Blend, blend, blend

Any makeup artist will tell you that the secret to great makeup is to blend, blend, blend. The trick is deciding what to USE to blend? Fingers are great because your body heat will help warm and blend your foundation or concealer, but sometimes I really do prefer to use a sponge. My favorite was the Glominerals finishing sponge, a great, soft flocked sponge. The problem with it, though is after being washed a time or two it splits right in half, and each half is too thin to really use alone.
Lately, I've been using a foundation sponge from Sonia Kashuk that I am really loving. I searched for a link to it but I couldn't find one. It appears to be part of the Spring '08 line for Target. It's a handy two pack and comes in a hard plastic case. They are non-latex and close to an inch thick. They are really great for both applying and blending mineral makeup and it seems that they would work well on liquid foundation as well.
Buying new sponges made me remember reading about the Beauty Blender a while ago so I decided to check it out online. It is tempting to try, however I don't use liquid foundation and it seems that this is what this sponge is best for. The price point is really outrageous, $20 which makes it both more and less appealing. If anyone has feedback about this sponge, contact me, I'm curious!

Glominerals and Mineral Fusion--What's the Difference?

When I started with Whole Foods in 2004, I begged them to carry Glominerals.
My job was to help build an esthetics program at their new flagship store and that included mini-facials and makeovers. When I was working in Berkeley I had the opportunity to bring Glominerals into Elephant Pharmacy and I really loved working with them.
The line did so well there that they partnered with Glominerals to create Mineral Fusion for Whole Foods Market. This is one of the things I am most proud about in my career as a holistic esthetician.
So what's the difference? You may notice that they have similar colors and are the exact same price, so why would you choose one over the other? Here is an overview of a few of their differences:

They both have added antioxidants to help protect and boost the health of the skin. However, the each have slightly different antioxidants:

Mineral Fusion:

• White tea – contains flavonoids - Boosts the immune function of skin cells and protects against the damaging effects of the sun (Ingredient name: Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract)

• Red tea – contains antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that work to tighten and smooth the skin. (Ingredient name: Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract)

• Antileukine 6® – a blend of phosphatidyls, lipoyl lysine vitamin A, E and CO Q10. Controls photo-aging, balances hydration and protects the integrity of DNA. (Ingredient name: Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract)

• Pomegranate – contains polyphenols and ellagic acid found in pomegranate are highly efficient in fighting free radicals. Also contains ellagic acid for healing the skin. (Ingredient name: Punica Granatum)

mineral fusion cosmetics offer flawless coverage while giving you the benefits of UV and antioxidant protection. All of our products are noncomedogenic and provide moisture balancing benefits, allowing the skin to function normally. mineral fusion™ is your solution for skin conditions such as acne, rosacea and hyperpigmentation, providing healing and calming benefits.

Antileukine 6

Antileukine is a proprietary blend of ingredients found in mineral fusion cosmetics.

It works to control photo aging, balances hydration, and protects DNA integrity. It is a blend of Phosphatidyls, Lipoyl Lysine, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and CO Q10.

• Phosphatidyls - strengthens the skin structure
• Lipoyl Lysine - moisturizing amino acid
• Vitamin A - helps to improve skin smoothness
• Vitamin E - improves water binding ability
• Co Q10 - prevents free radical damage

Results

• Prevents damage due to excessive sun exposure & physiological aging
• Anti-wrinkle
• Protects skin metabolism (BPF-Biological Protecting Factor)

Glominerals:

The Glominerals team team developed an exclusive formulation by selecting the best quality pharmaceutical-grade ingredients including antioxidants, vitamins C, A, K, E and green tea extracts to prevent free-radical damage and improve the health and condition of the skin

Another difference is the ingredients. Mineral Fusion does not contain parabens or lakes.
Lakes are coloring agents and can be either naturally or synthetically derived. This is why MF has a much more muted color-palette. This is also why you won't find every Glo product at Whole Foods, not everything makes it past their quality standards team.
I did hear a rumor that Glominerals was updating their ingredients and possibly taking out parabens but I haven't found any ingredient changes online, only the same ones that are used in the foundation I own:

Ingredients
Titanium Dioxide, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Zinc Stearate Zinc Oxide, Bismuth Oxychloride, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Ascorbyl Palmate (vitamin C), Phytonadione (vitamin K), Camellia Oleifera (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Methylparaben, Propylparaben. May Contain Iron Oxides, CI 77499, Carmine. Vitamin C, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Vitamin E

*If I find out that they have changed ingredients, I will edit to add the new formulation.

The last difference is the packaging. They both come in loose and compact forms, but the MF loose foundation comes with an attached sponge-top applicator. I still use a brush with it, however, so that's not a huge selling point with me although it does look good.
The MF compact does not come with any kind of sponge while the Glominerals compact does. The MF compacts are sleek and flat and the Glo compacts are classically rounded. The Glo packaging is silver and black while the MF packaging is a coppery-bronze color.

Bottom Line:
I've been using Glominerals for a long time and I have a soft spot for them. I really do hope that their ingredients continue to evolve and I don't doubt that they will. Both lines perform similarly although I do like the MF tinted moisturizers slightly better than the Glo version. But for foundation and eye and lip colors I still prefer Glominerals.

The Dirty Two Dozen

Good quality brushes are really important for getting a smooth, beautiful application when you apply your makeup. I have a LOT of brushes, but these are the ones I use daily. The rest I have in my professional kit. I wash my professional brushes after every job I do, but sometimes my personal ones get a tad neglected.
I noticed recently that they were looking a bit scary so I gave them a bath. For smaller or synthetic brushes--eyeshadow, concealer, lip it is perfectly fine to mostly clean with instant brush cleaner.It is mostly alcohol, though and can dry out natural bristles, so for fuller brushes I usually use brush cleaner sparingly and shampoo them when I notice that they are holding too much product.
I use shampoo or mild natural hand soap and no conditioner. I know a lot of people think it's good because it will make the bristles softer but I worry about it leaving a residue that will end up on my face, clogging my pores. It's best to try and angle the brush down as you wash them so water doesn't enter the barrel and cause damage to the handle.
It's really entertaining for me to see all the gross stuff washing out of my brushes and so satisfying to see them all clean and happy. After gently squeezing out excess water with my index and middle fingers I lay them flat to dry on a paper towel.
In the morning they will be dry and will only need a little fluffing before using.