CS pigment comparison: Reds and Pinks

I only took three pink/red pigments from CS: Duochrome Red Orange, Foliage Flutter and Chrome Carmine.

Finish of Chrome Carmine reminded me of the golden sheen TKB's Apricot and Conservatorie's Gold Earth both have but while these have a beige base Chrome Carmine is distinctively pink in comparison. (I think e.l.f's blush in Candid Coral also carries a similar golden sheen.)

Gold Earth (Conservatorie), Apricot (TKB)
Chrome Carmine (CS), Peach Fuzz (Conservatorie)

Am thinking maybe I should have compared this color to the pinks too, like Conservatorie's Shimmering Nude. I'll make a comparison pic during weekend. 

Coastal Scents' Foliage Flutter was picked out because I wished to compare it to TKB's Foliage - the only thing connecting them is a orangeish-toned base, top colors are different, TKB's Foliage being more flesh colored and Foliage Flutter having a strong pink sheen.

Bolero (Conservatorie), Scorpio the Eighth (TKB)
Foliage (TKB), Foliage Flutter (CS)

Coastal Scents' Duochrome Red-Orange is marvelous, the sheen might be too much when used as blush, it's closest to TKB's Garnet. I guess if one loves showy high sheen lips, this would be the perfect golden pink lipstick.

Top to bottom: Garnet (TKB), Duochrome Red-Orange (CS), Strawberry (TKB),
Gemini aka Gemma (TKB)

PS! And here's the pic comparing Chrome Carmine with Shimmering Nude, the latter being much more on the pink side, Chrome Carmine has a strong golden sheen in comparison. It was a bright sunshiny day and swatch failed miserably - overlighting, sry :S.

CS Sage Blue with Grape Parfait / Lumene's Volume Defining Mascara

These are both colors that need a colored/opaque primer underneath - a sheer one will not do. Both of them have more of a sheen-effect and low coverage when applied dry. CS Sage Blue is all over lid and inner corners, TKB Grape Parfait in outer corners and crease, TKB's Champagne on the brow-bone. Did not bother to curl lashes. Manhattan's eyeshadow primer. Skin is flaking, exfoliating does not help.

This color-duo needs a third color, badly. It looks so undefined and bland - am thinking either cool brown or dark gray in the crease. And definitely some base, either skin-coloured or dark.

Mascara used is Lumene's Volume Defining Mascara, the green one, it was a gift-with-purchase.

Consistency is very liquid and the wand looks like Blueberry Curls'.

After swimming (I never stick head under water while swimming) and couple of sauna trips this is what remained:

(sry about the bad lighting conditions): I'd say a mighty good mascara. 

Air humidity in the spa was close to 70%. Eyeshadow has creased.

Kui endal ripsmematerjali piisavalt ja pole vaja neid pikendada-paksendada vaid üksnes tumedamaks toonida, siis on Lumene vedelamat sorti ripsmetušid täitsa omal kohal. Kehv on see, et Natural Code seerias ei kohanud pruuni ripsmetušši. Ma pole suur musta ripsmetušši fänn sest liiga kontrastne meik läheb kahvatu nahaga vastuollu. Kaubariiulitel on aga lahti läinud mingi blackest-black maania.

CS Goldstone comparison

Coastal Scents' Goldstone - a lovely muted tarnished gold is a marvelous neutral eyeshadow for both glam and toned down looks. It depends on the color you pick to wear underneath - with a dark base this one turns into a true glam dark golden smoky eye. It's texture is similar to TKB's Forged Gold but the latter is redder, warmer. It's almost the same as Conservatorie's Antique Gold but that one has silver sparkle added into it. I actually thought TKB's Verdigris Gold would be closer but it has a strong dark olive tone to it.

daylight, swatches dry over primer

Hea neutraalne tumedam pehme kuldne toon, peenike struktuur. Niiskel pealekandmisel intensiivne läige. Kuna mul juba sarnane olemas, jääb Goldstone tõenäoliselt kusagile sahtlipõhja seisma.

