brushes – Makeup and Skincare Reviews

Top Rephr Brushes for Perfect Eyeshadow Application – Reviewing Rephr Eye Brushes 01, 02, 12, 13, 15, 21, 29, and 33

Finding the right eyeshadow brushes can make such a huge difference in how your makeup applies, and Rephr has some of my favorites. Their brushes are high quality, work well with both creams and powders, and have thoughtful shapes that actually make sense for real application. I’ve tested a bunch of their brushes over time, and while I don’t think every single one is a must-have, there are some absolute standouts that I reach for constantly. Here’s my breakdown of the ones I own—what I love, what I don’t, and which ones I think are worth picking up. In this post, all links are affiliate links, but all opinions are my own, and I bought these myself.

Brushes are shown here in the order they are listed below

01 – This is a perfect workhorse blending brush. It’s exactly the right size, shape, and density for any kind of blending you have to do. It doesn’t matter if you’re working on building up the crease, blending out edges, adding something to the inner corner, I can make this work. You can use it with powders or creams though I prefer this one for powder shadows. There’s honestly not that much to say about this brush because it does exactly what it promises to do and super well.

02 – This is firm eyeshadow shader brush that can work for both powders and creams. It’s not too firm (like the 21 I’ll talk about later) but is still dense enough to pick up enough shadow. It works really well for laying down pigment and is great for softly blending out cream shadows. I’m not a huge fan of this one for glittery shadows vs something like the Sonia G shader brushes (particularly the Soft Shader) but I love using it to build up a matte shadow in the outer corner or building a base with something the Merit Solo Shadows. This is because it’s a pretty small brush, at least for the size of my eyelid. Rephr does make a max version of this brush that I’m thinking of grabbing because I love the shape and density of it.

12 – This is a fairly chubby smudge brush that I like to use for either adding depth to the outer corner or building up an inner corner highlight area that’s less precise. I don’t like the way thick eyeliner looks on me, but if you’re into that look, you’d love this brush. I especially like using this one to pick up a dark brown cream shadow or liner for the outer corner really quickly when I’m in a rush vs trying to build up and blend out a powder shadow. It’s the largest pencil type brush I own – if you’re looking for something similar but smaller, I’d recommend the BK Beauty 207.

02 vs 12 so you can really see the different in the shape and size

13 – This is basically a tiny version of the 01 brush. It’s one of the smallest crease brushes that Rephr makes (they make a mini version of this that’s even smaller), and I love it when I’m trying to do something super precise. Like all the above brushes, this works with creams or powers and has a really great density level for both. It’s great for blending out shadows in smaller spaces or if you’re trying to powder a super tiny spot on your face. This one is the perfect balance of fluffy but tiny. That said, if I had to choose between the 01 and the 13 for me, I’d stick with the 01.

15 – This is a great tapered blending brush that’s slightly denser than the 01, making it perfect for adding depth to the crease while still being able to blend seamlessly. I love using this brush when I want more control over my blending—it’s not too fluffy, so it keeps pigment concentrated but still diffuses edges beautifully. It works well with both powders and creams, though I mostly use it for powders. If you find the 01 a little too soft or large for detailed crease work, the 15 is a great alternative. I find myself reaching for this a lot when I want a more defined look without harsh lines or when the 01 needs to be cleaned so they’re fairly similar.

21 – This was the very first brush I got from Rephr, and it actually took me a long time to try them again after this one. It’s my least favorite brush from them and the only one I wouldn’t recommend. All the other brushes I’m reviewing, if it’s something you’re looking for, I really do think you’ll love the brush and get a ton of use of it. The 21 is just too firm for me, and it never quite picks up shadows in the way I want it to. It says it’s specifically for shimmers and creams but I find that the 02 brush works way better for both of those. I might actually get rid of this one and get the max version of the 02 because I love having this shape of brush around but I don’t like the bristles they used.

