Hey guys!

So this is another discounted item that I received courtesy of the company through Tomoson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. I was actually on the hunt for new brushes to upgrade my old ones, and when I saw this promotion on the site I had to jump on it. So clearly, the discount did not in any way influence how my review of these brushes came out.

So right away I found these brushes very soft. The foundation brush, blusher brush, contour brush, and fluffy blush are all very dense while still having that softness that you want when applying powder foundations. There is a bit of a smell, so wash them right away and then let them air out. The smell is just the glue used to hold the brush together, nothing bad at all so don’t freak out about it. The brushes themselves feel very sturdy, and the spooly doesn’t twist out of the handle like most cheap brands do when I tried messing with it.

In the set, you receive twelve brushes and one extra oval toothbrush that resembles the Artis brushes which are all the rage right now. The brushes included in this set are: A foundation brush, a blush brush, a contour brush, a fluffy brush, a large eyeshadow brush, a small eyeshadow brush, a lip brush, an angled brow brush, a fan brush, a sponge applicator brush, a spooly brush, an eyebrow comb brush, and the oval toothbrush.

They arrived very neatly individually wrapped in plastic sleeves inside the super cute flower printed carrying case. The four larger brushes (Foundation, blush, contour, fluff, and the fan) all had harder plastic covering the bristles, and the rest had the plastic sleeves, but they did go all the way over the brush part except for the longer ones like the spooly brush.

The case itself is very cute you guys, like the flower print is so pretty. I can easily fit every one of these brushes inside, including the toothbrush and fold it up. And while it is folded up the case has a little flap that comes down to cover the brushes so that dust and other stuff can’t really mess with then when you put them in your bag.

On to how the brushes applied…

So I did my entire face today using just these brushes, and I wasn’t disappointed!!

I did a very basic face. Primer & BB cream first and followed that by using the eyebrow brush and my Colourpop eyebrow colour and LA Girl inspiring eye tin and filled in what I could of my brows. Long story short, I have an OCD issue with plucking my brows, literally sit there and pluck my hairs out without even thinking about it. Working on growing them back, but the thinness and structure of the brush makes for perfect even lines, it applies the eyebrow colour flawlessly and the powder also. I never notice any fallout with eyebrow powder, so there was no issue with this brush on that either. I followed that up by using the powder brush to apply a layer of my Estee Lauder Stay in Place powder makeup. The powder brush applied it very evenly, and I didn’t really notice a lot of fallout powder on my shirt, which was black so I would have noticed. Then I used the blusher brush to apply my Too Faced Snow Bunny bronzer/highlighter (I’m honestly not sure which it is supposed to be) and applied it over my cheeks and cheekbone to cheat a quick contour look. (Lazy day, don’t judge me) But then I decided F*** it and used the toothbrush to apply a little contour using my KVD Shade + Light kit. It really felt weird using this to blend it in, but I felt like it did better than my old E.L.F Kabuki does. The contour brush I used to apply a little bit of concealer under my eyes and on a few red spots on my face.

For my eyes, I used the large eyeshadow brush and the small eyeshadow brush with my Too Faced Sweet Peach palette, which I am 100% obsessed with omg! There was a little bit of fallout, but that was kinda my fault because I forgot to tap the extra powder off my brush before applying. Besides, it was mainly in the inner corner of my eye to begin with, so it was super easy to brush off with the powder brush. I finished the look by using the lip brush and lining my bottom lid. Always good to find multiple uses for brushes, it makes the set seem more useful!

Here is my face after I finished my look with the brushes. I did end up using the eyelash spooly also because I’m using super cheap dollar tree mascara for now and I had major clumping going on. So I used it to even out the look a bit.

All in all, I really think the set is worth it. Every brush has a use, except for the sponge applicator, but that is because I haven’t used a brush like that since like… I don’t know maybe 9th grade? So I just didn’t even want to bother with it at all.

Final thoughts:

The price of these brushes is a great value for the price, $17.99 for all 13 of these brushes and the carrying case. They feel very sturdy. I think they would be a good buy for someone who is just getting into makeup and doesn’t want to spend a bunch of money on expensive brushes, or for someone who wants the fell and look of expensive brushes without the price. Because to be perfectly honest, the way these brushes feel is very similar to my Too Faced Teddy Bear Hair brushes. So there’s a good comparison for you guys to think about.

Well, that’s my review on these brushes. I hope I answered any questions you might have about the quality. If you have any questions about these brushes please feel free to leave a comment below.