CS pigment comparison: Greens

TKB's Shamrock Green disappearing from the market is a blow - therefore it's nice to know that there indeed are some alternatives (I have several friends for whom Shamrock is their absolute favorite green). CS's Duochrome Iridicent Green Gold is a marvelous muted green with a strong golden sheen and makes a wonderful alternative. I think it's the gold it contains that makes all the difference - warm greens like this one do not make me look washed out and overly pink.

CS's Sage Blue and TKB's Breath of Spring are similar in their sheerness but not color, Breath of Spring is a tad more sheer and Sage Blue has a darker (muted greenish gray) base. Both of them are accent colors, used over others or perhaps for delicate blending. Sage Blue should not be rubbed, the darker base will come through and make the color muddy. :S 

Kristel rõõmustab - ma leidsin midagi, millega tema lemmikrohelist pigmenti (Shamrock) asendada :). Sage Blue aga on puhtalt tõepoolest rohkem läige kui värv - katvus on minimaalne. Tuleb base-seguga segada, ehk saab katvust juurde kuidagipidi. Mul läbipaistvad primerid ja ei viitsi ihutooni katvat meigialuskreemi vaid selle tühja pärast hankima hakata.

CS pigment comparison: Blues and Purples

Spent a weekend swatching - here are the results:

Left to right: Grape Parfait (TKB), Sagittaire (TKB), Blue-Red Chrome (CS), Pure Purple (TKB), Metallic Pixie Purple (CS), Lavender(Conservatorie), Bishops Violet (TKB), Grape (TKB)

Swatches are dry over Manhattan's eyeshadow primer.

New ones amongst the purples are Coastal Scents'  Blue-Red Chrome and Metallic Pixie Purple. Blue Red Chrome seems to be TKB's Ballad Blue but since do not have it, can't confirm. Description and swatches seem mighty alike though. Has a distinctive red sheen to it. Metallic Pixie Purple is just that -  purple.

It gets more interesting with the blues, I could have sworn the Duochrome Sparkle BY226Y is a dupe for Pisces Blue - alas no. The latter has darker blue base. The intensity of the base actually reminded me of Capricorn Sea.


Duochrome BG826C is pretty Close to Indian Blue but it's less "blue", less opaque. It seems a tad greener too - I'd say if you have one, do not bother with getting the other.  CS webpage suggests other wholesalers may sell the same color under the name of Coral Reef. M.K. commented on this post that it's not a dupe for TKB's Coral Reef but it could  be Conservatories's (Conservatorie has messed up the pic for their Coral Reef pigment - it's orange there).

Top row: Duochrome Sparkle BY226Y (CS) and Duochrome BG826C (CS)
Bottom row: Pisces Blue, Ocean Green, Capricorn Sea, Indian Blue,
Lucky Green (all TKB)

One thing I would like to know though - Why is it that these CS colors don't have names? They are so bloody difficult to remember this way...

Need kaks esimest, Metallic Pixie Purple ja Blue-Red Chrome on veidi õnnetud toonid: kumki pole mu jaoks eriti kantav. Esimene on suht igav tavaline lilla ning teine on veidi põnevam kuid siiski nagu sinikas.

Duochrome Sparkle sobiks mõnele diskotibile, efektne näki-meik, Duochrome BG meeldib neist neljast mulle endale kõige rohkem - kõige kantavam. Selle tooni muutumine kuldse, roheka ja sinaka vahel teeb ta kantavamaks kui seda oleks  puhas sinine.

Twitter account now opened!

Am slow in using new hip! tech solutions, joined FB just last year ( I still do not see the point of it really) and Twitter just about now. I promise not to be spamming and most of my info will probably be on sales and joint hauls :)

My Twitter account is IRPale and I know irpale should actually be a word in Finnish, is it not? I could be wrong :) but Liis_K was already taken...

