Tangle Teezer Customized Compact Styler Hair Brush!

I know you've seen this hair brush before! Tangle Teezer is a UK brand, focused on helping you detangle your hair with minimal tugging and "ouch!" while introducing new and fun designs at the same time. 2008 was the first launch of the original brush and the brand has exploded since then.

The brush I have here is the Compact Styling Hairbrush. Is that A Lovely Allure logo on it!? Yes it is! I was able to customize my own brush with a graphic via the Tangle Teezer website!

The website gives you the option of customizing the Compact Style Brush only, but you are able to add your own graphic to the brush, or use a premade design from the website. They have 8 different colours available for the top and bottom of the brush but I stuck with the basics. I thought it would be awesome to use my actual logo on the brush, despite the fact that it only fit (nicely) diagonally!

The brush is customized and arrives to you like this, in a cute tiny black box. The quality of the graphic was better than I expected. The brush was a lot smaller than I expected, but it's shaped with the proper 'curves' and fits perfectly in the palm of my hand.

It includes a detachable cover, that slips on and off of the brush easily.

The Tangle Teezer uses a two-tier teeth system to prevent as much fuss, breakage, and damage as possible. I've tried the Blow Styling Hairbrush before but this was my first time actually trying a Detangling Brush from Tangle Teezer. The brush is ideal for either wet or dry hair, I personally prefer to brush my hair only when it's dry anyway. The brush detangled my hair gently, and I was able to avoid adding any unnecessary tangles like some brushes (that I've used in the past) do. Also, this brush is a great head massager! If my scalp is itchy, this thing is my saviour.

I would 100% recommend trying a Tangle Teezer brush out at least once! It is a great investment and it won't break the wallet.

You can get a regular Compact Styler for $25 CAD. Currently, on the Tangle Teezer website, you can get a personalized Compact Styler for roughly £16.67 + £2.97 shipping which amounted to roughly $32 CAD (with the exchange rate). I wouldn't hesitate to pay an extra few dollars for a personal customized brush. A lot of people haven't tried the Tangle Teezer brand and I think it's a great gift idea and great to buy for yourself as well.

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Press sample received for consideration

Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette

Everyone's coming out with an easier way to clean your brushes lately! I'm a fan of Real Techniques because they have good quality stuff, but are also reasonably priced. The new Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette retails for $19.99 CAD, and contains 3 different patterns on the palette (for optimal brush cleaning?)..

The palette comes with a sample pack of their new Brush Cleansing Gel as well.

The back of the palette has a slit for your hand so it's easy to hold.

I don't know why but after trying the palette a few times it just wasn't meeting my expectations. I think maybe it's due to the fact that it's completely silicone, it had a hard time cleaning my 'heavier stained' brushes. My liquid foundation brushes just weren't getting cleaned, the foundation was getting stuck onto the silicone and was getting put back onto my brush. A little bit of a pain in the butt. I used the Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Gel (which smells awesome btw), I also tried it with 2 alternative soaps and got similar results.

It did a much better job of cleaning my brushes that I use with powder products. But I don't think it's a good investment if you're trying to clean foundation brushes with this (like I had intended).

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Overall, I think this is the first Real Techniques product I've tried that I don't really like. I'm kind of on the fence about it. The concept is sooo good and I really wanted to like it, but I wanted it solely for my foundation brushes and it doesn't do a great job of cleaning them (as mentioned above). I think it works well for brushes that only have powder residue on them (eyeshadow brushes, blush, bronzer, highlighter brushes, etc).

If you want to put it to the test, you can find the Deep Brush Cleansing Palette online at FarleyCo and the link will also show you other locations where the product is available. It can also be found at select Rexall Pharma Plus, and select London Drugs. I believe I've also spotted it on Amazon.

Press sample received for consideration

Sephora Perfect & Cleanse Sponge Trio + Cleaner Set

The Sephora Perfect & Cleanse Sponge Trio and Cleaner Set comes packaged in a tiny container, but is well worth the $$. It includes a full-sized 'The Perfectionist Airbrush Sponge', and two mini The Perfectionist Airbrush Sponges. It also comes with a mini Solid Brush & Sponge Cleaner.