Peace, Love & Happiness guys,

     -Jen 

Here is the link for the brushes on Amazon: Unimeix Professional Brushes


Here is my Video of me using the brushes and giving a video review as well. Video review

Unimeix Professional 12 +1 piece makeup brushes Review

So I made a Youtube video (A rather crappy one I will admit) about this product as well. If you are interested in watching that to see more of the features I've explained in this post I will put a link at the end of the review.

FCC notification: I received this product at a discounted price in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (as always), thanks to the friendly people over at Pur. That fact did not in any way affect my review or how I used this product. I did not receive any monetary payment in return for my review.

So without further ado:

This is the Pur Universal Mount Stand. 

Some of the key features advertised in the 360-Degree base rotation, 180-degree device holder rotation, Non-slip silicone grips that hold your device in place and keep them secure, and suction base to secure the stand to what your desk to keep the stand in place. 

It can fit devices started at 4 inches and up to 11. So mainly target towards iPhones and Tablets with a weight limit of 2.2 lbs. I was a little disappointed right after I started using this stand because I had my digital camera, a small Nikon S3300, resting on the hand since it was too small to be held by it. And just with the arm extended up and angled while I was recording something I noticed right away that the device started leaning backwards, and any attempt I made to adjust the product would cause the suction to lose grip and the stand would fall over.  This really made me worried because if I’m supposed to trust very delicate devices in this product than I want to know for sure that it will support those devices and I won’t have to worry about it falling over and them getting broken.  

There are two different models available, a clamp base that you can turn a dial to attach the base to your desk, or the suction one like I have.

The instructions mention cleaning the suction cups if they lose their suction, and even after cleaning off the cups and letting them dry, they still didn't offer the amount of security I'd want for my devices.

The base of the stand does feature two snaps that is supposed to help with securing the suction cups onto which ever clean surface you’d like, but honestly even with those released and snapped on it didn't help, and seriously I don’t think they really did anything expect add more of look on the base of the stand. Maybe I just didn’t understand how they worked or something thought, who really knows. All I know is even with the suction cups clean, my desk cleaned and these snaps locked in place any little nudge against it would cause the stand to fall.

Along with the suction problem, I also found that the arms themselves were very hard to adjust. They come with alan wrenches to release the tension, but I had a lot of trouble turning them no matter which way I turned the wrench. I was able to get the bottom part to loosen so I could bend the swivel the base around, but I ended up having my husband loosen the rest so that I could bend and turn the arms. And that even took him quite some effort and he isn't a weakling by any standards what so ever.

The actual handle that holds the devices does, in fact, have good silicone gripping and I feel it really holds my phone in place securely, but the mechanism that they used to make the “Hands” extend to fit your devices feels spring loaded and a little cheaper than the rest of the stand. I feel like it is so rough to open the arms that eventually the wear and tear of it might cause it to snap or break making the stand useless. Besides that point, I've already given myself a pretty gnarly pinch on my finger while trying to put my tablet in there. I really don't like getting hurt by my stuff, even if it is my fault lol. It just makes me not want to use it anymore.

TL;DR section for all your skimmers:

Pros about the Pur Universal Mount Stand: It really does fit a multiple of devices, and I feel like it would be very handy for holding Iphones while recording if you don't own a camcorder and tripod, or if you want to watch a movie but don't want to hold your tablet the whole time, etc. The general maneuverability of the device is also a very good feature, it makes it just that bit more handy for different situations.

Cons about the Pur Universal Mount Stand: The suction base doesn't provide the desired amount of stability that you would expect for a product geared towards such delicate devices such as iPhones and Tablets which are very expensive to fix if the screen were to break. Out of the box the product is very difficult to bend and position and the tension is hard to release with the provided allen wrenches (At least for me they were). The spring-loaded clamp to hold devices feels cheaper and breakable. Ouchy=bad.

Final thoughts:

After having and using this stand for the last week, and based on the suction alone, I wouldn't suggest this item unless you plan to sit and tinker with it. I personally would like more stability for my devices, I don’t want to have to worry and get distracted by the stand tipping over just because the arm is fully extended. The clamp base may be better, but I can't be 100% sure on that.  I do plan on continuing to use this product and hopefully figuring out the secret to making this device work the way promised. Maybe I’m just being an idiot and my inner blonde is coming out, who knows.

