ever since I can remember.  I was limited though, as the only makeup my Mom ever wore, and still wears, is lipstick. I remember always sneaking in her room to try on the bubble gum pink shade that she had on her table.  In high school, I started experimenting with eyeshadow.  My favourite look was putting very pigmented, frosted smokey lavender eyeshadow over my entire (yes, entire!) lid from brow bone to lash line!  Nowadays my tastes in makeup are a bit more subtle, shall we say.  Being a Mom, finding the time to put on makeup can be a bit challenging sometimes, but I never leave the house without at least some kind of product on my lips.

Fast forward to today... these days, I always do my research before buying a cosmetic item.  With great outlets such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Makeupalley and the millions of beauty blogs out there, I am able to make an informed decision before I spend money on any beauty product.  Sometimes I find myself asking, "Did I really need to spend $35 on a lipstick?" I think about it for a minute, then answer with an enthusiastic "Yes!" It's so important to take time for yourself, and do the things that make you happy and give you pleasure.  I believe that a happy Mom = happy kids, and am lucky that I have a husband who recognizes this and encourages me regularly to take time out for just me.  He'll take the kids out so I can have the house to myself to read or take a bath in peace, or suggest that I go out to dinner with friends, or go get my nails done, or sit in the hot tub at the pool.

Ever since the birth of my two kids, I have developed a great passion for cooking.  Not only do I love trying new recipes of all kinds of cuisine, but I also enjoy going out for a meal and appreciating beautifully plated works of art.  My favourite foods tend to lean towards  Japanese, Thai and Indian, but I also love a bbq steak, or a taco from TacoTime.

Which brings me to my third passion in life - photography!  I love documenting elements of everyday life, whether it be a gorgeous plate of salad, to my kids playing on the monkey bars, to a friend's wedding, to my dog getting a haircut, to Mickey Mouse at Disneyland, and the list goes on and on.  I believe that I have a good eye for presentation, and making things look pretty.

Please join me in my journey as I discover new makeup products, mind-blowing tasty eats, beautiful images, and anything else to add to my list of adorations.

Here's to Eyeliners, Eats & Exposure! ~Janice ❤

Playing around with photographing a few of my favourite makeup products