Review: Manicare Precision Blending Sponge vs Beauty Pod

Manicare Precision Blending Sponge vs Beauty Pod Airbrush FX Sponge

Over the last few months I have enjoyed both the Manicares Precision Blending Sponge & the Beauty Pod's sponge to apply my liquid foundations.

I purchased these both in Australia but I am not sure on the availability of these internationally although both do look very similar in shape & size to the Sonia Kashuk beauty sponge I see so often in v/posts.

Before I get to the nitty gritty of my findings lets look at the stats for each:

First Opponent

Manicare Precision Blending Sponge

This is available where most Manicare beauty items are available, eg Priceline, Big W, K Mart & selected pharmacies in Australia.

It retails for around $8AU & is made of latex. It is about 70mm long when dry & comes in a dark purple colour. Manicare claims that the sponge will deliver a "flawless foundation application" & can also be used for concealer & blush.

How it works

It directs that the pointed end is to be used to camouflage areas with concealer or foundation & the rounded end is for applying foundation in a blending motion around the face & neck. For powder it needs to be dusted on the end.

Opponent two

Beauty Pod Airbrush FX Sponge

This is available at selected beauty supply stores (I purchased mine at www.makeupandglow.com.au) but I have not yet seen it available in mainstream department stores or pharmacies (please if someone has please let me know!).

It retails around $12-$13AU & it typically comes in a purple magenta but I did pick up the two special edition colours - pink & black. All it states on the packaging is that it is made of 'non-latex sponge" & it is also 70mm long when dry. It claims it will give a "professional finish..airbrush fx" & "makeup artist results". It only mentions use for foundations & concealers & to be used damp.

How it works

The same applies for foundation & concealer (pointed & wide end of sponge). However it states to "dampen" the sponge before use & that it will swell. There is no mention of use with powder or for blush (although I did test it with both powder, cream & liquid blushes as with the Manicare sponge for a comparison).

Performance Tests

Admittedly I am happily obsessed with trying makeup brushes & have had very little "experience" with the use of sponges with my foundations but I was very impressed with how both sponges applied my foundations & how surprisingly quick I could do my face.

I used each sponge daily for a month each & tried all my liquid & cream foundations & concealers as well as blushes. I also tried to apply my compact powder foundations when the sponges were wet. Although the Beauty Pod states to "dampen" the sponge I also tried using it when dry in order to compare it to the Manicare sponge.

How well they performed

When dry:

Liquid & cream foundations, concealers & blush: I preferred the feel & finish of the liquid foundations & concealers when the sponges were wet. I felt the sponges "pulled" a bit on my face as I applied the makeup but they still gave a decent finish if I buffed the foundation/concealer in. Although both performed similarly to apply the concealer with the pointed end, I still found myself reaching for a brush or smoothing the makeup with my fingers.

Powders: I did think the Manicare gave a better finish with powder blush & powder foundation possibly because of the "rougher" texture the latex sponge had in comparison with the Beauty Pod which is much softer & "velvety".

However both sponges appeared to crumble slightly by the fourth application when using when dry as in the photo below. Tiny pieces of the latex sponge on the Manicare applicator seemed to have fallen out & made the surface on the rounded end a little bit rougher in texture & feel. Whereas the non-latex sponge in the Beauty Pod suffered less damage, but small pockets appeared to have opened in the material in the centre of the rounded end.

Round result winner: Manicare Precision Beauty Sponge

Above: (L-R) Beauty Pod Airbrush FX Sponge & Manicare Precision Blender Sponge rounded ends

When wet:

Liquid & cream foundations & concealers: Using both sponges wet did feel much easier on the skin to blend & buff (not so much "dragging" sensation). However the texture of the non-latex sponge of the Beauty Pod was hands down so much more softer & gentler on the skin than the Manicare one.

Also the Beauty Pods swells up much more when wet & gives slightly more surface area to apply makeup as demonstrated in the picture below. The pod is also easier to blend & buffs quicker & more effectively than the Manicare sponge.

