My Most Used Make-up Brushes

Contrary to what you might think, I actually don't have a lot of make-up brushes. I use very few on a daily basis, so I thought i'd share with you my all-time favourites:

Foundation Brush

I use a Real Technique's Expert Face Brush as I love the way it works the foundation into my skin. It buffs product into the skin instead of painting it on and allowing it to sit on top. The brush itself is quite dense so it does distributes a lot of product but without losing control. I also use this brush to gently tap concealer under my eyes and on blemishes, blending in seamlessly with the rest of my base.

Contour Brush

I know loads of people use huge brushes, whack bronzer all over their face and end up effortlessly sun-kissed, but I need something a bit more precise so I don't end up looking like i've rolled in mud. Real Technique's Contour Brush (Taken from their Core Collection) distributes enough product to create a soft, chiselled finish. It does take a lot longer if you want to bronze all over the face, but great if you want something subtle or have a paler complexion and want to ease yourself into contouring.

Powder Brush

I've been using the Real Technique's Buffing Brush (Also from their Core Collection) for about three years now and it's still going strong today. It's great for setting my make-up with powder and I also use it to ensure everything's nicely blended together once I add my contour, blush and highlight. It doesn't pick up too much product and I just find it really easy to use!

Angled Brow Brush

If you're a fan of strong brows, an angled brush is essential. I use the MAC 266 Small Angle brush - it's really precise and the bristles retain their shape really well, even after loads of washes. It picks up just the right amount of product and distributes really evenly. It's quite a stiff brush so it's great when you want to achieve a statement brow, but soft enough to keep it natural if you keep your hand light. It can also be used to apply gel eyeliner - I find it's the only brush that gets the wing just right!

Base Shadow Brush

I don't like to fuss when it comes to eye make-up, usually two colours will do it. Therefore, a brush that applies a quick wash of colour is great for when you've got no time. I use one by EcoTools - however, as it's so old I can't seem to find it, but there's a similar one here. It's simple and nothing special if i'm completely honest. It's just massive and makes applying a base colour really quick and easy. If i'm precise enough I do use it in the crease, but it's not really designed for detailed make-up.

Fluffy Blending Brush

If it's one brush that I regret not buying when I started getting into make-up, it was this one. I cannot emphasise enough how much it transforms an eye look. It makes creating a smokey eye really easy to achieve and makes it a lot to easier to rectify mistakes. The Zoeva Luxe Soft Definer Brush has become my favourite brush out of all of these, as it makes blending out eyeshadow an absolute dream. There are bigger blending brushes out there, but i've found this suits my eye shape perfectly. I'm thinking of buying a few more of these so I don't have to be constantly washing it, and at only £6.50, it won't break the bank to treat myself to a few more! 

What are your most-used make-up brushes? Are there some that I should be using? Let me know! :)

Mini MAC Haul

Hi everyone!

Long time no speak! It's quite difficult to blog and take photos when you work full time and it's dark by the time you get home, so I end up doing all my blogging on the weekend. However, seeing as I don't live with my parents anymore and I do have a social life (barely!), sometimes my weekends are taken up with other things meaning that blogging unfortunately takes a back seat. But i'm here now, so here we go! :) 

Rob surprised me with an amazing gift for my birthday - a make-up lesson with a MAC artist at House of Fraser, Bluewater. I was so excited, but only managed to book it in for last week as we've just been so busy. So I thought i'd share what I bought!

Cool Neutrals Palette (£65)

This beautiful palette consists of 15 heavily pigmented mate, satin, lustre, frost, velvet and pearl shades. It's the counterpart to the warm neutrals palette which I really want, but i'm afraid it may just be too dark for my skin tone. I bought this because for £65 you receive eyeshadows which, if bought separately, would cost £195. It only has one colour that she used on me during the lesson, Blackberry, but for the cost I was happy to compromise on the shades. I've been wanting to expand my MAC eyeshadow collection for a while now and this palette provides endless combinations suitable for day and night. Here's a breakdown of the shades: 