29 – This is the kind of liner brush I prefer vs something like the 12 brush. I love having something I can use to line just the lash line with a cream shadow and not have to worry about it ever getting too thick. This brush is dense and stiff enough to pick up cream shadows but also works great with powders. I’ve also used it to fill in my eyebrows in a pinch! It’s not particularly unique if you already have a tiny liner brush, but if you’re in the market for one, this is a very high quality and effective one.

33 – This is a huge brush for an eyeshadow brush. It’s definitely the largest shadow brush I own, and I think that’s what makes it special. You can do a one shadow look so fast, whether you’re using cream, powder, or even blending out liquid shadow. I love using this when I’m in a rush but don’t want to get makeup all over my fingers so want to use a brush instead. You can also use this as a concealer brush or a powder brush in a pinch because it’s so large. I love the tapered shape of it to pick up, lay down, and blend out shadow. This is honestly one of my stand out favorites that I didn’t expect to love as much as I did because I’m not used to giant eyeshadow brushes. I’m so glad I grabbed this one because I end up using it all the time and always am so happy with how the look turns out.

What other products would you like me to review? Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here on LiftBakeLove, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

BK Beauty Brushes Review – Nikki La Rose N14, N15, N16, and N17

Featuredby liftbakeloveLeave a Comment

I finally picked up some of the Nikki La Rose brushes from BK Beauty a few months ago, and I’ve finally had them long enough to report back. I’m also hoping to get a bunch of reviews out before all the Black Friday sales really get into full swing (although some have already started, like BK Beauty!), so let me know if there’s anything you’re interested in! In this post, all links are affiliate links, but all opinions are my own, and I bought these myself.

Nikki La Rose N14 Petite Precision Multitasker – This is a great little (but not too little) brush especially if you need to do some cleaning up at the end of your makeup routine. I love to use it to add extra concealer or powder where I need it. It works really well with liquids, creams, and powders although I find myself using this primarily for powder products. The tapered shape helps you get into those smaller areas like under your eyebrows, around your nose, inner corner, etc. without being so small that it takes forever to apply products. I actually like this brush better for concealer than the concealer brush (see below for more thoughts on that brush). This and the N15 are definitely my favorites from the collection.

Nikki La Rose N15 Precision Medium Powder – If I could only choose one of these brushes to buy, it would be this one. It’s the most unique to my brush collection, and I’ve been getting the most use out of it. It’s marketed as a powder brush but it actually works great for both powders and creams (especially things like bronzers and blushes). It picks up product really well and blends things out super easily. I really like the tapered angle of the brush for cheek products or for when I’m using it to powder all over my face but without wanting to literally get powder everywhere. If you’re someone who likes denser brushes for your cheek products without them being too dense, this is definitely a brush for you. I actually had all four of these brushes set aside to do this review so I could take pictures of them clean, and this one and the N14 are the two I’m most missing being able to use all the time even though I have so many brushes at this point.

Nikki La Rose N16 Pro Concealer – This is a duo-fiber brush that’s perfect for picking up and/or blending out cream products. It really is a great concealer brush if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to buff out concealer under your eyes especially if you’re looking for something that’s going to create more of a sheered out natural finish. I personally have really dark under eyes and need something that’s going to keep as much coverage as possible, whereas this is more about blending. Because of that, I’ve found that this is a great brush for cream and liquid eyeshadows, and I’ve been using it that way. It picks up something like the Merit Solo Shadows so easily, and I can get a super quick eyeshadow look with this brush.

Nikki La Rose N17 Multi-Pro Face – I thought I’d use this more than I do but I just never think to reach for it. When I do, I do really like it, but it’s the brush I’d least recommend of these four if you’re trying to choose. It’s really good for travel (which I’m just not doing much of right now) because it has a side for creams and a side for powders. My favorite way to use this brush is for cream blush and bronzer with the cream side and then flip it for powder bronzer and blush using the powder side which does make for a really quick and easy face of makeup. You can also use this for foundation, concealer, setting powder, basically anything! If you get the whole set, you won’t regret having this blush, but I do have other BK Beauty brushes I’d recommend before this one (check out my BK Beauty posts if you’re interested – Angie Hot and Flashy Travel Set, Core Line Extension, Core Brushes).