I did like how the Beauty Pod gave me almost an "airbrushed" look to the application, although in part the tool is only as good as the makeup & how well the applier blends. But it was definitely much easier & more pleasant to use than the Manicare sponge when wet.

Over time both sponges became slightly more pock marked in the rounded end which got the most use, but the Manicare sponge got more "damaged in battle"

Powders: I was not particularly impressed with using either of the sponges on my compact powders or even trying to use them with my blushes. I didn't feel I was getting anywhere near "MUA results" or that "professional finish" but that may have been in part to years of using brushes & I didn't like the "dabbing" motion I had to employ in order not to get a streaky look to my makeup or ruining any of the foundation application underneath.

Round result winner: Beauty Pod Airbrush FX Sponge

Above: (L-R) Beauty Pod Airbrush FX Sponge & Manicare Precision Blender Sponge when wet

Care/Maintenance:

With both I washed them 3-4 times a week with a gentle cleanser (baby shampoo) or an actual brush cleanser. I also tried the "anti-bacterial liquid" soap that is recommended for the Manicare sponge as well as "gentle soap" as is directed for the Beauty Pod for both sponges.

No matter how long I cleaned them though both were "stainted" with the tint of my foundation (not so much blush as they are red based colours). So during the last week of each trial I even resorted to "spot cleaning" them - spraying them lightly with my brush cleaner sprays & dabbing them onto a towel. (This did not help but at least I felt the sponges were "refreshed" in between washes.)

Overtime with the sponges becoming more pocketed in the rounded ends it is possible that more makeup would build up in these areas. Neither of the sponges appeared visibly affected by the cleansing routine & there was no dye running or fading of the colours.

However as the Beauty Pod swelled up more than the Manicare sponge it did take longer to clean out the soap as it seemed to absorb more liquid. But I believed that since it was more absorbent it would also be easier to wash more thoroughly & therefore rinse any makeup product out better than its opponent sponge.

Once dry the Beauty Pod also felt lighter after a good cleanse than the Manicare sponge even though both are of similar proportions when dry.

Round result winner: Beauty Pod Airbrush FX Sponge

Final Round

Overall I preferred the Beauty Pod to apply my liquid/cream foundations & blushes & even like it better than my brushes (for now).

I didn't want to reach for the Manicare sponge (dry or damp) to apply powder foundation or blush but still like it to use for liquid foundation only if my Beauty Pod & stippling brushes are out of action.

Even though the price point & accessibility is better for the Manicare Precision Sponge I would happily pay the few dollars more to get another Beauty Pod.

Winner "sponges down" for me is the Beauty Pod Airbrush FX Sponge

Review: Bahar Skincare

Natural/Organic Based Skincare Series

Over the recent months I have been enjoying a variety of natural based skin products. I will be doing a spotlight on my favourite product from a brand on my blog, as well as getting an insight into the brand from its creators. I will also feature a more indepth review on my Youtube channel.

Bahar Skincare

The first one in this organic skincare series will be Bahar Skincare of which I was kindly sent 5 products (plus a fan brush). Thanks to Joanne for giving me the opportunity to try the range as well as to nwa112 for requesting the review!

Inspiration Behind the Bahar Skincare Brand

The director Joanne Mananis was kind enough to give me an insight into the creation of the brand. When she developed the brand she was working as a Geologist & Environmental Scientist who became fascinated by the fact that so many natural clays & plant extracts absorbed vital minerals over thousands of years, in the "nutrient rich waters of the sea".

So appropriately the word Bahar is an arabic word meaning "the sea". The range of products contain Certified Organic ingredients, plant extracts, natural clays, botanical oils all of which are sourced from all over Australia. The ingredients are also from "renewable plant resources" which make the products "environmentally sustainable".

Bahar Skincare strives to present the products in their most natural form, such as in the dry clay face masks, but also do away with synthetic preservatives. They use natural preservatives that are not only the most costly but are also the most "gentle & effective" with a long shelf live of 2 years per product (prior to opening). After opening the products are viable for up to 6 months.