Tegin endalegi Twitteri. Selle peamiseks eesmärgiks on allahindlustest ja grupitellimustest teavitamine. Niiet palun kõigil, kes seda blogi loevad ja kel tekib tahtmine e.l.f'i, TKB Tradingu, EDMi või kasvõi Coastal Scentsi või Conservatorie kraami kas ise või ühishankena soetada, mind oma listi lisada. Ma luban, et ei spämmi - pole seda sorti tegelane. Saadan edasi vaid sooduspakkumisi ja teinekord kutseid ühis hankega liitumiseks. Ma ei jaksa kõiki huvilisi, kes mulle kirjutanud, ise meeles pidada - palun vabandust :S

EOTD Blue: CS Duochrome BG826C with TKB's Antique Silver

Coastal Scents' Duochrome BG826C thickly on the upper lid (1/3), blended upwards with TKB's Antique Silver (Duochrome BG826C has spread itself all over lid, making it look badly blended - should be only on the lower 1/3 of the upper lid)

Archetype's Yellow Beige level 1 as foundi (1 layer over Monistat's anti-chafing gel), Coastal Scents' Duochrome Red-Orange as blush.

The entire thing looks sloppy on the pics.

Duochrome BG826C is a lovely intensive color (a wearable turquoise blue), looks more blue in artificial light and more greenish in daylight. Reminds me slightly of TKB's Ocean Green and Indian Blue all at the same time, I'll compare them during the weekend.

Lips done with Lumene Natural Code Smile Booster lipstick in Mauve Rose.

Small Coastal Scents haul

Almost 3 years in MMU and no CS piggies - unheard of! This flaw has been now fixed - starting from last week I am a proud owner of some CS mica samples and a couple of duo-fibre eye brushes. CS micas are $1 a teaspoon baggie, there's no minimum order and shipping seems to be quite quick.

There are no decent swatches available on their homepage, swatches of the micas are quite difficult to find (their palettes on the other hand are reviewed a lot) and therefore I'm very grateful to MK who has  made lots of CS swatches and put them up in her blog Polish&Pigments for all of us to marvel.

Here are the piggies I got:

Duochrome Iridicent Green Gold - looks dirty, must compare to TKB's greens;
Duochrome Sparkle BY226J - reminds me of TKB's Ocean Green but the base looks somewhat darker;
Sage Blue - bluegreen shimmer;
Goldstone - olive gold, will compare to antique golds of other companies;
Duochrome BG826C - on the homepage it said this could be TKB's Coral Reef but I do not have that to check;
Blue-Red Chrome - I suspect this could be TKB's Ballad Blue which I do not have;
Metallic Pixie Purple - will compare to TKB's purples, reminds me of my least favorite purple, TKB's Pure Purple from Edda's set;
Duochrome Red Orange - lovely golden red color, seems awfully familiar;
Foliage Flutter - nothing like TKB's version, this one is much more pink toned;
Chrome Carmine - reminds me of TKB's Apricot and Conservatorie's Gold Earth.

Coastal Scents mica swatches, colors applied dry over Manhattan's primer
(with the exception of Sage blue which is applied wet)

I do not trust CS ingredient labels. Last night as I pressed some of the colors, some of them bled on me. And this does NOT happen, when product is plain mica. This means there must be some alum dyes in there that are not listed on the ingredients list. What do you think?

Lõpuks ometi on mu kollektsioonis ka veidi CS vilgusegusid ja paar pintslit. Valisin proovimiseks duokroomseid toone ja duo-fibre silmapintsleid. Nonde kohta tuleb veel eraldi postitus. Pakk jõudis kiirelt kohale, alla kahe nädala võttis aega - ning lisaks oli juurde pandud imepisike clam-shell tester miski sädeleva roosa puruga. Järgmisel nädalavahetusel võrdlen erinevate hulgimüüjate sarnaseid toone. Peale seda ei taha jälle oma kuu aega midagi swatchida.

Pigmendid on siin pildil kuivalt Manhattani silmameigi aluskreemile pintseldatud - tavaliselt teen swatchid märjalt, seekord ei viitsinud.  Sage Blue on pigem shimmer, katvus on väga nõrk - meenutab TKB Breath of Spring'i, mis on rohelisem ja veelgi läbipaistvam läige/sädelus. Selle pidin märjaks tegema, muidu ei jäänud pea üldse näha.


