A mini pony = awesomeness.
A mini pony brush = even more awesomeness!
Say howdy to Shu Uemura’s Portable Natural Brush 14 ($30) — a friend to dark circles everywhere.
I spend a lot of time not sleeping. It’s one of my hobbies… not sleeping. Consequently, I rely on under-eye concealer to hide my dark circles, and to set it I’ll use a little bit of powder and Shu’s Natural Brush 14.
The smallish, fluffy brush head (made with pony hair) fits perfectly into the nook under my eyes. It’s one of the softest brushes in my arsenal and feels like a kiss from Tabs on my delicate skin. Just one swipe applies a sheer veil of powder — natural, not heavy or cakey at all.
At $30 it’s not a cheap tool, but ladies who take makeup seriously could consider it an investment.
Why? Because this pony multitasks!
I like to layer blushes. With Natural 14, I can add a pop of bright blush on top of a muted shade.
It even doubles as a cheek highlighter brush (to avoid the dreaded disco shimmer), where I’ll use it to precisely apply highlighter on my upper cheeks bones.
But wait, there’s more! I can also use it to apply powder in tight spaces around my nose and lips.
I used to still dream of coming home to my very own pony one day… At least this one’s relatively affordable, and you don’t have to worry about feeding it, haaaaay! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A
Big hair!
I’m almost too ashamed to admit this, but I spent my entire lunch break obsessing over Beyonce’s big hair at the MTV Music Video Awards.
The ‘do is speaking to my soul! Is it my late-’80s inner teen diva begging to come out and play?
If big hair ever makes a full-fledged comeback, how big would you go? I think I’d go pretty big.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
lol i like this little brush you know i have ISSUES when it comes to dark circles
i think long hours at a computer also aids my issue – FATIGUE – it doesnt help not one bit!!! for example its just shy of 8pm here in ny and guess where i am at- WORK !
girl i keep my hair relatively big as you know my signature is the curly mad scientist look lol !
i say if your soul cries for it do it you can always go back as long as you dont do the sprayed side bangs i think we are okay lol
Hi Yadi,
Oy — I feel ya pain! I hate those late “I gotta make this deadline” nights. 🙁 Will you get to go home soon?
Its so dinky and cute!! I wouldnt want to use it and get it dirty!!
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Hi Tali,
LOL! It’s like a brush for elves. Love it!
I love big hair, and my hair is stick straight and fine on top of that. But still, whenever I style it big, I am so so happy.
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Hi Meghan,
Yah, me too… if it’s cute. If it’s like uncontrollable big then that’s another story. 🙂
Have you ever heard of the Bumble & Bumble Thickening line? It’s supposed to be really good for building body.
I love the graphics on this posting. I would never have imagine using such a fluffy brush for concealer. I will definitely check this out at the Shu Uemura the next time a go by. I know what you mean by your pony daydreams. When I was in elementary school I always imagine going to school and back home on a pony. LOL.
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Hi Amy,
Ha, I refuse to give up that dream!
About ten minutes away from my apartment there’s this place called Horse Hill where folks keep their ponies. I drive by them all the time and secretly wish for one of my own.
Indeed this little brush is kind of expensive but if you are considering its advantages then is it really worth the investment. Karen I see that you’ve mentioned having dark circles. Why don’t you try using an eye cream that will reduce puffiness around the eyes and diminish the dark circles instead of covering with makeup?
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Hi Tavia,
I’ve tried those before but have yet to see real results.
Sleep seems to be the best thing! Oh, and not eating crap…
Hey Karen! I have this one and I can use it for very pigmented blushes too if I use a light hand. Great for adding a pop of colour as you say. Otherwise I find it a bit too small to use as a blush brush – I’m still hankering after #20! 😛
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Hi Paris B.,
Yeah, it would be a great blush brush for a teeny tiny face. 🙂
Ah, I have the 20! Seriously, just cave in and get it… it’s a lovely brush!
For being a shu product, that brush is pretty reasonable in price.
I watched her performance on MTV.com like 10 times. Girl is fierce!
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Hi Marisol,
RIGHT? I want to bring out my inner Sasha. Beyonce, show me the way!
In the late 80s/early 90s I got a lot of perms. I had big hair for days. My hair was naturally stick straight and heavy with no body. All I dreamt of was big hair back then. Now that my hair has turned mysteriously wavy in my 30s, I do wear it big sometimes. My hair is too short to really do it up without looking like a giant puffball, but yeah, I would definitely do really big hair if it was longer. I would not get a perm again, but I ain’t got nothing against giant velcro rollers and a can of volumizing spray. 🙂
Hi Sole,
How interesting… mine did the same thing when I turned 12. It used to be stick straight and then suddenly, waves.
Did you have a spiral perm? Everybody at my school had a spiral perm!
Oh, my 80’s hair was a architectural feat! Towering, I tell you.
Shu’s the best. I don’t have any of their brushes, but I know they are probably fabulous. I’m not crazy about the size though. I store my brushes upright in a glass and the little ones just get lost in there. Maybe I need a teeny, tiny juice glass for some of them? Hmmm….
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Hi Stef,
Yeah! That would look so cute… like the mini babies of the brush bunch!
natural brushes are always cruel but now they’ve gone on to PONIES?! i can’t believe you advertised this
Hi Holly,
You know how much I love animals, but I don’t think the ponies are harmed to make these brushes. Let me know if you’ve read differently and I’ll followup. In the meantime, two synthetic options are brushes made by both Urban Decay and Eco Tools. From my experience they both make very good synthetic brushes.
Sounds cool! I think Powder does tend to give me a crepey look with my usual brush, so I just might give this a shot! I have to find a Shu Uemura counter somewhere anyway, I heard they’ve got a fabulous eyelash curler. Now if only I knew how to pronounce it…
Have you seen Mariah Carey’s hair lately? She’s going back to her original poofy waves as well! I think it’s fierce!
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Holly, pony hair brushes (and goat, too) come from trimming the animal’s fur, so they’re not harmed.
If you’re worried about which animals are killed for their fur for brushes, avoid badger hair. I’m unsure about squirrel hair brushes. I’ve been meaning to check up on that…
I just checked and apparently, squirrel hair tends to come from shaving the squirrel’s belly. Hooray!
L – that’s very very good to know. I will avoid badger brushes especially..although that’s so hard since I’ve heard some of Coastal Scent’s best brushes are badger hair =(
I guess I just find it hard to believe that since there’s so many disposable horses (horses are my “thing”), why would people bother to be kind and keep them alive and wait for their hair to grow back, you know what i mean? I’d love to think some nice farmer has a contract with them that they get to shave their horses’ manes and tails to sell to shu uemura.
My better guess is that they have made a deal with some slaughter houses or something… they get the manes/tails while the other houses get the meat? :\
eh not sure but that’s what I think would be most likely
I just got this @ the Shu U sale over the weekend! Cannot wait to use it.
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