Bahar tries to show that you can use "purified earth minerals" to take out impurities but also protect & nourish the skin to maintain its health. "We try to educate our customers by explaining that skincare doesn't need to be complicated & that looking after your skin is about going back to nature & not moving further away from it".

So even in this age of using a range of serums & lotions in multiple step processes that seem so popular out on the beauty market, Bahar maintain that "our philosophy is about trying to convey the message that less is more".

Bahar Skincare Review & Product Highlight

(L-R): Bahar Skincare brochure, Soothing Chamomile Toner(100ml) $21.95AU/For normal to oily skin,

Soothing Cleansing Gel (100ml) $21.95AU/For normal to oily skin, Hydrating Face Cream (30ml) $29.95AU/For all skin types,

Antioxidant Eye Cream (20ml) $34.95AU/For all skin types, Go Green Mask (60g) $29.95AU/For Oily or blemished skin & Fan Brush $9.95AU

I tried the products pictured above for a full month in combination to see how they would react with my skin type (combination to oily) & you can watch the full review on my Youtube channel here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arKBi3Ach4k

However my favourite product among them & my "product to highlight" is the Bahar Hydrating Face Cream (30ml). It retails for $29.95AU, is for all skin types & is enriched with marine extracts & green tea. There is no denying that I love using face creams & had high hopes before trying the Bahar one.

As you can see in the picture below it is a pump bottle which dispenses a small amount of face cream that I found more than sufficient to cover my face & neck area. I used it morning & night after I cleansed my face with the Soothing Cleansing Gel & the Soothing Chamomile Toner.

I am happy to say that I truly enjoyed the smooth, non-greasy face cream & indeed found it to be hydrating. It left my skin feeling silky & soft especially when used in combination with the toner before hand. (Which I found interesting because I am generally not one to use toners regularly but I admit I am still using it since finishing the "testing month" & am using it with the face cream as well as throughout the day even when I am just hanging out at home with my no-makeup face!)

I like the light "green tea" scent (well I am not entirely sure that is what the fragrance is as it is so gentle but it smells like yummy green tea to my nose). In fact, none of the products I tried are heavily scented which would be good for those sensitive to strong fragrances that some other botanical oil & plant extract based products out on the market may have.

Above: close up of ingredient list on Bahar Hydrating Face Cream

As I mention in my Youtube review, I love the glass packaging & as the pump top unscrews I will gladly reuse the bottle. All the products are contained in these lovely glass bottles which would make a luxuriously looking gift without that "luxury" price tag.

Although a whole routine of these products together might make for a heavier makeup bag when travelling you can simply repackage. Since the caps/lids/pumps are removable you can easily take what you need in a lighter travel bottle instead. Also as I said in my video post, the glass bottles do not appear to break easily either as my bottle of the Hydrating Face Cream & my tiled bathroom floor demonstrated one day!

My only negative on this product was that I wish there was more of it since I am almost finished it. But as I find the $29.95AU a reasonable price for a handmade, Certified Organic, plant derived product that has the bonus of being from an Australian owned & cruelty free company, it is definitely on my purchase list.

Please let me know any products you have tried from the Bahar Skincare range, or even any products on your natural skincare wish list.

Colette Accessories Blog Giveaway Update

Colette Accessories Blog Giveaway Update

Lets Keep it Short & Sweet - WINNER/S Announced!!

Thank you again to everyone who entered my mini blog giveaway to win the Colette Accessories pieces...I loved all the comment entries on your favourite places to shop or why you would like to win!

Of course I had to draw the winner randomly & without further ado the winner is annie, Youtube user luminesenceify...congratulations!

But..because I enjoyed the comments & of course doing giveaways I did a very little second draw for another pair of the basic silver "Love in Hearts" stud earrings...& the extra "surprise" winner is...JacLarae randomly drew your second comment entry on Facebook!