PS! To all devastated fans of the TKB's discontinued Shamrock green - CS's Duochrome Iridicent Green Gold is almost a dupe! It's more golden while Shamrock is greener but the extra green can be added :P

e.l.f. mineral brush series

Actually I do not understand, why e.l.f made this set and called it the mineral set - it has no kabuki on it's own. I would have thought they'd aim at something like the Ecotools bronzer brush (which I do not have).

I did not pick all the brushes for reviewing, left out the C-brush because on other ppl's pics it looked like the copy of the studio version. Overall: these brushes look and feel good, no shedding.

Lets start from left:

Blending eye brush - it's somewhat shorter and smaller then the rest, round tipped and fluffy, bristles are set in a round ferrule and have plenty of space for moving. Mine has become slightly flat in transit. It's weird that so far e.l.f. has still not come out with a fluffy yet pointed tipped blender/crease brush - they're all round.

Complexion brush is pretty much just another color version of the Studio complexion brush, slightly more compact and dense. Bristles are shorter and ferrule narrower.

Powder brush - is floppy, airy - all good qualities if one wants only a slight layer of powder on the skin. It's not suitable for mineral powder application, only if one wishes a feather-light application but most of us aim for full coverage anyway. This one shed a couple of bristles. Heavenly softness though...

Contour brush - is a stiff pencil brush, has a domed tip. This one is suitable for applying color in the crease but blending should be left to the blending brush. I think for a contour brush the tip is rather big, people with small eyes like me will have difficulties using it for this purpose. BUT it can also be used as a concealer brush to hide pimples :). Not for the under eye concealer, cause the brush seems rather stiff.

Blush brush - has a small condensed head. At first I thought it to be useless but then - it's just the right size for contouring and apples of the cheeks. Beautifully tapered, no rogue hairs peaking out at weird angles.

Here's the blush brush with it's brethren: left is Studio blush brush, which for me is useless but other ppl love and on the right a random angled blush brush from syntho brushes series The Conservatorie offers. All three have luxuriously soft bristles but different shapes.

Tiny mineral set mimics Ecotools. Brushes are pretty much the same and it looks fine for a travel set. I do not use travel sets, I travel with my full sized brushes. Both mini kabukis seem too small for me, perfect for kids though - in a play makeup set or something. Or maybe in someone's clutch bag but even then I'd choose a loaded retractable kabuki.

Here they are compared to Ecotools: 

The pouches look similar too, e.l.f. pouch being more practical, cause it's a tiny bit bigger. Ecotools' powder brush does not fit in the Ecotools bag, it's squashed there because of the bag being too small. Eyeshadow brush is slightly narrower but not as narrow as it looks on the pic - it has just slided to an unphotographable angle.

Mineral seeria pintslid tunduvad enam vähem samad mis tavaseeria omad - vaid värvivahe. Kõik on ülipehmed ning vaid suur puudripintsel viskas paar karva. Samas on mul raskusi mõistmisega - miks neid pintsleid mineraalmeigi sarja all müüakse? Selles komplektis ei ole ju ühtki bufferit ega kabukit?
Suur puudripintsel on pehme ja hõre, st et annab ülikerge katvuse. Sobib pealispuudritele, meigi kinnitamiseks jne. Tõenäoliselt hea ka väga õhukese päikesepuudrikihi pealekandmiseks.
Complexion brush on nagu tavaline chisel põsepunapintsel, veidi väiksem  ning kompaktsem kui Studio seeria oma. Põsepunapintsel on pisi-pisikese otsaga - olin päris üllatunud. Aga see ots on tihe ning pintsel ise kvaliteetselt tehtud, sobib põsepuna kandmiseks põsesarnadele ning kontuurimiseks.
Hajutuspintsel (blending brush) on kogult väiksem kui teised, lühema varrega. St et vajub teiste kõrval kusagile topsisügavustesse. Ots on ümar, pehme ja piisavalt pisike, et ka minu silmavakku mahtuda. 
Kontuurimispintsel (contour brush) ei tundu mulle ülesannete kõrgusel olema, liiga suure otsaga ja jäik. Kujutan ette, et sobiks paremini peitepuudreid/kreeme peale kandma. 
Pisike travel set on Ecotools'i koopia, nii suuruselt kui funktsioonilt. 