I'm sure you've seen the Sephora sponges in store, who hasn't? But did they appeal to you? I've seen the Sephora Collection sponges in store, and didn't give them a second look. I've tried so many random Beauty Blender dupes here and there, and could never come across one that was comparable! So after trying this out, did I like it?...

Of course! I was so surprised at how well the Sephora The Perfectionist Sponge expanded when wet. It expanded to the exact size of my Beauty Blender (see comparisons below). The mini sponge doesn't expand quite as much but it does get big enough. I use the full size sponge for foundation when I want more of a full coverage (vs. using a buffing brush), and I found that the mini sponge works well for concealing under the eyes, and spot concealing in general.

The Solid Sponge Cleaner took off foundation residue on the sponge with ease, and on top of that it smells lovely! It is formulated with a Moroccan fragrance and infused with Argan Oil which breaks down the excess residue. It even did a great job in removing caked-on old residue off my Beauty Blender, which I had a hard time trying to remove before.

 Dry Sephora The Perfectionist Airbrush Sponge vs. Wet

 Wet Sephora The Perfectionist Mini Airbrush Sponge vs. Dry

 Wet Sephora The Perfectionist Airbrush Sponge vs. Wet Beauty Blender

With the full sized The Perfectionist Sponge priced at $15 already, this trio + solid brush cleaner is a steal at $19 CAD and I wouldn't think twice before purchasing it. I believe this set will be available for Black Friday in a couple days, but you can find the regular Perfectionist Sponge here, and a mini sponge duo here, and solid brush cleaner here, until then.

These products were received for consideration. All opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by any affiliates. 

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge Review

I'm a huge Real Techniques fan and have collected pretty much all of their brushes, so when I heard about the release of this 'Beauty Blender' dupe, I was quite curious to see how it compared. I hadn't been able to find it in stores but it thankfully had been sent to me to test out.

The Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge is a soft sponge for the application of foundation and concealer using either the flat edge, sides, or tip. The flat edge can be used for the entire face, and for contouring around the eyes and nose, rounded sides for blending, and precision tip for covering blemishes or imperfections. The sponge can be used dry for a fuller coverage or wet for a more natural look!

Rt Miracle Complexion Sponge: Dry

Rt Miracle Complexion Sponge: Expanded When Wet

First Impressions: At first I was doubting the performance of this sponge, as I have heard nothing compares to the Beauty Blender. I was pretty impressed upon using the sponge that it was soft, and squishy enough to feel gentle on my face. Upon my first application using Rt's Complexion Sponge and my Revlon Colorstay Foundation, I was able to get a full coverage and had an easy time applying the foundation to the sides of my nose, and under my eyes with the flat edge. The texture of the sponge and feeling on my face was quite similar to my Beauty Blender, but it was definitely more stiff. 

Application: I typically have been using the sponge dry, on the flat edge for a full face application, and the sides to smooth and blend out any excess foundation or blotchiness from using the flat edge. Using the flat edge requires a bit more blending, but it allows me to cover a larger portion of my face, faster, and feels much more gentle on the face and under the eyes. The only concern I had with the flat edge design, was that it seemed as if it might begin to wear down with a few more washes (but crossing my fingers that it doesn't!) 

Does it Expand? Oh, and for the final test.... did it expand when wet!? Yes! Not sure if you can really tell in the photos above, but the Real Techniques sponge did expand quite a bit, which is what makes it the closest dupe to the Beauty Blender for me, as I know many other 'dupes' do not absorb water nor expand. But this also means that the sponge does absorb a bit of foundation during application in comparison to a brush. It was a lot easier to use the sponge wet because it was squishier, but it also gives you a less fuller coverage.

I would likely choose the Real Techniques sponge over the Beauty Blender due to the much lower price ($7-10 in comparison to $28), and the benefits of the flat edge. I'd like to see how durable it is and long it will last with weekly washes, and will report back here! Overall, I think this is a great sponge for the price and I will definitely repurchase!

The Real Techniques sponge can be bought online in Canada through FarleyCo, and is also available at select London Drugs, Pharmasave, and Lawton Drugs. You just might be able to find it at Walmart, but I haven't had any luck yet. It can also be found at FtbBeauty and iHerb, which both offering shipping within Canada. Click here to view other international locations where you can potentially find this sponge!

I received this product for consideration. All opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by any affiliates.