Update 4/12/2016:

I actually emailed and talked to the company yesterday afternoon and they gave me some tips and advice for using this stand. (For some reason I didn't exactly get that from the paperwork included with the stand what the buttons on the bottom of the base were for, and really feel stupid for not realizing what exactly the buttons on the bottom of the stand was for). After messing with the buttons and cleaning off the suction cups (and leaving them a tad bit wet) I did get them to stick better onto a different desk. The suction lasted quite a while too, almost an hour or two before losing grasp and falling over. So I'm a little more comfortable putting my devices in it, but I will be keeping a closer eye on it and making sure to check my buttons when using the stand.  I really like that the company was so quick to respond to me and help me better understand the functions of this stand and after using it last night to watch a movie while studying (bad Idea I know), i really feel like this is a product I can come to love. I'm still not 100%  confident on the suction ability, but I think as long as I keep a good idea on the stand I can make it work. Like I said before, it is a very handy product, so I don't see any reason not to try to make it work.

Also, I just want to call myself out on it, I'm an idiot. I was using the allen wrenches completely wrong and wasn't getting enough leverage to turn the bolts in order to loosen the tension. OTL. 

I will provide links to my video review of this product, as well as the manufacture site and the amazon page where you can buy this yourself if you don't trust my review and want to try it yourself.

Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed my review. I actually really enjoyed writing it. It was different from what I’ve done on here and I really want to do more reviews like this. I don’t want to just focus on Lootcare and makeup. I want to branch out and post and share more about different items I get. So I hope you are all having a beautiful day (Or night) and I’ll see you next time.

xoxo,

-Jen

Check it out!!

Video Review

Amazon Link

http://getpur.com/mountstand.html

Pur Universal Mount Stand first impression review:

Man this time of year is so busy for us, so I'm sorry I haven't gotten around to posting this review yet! Holidays are always hectic so I’m sure you all understand where I’m coming from when I say I just haven’t gotten around to actually writing the review for November’s Lootcrate, but here it is now for you all. I’m sorry it’s so late, but at least I posted it before the new one got here. 

Lootcrate November Theme: Combat.

With hints for Fallout, Hunger Games, Street Fighter, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I was very excited and it had me jumping up and down for joy. So come November 21^st when we received out box I was beyond excited and could hardly contain myself while I waited for the hubby to get home from work so we could open it together.

The items inside were all very cool and fit the theme of “Combat” perfectly. I was pleasantly surprised with the variety of items in this box.

Look at the art in the box! How friggen cool is this?

Our own little wasteland to display our Pip Boy in! I have a Deathclaw Funko, I’m almost tempted to open the box and put him in there with the Pip Boy.

This was given to my Brother-in-Law because I’m not a Starcraft fan. He said she is called The Queen of Blades.

Got to love the Mocking Jay Pin. Huge fan of the books (Except the ending of the series.) and seen all the movies up to the most recent film in the series. Unfortunately I've heard I'm not missing much.

"Teenage mutant ninja turtles

Teenage mutant ninja turtles

Teenage mutant ninja turtles

Heroes in a half shell, turtle power!!"

These Shredder glasses are the coolest. My husband claimed these as his, but has yet to actually wear them out of the house.

 

I'm not a big sticker person, mainly because I never have anywhere to stick them, but Cute but Deadly, how fitting. I miss playing W.O.W and seeing all the cool creatures they have. My favorite W.O.W/Blizzard creature has to be the Merlocs. I just now the way they sound when they chase you. 

Final Thoughts:

All together the Combat Lootcrate was pretty cool. I didn’t really read the comic, and honestly I never do, I’m not much of a comic reader but if you guys really want me too, I’ll post pictures of it if you ask along with the book for this box.

I think my favorite items were the Pip Boy Bobble and the Mocking Jay Pin. Next month is Galaxy with exclusive items from Star Wars and Halo I believe, having just seen The Force Awakens Sunday I'm really excited for this and I'm hoping to get something with BB8 or Ray on it. :)

Level Up Accessories: The Combat Collection.

As always, Accessories has the theme as the Lootcrates of that month. So these items were 'Combat' Themed as well, and they did not disappoint. I was very excited that they did two items from different categories relating to Combat, rather than just two items from the same category. 

The necklace is very nice quality, I've worn it almost daily since I got it and it has not turned my skin green, the color/paint has not rubbed off and my hair has not gotten stick in the chain which often happens to me with lower quality necklaces.

The bag is by far my favorite thing I've gotten from Level Up accessories since subscribing. I love pinup art and Fallout, so the combination of the two just makes this bag entirely more epic.

    

By far the coolest thing about it, is the reversibility. After you unfold it out of the Nuka Cola bottle cap shape it comes in, you can still have the bottle cap on the back as a pocket! Comes in handy.

We used it to haul ingredients to my Mother-in-Law's house for Thanksgiving and we were able to fit everything but the turkey in there.

Needless to say if we were in the wasteland this bag would greatly come in handy. 