EOTD blue-green: Coastal Scents' Sage Blue

 CS Sage Blue all over lid, TKB's Breath of Spring in the crease and Champagne on the brow-bone. Simply Naturals' Twilight dry on upper lash line. Used Monistat anti-chafing gel as primer for second day in a row, this time with Archetype's foundation and could see no improvement. Foundi is still melting off the T-zone (look at the forehead just above the nose).

Sage Blue is a cousin of Breath of Spring, somewhat more opaque but still with weak coverage, where Sage blue has blue sheen Breath of Spring has it green. Nice wearable color, goes well with pale skin tone but probably would go better with eyes that are not blue.

pic taken in daylight 5 hours after application

e.l.f Signature in silver

Before I put this in my cart I tried to find pics of what the product looks like - could not see any good ones. So here are pics of the e.l.f. Signature make-up bag, two compartments. Brand new and seems fine for a medium sized makeup case. 

Silver is not bright silver but has a more antique silver look to it, much more sophisticated. Zipper of the smaller compartment does not run well, gets stuck on the corners.

I dislake the messiness of a dump bag so the extra room for brushes and smaller things comes in handy. It would be better if the small compartment visible on the last photo would have a zipper too. Too small for my brushes this bag :). It found a good loving home at a friend's place.

Kott on keskmise suurusega, aus ja kena, mõnus tagasihoidlik värvitoon ka. Mulle veidi väike aga iseenesest oli neist väga meeldiv pintsitele omaette tasku teha. Pintslitasku vastas olev tasku võiks lukuga olla, tundub, et sealt võivad asjad välja libisema hakata. e.l.f'il on ka üks kaheosaline magnetiga kott aga seda igaks juhuks ei proovinud - magnetid ja rahakotis asuvad pangakaardid ei saa nimelt kuigi hästi läbi. Hea on, et enamus pangakaarte nüüd pigem kiipidega :).

Pretty soap

This is made in Saaremaa and sold in a shop in Old Town. 

I found it very drying on my skin.

There was no information regarding ingredients, and it was a gift. 

Looks pretty though :)

A largeish mainly brush haul from e.l.f

Most of the stuff is the same as I already have: Studio brushes (I've ended up supplying all my friends with those), but I took some blushes and the golden bronzer for them too. Rest I put up for sale our local beauty forum Buduaar.

The blushes surprised me - I did not know that blush is half the size of bronzer. I have very small hands and even in my palm the blush seemed smallish to me. Colors are good, Pink Passion is excellent for fair skinned ladies who aim for the fresh "just came in from outdoors"-look and Candid Coral is perfect for the more neutral look. I cannot imagine how darker-skinned ladies can pull Candid Coral off - it's slightly golden beige on me but on tanned skin it's only showing up as golden glow (or so I presume).
Texture of the blushes seemed rather loose and creamy to me, I could not detect chalkiness. Color pay-off is good and I hope people who got them now, are happy with them.

I did not swatch the Golden Bronzer but the overall feel I've got of it was good - I could use it as a bronzer were I a person who uses bronzers :). packaging of the Studio blushes and bronzers feels nice to the touch and looks good as well. Could also be used as a light metallic neutral eyeshadow quad.

Eye brushes from the Essential line

I also took a bundle of the cheapo eyeshadow brushes, first time for me to see the slanted Defining Eye Brush - overall impression, it looks good for this price and works. Bristles are not as soft as studio lines' but it'll do the job. Eye Crease Brush was sold out and did not make it to my parcel.

The thing to remember when shopping for the Essential line brushes - you might get lucky and get a brush that's fit to serve you for years to come but you might also get such crap you'll refuce to use anywhere near your eyes. It's like a lottery.

