Beauty Pie is a monthly (or annual) subscription service that offers its own brand of hair, skincare and makeup products at reduced prices. A lot of these products bear more than a passing resemblance to well-known brands and are sometimes produced in the same factories.
I find Beauty Pie a bit hit and miss, but when they get it right, the products can be exceptional. I usually group the reviews together as I buy four or five products at a time, but there are two buys that deserve standalone posts.
The first is this foundation brush. I bought it back in June 2020 when makeup was the last thing on everyone’s mind. I picked it up this year and have been using it solidly ever since.
SEAMLESS FOUNDATION BUFFING BRUSH
The ultimate blurring and blending foundation brush.
For a seamless, soft-focus skin finish, this texture-perfecting superb brush buffs and blurs until your foundation looks almost invisible
Typical price £35.00, Beauty Pie Member Price £8.54 (I paid £7.54 last year).
HOW TO USE
For a flawless, photo-ready face, apply your foundation to the forehead, t-zone, cheeks and chin, and gently blend into skin using light, circular and massaging motions.
HOW TO CLEAN OUR LUXURY VEGAN MAKEUP BRUSHES (vegan ie synthetic)
Step 1: Apply baby shampoo onto your hands and add lukewarm water to create a light foam.
Step 2: Swirl the brush in your hands and work the formula into the bristles.
Step 3: Rinse under lukewarm water until it runs clear and leave the brush to dry on its side. (Do not stand on its end, as this may affect the glue holding the brush head in place.)
REVIEW
Like most people, I alternate between a beauty blender/makeup sponge or a brush to apply liquid foundation.
This Beauty Pie brush is relatively small for a foundation brush, in fact, it’s the same size as my blusher brush, but I liked the shape of it and could see the slant would reach into all the nooks and crannies of the face.
You never know how hard or soft the bristles will be until you try it for yourself. The bristles though densely packed and firm still feel soft against the skin, it’s exactly the right combination.
The brush picks up a lot of product and holds onto it so now I know to use a very little amount. In fact, I could stretch to six ultra-thin applications from just one of the Lisa Eldridge foundation samples.
Application is fast and the brush is just the right weight to feel comfortable in the hand.
The beauty of this brush though is the way it buffs. I need my foundation to almost disappear into my skin, I’m forever worried about streaky bits or patches of bare skin around my ears and hairline – mainly because I’ve seen it on other people. Very little pressure is needed to blend and buff the foundation for a smooth, skinlike finish.
It doesn’t shed either – Yeah, I’m looking at you, expensive Chanel Pinceau Poudre. The brush shed badly and made me look as if I was sprouting long black hairs from my chin. I was forever picking them off.
I usually steer clear of ‘own brand’ makeup brushes but this one has been a revelation and the price is excellent for the quality. I’m not sure I’ll purchase any of the other makeup brushes, I’m sticking with my longstanding favourites, MAC 212 – line, 219 – crease and 217 – blend.
It also washes beautifully and keeps its shape after drying. In fact, I’ve just bought another one because it grabs onto liquid foundation, I want to make sure I always have a clean one available and of course, the price is a steal. According to reviews the brush also performs beautifully with cream and stick foundation formulas.
I also bought another Gingerbread candle to officially mark the beginning of Christmas. I was supposed to save it for December 1st, but it’s burning away right now, making me long for my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. That’s a lie, I had one last week.