Final Thoughts:

I really have to say I was highly impressed with this box. The qualities of the items inside were great and did not lack anything. My only negative comment about this month is that I wish we could have gotten something cooler then stickers, but they did fit with the theme of Combat so I can't complain too much since I'm the one who doesn't like stickers. I'm sure a lot of other subscribers were very happy with their stickers. I didn’t see anything Street Fighter in my crate, but I wonder if maybe in the mystery box that The Queen of Blades came in someone else got a Street Fighter character, or if he was just part of the art and themed videos and that’s it.

Linkies: 

Check out this Epic Rap Battle between Katniss and Hermione. Who won?

If you are interested in subscribing here is my referral code:

http://looted.by/c8T0d

And for some fun here are the official Lootcrate Combat videos:

Ryu & Ken - Round 1 - November COMBAT Themed Web Series

Ryu & Ken - Round 2 -November COMBAT Themed Web Series

Ryu & Ken - Round 3 - November Combat Themed Web Series

So do you already subscribe?

What did you think of Novembers Lootcrate and Level up crates?

Which month has been your favorite so far?

Have you heard about all the other awesome subscriptions Lootcrate offers now? 

Check out their site for exclusive collector boxes, ordering past boxes, and all the different types of crates they now offer.

Hope you guys enjoyed the post.

XoXo.

-Jen 

November 2015 Loot Crate and LVL Up Combat Collection

If there is anything about the Kardashians/Jenner family that I’m jealous about, it has to be Kylie Jenner's lips. That pout is so friggen sexy I want it; even if hers aren't naturally that pouty. However, unlike the millions of idiots who participated in the Kylie Jenner Cup contest challenge thingy I decided instead to find a more natural means to prefect this pout on myself. And honestly I think I found the perfect item for that look.

Introducing ColourPop’s Lippie Stix and Lippie Stix liner.

Colourpop.com

These colors are so beautiful, and if lined correctly your lips will pout the day away! I was first introduced to the brand when I bought their Ultra Matte Lipsticks, Here is the review for those from an older post of mine to remind you. Ultra Matte Lipstick Review

Now, I wanted a color that would be gentle but bold, pop but still have that subtle look to it that I could still wear it to work and not feel overly painted or ridiculous. So like I always do before I buy new makeup, I started browsing around on Insta and a few google image searching. Eventually I came across a color called Lumière. I instantly ran to youtube to watch a few reviews and found a video by Kathleen Lights, a makeup blogger/vlogger/Insta-star who had collaborated with Colourpop to create this color. Just in case anyone is interested I’m going to post the link to her Youtube page below. She has a lot of really good makeup reviews and tutorials and has also collaborated with a lot of other companies on products as well.

After watching her video and seeing how gorgeous the color looked on her I bought the lippie stix and the liner. After shopping a bit more I kind of reflex bought another color, Dalia. This one seemed to call to me, as if little makeup angels were guiding my mouse as I added it and the matching liner to my shopping cart and hit ‘Check out.’ Honestly a bit of a blind purchase, but I’m all for experimenting with makeup and trying different colors and such so I said ‘what the heck, why not?’.

So I sat and waited for it to arrive, I paid directly with my credit card instead of Paypal on this order and I felt like it went through and shipped faster than my previous order did. Within a week I had my new lippie stixs and the primer and I was ready to hit the world. Plus the little note that Colourpop included in my package melted this nerd’s heart. The quickest and easiest way to win me over is using Harry Potter in a compliment. 

They include these in all their orders but I don’t think I got a picture of the one from my Ultra Mattes, but I’m sure it was just as sweet.

Review time!!!

Let me start off with a swatch of both colors with their liners (Primer on under the lipsticks) with and without flash:

Lumière Lippie Stix & Liner:

My first impression of Lumière was one of pure love. The matte dusty rose mauve color was so beautiful. When I tested it out on my skin (I always do a test with new makeup, never know what might break you out!) it had that bit of pop and boldness that I wanted while still looking neutral and elegant. Classy if you will.  I honestly wear this color every time we go out, it goes great with any style. Even if I’m just filling in my brows and only putting on concealer and no foundation this lippie stix still looks like I’m actually putting in the effort to look good.

Selfie time: 

Real moment here: Serious shout out to those who can go out without makeup on. I literally cannot and feel like I’m under a microscope if I go out and about without some form of makeup on. I know that is really bad, and it is something I’m working on. Hey it is almost New Years. Maybe I’ll make that one of my New Year’s Resolutions for next year. Not be so over worried about what everyone thinks about me. Everyone is too busy looking at their phones to look at me anyways, right?

Back to Lumière, I really suggest this color if you are more a neutral lip color person and can’t handle a red or a pink, since it’s right there in the middle with the mauve/dusty rose tone.