I am contacting the winners here as well as through Youtube & Facebook if applicable & hope to get those little goodies off to you both asap ;-)

Have a lovely weekend all!

Review: i.d. BareMinerals Loose Foundation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaVmZFayZa8

I love trying different foundations & I especially love mineral foundations having enjoyed both the BellaPierre Cosmetics & Youngblood Mineral ranges for a while now. I have even played at making my own mineral cosmetics thanks to Soapconscious.

So when Recreate Yourself - www.ry.com.au - offered me an opportunity to review one of the i.d. bareMineral foundations by Bare Escentuals I must admit I was definitely keen to, as I had never tried any of the original foundations.

My only previous experience with the i.d. bareMinerals was with the Mineral Veil in feather light which is a nice pearlescent setting powder or can be used as an overall face colour. I had also used the PrimeTime range of primers - check out my Youtube overview here.

I have been using the colour "Medium Beige" which Elle from RY advised me was the most common shade and retails for $58.99AU on the RY site but at the moment is reduced to $52.50AU. I am pleased to report this was a pretty good match as I am a bit darker thanks to some safe summer sun (spf galore of course!).

i.d. bareMineral Loose Foundation (9g) Medium Beige from RY

I have tested the mineral foundation over the last 7.5 weeks & have thoroughly enjoyed using the product - it does help that I love applying mineral makeup in general & that I have a small army of brushes I love to use as you can see below!

A selection of brushes I like to apply mineral foundation as I prefer a

densely bristled yet soft feeling brush - dip the brush in the powder, tap the excess off on the lid & blend thoroughly around the face

The powder is a very finely ground, silky feeling texture & applies very easily to the skin. I found it adhered well to my skin on days I wore a primer, spf moisturiser & even my concealers /correctors. But it also stayed well on days I only wore a tinted spf cream & wanted a light coverage. Generally you can also use mineral foundations as your concealers & build up the coverage depending on how much you apply while blending thoroughly.

I also tried using the foundation as a tinted, light shimmer setting powder & it worked fairly well to set & help my different foundations mousse (Bourgois, Face of Australia & Australis), liquid (Face of Australia, BYS, Mirenesse & Almay) & powder foundations (Covergirl & Rimmel) stay on during the day.

For reference my skin is combination to oily with minimum sensitivity & the longest I wore the mineral foundation would have been 16 hours (without touch up) as I was out most of the day. I experienced only minimal wear around the chin & nose areas.

Ingredients:

Mica - crushed mineral mica, depending on the type, can give a pearlescent sheen to the product & can reflect light to reduce the appearance of fine lines while worn

Bismuth Oxychloride - medium coverage & adhesion with a translucent/very sheer coverage & can provide a shimmer to the product. However, sericite is becoming more popular as there is some debate that bismuth oxychloride can cause irritation & break outs on sensitive skin

Zinc Oxide - good to high matte coverage, good adhesion & slip (ability to stay on the skin & glide & apply while without tugging), & acts as a sunscreen

Titanium Oxide - similar properties as Zinc Oxide but can also be used in conjunction with Mica & the Red Oxides to make the tone/colour of the foundation

Iron Oxides - can be used as pigments to provide colour to the makeup (common ones are red, yellow & black)

For my full review watch my full review video now

Mini Blog Giveaway 2: Colette Accessories

Mini Blog Giveaway 2 (*CLOSED*)

Another Colette Accessories Giveaway!

To fill in the interlude while I write up my next review I thought why not run another little giveaway on my blog? I've already run a few on my Youtube channel & I enjoyed the mini Colette Accessories one I did a few months ago on my blog...so here we are for round two!

You may have seen my last post about some little goodies I picked up at Sportsgirl, well, I couldn't resist & went back but on my way popped into one of my favourite fashion accessory stores - Colette Accessories.

What did I spy in CA? every dress-jewellery-addicted & fashion-accessory-loving lass or lads dream - sales, glorious sales galore! Of course I picked up some goodies & since I have trying to be a smart sale savvy shopper, (don't you love alliteration?), I thought I would share some "sale love" with you!

