Review: Ecotools 6 Piece Day to Night Brush Set

The past three years have been a beauty revelation for me. Before I became obsessed with YouTube beauty channels I thought I knew what I needed to know about all things beauty. Man, was I wrong! I still have so much to learn, yet it amazes me how far I've already come. I didn't even own brushes until about three years ago! Can you believe it?

The Ecotools Alicia Silverstone collection was one of the very first set of brushes I've ever owned, and I still reach for most of my Ecotools brushes over my three lonely MAC brushes. If that sounds suspiciously like a paid "opinion" let me clear the air first by saying that I've never had any contact with either company, have never received press samples or compensation, and I will never be one of those gurus who sell out and dupe their readers for a quick buck or a nice lipstick. It completely goes against everything I believe in and what the blogging community is supposed to stand for.

Okay, stepping down from my (charmingly vintage) soapbox...

The fact is, I love these brushes. I feel like some of the eye brushes might be ever-so-slightly large for my eyes, but my eyes are droopy and annoying, so a lot of things pertaining to the eyes require tweaking for me. C'est la vie. What I love about them is how incredibly soft they are, how pampering it feels to use them. They pack powdered products very well and distribute them evenly. I don't use them for liquid products on a regular basis, but I have used them a couple times for liquid blush and the same quality remained.

For the Day to Night set, I have to give it the same thumbs up I give all my Ecotools brushes. I haven't found anything in the drugstore to rival the brand and I get daily use out of most of the brushes included.

So. Pictures!

The closed case.

Inside

The case itself has a hard exterior and is pretty compact. It works well for travel -- you can even fit a few more thinner-handled brushes (nothing like a blush or foundation brush with fat handles) inside. 

This set includes:

• Round Powder Brush
• Detailed Lip Liner Brush
• Pointed Concealer Brush
• Stay-There Shadow Brush
• Smudge Brush
• Zippered Clutch

My two favorites are the Stay-There Shadow Brush with its pointed end, which is great for getting into the crease, and the Round Powder Brush, which I love to use for blush or loose setting powders. They feel so soft and gentle on the face and eye areas and do the job very well. I haven't used the Detailed Lip Liner Brush because I have an aversion to using brushes for my lipstick. It's an illness called laziness, and I have it in spades. Give me a bullet and I'm a happy gal. The lip brush can be used for other things, of course. 

In my opinion, this is a great set that includes everything a beginner needs for the eyes with the bonus of a handy case and powder brush, and all for a reasonable price. I got mine at Walgreens for $16.99.

Physician's Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Blush Swatch and Review

Again with the huge names! Yer killing me, Physician's Formula! But you make up for it with the cutest packaging ever, so all is forgiven.

Let's get down to business. I have this blush in Blush Rose, which looks like this:

Back view with mirror and brush.

Front view

The heel in the middle is coated with a silver overspray, which goes away after the first use. It's unfortunate that they didn't just go with another shade of pink for the heel that goes through to the pan, because with the current design you unavoidably ruin the heel design the moment you use the product. Not a deal breaker for most, but it was a bit of a bummer for me.

Sorry it's so blurry! You still get the idea though.

And finally, a swatch:

The above swatch was applied with a blush brush on bare skin. No primers or foundations were used. It was also applied with a very heavy hand and I'm pretty fair-skinned, if that gives you any indication as to how pigmented the product is.

Physician's Formula site description:

Irresistibly Sexy Blushing Glow: Wear this perfect blend of shimmery blushing tones like lingerie for your face for an instant sexy boost with an alluring blushing glow.

Sexy Boosting Formula: infused with the scent of warm vanilla, "afterglow" illumination and pheromone-mimicking ingredients including clinically tested Androstadienone, Cocoa Extract (aka "the Love Chemical") and ancient aphrodisiac Horny Goatweed to enhance your sexy side.

My overall thoughts:
The blush applied smoothly, but was very sheer and shimmery. Like the Sexy Glow Glossy Stain, it has a sweet, odd sort of floral scent that I have trouble describing. I've seen some bloggers pin down vanilla notes, but for me it's a scent I don't recall smelling anywhere else. Unfortunately, it's not a smell I really liked and it lingered on my face and on my brush. Shame on me for not cleaning my brush immediately, because it lingered for days. I also didn't get much wear time out of this product, which I suspect is because of its sheer nature. Personally, I prefer a bit more pigmentation and less shimmer on my cheeks.

You can find this and other Sexy Booster products at most drugstores, Target, Walmart, K-mart, and some grocery stores for $11.95.

Physician's Formula Sexy Glow Glossy Stain Review and Swatches

This product's full name is quite a mouthful -- it's the Physician's Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain in hot pink. Sometimes I think cosmetics companies are just messing with us!

The Sexy Booster line has only been out for a couple of months and claims to contain pheromones that make you completely irresistible. So is this the makeup equivalent of Axe body spray? I'm gonna go ahead and say no to that one. (And how silly are the Axe commercials? Seriously.) The pheromone claims seem gimmicky to me, but I'm guessing that much is obvious to just about everyone. What really drew me to this product was the color of the glossy stain and the awesome packaging. I'm a packaging junkie -- what can I say?

The color is hot pink, and I'd say the name is pretty accurate. It's sort of a pinky raspberry shade that makes me think of Summertime.

Description from the Physician's Formula site:

Irresistable Sexy Color & Shine.

Innovative gloss+stain hybrid formula delivers richly pigmented color in an intensly glossy finish combined with our Sexy Boost Blend for the ultimate pout-enhancing effect. The result is full, voluptuous, SEXY lips!

Seductive scent and delectable flavor makes it irresistable to apply!

Kiss-Proof Performance: High-impact color takes long-wear to a sexy new level, lasts up to 12 hours (tested under controlled conditions).

Sexy Boosting Formula: infused with the scent of warm vanilla, "afterglow" illumination and pheromone-mimicking ingredients including clinically tested Androstadienone, Cocoa Extract (aka "the Love Chemical") and ancient aphrodisiac Horny Goatweed to enhance your sexy side.

My thoughts...

Formula:

The formula is kind of interesting. It feels really thin while applying, but dries quickly with only the slightest amount of stickiness. 

Smell:

It has a sort of sweet floral-y scent that I can't pin down, but I can tell you it's the exact same scent the Sexy Booster blushes have. Thankfully the scent goes away after a couple minutes because I'm not a fan. 

How does it wear?

I had pretty good wear time with this product. It isn't like the other stains I own, though, in that it doesn't seem to "set" and can transfer onto your glass or anything else you may touch with your lips. The upside is that it isn't drying like my other stains. The color is very opaque and it doesn't feel heavy on the lips.

Overall I think this is a great product. The price is pretty steep at $9.95, but you can usually catch good sales at drugstores. I stacked a BOGO 1/2 off sale at CVS with a $3 off coupon and ended up getting mine for a little over $2.00, which is very reasonable. The savings are out there, if you're patient!

Plus, the packaging. The adorable high heel charm! The fishnet around the tube! How could anyone resist?