Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Spotlight: Kelley Quan Mascara Wand (patent pending)

Product Sent for Consideration

Kelley Quan Mascara Wand

Today, I have something very exciting to share with you. It's a brand new brush that was sent to me by the very sweet Kelley Quan. You may have read a previous post I wrote mentioning her "Wave Brush," which is my holy grail brush for brows. Well, Kelley has done it again. She has managed to really wow me, and add yet another unique amazing brush to my collection.  This brush is a must have for makeup artists and makeup lovers who covet long feathery lashes.  This new brush which Kelley simply calls Mascara Wand, will be available for purchase at www.kelleyquan.com in a couple of weeks. 

Here is a look at the new, innovative brush, and the inside scoop on how it works:  The Kelley Quan Mascara Wand is a small fine bristled fan brush that was created to help apply mascara very close to the lash line. While there are other mascara fan brushes on the market, none exist quite like this. What makes this brush so unique is it's angled tip. It is this angle that helps you get the mascara right up against your lash line. As any new makeup artist knows, applying mascara to someone else can be a bit tricky. Disposable mascara wands are fine, but you need multiple wands to do one person's lashes, as you don't want to double dip for sanitary reasons. It can also be difficult to get super close to your client's lash line, and painting tiny bottom lashes can prove to be problematic at times for sure. If you are a makeup artist, this brush is surely a worthy investment. It can be used in a variety of ways, and with good care, this brush should last you a long time. 

If you are a makeup lover, or a woman who suffers from sparse lashes, this brush can be a useful tool for helping you achieve that false lash look. In fact, after testing this brush out on myself for the first time, my husband asked me if I was wearing falsies! I was wearing the same mascara that I wear every day, I simply applied it differently. I incorporated the Kelley Quan Mascara Wand into my eye routine, and the difference both in application and final look was truly noticable.

Like all Kelley Quan brushes, this brush arrived in her signature pink box with it's "Vegan Beauty Brush" label on the front.


 What makes this brush unique is the angled head (pictured below)

The brush can be used angled up, or down depending on the desired lash look. Like all of Kelley's brushes, it comes with her signature smooth black handles embossed with her pink KQ logo on one side, and the number of the brush on the other. 






 Now that we've established that the brush looks cool, let's see how it works:  There are two methods of application. You can apply your mascara directly to your lashes and use the brush to comb it through, or you can apply the mascara directly to the brush and paint your lashes.  This brush can be used both angled upwards, by applying the product directly to your lashes from underneath and wiggling the mascara toward your lash line or angled downward getting close to every lash and painting the product through, separating your lashes at you pull the brush up.  I tested the brush in multiple ways.  

Here are the methods that yielded the best results for me personally:  Below is a photo with no mascara (clean dry lashes). I began as I usually do, by curling my lashes.



 The mascara I chose to use is my Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Volumizing Mascara, because it's one I personally use a lot, so I know what the end result looks like without using the brush. This enabled me to more accurately see any difference in the final result.





While, I tested the brush both ways, applying the mascara in the traditional way (from the enclosed spoolie), and applying the mascara to the brush, I strongly prefer applying the product directly to the brush and painting my lashes with it. I simply took the Kelley Quan Mascara Wand and picked up some of the product onto the brush directly from the Stila mascara spoolie.


To show you my two favorite methods, I did each eye differently for demonstration purposes. For the first eye, I angled the brush upward, and starting at the very base of my lashes wiggled the brush up and pulled the product through my lashes. When using this method, you can get as close to your lash line as you want. In fact, I was able to basically tightline my eye with the mascara. This method creates a strong luxurious looking lash, because it erases any gaps seen in normal mascara application without the use of a separate eye liner.


Here is how the eye looks after applying mascara with the Mascara Wand angled upwards:



  To further separate and define my lashes, I then turned the brush so that it was angled down and pulled the brush through, this helps create that feathery lash look. 

 On the other eye, I started from the top of the lash, with my eye looking down and painted the top of my lashes. With the brush angled down, I was able to pull the Kelley Quan Mascara Wand down through the entire lash and separate each lash.


Here is how the eye looks after using the Mascara Wand with the wand angled downward, starting from the top:



The above look did not tightline the eye, but created more fluttery looking clean lashes, ideal for those who prefer a more natural, yet lengthened lash look. 

In the above picture, you can see the eye on the left (my right eye) was achieved with the upward method. As you can see from the photo, it looks like my eye is tightlined!  The lash line is full, which creates the illusion of much longer lashes. 

As mentioned, this tool also makes painting sparse lower lashes a breeze. Many people struggle with coating their lower lashes, some even resort to using a separate "bottom lash" mascara.  This handy little fan brush allows you to paint on the product as the bristles literally grab on and coat each individual lash, while separating them at the same time.  You can use the brush angled up or down for the bottom lashes, whichever you prefer. The method I like is painting the bottom lashes with the brush angled upwards, then flipping the brush over and combing through with the brush angled downward to separate.





 Here is the final look with both eyes done:





Thank you so much for reading! And a HUGE "THANK YOU!" to Kelley Quan for sending me this amazing brush.  I hope you enjoyed this look at the brand new Kelley Quan Mascara Wand. It truly is a unique helpful tool that allows you get really close to the lash line.  If traditional mascara application just isn't working for you, give this a try. In my opinion this little brush is a worthy investment.  The Kelley Quan Mascara Wand will be available for purchase in a couple of weeks at www.kelleyquan.com 
All Kelley Quan brushes are vegan and cruelty-free.




Please don't forget to subscribe! Drop me a comment below. I love reading all of your comments so much, it's really a bright spot in my day. Please remember that all comments are approved individually, so don't worry if you don't see your comment published right away. Please do not link to your own blog, spam will not be tolerated.

If you pick up this brush, I'd love to hear about it! I'm also reachable on Twitter @MakeupMatters1 






*The brush seen in this review was sent for consideration by the company. This in no way alters my review. I do not get paid to write reviews. I do not get any commission or compensation if you buy this brush or any of the brushes on www.kelleyquan.com.  I simply share my opinions with you in hopes of helping my readers make informed purchasing decisions.



4 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for showing how to use the brush! If I just saw that brush sitting somewhere, I would NEVER guess it was for mascara, but seeing how you use it, it seems really impressive! I always get mascara on my eye lids, and it looks like this brush would help with that. Plus, who wouldn't want to tightline AND apply mascara all at once! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you found the post helpful. I am really impressed with this brush, I must say! Kelley Quan does an amazing job of coming up with really innovative brush designs.

      Delete
  2. This is so interesting. For me, dark, curled lashes make the biggest difference without looking like "makeup." I'm always interested in trying new ways to enhance my lashes, so I am really tempted to purchase this

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll let you guys know once it's available. Should be in a few weeks :)

      Delete

Comments/Questions are highly encouraged. However please refrain from posting links to other sites. I cannot always respond personally to every post, but appreciate and read them all.