Dalia Lippie Stix & Liner:

Dalia scared me. Not even going to lie, it scared the crap out of me. It’s like a matte coco red. I’m about 50 shades of pale over here with dark brown hair; this color really really really pops. Like Vavavoom pops. Don’t get me wrong, it is a beautiful color and the perfect shade of red because it doesn’t have any orange undertone at all. I’m just scared to hell of it and can’t bring myself to wear it out of the house yet.  

I don’t know if it is just because the vividness of the color or what, but I just can’t. I try, I primer, line, and powder then apply and blot and reapply and blot and blot and then look in the mirror… and feel like a clown. I can’t get myself to walk out of the bathroom with it on. It’s sad but true. I’m going to a Mötley Crüe concert on the 30^th of this month (Superexcitedicannotwait!!) so hopefully I can bring myself to wear it on for that. xD

Here are some swatches of Grunge and Brink. Sorry they are a little smeared. It was 2 am and I was sleepy. xDD

Grunge Lippie Stix & Liner:

 So I know I promised to try to wear Dalia to the Motley Crue concert... But when I saw Grunge on the site and looked up pictures of others wearing it I honestly fell in love with it! It's a few shades lighter then Dalia and has more red then brown to it even though it is described as a "cool-toned plum brown". It doesn't wash me out like some red do, and seriously I felt so sexy wearing this shade. I felt like a total rocker chick at the concert with this shade. The color is a little deep for some, but if you feel like you could rock it I say go for it. For me, it's my favorite red, and I recently gifted Dalia to my Mother-In-Law. She's Latina, so it looks much prettier on her skin tone then mine.
I wore this shade also on New Years Eve and got So many compliments and introduced a few of the guests at the party to Colourpop as well.

Brink Lippie Stix and Lippie Liner:

Excuse the goofy picture but I seriously love this color! I feel so flirty and free with this color. It's a very nice soft pink/mauve and dusty. The description on the site fits it perfectly. "A warm dusty taupe in a matte finish."  inspired by Kylie Jenner Lips. Which as you all know, is like my Lipspiration, so I knew I HAD to have this lippie. And it does not disappoint. I wore it to my Grandparents 50th anniversary and even my Grammy complimented it saying how professional it looked while still being playful. Can't disagree with Grammy, she knows her stuff. :) All in all, I gotta say this color has become a staple, and I'm constantly torn between Lumiere and Brink daily. 

Final Thoughts.

For me at least I have trouble with super creamy lipsticks, I tent to stay with Matte’s just because once they dry you basically forget about them. I dunno, with lipstick it almost feels like to me that my lips are slimy and it bugs the ever living out of me and I end up wiping the lipstick off within an hour. Not with these. They are creamy, but matte. The way they are formulated you honestly almost forget you put it on until you eat or drink something and see the residue. Even then, just like I said about the Ultra Matte’s, unless what you are eating is super greasy this lipstick is long lasting, I’m not going to lie and say you won’t feel the need to do a touch up because I touch up my lips after I eat and before getting out of the car.

Without the liner they are pretty but honestly do not last half as long, and the liner helps bring out the color and the natural pout in your lips because you can get into that natural curve under your lip to thicken it a bit. The actual shape of the tube helps too since it is slanted you can really fine line your lips with the actual Lippie Stix while applying and get into the arches on your cupids bow without smudging. They really created these in the perfect shape for application and understand how lips are shaped and work.

Only negative thing about these is related to the Lippie Stix Liners. They run low quick and I really wish that Colourpop sold a sharpener that fit the liners perfectly. All the sharpeners I have do their jobs and sharpen, but tend to rub away a lot of the liners since they are so smooth. So I lose a lot of what I sharpened in my sharper. Hunting for that perfect sharpener, so if you have any suggestions please leave a comment below about which one you use.

**Update** I found a sharpener the PERFECT size for the Lippie Stix Liner! It's E.L.F and I found it at the Dollar Tree. Comes in a two pack. A large two pencil sharpener and a small one pencil sharpener that is the one I use. 

Also, Did you know Colourpop makes more lipsticks? Checkout their storefront below and see all their great products. When you subscribe to their newsletter you get a free $5 off coupon. I mean common? Why wouldn’t you jump on that?

So have you used any of Colourpop’s other products?

Which are your favorites?

Which colors are your favorites?

Unrelated/related:

Got any New Year’s Resolutions in mind yet?

Who is your favorite youtube makeup blogger?

XoXo
-Jen 

Clickies:

 Kathleen Lights Youtube Page

Colourpop.com

Lippie Stix & Lippie Stix Liner Review Lumière, Dalia, Grunge, Brink *Update 1/12/2016*