These are just three cute items I thought kinda matched, or if you didn't want to be too blingy, you could wear then separately either to dress up a casual outfit or to add some more pizazz to your formal wear. So without further ado, lets get to the prize & the how to win it!

What you can win (as pictured below):

- Silver "Birdy" Necklace

- Mega Dia Flower Ring

- Basic Silver "Love in Heart" studs

The mini prize: three fashion jewellery items from Colette Accessories - all are nickel free

Rules:

- Must be a follower of this blog (Penumbra Doll Beauty)

- You must leave a VALID comment entry & only ENTER ONCE (how to enter is below)

- If you are under 18 yrs of age please get your parents permission to enter first as you will need to give out a postal address if you win

- You can enter internationally

- PLEASE, if you are also on Youtube & have a different username leave it as part of your comment entry (just in case I have an issue contacting you via blogspot I will also contact you via Youtube)

- Entries close midnight 29th March (EDT) +1100 UTC & the winner will be drawn & announced by midnight 1st April,2011.

(Winner will be drawn at random & entries will be pooled from my blog & second chance entries on Facebook)

How to enter:

- Leave a comment below, on this POST ONLY, (not on any other blog post)

- The comment must start with "Win this!" (so I know it is an actual entry) & be followed by what is your favourite store/place to shop for fashion accessories or clothing, OR why you would like to win the fashion accessories - easy peasy!

Example comment entry:

PenumbraDoll: "Win this!

One of my favourite places to shop is Colette Accessories because I love the great prices, style & quality" (also Youtube username PensivePenumbra)

Here's a pic of the ring on, size "medium" (I've just slipped it over my finger with the tag on for the photo, promise these items are all new!)

Below: the Silver Birdy necklace, approx 18inch

Hey, want another chance to win?

For a SECOND ENTRY:

You can also enter on my Penumbra Doll Beauty Facebook page

Link here

Rules:

-Must select "LIKE" on the Facebook page & leave your comment entry on my Facebook wall. Entry can be the same as the comment on the blog or can be a different comment, but it must start with "win this!"

- You must leave a VALID comment entry & only ENTER ONCE on the Facebook wall

- If you are under 18 yrs of age please get your parents permission to enter first as you will need to give out a postal address if you win

- You can enter internationally

- PLEASE, if you are also on Youtube & have a different username leave it as part of your comment entry (just in case I have an issue contacting you via blogspot or Facebook, I will also contact you via Youtube)

- Entries close midnight 29th March (EDT) +1100 UTC & the winner will be drawn & announced by midnight 1st April,2011

(Winner will be drawn at random & entries will be pooled from my blog & second chance entries on Facebook)

Happy entering!

Haulage

Time for another spot of haul sharing...

Beauty & Fashion Accessories

Indeed I have been busily acquring baby goodies & "mother" targeted skin care instead of my usual makeup collecting. However, I have recently picked up a few lip balms & some accessories. I mean why not keep the lips hydrated & healthy too plus get some nice but cheap fashion jewellery to perk me up?

I couldn't resist getting a few eos lip balms when I saw they were available at www.addicted2lipbalm.com.au & then ended up getting a few more little goodies.

(L-R): eos lip balms, Organic Essence Lip Balm grapefruit & Figs & Rouge Balm in geranium

I adore the cute little eco tube on the lip balm by Organic Essence which is a paper, bio-degradable tube that you can simply press the end of the product to push the balm up. It is also simply made of beeswax, sunflower oil, shea butter, cocoa butter & flavours.

The Figs & Rouge balm comes in such a gorgeous tin I am keeping it tucked away in my handbag and it applies well to the lips as well as to the body for a light scent of geranium & rose. A lovely little topic starter when you whip it out & start applying it to your pulse points & then the lips! (with clean hands of course)

(L-R) eos Medicated Tangerine (good for cracked lips &/or cold sores) & my fave Summer fruits

Addicted 2 Lip Balm recently started selling the eos lip balms which I had been seeing in so many reviews & hauls on Youtube & just had to try. There are 5 in the range but I picked up the two deliciously fruity sounding Medicated Tangerine & the Summer Fruits of which the latter has now made its new home in my handbag as well for easy application when I am out & about. Plus I admit, I love the packaging & the attention it gets when I get it out.