Studio brushes still look good and have retained their superior quality, studio kabukis are sold out yet again, they really are very popular.

face brushes from the Studio line

Studio ja Essential sarjade kvaliteedivahe on tohutu. Essentiali asju ostes on tegu loteriiga - kas joppab või mitte. Võib saada kohutava kvaliteediga asju aga samas võib vaat et meigikotis asendamatuks jubinaks osutuda. Enne ostmist tuleks e.l.f'i kodulehel reviewdega tutvuda. Essentiali üks parimaid asju on 1$ ripsmekoolutaja, aastaga pole mul ikka veel kumm läbi kulunud.

Lähemalt nendest konkreetsetest pintslitest: Essential line pintslid on naturaalsest karvast st et ülipehmed nad pole. Samas haarab naturaalne karv pulberpigmenti paremini kui Studio eyeshadow C-brushi taklonkarvad. Nood sobivad jälle paremini kreemjate lauvärvide ja pigmentide niiske pealekandmise jaoks. Minu Essentiali pintslid ajavad vähemalt alguses kohutavalt karva ning enen kasutamist peab neid tingimata pesema.

Studio pintslid on tuntud oma headuses: nahal pehmed ning üldjuhul karva ei aja. Häda on puidust pintslivartega, mis kipuvad loksuma (pestes saab pintsel vett ja vars paisub, kuivades tõmbub kokku) - siin aitab suts liimi.

Ülemisel pildil vasakpoolseim on e.l.f. Studio Complexion brush mis on sisuliselt suur õhuline puudripintsel, jumestuskreemile meiki kinnitava puudri pealekandmiseks, särapuudri õrnaks levitamiseks või kasvõi päikesepuudri/põsepuna jaoks, kui pole vaja väga täpselt peale kanda.

Keskmine pintsel on e.l.f'i Studio seeria Powder brush, mis oli e.l.f.'i Studio seeria parim toode aastal 2010. See on lameda otsaga tihe flat-top pintsel, millega saab peale kanda mineraalpuudrit ja jumestuskreemi (tugev katvus). Osad kasutavad põsesarnade kontuurimisel. Mu parim ost aastal 2010.

Parempoolseim on uusim lisandus e.l.f'i Studio sarja: stippler ehk skunk ehk duo-fiber pintsel. Suuruselt vastab MAC 188le ehk sellele väiksemale kuid on painduvam (see pole skungi puhul just parim omadus). Stipplerid on jumestuskreemi pealekandmiseks ideaalsed (õhem katvus, pintsel võtab vähem toodet sisse), tulemus jääb suurepärane - ei mingeid triipe ega ebaühtlusi, jumestuskreem tuleb sellega nahale tupsutada. See konkreetne pintsel on väikese pindalaga, terve näo ülekäimine võtab igaviku niiet soovitaksin seda pigem (kreemjate/pressitud/puuderjate) põsepunade ja highlighterite jaoks. Need on nüüd otsas... :S

Studio line face kabuki

Studio kabuki on ülipehme, sobib suurepäraselt tundliku nahaga inimeste meigikotti. Saab kasutada mineraalpuudri jaoks või ka tavalise tolmpuudri pealekandmiseks. Suurepärane ka põsepuna hajutamiseks, kui kogemata liiga palju peale kantud sai. Pintsel on väga pehme ja temaga ei saa hästi mineraalpuudrit naha sisse "buffida" nagu paljud mineraalmeigitootjad soovitavad - see pintsel on sobilikum kerge katvuse saavutamiseks. Tugeva katvuse jaoks on targem võtta Studio Powder brush (ülemisel pildil keskmine).

Lumene Natural Code lipstick from the Smile Booster series - Mauve Rose

I was enthralled by the packaging - beautiful black base and delicate green print on top.

Color looks rather bright in the pics, it's a lovely wearable darkish pink color, creamy and covering. Feels wonderful on the lips and goes well with my more neutral eye looks. I think this was a very appropriate use of the Kaubamaja gift card :D

Lumene Natural Code lipstick Smile Booster nr 2 Mauve Rose

I'll wait with the lip swatch until I have some light again, hopefully it'll be soon. Ingredients are not so natural as the Lumene Wild Rose series lipsticks have it (those are more sheer, like glosses). There are some lake dyes in here.

