Archive for the ‘London Brush Company’ Category
As you may have read on these pages, a couple of weeks ago I attended the United Make-Up Artists Expo where I met Siân Richards, the mind and force behind the London Brush Company.
Apart from creating a fantastic brush range, she also has a brush shampoo that’s been flying off the shelf since it went on sale. I went with my instinct and bought the large tub, ready to put it to the test when I got home.
Hand-made in sunny California, it’s a solid product in a pot made of natural ingredients (goat milk, essential oils and organic cleansers) and is either scented or without. I went for lemon but there is also lavender.
To use, wet the brush in warm water, gently swish it around the pot to pick up the product, then lather it in the palm of your hand before rinsing with water. You’ll find there is more than enough shampoo to thoroughly cleanse your brush without the need to re-swish.
I took all my brushes (66 of them – yes, I counted each one) and cleaned the lot in less than 20 minutes. There were brushes covered in stale foundation and ones dipped in dark eyeshadows and they didn’t stain the shampoo. Incredible! I’d still be scrubbing them to the early hours if I was using a conventional brush cleaning shampoo, not to mention emptying most of the fluid from the bottle.
Honestly it is so quick and effortless to use. With LBC’s brush shampoo, the product clings to the brushes, very little is needed and it lathers up brilliantly. This pot will last me ages. It is also reassuring to know the shampoo contains tea tree oil so it sanitises your brushes too.
If you’re a pro make-up artist always on the go, then this is something you need in your kit. Because the shampoo is solid and doesn’t contain any chemicals, it’s safe to pack in your luggage with no fear of spillages. This is one of the main reasons Sian came up with this product as she travels a lot.
Kind to the environment and kind to your skin, this is the kind of brush shampoo we’ve been crying out for. Try it – you won’t regret it.
Available in two sizes (1 oz and 2 oz) at £20 and £30 respectively, you can order directly from Precious About Make-Up.
Don’t forget you can keep up to date with London Brush Company via the Facebook page.
Last weekend was ace! It was the United Make-Up Artists Expo over two days and took place in London’s Business Design Centre in Islington. It was every pro make-up artist’s dream – the best brands, the finest products and it was civilised!
I’m sure a lot have never heard of United Make-Up Artists Expo. Well it’s a European event born in the UK and based in London to support the make-up industry and aspiring make-up artists. Following support from prominent individuals in the make-up business and with expertise accrued over the years, this make-up show made a return to London once again.
Arm-in-arm with Leanne from Do Not Refreeze, we went straight for London Brush Company‘s stall where to my delight, founder Siân Richards was holding fort. When I first met her two years ago at IMATS, she had a humble collection of make-up brushes. Fast forward to the present day and her vision has become a reality with an extensive range of new brushes, a cosmetics line and a brush shampoo. She was also Halle Berry’s personal make-up artist on the set of Cloud Atlas. Her chatty persona is infectious so to hear Siân talk passionately about what she’s been working on was refreshing and excited me a lot.
LBC’s brushes are Helen and mine’s favourites so to see Siân has redesigned her range with shorter handles is brilliant but what’s more exciting is her new vegan collection called NouVeau.
These are distinctive by the teal coloured handles but also, the range includes 2 amazing looking brushes – the pyramid shaped foundation brushes. I think myself and Frootibeauty let out a little scream when we saw these. I’ve tried flat foundation brushes and stipple ones but a pyramid shaped brush looks like it will be brilliant to use around delicate and difficult areas like around the eyes.
London Brush Company’s NouVeau vegan brushes
Quality made make-up brushes are hard to find. The craftmanship on these brushes is phenomenal and the hairs are so soft. They’re a dream to use for application and blending – you can tell they’re good when you touch them. While other big brands which once made quality tools have sold out for cheaper production lines, Siân won’t sell her soul to the devil for a quick buck.
Siân Richards working her magic on the main stage
The other thing that got us feeling dizzy is her brush shampoo (I will be posting a review of this separately this week). It’s a pot of solid shampoo that shampoos, conditions and sanitises make-up brushes. After all, we look after our own hair, why aren’t we taking the same level of care with brushes that touch our skin?
London Brush Company’s Brush Shampoo
I also bumped in Daniel Sandler who spontaneously decided to do smoky eyes on me (something Daniel’s been dying to do). He used his brilliant eyeshadow Scandal At Midnight eyeshadow quad.
Daniel Sandler doing my eyes
With talks and demos going on by guests like Glenn Hetrick, I found time to peruse various stalls at my leisure and bought some beautiful things from Make-Up Forever, Lime Crime, MAC and NYX and conveniently at a nice discount. I also bagged a couple of large bottles of Bioderma so that should keep me going for the next 5 years. All in all, I think I behaved quite well!
