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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Sephora’s new $15 Mini Ultra Shine Gloss Set

Sephora calls the four petite pink and nude shades in their $15 Mini Ultra Shine Gloss Set universally flattering.

I call ‘em perfect for purses and sunglasses, on account of their diminutive stature (0.1 ounces each), their easy, breezy sheer-to-medium coverage and a finish that’s brighter than the sun!

From the left: Precious Pink, Pin-Up Pink, Rose Petal and Perfect Nude

From the left: Precious Pink, Pin-Up Pink, Rose Petal and Perfect Nude

Pin-Up Pink

Wearing the products in Sephora’s new $15 Blinged Palette on my eyes, cheeks and lips

“Bling it.”

“Oh, it’s already been blough-it.”

Sorry… Made myself laugh.

So, what’s better than getting a great deal on a face palette with eight pigmented shadows, a perky pink powder blush and five flattering lipsticks?

How ’bout this: getting it all with a side of bling.

No need to bust out your BeDazzler to bejewel the new limited edition Sephora Blinged Palette, because it already comes complete with sparkly rhinestones. It’s also pretty affordable at $15.

Oh, how do I love thee, Sephora Blinged Palette? Let me count the ways…

The shadows

Fallout? What’s that? I hardly see any at all from these eight powder eyeshadows. Worn with my beloved NARS primer. With the primer’s help, they’re a breeze to blend and last all day long on my lids.

I love the mix of matte and shimmer finishes and the brown, gold, peach, beige and green shades, which are nicely balanced between cool and warm tones.

Only thing is, the high-shine shimmery shades have an appetite for fine lines — meaning they like to highlight ‘em.

The blush

What a nice surprise! It’s so smooth and natural looking.

The lipsticks

I wish these five unscented, unflavored lipsticks weren’t seated so close to the blush (such a pain), but I think the colors work so well with the palette that I’m willing to let it go.

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Wearing Hot Pink No. 5 from the new $25 Sephora Gloss Lab kit

If chem lab had been anywhere near as much fun as Sephora’s new Gloss Lab, I never would have finished any of my titrating!

I would have been too busy mixing and matching the 10 marvelously moisturizing glosses (which could easily pass for MAC Cremesheens) in the $25 kit, and then watching the clouds above my head part to a concerto of harps and herald angels singing.

Unlike chem lab, Gloss Lab is exclusive to Sephora. The limited edition holiday kit, which is available now, comes with seven shades in an assortment of nude and bright colors and three colorless top coats (one clear gloss, another with small bits of white shimmer in it, and a third with larger bits of multi-colored shimmer), and all 10 of them come with an easy-to-use doe-foot applicator.

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Among the many eyeshadow palettes making their way into the hearts and homes of lovely ladies and makeup-lurving gents this holiday season, I’m betting there’s bound to be at least one (or two!) bright colors in the mix, and if you’re anything like me, some of those brights can be completely terrifying.

For me, it’s usually the bright pinks…

I have no qualms about wearing bright pink on my lips, but my eyes are a different story. It’s like, bright eyeshadows take a different kind of cajones, and sometimes I just don’t feel cool enough to pull them off.

But I know it’s just a state of mind, and so over the weekend, I busted out some of the bright eyeshadows I hardly ever wear and began to experiment. I was just messing around when I stumbled on something by accident…

Wow! Starting with a black base works wonders for bright eyeshadows!

And pretty much any formula should work, be it paint pot, smudgy liner or a creamy kohl. Just apply on your lids, smudge it out, and pat your bright eyeshadow directly on top. The black base sort of grounds the bright shadow, toning it down.

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