It’s getting hot in here… No, in here — inside the MAC Temperature Rising Makeup Bag ($34)

Recently added to the rapidly growing list of ways I’m turning into my mother (a list that also includes hits like “#25: Washing bars of soap so they look nice and clean in the soap dish” and “#18: Writing lists for everything”) — “#37: Putting bags within bags.”

My mother is notorious for doing this.

At any given moment, there are at least five or six smaller bags inside her purse, each dedicated to storing something different, like medication, snacks, office supplies, first aid, gadgets…

And wouldn’t ya know it? Slowly but surely, I’m going that route.

Never mind that the roomy Poverty Flats Perforated Satchel I’ve been toting around already has three deep pockets on the sides (what is it with me and deep pockets lately??), I’m also putting other bags inside it…

…like the new $34 MAC Temperature Rising Makeup Bag, which has been holding some of my beauty booty essentials.

This slim zippered bag looks deceptively small, but it actually fits a ton of stuff.

Things I need quick access to go in the front pocket — iPhone, tubes of gloss, stuff like that.

What I can fit inside the MAC Temperature Rising Makeup Bag

Behold! The mighty MAC 109 Small Contour Brush! ($35; lens flare not included)

1. Standing in the spotlight on a massive stage in front of thousands of adoring fans, with your cheekbones contoured like WHOA! — as confetti, balloons and glitter rain down upon your glorious form
2. Wondering how you ever lived without it
3. Marveling at how perfectly the diminutive, rounded brush head fits into pans of MAC Eye Shadow singles and the hollows of your cheeks
4. Contemplating how strange it is for you to want different 109s for bronzer, blush, another one for powders, highlighters, two more for foundations (one for liquids and another for creams, both of which it easily applies) and another one strictly for buffing…
5. Considering time travel, specifically going back in time 10 years to gift yourself with a 109 and a pan of MAC Refined Golden, and while you’re there, reassuring yourself that you’re doing just fine, so keep up the good work
6. Singing Debbie Gibson’s Only in My Dreams at the top of your lungs in the shower (using a bottle of shampoo as your microphone, of course) and yelling, “That was for you, 109!!” at the end of the song
7. Blurting out, “Whoa there, cowgirl!” to no one in particular after you get a look at how many bristles it leaves on your face, because it sheds A LOT — more than any other MAC brush you’ve ever tried
8. Questioning your sanity after spending $35 on a makeup brush, good or not, that sheds as much as the 109…
9. Sighing with relief after washing and drying it for the first time, which dramatically cuts down on the future shedding
10. Gushing to all your girlfriends and makeup-lovin’ guy friends about how great the 109 is, but also warning them about the shedding and suggesting that they give it a good washing beforehand

From the left for size: 109 Small Contour Brush, 116 Blush Brush and 129 Powder/Blush Brush

The brush head perfectly fits into pans of MAC Eye Shadow singles as if it were designed for ‘em

PRICE: $35
AVAILABILITY: A permanent collection product available now at MAC counters, stores and also online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: B+ (an A if it didn’t shed so much at first)

Pretty stoked about…

This purple cauliflower.

Stopped by the farmers’ market yesterday and picked it up on a whim.

Have you ever tasted one of these before? I haven’t, but I’m going to steam it and toss it in some lemon vinaigrette and capers tonight.

It’s supposed to be sweeter than regular cauliflower… We shall see!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The adorable and affordable Sonia Kashuk $14.99 Brush Couture Five-Piece Brush Set

Maaaan, Sonia and her good deals. The new bangin’ budget brushes in Sonia Kashuk’s limited edition $14.99 Brush Couture Five-Piece Brush Set work out to just $3 each, which is a great deal, even for Sonia.

A few of the brushes in this particular set also remind me of bad@ass brushes from more expensive brands…

From the left: the Powder Brush, the Foundation Brush, the Angled Contour Brush, the Fluffy Eyeshadow Brush and the Flat Shader Brush

The new Illamasqua Blush Up Brush ($40), available now at Sephora and sephora.com

I keep having visions of myself using Illamasqua’s new $41 Blush Up Brush while I’m on the elliptical machine at the gym, I think because Illamasqua refers to the shape oval brush head shape as an “ellipse.”

(I know, I know. I’m easily distracted.)

You might wondering, “Why would anyone apply blush in the middle of their workout?”

Honestly, I don’t know…but I’m someone who applies makeup to run to Petco in the middle of the night, so I don’t rule anything out anymore.

About the brush, Illamasqua says it opens doors to a bold new world of blush application! The secret: the elliptical shape.

It’s designed to fit snugly beneath your cheekbones. Just gently pull the brush upward along the cheekbones to create a soft gradient of color.

Here’s the recommended step-by-step instructions I’ve been following…

Looks as easy as 1-2-3

I’m intrigued, but I’m also pretty set it my ways when it comes to blush application. I’ve been doing the bounce and swirl for so long that I could do ‘em hanging upside down in a pitch black room.

After trying Illamasqua’s technique and the new brush for a few days, well, I think I’ll eventually get the hang of it, get to where I could create some sharp, defined ’80s-style cheeks, but it’s still a little tricky for me now.

First, the stuff I like about the brush: the soft bristles, and the long handle feels sturdy and comfortable in my paws.

Long, sleek and sturdy black handle (um, this is a good-looking brush!)

Oh, and the density of brush head? Amazing. It’s so thick! It picks up plenty of powder and deposits it smoothly and evenly on the skin.

Really great for strong, defined blocks of color.

Illamasqua Blush Up Brush in my hand for scale

The new Sephora Collection IZAK Brush Set ($38)

Since the world’s first beauty fanatic triumphantly shouted, “Eureka!” while thrusting her makeup brush into the air, faces and makeup bags everywhere have been plagued by boring brushes and stiff bristles.

For (what seemed like) millennia, brushes with boring black handles and scratchy bristles bothered beauty lovers, who dreamed of living life more colorfully, and comfortably, with brushes like the ones in the new $38 five-piece Sephora IZAK Brush Set.

Not only are the foundation, powder, eyeshadow, brow and liner brushes in this new limited edition holiday set super soft, they’re also quite sassy.

And the source of that sass? New York-based French illustrator Izak Zenou, who’s worked with some of the biggest names in beauty and fashion, including Chanel, Henri Bendel and Laura Mercier.

I love his illustrations and the work he’s done here. The black, white and hot pink brushes in the set, and the illustrated gal gracing the accompanying zippered pouch, are so glam yet oddly approachable…

The illustrated girl on the front looks like she’d be fun to hang out with — chic and totally down to earth. I bet she wouldn’t judge me if I showed up to our lunch date with two-tone matte lips and cat fur stuck to my suede ankle boots.

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