BK Beauty Brushes Review – 101, 105, 106, 107, 204, 205, A502, and A506

July 17, 2022March 30, 2025by liftbakelove3 Comments

As part of getting to know my collection, I want to spend more time reviewing all the products I have. Next up is everything I own from BK Beauty, which happens to be eight of their brushes. I wanted to thoroughly test these products to provide a more detailed review of them. I’ve gotten a ton of use out of them so if you have any questions I haven’t addressed, please ask in the comments. As always, thank you so much for being here, and it would mean so much to me if you subscribe here or on Instagram @liftbakelove for new posts! All links are affiliate links, but all opinions are my own, and I bought these myself.

101 Contoured Foundation – This brush is the perfect shape for so many things – foundation, bronzer, blush, highlighter. Because of the angle and the shape, it works so quickly for anything I’m doing. Even though it’s quite large, I still find I can be precise with it with the added bonus of blending super quickly. This is my favorite brush for cream bronzer and blush in particular, and I find myself using it over any other brush I have so much that I honestly want a second one. I also will use the top edge for cream highlighter in a pinch. The density is perfect and doesn’t “eat up” too much product. It’s one of the first brushes I would rebuy now if I lost my collection, and that’s saying so much since I have such a large collection of brushes.

106 Round Foundation – I love using this for cream blush when the 101 is drying from cleaning or if I just haven’t cleaned it yet. It also does work great for foundation if my other foundation brushes are out of rotation for the moment. The size makes it perfect for a more precise application vs the 101 or 107 if I want to be more specific with placement for foundation, blush, bronzer, highlighter, etc. I love how dense it is and quickly is blends products out.

105 Large Buffer – I love how big and fluffy this brush is. It’s one of my favorites for powder bronzer when I really want to look sunkissed and want to put on a lot of bronzer really quickly. I also use it to powder all over if I know I need my makeup to really last so having a dense brush for powder application makes sense. If you’re a person who puts highlighter on your body, this would also be the perfect brush for that. Of all these brushes, it’s the one I use the least but I’m still happy I have it.

107 Flat Blush – I use this the most for foundation even though it’s technically not made for it. I can do a full face of foundation is less than 10 seconds because it blends so well and so quickly. The flatter shape is so helpful to get around the contours of my face and areas like the sides of my nose. It’s kept it shape so well even though I’ve washed it a ton now (like all the brushes), which is great since that’s one of the things that makes this brush so great.

204 Smudge It – This is the most perfect smudger brush, and I’ve been on the hunt for one for years. The shape and density allows you to pick up shadow and use it eyeliner so easily. Because it’s a bit bigger than other similar brushes, you can actually see the liner you’ve applied instead of the tiny brushes that you can barely notice what they did. This is also perfect for smudging out eyeliners or blending them into the other shadows and cream products on the eyes.

205 Contoured Shader – This is my second least used brush of the ones I have. Like all the other brushes, it’s high quality, super soft, and the perfect density to use with eyeshadow. It’s just not a shape I find myself reaching for very often. But if you are a person who wants the perfect brow bone highlight, this is for you.

Angie Hot & Flashy A502 Crease Shader– I love how this is so small and so fluffy at the same time! I honestly can’t count the number of crease brushes I have at this point, but this one is still special. It’s perfect for actually defining the crease (vs moving shadow around). Because it’s small, I can use it for the outer corner, inner corner, under my eyes – basically anywhere I want to place and blend shadow. It’s so soft so it doesn’t scratch, and it’s just a joy to use.