Top row (L-R): Flounce ("Chalky white pink" w/ matte finish), Sweet Allure ("Soft light pink" w/ satin finish), Sun Tweaked ("Soft frosty coral" w/ frost finish), After Dusk ("Mid-tone rosy pink with pearl" w/ a pearl finish), Blackberry ("Muted burgundy-plum brown" w/ matte finish) 

Middle row: Pick Me Up ("Pale ivory" w/ matte finish), Cozy Grey ("Cool grey" w/ matte finish), Crushed Clove ("Dirty gold olive" w/ frost finish),  Deception ("Chocolate gold" w/ frost finish), Brun ("Muted blackish-brown" w/ satin finish)

Bottom row: Silver Fog ("White with silver pearl" w/ frosh finish), French Clay ("Dirty grey charcoal w/ frost finish), Cumulus ("Cream grey with silver pearl" w/ frost finish), Pearled Earth ("Deep blue-grey" w/ pearl finish), Black Pearl ("Black with silver sparkle" w/ velvet finish)

Viva Glam Miley Cyrus Lipstick (£15.50)

This is such a gorgeous hot pink. As soon as the MAC artist swatched it, I was instantly in love. It can be applied straight from the bullet for maximum intensity, or dabbed on with a lip brush or your finger for a more subtle look. As you can probably see I started trying to apply it really precisely but ended up using the wrong brush which resulted in lots of smudging, but you get the gist of the shade! I love the red detailing on the tube, alongside Miley's signature which makes it a great collectable - the money made from this product (-VAT) goes towards helping people affected by HIV/Aids, which is a definite bonus!

Matchmaster Concealer (£17)

When I asked for help with my contouring, I was recommended a cream stick as it's a lot more natural and blends into the skin effortlessly instead of simply sitting on top like a powder can do. This isn't designed to act as a bronzer, although if you choose a concealer or even a foundation two shades darker than your regular colour, it works just as well! I'm actually really impressed with this. I'm wearing the matching foundation in the above and below pictures and I find it gives a really natural finish with the ability to be really buildable.

Other products used:- YSL Touche Eclat Foundation, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, Benefit Roller Lash, YSL Touche Eclat, Benefit Coralista Blush, MAC Shy Girl Lipstick

Here I am wearing the concealer stick and the eyeshadows. I have to say the concealer stick looks disappointing on camera as it really adds a lot of definition, however I was a little nervous about using it for the first time by myself so only used a tiny bit. I'm absolutely in love with the eye combination! I used Sun Tweaked all over the lid, After Dusk in the crease, Blackberry on the outer V and under the eyes and Flounce along the brow bone and the inner corner. It's really warming and great if you want a subtle smokey eye that can be worn during the day. Altogether i'm sooo happy with these products - they're really easy to wear, apply and I believe to be amazing value for the results. When you look at the acutal problems it doesn't look like much, but for anyone who's aware of the average price of a MAC item I think you'll agree this is a bit of a splurge! I should never be let loose on a make-up counter. Ever. Thanks so much Rob and to the staff at Bluewater MAC who helped me out loads and I can't wait to start experimenting.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday everyone! :) 

Bourjois Paris BB Bronzing Cream

Being a pale person, any products that contain the words 'bronzing' or 'tanning' scare me. The last thing i'd want to be is someone with a brown face and white body or look like i've rubbed a melted bar of milk chocolate onto my face. Yes I know that may sound stupid, but for someone that has little to no colour to them at all even the slightest bit makes a massive difference.

I'd been hoping to try a BB cream for a while, purely because I was curious what all the fuss was about and missed the initial 'hype' surrounding it. However, when I came across the BB Bronzing Cream from Bourjois on one of my regular Boots browses, I was intrigued. Not only did it claim to possess the qualities one would expect from a BB cream, it also incorporated a bronzer that was allegedly a 'universal shade'.

Looking at the swatched product before blending, there would be no way that anyone would believe that they could match my skin tone. As you can see from the blended swatch, there is a slight bronze that looks more like I just decided to swatch a foundation two shades darker than my match.

