Sunday 19 October 2014

Store Review: xoBeauty

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be reviewing another well known New Zealand based store, xoBeauty! xoBeauty is the business baby of the gorgeous New Zealand  Youtuber, Shaaanxo. She began with her very own Brush line and has been expanding ever since, now including beautiful lashes, super cute hair ties and delicate fine jewelery! There's been a talk amongst beauty bloggers and fans alike in regards to the pricing of her brand and the quality in comparison to brushes you can get off Ebay for a fraction of the price. Are you as interested as I am? 
Price Comparison
This is by far one of the most asked questions about the xoBeauty brushes, and potentially one of the most annoying/saddening questions. xoBeauty face brushes look similar to the Jessup brushes you can purchase off Ebay. The left set of xoBeauty brushes cost $80NZD for 4 brushes. The right set of Jessup brushes cost $6.50NZD for 5 brushes. I can see where a lot of people are coming from in regards to the cost aspect of the brushes because yes, it's a massive difference for brushes that look the same. But just like everything in life, the price reflects the quality of the products.
I really dislike the comment section on this store. Not because I dislike people commenting and sharing feedback, but it's literally become a place for little girls to complain about how they can't afford nice things. Just because I can't afford a Chanel handbag doesn't mean I go onto Chanel's facebook and complain about it. I didn't bother blurring their names because it will be visible if you follow the links anyway. I really dislike that they are implying that Sigma brushes are way better than the xoBeauty brushes, it's almost the same as saying that the brand doesn't deserve to be as good as Sigma without even giving it the chance. Don't mind me while I mini-rage at ignorant people on the internet, this is why I have a blog, I would probably explode if I didn't!
 
I don't believe that the brushes, lashes or jewelery are overpriced at all, but it really does depends on what you consider expensive.
 

Website Practicality
The website is aesthetically, incredibly pleasing. A crisp white background with pink and black writing looks incredibly professional. The website is quite nice to navigate, but I wish there was an option to "Shop Brushes" or "Shop Lashes" on the home screen rather than clicking into "Shop All" and then refining your search to "Single Brushes". It's only one extra click, but it's really all I could think of that I didn't like! ^.^

Shipping and Packaging
The shipping was incredibly quick (2 days) even though I purchased during a sale! My products were all individually wrapped, then wrapped in bubble wrap and tied with a pink ribbon with a super cute business card with hearts punched out!
Products
I didn't want to do a full review of these brushes and lashes in the store review, (it would be so super long!) but make sure to check back on Wednesday for a full review and comparison to Ebay brushes and Lashes!

"The Romantic" lashes were designed for the girly girl who likes a bit of flirt, a bit of length, and a bit of volume! They are super full but do not take over your eyes, so they can be worn both day or night. Tapered on the inner corner for comfort, and finished off with a beautiful flick and curve on the 'Outer V' to elongate your eye shape. These have an invisible lash band so you can wear them without eyeliner if you wish.
 
These lashes are absolutely gorgeous, full and fluttery, super soft and really lightweight to wear! I don't wear lashes regularly because I find that they press on my eyelids weirdly making my contacts feel super uncomfortable. These lashes feel a lot nicer to wear for longer periods of time than my regular cheap lashes! 
I purchased four brushes, two face brushes and two eye brushes! I wanted to purchase the Kabuki brush but it was out of stock by the time I got to checkout :C I absolutely love the design of these brushes, they look dainty and feel expensive and not at all like the plasticy ebay brushes.
Bronzing Brush ($18.00) 
Our jumbo sized Bronzer Brush is perfect for an even application of bronzer. This will imitate a beautiful sun-tan with little-to-no effort! The synthetic hairs blend flawlessly, and the large size means you can run your bronzer all around the outer areas of your face for a flawless, natural, sun-kissed glow. And, its super easy and quick! Follow up with a smaller brush to contour your cheeks, add blush, and highlight for a beautiful complete look.

I love this brush! I've never liked bronzing my face since it looks weird being so pale and the bronzer would just look so harsh and just ick. This brush makes it so easy to blend and leaves no harsh lines! Plus it makes a gorgeous regular face powder brush too, I'm all about multi-tasking tools!
Our favourite blush brush! Perfect for both creams and powders. It is tapered which provides a perfect shape for cheek application. And, its super duper soft!

This is super soft and light! If you find that you are often heavy handed on blush then, give this brush a go. It takes just a light tap in the blush and it's almost impossible to get too much product on the cheek.
Our Tapered Crease Brush is perfect for applying colour into your crease, and is super soft and fluffy so you can then blend that colour right out! This is slightly smaller then our similar Blender Brush, and more tapered
Our Tapered Blender Brush is perfect for blending colour into the crease. It is smaller than our white bristled blending brush, meaning its great to place colour and blend at the same time!

These were the brushes that I was most excited about in the order! I've never had proper/good eye brushes before and always struggled to blend my eyeshadow well. These changed everything. If you want to purchase one thing from xoBeauty I highly suggest purchasing the Tapered Crease brush because it is amazing. Amazing I tell you.
What I Love
-  Amazing quality brushes and lashes
- Super quick, cheap shipping for NZ orders
- Great selection in each section
- Super friendly Instagram/Facebook team
- Did I mention the amazing crease brush? There's an amazing crease brush


What I Don't Love
- Nothing!
Final Thoughts
I'm in love. Seriously. Everything about the packaging of the lashes to the signature on the brushes is just so me (unless they release pastel coloured handles, then I would legitimately purchase everything twice). I started off my brush and lash collection with super cheap brushes just so I could cover the basics and see which brushes I favoured, then I moved onto better quality brushes (XO brushes) and I'm not looking back. I love them, they make me look twice as good in twice as little time and with twice as little product.

Have you tried anything from the xoBeauty line? What are your favorite brushes?

1 comment:

  1. I love my XO Beauty flat top kabuki, it's all I use for my foundation now. I also like the lashes, but I think I ruined my pair when I last used them :( Oh well, excuse to buy more hehe/

    Lena | www.lenatalksbeauty.com

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