Angie Hot & Flashy A506 Concealer – I know I’ve written about so many concealer brushes at this point, but I think this one is my favorite of all of them. This has really densely packed bristles which I really appreciate for applying products under my eyes. It’s also designed to mimic the shape of your fingertip, and I find that it makes it like I’m blending out with my finger but without losing any coverage. Because of the shape, it’s also super easy to get into harder to reach spots. I’ve been using it every day with my undereye corrector, and it helps so much when I’m attempting to correct my dark circles. It also works great for spot concealing given how precise you can get with it.

My Favorite Products from the 5 brands I own the most from

March 9, 2022April 1, 2025by liftbakeloveLeave a Comment

As part of my no-buy year, I’m trying to really get to know and love my collection, and thought I’d look at my favorite products from my most purchased from brands. These are the brands I own the most of from a quantity perspective vs retail value. I also decided to exclude nail polish brands for this one because we’d end up with a list of my favorite polishes, but I’d be happy to do that soon – let me know in the comments if you’d like to see that! As always, thank you so much for being here, and it would mean so much to me if you subscribe here or on Instagram @liftbakelove for new posts!

Jumbo Base brush from Sonia G – I own 25 Sonia G brushes and honestly love and use them all constantly. But my favorite is definitely this one! It’s one of my most used and most versatile. I love using it most for bronzer, blush, and highlighter even though it’s meant for foundation (though it works great for that too). It blends out bronzer so fast, and then I use the tip of the brush to seamlessly add highlighter. I can then use the center of the brush to pop on some blush, and I’m good to go. It also washes out beautifully and feels good as new even though I’ve had it for almost a year.

Farmacy Honey Halo Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer – Not only is this my favorite product from Farmacy, this is also just the best moisturizer I’ve tried for my super dry skin. It’s incredibly thick but still absorbs super quickly and plays well with my other night time skincare products. Usually by this time of year, my skin starts to get flaky and itchy because it’s so dry, but I’ve had no issues since I’ve been using this. I’m so glad they have the jumbo version now because I know this is going to be a staple for me for a long time, and it’s honestly been saving my dry skin from totally losing all its hydration overnight.

Custom Bite Beauty Lipstick – I still have a lot of Bite agave lip masks and lipsticks from before the brand reformulated and am really enjoying still having them around to use. My favorite thing from the brand though has to be one my custom lipsticks. I went to the Bite Lip Lab for my bachelorette party years and made my perfect red, my wedding lip color, and a dupe of my favorite but now discontinued lipstick. I then got a sheer version of that dupe, and it’s still one of my favorite lipsticks ever. Even though it looks pretty non-unique, it’s really one of my perfect lip colors, and it has so much nuance in person. I’m still so happy I have it.

Salt New York Crème Tint Pro Highlighter in Beige – I’ve written about my love for Salt New York’s products so many times, and it’s because it continues to be one of my favorite cream formulas that I go back to over and over again. All the Crème Tint Pros I have (and I have 21) blend out incredibly easily and seamlessly, are super lightweight, and look so at home on my skin. This is my favorite formula for when I need a “I’m running late and need something easy” look – they blend out so quickly with a brush, sponge, or fingers and never look patchy. My favorite though of all of them, if I really had to choose, would be beige. It’s just my perfect, my skin but better highlight, and it always looks absolutely amazing.

FitGlow Lip Serums in Night Lip Serum, Beach Glow, Gospel, and Root (some of my other favorites)

Fitglow Beauty Lip Night Serum – I love all of the Fitglow Lip Serums so much, but my absolutely favorite is the night serum. This formula is incredibly nourishing, thick, hydrating, and long-lasting, which makes it perfect for super dry winter nights. It’s honestly the best night time lip treatment I’ve ever tried, and I wake up consistently to hydrated and nourished lips, which I’ve never had happen in the winter before using this product. It’s quite expensive for a lip balm, but it’s really so much more than that and totally worth it for me to not have consistently dried out, chapped, painful lips.

Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here on LiftBakeLove, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

Phytosurgence Review: Phytobrushes, Spectral Shine, Flash Florescence Cream Shadows in Bloom, and Verdant Forcefield

September 26, 2021by liftbakelove3 Comments

I’ve been waiting to do another Phytosurgence review until I had enough products to do a full post with only buying things I thought I would love. And now I almost have too much for one post because they keep launching amazing things! If you haven’t heard of Phytosurgence before, they are a very small indie brand that focuses on transparent and conscious beauty. They make high performance and affordable products that absolutely rival luxury brands. As with my last Phytosurgence review, I’m about to really rave about the products so I want to say upfront that this was not sponsored, and I bought the products with my own money. As always, thank you so much for being here, and it would mean so much to me if you subscribe here or on Instagram @liftbakelove for new posts!

It took me an incredibly long time to start this paragraph because I’m still in shock about how good the Phytobrushes are, especially for both being under $15. I purchased both the Skybuff and Skyfluff brushes, and I’m in love with both of them. If you’re a regular reader here, you know how much I invest in fude brushes (from Sonia G., Chikuhodo, Wayne Goss, etc.), and these fit right in my collection because of how high quality they are. They suggest using the Skybuff for their Spectral Shine and Skyfluff for their Skin Spark blushes, but I actually love using them the opposite way. They blend out the products so seamlessly and quickly so that the products really look like they’re naturally part of your face – exactly the kind of look I love.

I used the Phytobrushes, Skin Spark blushes, and Spectral Shine highlight for a perfect no-makeup look

It’s so hard to describe how special Spectral Shine is and how unique the formula is. It doesn’t have glitter or shimmer, just really fine pearl pigments that blend seamlessly into the skin. It’s incredibly lightweight and feels like nothing but is super long lasting. Especially if you want something that looks like your skin but better in person (vs blinding highlights that look great on camera), this is for you. I was waiting for the right shade to come out, and then the limited edition Divine Daylight launched. It’s a peachy neutral beige shade, which is so at home on my skin.

I’ve been using the Flash Florescence Cream Shadows – In Bloom almost every day since I got them. The formula is incredibly thin and lightweight with very little fallout. I love how multidimensional the shimmers are – they’re just really special. I have two of the shades: Defiant Dahlia (described as a rich deep brown shade with violet undertones and neutral/gold shimmers scattered throughout) and Orchid Overload (described as a translucent based shade with pink, purple, and silver shimmer). Defiant Dahlia looks amazing as a one-and-done shadow, and Orchid Overload is one of my favorite toppers of all time. And these are about half of the price of the Hourglass Scattered Light eyeshadows! If you’d like me to get and review the other two shades, let me know in the comments below.

Flash Florescence Cream Shadow in Orchid Overload and Defiant Dahlia

I’m always looking for new moisturizers to try because of how ridiculously dry my skin is. Verdant Forcefield is described as a skin barrier reinforcing moisturizer that hydrates, softens, moisturizes, and protects with well studied vitamins, actives, and extracts. And it does all of that! I love how quickly is sinks in so I can move on to my next step without any pilling and how much softer my skin feels now that I’ve been testing it for over 3 months (I don’t like to review skincare until I’ve really tried it). It’s also only about $11 per ounce, which is a bargain compared to some of my other faves like like the Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream at $28.4/ounce and Farmacy Honey Drop at $26.4/ounce. I still can’t get over how high quality Phytosurgence products are from the packaging to the efficacy for their prices.

Have you tried anything from Phytosurgence? Are there other products from them or other brands you’d like me to try and review? Let me know in the comments below, and thanks as always for reading!

March/April Beauty Favorites

May 1, 2020September 29, 2021by liftbakeloveLeave a Comment

I’ll be sharing some of my favorite “stay at home purchases” as I mentioned in my last post. Since it’s now May (already? how?), I wanted to share my favorites from March and April since I took a break last month.