I had anticipated that I would be free after a couple of hours. I left when the event closed for the day. It wasn’t a show on a huge scale but focused and I think that’s why United Make-Up Artist Expo was so enjoyable. A brilliant, relaxed atmosphere I was able to wander around, swatch products without being elbowed, chat to make-up artists and take it all in. I forgot to eat – that’s how intoxicated I was with all that make-up.
If you missed out this year, you may want to make sure you don’t next time. Check http://www.umae.co.uk/ for more information. UMAe, you were amazing – see you next year!
Incredible work by an artist at the show
Exciting news for all you make-up lovers. The first United Make-up Artist Expo will be taking place in London on 6-7 April. To be held in Islington’s Business Design Centre, there will be stalls, shows and discussions.
The two day event will also feature a host of well known cosmetic companies including the London Brush Company. I first came across LBC at London IMATS a couple of years ago and met the founder Siân Richards too. The brushes are most probably my absolute favourite so I am pleased I will get a chance to stock up on more.
To find out more about the event and for tickets, visit http://www.umae.co.uk/.
Prices start from £27 for one-day tickets if you book in advance with concessions for students and professionals. If you’re keen then hurry as prices will gradually rise until on the day when they will cost £45. For each ticket that is purchased the organisers will donate £1.00 to Breast Cancer Awareness.
A few months ago, I mentioned The London Brush Company after stumbling across them at this year’s IMATS. Actually Helen takes full credit for spying these brushes and trusting her excellent judgement or I wouldn’t be writing this post.
The London Brush Company is a boutique collection of hand made make-up brushes individually made in the UK. Designed by movie make-up artist, Siân Richards, each brush shape has been nurtured and tested, to ensure it works exactly as Siân wants and you can’t get any better than a testimonial from the lady herself when we both met her at IMATS.
Of all the application tools needed in make-up, brushes for applying eye shadows are imperative in my opinion. It’s like baking a cake – the ingredients (eye shadows), equipment (brushes) and preparation will create the perfect result if the instructions are followed accurately.
I find the same rule applies to using eye shadows. You must prep with a primer or a base of some kind, use quality products (not necessarily expensive) and have the right tools.
For a while I’ve been content with the brushes I own. I have some MAC brushes as well as Sonia Kashuk (which are excellent) but I suspect they may become redundant as these London Make-Up Brushes have blown me away. Their message is simple: “Designed by a Brit. Made By Hand. Loved By All.”
I bought three brushes – No. 14, No. 15 and No. 16 – all made from super soft squirrel hair. If, like me, you still harbour bitter feelings towards those pesky gits running off with the bird feeder, then you’ll feel some satisfaction.
On first glance, I thought the hairs on the brushes were distinctively firm compared to my other brushes, which I was a little apprehensive about so when I used them, I certainly did not expect the result I got.
Firstly the powder stays firmly on the hairs and it glides on effortlessly and quickly over the lids. The feeling is like silk but what I found amazing was how little fallout there was. How annoying is it to sweep away loose powder under the eyes and touch up with foundation? I discovered I got very little and in some cases, none. I’ve tried these brushes on eye shadows from Accessorize through to NARS, and by no means do the results differ.
Blending is incredibly quick and easy too, not the mundanity of relentlessly shading other brushes require, which is another bonus. You really get the job done a lot quicker with these brushes, and they work well with matte and shimmery eye shadows. The brushes come with long wooden handles too.
A lot of cosmetic brushes are manufactured outside of the UK and US (usually in Far East countries to keep production costs low) but these brushes have specifically been made in the UK for at least two good reasons: craftmanship in this country has long been recognised for its high quality and these days it’s rare to come across products made in England so you know you are guaranteed an exceptional product. I’ve got to say, there is something nice about seeing ‘Made In England’ stamped on the brush handle too. Also the London Brush Company are creating employment and keeping the industry alive in the UK.
I am now curious to try their blusher and foundation brushes. Have you bought brushes from the London Brush Company? If so, what do you think of them?
To explore their entire range, visit www.londonbrushcompany.com. It would appear you can purchase these brushes directly from their website (prices in dollars, starting from $12) but I also came across www.cocktailcosmetics.co.uk, who sell London Brush Company brushes too. No. 16 and No. 14 cost £27.95 and No. 15 is £25.95 from Cocktail Cosmetics. A worthwhile investment and a chance to champion home-made products too.