As you can see, there's next to no colour difference at all. There is an ever-so-slight tinge of colour that is so slight you can't tell the difference on camera. Bronzing aside, as a BB cream it has a lot more promise. It provides natural coverage, tones down the redness on my cheeks and nose, and makes my skin appear brighter. The only negative I will say is that although it does claim to be moisturising, I found it quite hard to apply and create an even coverage without the aid of a primer - it was quite dry. It doesn't quite provide 16-hour moisturisation; I found that throughout the day I needed to reapply as my skin started to dry out.
For £6.99 its pretty good value for what it does, but it's certainly not as versatile as it claims to be.

Overall it's pretty mediocre. It has more promise as a BB cream, but in future I think i'll stick with bronzing powder and some light contouring if I fancy a bit of colour.

You can purchase Bourjois Paris BB Bronzing Cream from your local Boots for £6.99 (RRP: £9.99)

Review: Benefit's Hoola Bronzer

I always thought a bronzer was for someone who was already mega tanned or olive skinned or darker, so I never considered trying it. However, I couldn't help being curious after Benefit's Hoola was named one of the UK's top selling bronzers, and one of the products Benefit is most proud of - so I thought i'd ask to try some on! I was so surprised at how well it suited me I knew I had to buy it!

One common misconception about bronzer is that it only suits people with dark or tanned skin. That is not true. Bronzer works for everyone, it all depends on how little you use and how well you blend it in. People tend to over-do it on bronzer, forgetting that it is suppose to sculpt your cheekbones and contour your face, not appear as a distinct muddy brown stripe across your face. Used beneath the right blush, and finished off with the right highlighter, a bronzer is all you need to achieve a gorgeous, healthy glow - as well as 'supermodel cheekbones'!

 

 As far as I am aware, Hoola has been around since 2009 (Although it could be even longer!) and the gorgeous maroon and powder blue packaging has remained the same. Although the design of the box has changed, replacing the detachable lid with a hinged one that opens to reveal a small mirror.

 

Hoola is a lovely matte bronze shade, with no added shimmer or sparkle - making it perfect for someone who simply wants a natural looking tan without all the unnecessary extras that draw attention to the fact that you're wearing bronzer.

Like all Benefit box powders, they are accompanied by a small flat brush. It's an average quality brush that's okay to use with a blush if you're applying on-the-go, but it definitely isn't the right brush for a bronzer. It's covers a much wider surface area than necessary, and doesn't enable you to contour and blend effectively, so I simply use an angled blush brush (Preferably a super-soft one - I use Models Own - so it's even easier to blend quite vigorously!).

 

I've swatched it quite heavily so you can see the colour better against my pale skin, so don't be alarmed at how dark it looks! As you can see, it's as matte as it looks in the pan and it sort of makes half my hand look as though it's been out in the sun for too long. 

As i've got pale skin, I simply tap my brush into the powder gently (I cannot emphasise this enough!!) two or three times and then tap off the excess. The amount you use is obviously determined by your skin tone, but definitely do not swirl the brush around the pan and cover the entire brush. You then find the hollow of your cheekbone and apply with downwards strokes following that line (Make sure you don't go as far down as your mouth!). Then, brush off the remaining product from the brush onto a tissue - i'm sometimes use my leg because i'm too lazy to grab one, oops - and blend so a shadow is created and there's no visible line between the bronzer and blush. You can contour further by applying along the jawline, across the edges of the temples and down the sides of your nose - wherever you want a shadow. It actually makes your jaw look more defined and it personally makes my face look slimmer!

I love pairing mine with Benefit's Sugerbomb blush on the apples of my cheeks. It gives a beautiful sun-kissed look that doesn't leave your face appearing a darker shade to the rest of your body.

This is such a great staple product, not just for the summer-time. But what I love about this the most is that at first glance it's quite intimidating if you have lighter skin, but with proper application and a good blush brush it really is versatile and suits everyone. At £23.50 (The standard price for all Benefit box powders) it could seem quite steep, but considering the tiny amount that is needed for each application, it really will last for ages! I can definitely see why this bronzer is one of the best the beauty world has to offer.

You can purchase Hoola bronzer here or at your local Benefit counter.