I’ve tried lots of wash-off face masks, but I’ve finally discovered my holy grails, and I’m so excited to share these. The first is the Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask. I’m only using it once or twice a week, so this jar will last forever, making the price much more reasonable for me. It is one of the only things I’ve found to really help my skin when it’s feeling congested or dull when an AHA toner won’t do quite enough. It smells strongly like pumpkin, so if you’re not into that, I would consider skipping this one. For me, it’s totally worth the smell for a few minutes to get clear, bright skin. Bonus – I haven’t had any acne issues since I start using it despite my not great diet and high stress levels lately.

What I use right after the pumpkin enzyme mask to deeply moisturize my skin is the Farmacy Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask. This mask warms up as you massage it into your skin, so not only does it work to deeply moisturize and calm my skin , it’s also a really great relaxing experience. It is the perfect mask to use after an exfoliating treatment or just when your skin is feeling extra dry. My only regret is that I bought the small size! I know there are a bunch of folks who use this a few times a week, which I definitely want to do now that I understand how great it is, so I’m hoping I can pick it up on sale when I run out!

If you know me or have read my past posts, you know I definitely don’t need any more blush. I got more anyway because it’s one of my favorite product categories. I think I’ve featured blush in my favorites every month so far, and that probably won’t stop any time soon. I’m usually more drawn to cream and liquid blushes, so I very excited to have found a really amazing powder blush formula – the Em Cosmetics Heaven’s Glow Blush in Magic Hour. It provides a soft, glowy look without being overly pigmented so it is such an easy way to brighten up a look. I also use this to set cream and liquid blushes if I know I’ll be on video calls for 12 hours, and the color is perfect for that for a wide range of shades. It’s been beating out my favorite Nars and Hourglass blushes for my most used powder blush, and I really hope they come out with more than just the two shades they current have!

I’ve written about my love for Natasha Denona shadows before when I talked about my favorite products of 2019, but I know it’s not possible or practical for everyone to get a $129 or more palette. I’m so excited she came out with these $25 mini palettes with the same high quality formula and much more curated shadows so you only get what you need. The Mini Retro Eyeshadow Palette is a really great addition to my collection because the colors are so unique. I’m not sure I was able to capture them in my swatches here, but I’m loving the shade selection here. These are great to use in conjunction with other palettes (especially the shimmer shades) to add some color to an otherwise neutral look or to make a really pretty springy pink/green look.

I have found my perfect gloss formula, and they are only $14! The Tower 28 ShineOn Jelly Lip Glosses are beautifully sheer, moisturizing, glossy without being sticky, fairly long lasting for a gloss, play nicely with lipsticks and lip liners underneath, come in a great color selection – I could go on and on about these. I have the shades Fire and Fearless. Fire is a great spring/summer bright orange shade and Fearless is a really pretty berry, but both are sheer enough that I can wear them for my work calls or to warm up or cool down lip products underneath. I was going to splurge for a expensive lip oil during the Sephora sale, but these definitely fulfill that need for me, and I’m so happy I got these instead.

I definitely didn’t need more brushes, but Sonia G. restocked her pro face brushes, and I was so excited to grab the Face Pro and the Designer Pro. The Face Pro is the best brush I have found for a diffused contour and bronzer application and is able to create that diffused look with all of my powder bronzers. It’s really great for me to have a brush I can use without having to think about if it’s the right one for the formula. The Designer Pro is perfect for blush or highlight or targeted powder application and similar to the Face Pro, it works great with every formula I’ve tried it with. As with all her brushes, they look great after washing, there is very little shedding, and they have the right weight distribution to make using them a great experience. Of all my Sonia G. brushes so far, I would recommend these as these shapes are more unique in her line versus others, and if you’re looking for a super high quality brush for blush, bronzer, and highlighter, you can’t go wrong with these two.

What are you loving this month? Anything you want to see from me next? Let me know!

Tag: brushes