Fashion Jewellery - a little Pick me Up

Two of my favourite places to pick up affordable & nice quality jewellery are

Sportsgirl & Colette Accessories (albeit I also love Myer for their range of fashion jewellery especially at sale time!)

(L-R): Silver Black & Crystal Jaguar earrings, Owl Silver & Red Studs & Silver Dove studs

I have loved perusing the jewellery section in Sportsgirl for the last few years as they always seem to have quirky & cheap little earrings that can be dressed up or worn to jazz up a casual outfit. I fell in love with the three pairs above, especially the jaguar black & crystal stoned silver earrings that I ended up wearing to dinner that night & felt very glam in them...plus they were only $12.95. The owl earrings were $9.95 & the silver dove studs were a reasonable $7.95 & I am even sporting these as I type this post.

I also have been very impressed with Sportsgirls growing makeup range. It appears everytime I go in there another item has been added to their collection or much to my delight discountinued & marked down.

(L-R): LIghten Up Lip Gloss It Girl & Butter Dream B/Butter in Marshmallow

I picked up the "It Girl" Lighten Up Gloss for $6.95 (regular price of current line is $9.95) but there was a load of discontinued nail polishes, lip liners, powder blushes & other goodies that I just had to walk away from (to easy to get carried away with red mark down stickers & buying everything in sight, plus if I wait a little longer stock will mark down further).

There was also a selection of body butters but the only scent that caught my absolute attention was the Marshmallow body butter ($9.95). I adore the MOR Marshmallow range, especially the Marshmallow body butter but at $29.95 it is something I have only splurged on once. I then found the LeChic Spa Body Butter in Marshmallow at a local grocery store which I thought was a reasonable smelling dupe at $9.99. But I admit the Sportsgirl Body Butter is a good rival for the MOR both in scent & texture so at $9.95 is a good scent bang for your said buck.

I also nabbed two simple but effective little "Love" rings as pictured above. One in silver & one in gold at $7.95 a piece which I thought would be a nice elegant way to add a bit of themed metal to my hands (yes I am one of those people who try to co-ordinate all gold or all silver accessories even down to the silver or gold detailing on the handbag!)

Goody Box from Coast to Coast

The hubby recently got back from a trip to Melbourne & surprised me with a lovely skincare box from Coast to Coast, (which is my valentines gift too.) It has five skincare goodies & a bath mit as pictured below. I have only tried the Desert Peach Lip Balm with Vitamin E, Avocado & organic olive oil - which smells just as divine as it feels on the lips!

(L-R), Rainforest range: Contour Leg Balm, Foot Exfoliant, Contour Body Balm, Invigorating Body Cleanser & Desert Peach Lip Balm...oh & the sea shell (!) can be purchased to put in the gift box (that also has to be purchased separately)

Admittedly he asked the sales assistant for products specially for his pregnant wife & she recommended all of these. The four body products state on the back that you should speak to your doctor if you are pregnant or your aromatherapist. Although it appears to be just a general precaution but I may consult my GP first, however I am not allergic to any of the ingredients or suffering any sensitivity at the moment but I may not go crazy in applying the Contour Leg Balm as it contains Caffeine.

I will do a review on the range once I have had a chance to enjoy them all

For more of the range visit: www.coasttocoastaustralia.com

One last little gem my hubby picked up was this cute trio of babushka printed glasses called "Babushkups" by Fred. They are adorable & yes, Babushka dolls as well as any Babushka embellished items are yet another thing which I collect! He got them for me to put "makeup stuff/business" in & stop using his own little collection of white Guzzini plasticware. Fair enough too & we are both happy ;-)