But I wonder WHY do our shops mangle our toiletries this way:

the glue just wont come off... any advice?

this is what it looks like now... after I tried to remove it
with oil and when that did not work, acetone :S

Paber õnnestus õliga maha hõõruda kuid liimijäljed jäid. Atsetoon seevastu muutis kokkupuutel plastikuga tolle krobeliseks ja nüüd näeb tuttuus huulepulk suhteliselt kole välja. Kahju. Pakend ise ju väga kena disainiga. Häbi Sulle, maaletooja (või kesiganes neid silte kleebib)!

Favorite brushes 2010

These here are the most used brushes of 2010.

Most used eye makeup brush is the 4th one (from top to bottom) on the pic: The Makeup Brush Company's small tapered chisel eyeshadow brush. Best I've seen, nobody else seems to carry a brush like this one. It is beautifully made and works like a dream.

favorite eye-shadow brushes

EDM's eye kabuki - for under-eye concealer, I pat/stipple EDM's Pearl Sunlight Concealer under my eyes with it;
EDM's smudge brush - smudging the liner and for applying strong colors in tiny amounts in the crease (in circular movements), also used to conceal an occasional pimple, it's stiff and has a nice small brush-head;
TMUBC's large eyeshadow brush - for patting on the shadow in large amounts, good for pressed shadows, it's basically an ordinary C-brush;
TMUBC's small eyeshadow brush - my HG eyeshadow brush, small enough for my small eyes, grabs and disperses the pigment  perfectly, wonderfully tapered on one side; I do not use the other end, the slant eyeliner's bristles are weakish and bendy;
EDM's angled blending brush - wonderful soft and fluffy brush for blending small areas under the browbone, allows detailed work too;
The Conservatorie's  syntho eyeshadow brush - the bristles are excellent for loose pigments, grabs those perfectly, does not shed but is a bit too big and therefore looses to the wonderfully tapered TMUBC's small eyeshadow brush;
e.l.f's new angled blending brush from the Studio series - it's quite big and I use it for applying skin-colored pigment on the brow-bone (first step in my makeup application after applying primer), it gives a good thick application and creates a nice base for blending;
TMUBC's blending brush - I use this when I use all sorts of shimmery duochrome stuff to blend from the crease towards the  brow-bone, gives a very subtle result;
Ecotools blending brush from the mineral collection sits in my travel kit - I use it to blend from crease towards the browbone;
e.l.f studio series angled eyeliner brush - it's small, thin and not flimsy - I use it with cream liners and to smudge the eyeliner more forcefully.

Most used face brushes:

favorite face brushes

e.l.f studio complexion brush - for light application of powder or mineral veil or silica microspheres;
e.l.f studio stipple brush - for blush and highlighter (it's also usable with liquid foundations but I'm mostly into MMU, it's abit small so applying liquid foundation all over face will take some time - but the result is excellent);
e.l.f studio powder brush - a cheap versatile flat-top brush, that one can use for powder or liquid products, a lot of people use it for stippling liquid foundation. I use it to apply MMU, once I've become accustomed to use flat-top brushes, there's no way back - the coverage it gives is just amazing on the bad skin days;
EDM's smudge brush for pimple-action:
EDM's eye kabuki for highlighting cheekbones, nose and lips-chin;
for some reason EDM's long handled kabuki is not on the pic - I use this when I need only light coverage of MMU.

EDM is Everyday Minerals, the company has screwed it's loyal customers over for couple of times in the last few years and is therefore not with a very good renomeé. Their brushes are good though.

e.l.f is a cosmetics company well known for their affordable price range, has eStores in US and Europe, available in some shops in US too; offers wonderful sales in the US web stores, sales in UK's store are not as good and price level is a lot higher.

TMUBC is The Makeup Brush Company, located in the UK and specialized in producing and selling high quality professional makeup-brushes. If you can afford, I warmly recommend.