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! :)

My Eyebrow Routine

Defined eyebrows are my beauty staple. I tend to wear quite natural make-up, but when it comes to my brows the stronger the better. I haven't quite perfected the perfect gradient so I sometimes end up with a bit of what you may consider a 'scouse brow', but I love it anyways. Until now, i've been using Benefit's Brow Zings in Medium, which I absolutely adore, but i've recently switched it up and have been really enjoying this new combination that I thought I would show you how I fill in my brows in just a couple of steps!

Here are the products I use: 

Before

So here's how I look with a full face of make-up without my eyebrows filled in. This looks very weird to me! I never quite realised how light my brows naturally are in comparison to my hair!  They are basically non existent. Eughhh. 

Tail Definition

I start by brushing through my brows with the spoolie end of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in 'Medium Brown', to make sure I don't have any stray hairs and that they're nice and flattened for when I apply product. If I feel like my brows do need a trim, I brush them upwards with the spoolie and trim them from the top with a pair of nail scissors, but I try not to touch them in-between waxes so I don't mess with the shape!

I then begin to shape them with the Brow Wiz, starting from the middle of my brows all along to the end of the tail. I use a pencil as I find it a lot softer and easier to control. I then lightly fill in the tail to give it a bit of definition, as it's significantly thinner than the rest of the brow. I love how natural the pencil is and could easily be used to completely define my brows, but I feel like because they're quite thick I would use up a lot of product quite quickly.

Finished Shape

To further define, I then use the  MAC 266 Small Angle Brush dipped into the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in 'Chocolate'. This brush is quite new to me, and so far i'm loving it! It's the perfect width for my brows and doesn't pick up too much product. I'd read about Dipbrow online and instantly fell in love with it. Every person that used it in a tutorial had ah-mazing brows that I could not wait to replicate. The best way to use this product is to replicate individual hairs by applying with tiny brush strokes. You only need a tiny bit of product and I like to increase the pressure as I move towards the tail to create a gradient. I then take the spoolie and brush through the inner part of my brows (I have no idea what they're called!) just to ensure there's a decent amount of gradient.  

To define the shape even further - because why the hell not?! - I then clean up the edges with the Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in 'Porcelain' (The concealer pictured is the Creamy Concealer Kit containing the same shade, which also features a pressed powder to set concealer), using a random EcoTools brush that is so old I don't think they sell it any more. I like it because it's really easy to manipulate so you can outline the brows precisely using the brush. I then finish with a little bit of Benefit's High Brow Glow underneath the brows to lift and highlight them. And that's it! 

For those days where I don't get the time or seriously cannot be bothered with a defined brow, I use the Benefit Gimme Brow Gel in Light/Medium. When I worked there, I used to describe it to customers as "the definition of a pencil without the pencil lines". It provides natural, light coverage that achieves that 'your brows but better' effect. So there you go, my eyebrow routine! Hope you enjoyed it :)

Have a good week guys! x

My Brow Essentials!

I've been going au naturel lately (don't ask me why) and wearing practically nothing except primer, a sweep of mascara and a tinted lip balm. However, come rain or shine I never skimp on my brows - they seem to complete my look whatever i'm wearing that day - so I thought i'd share with you my day and night brow products and the extra bits I use to keep them in the best condition possible.

MAC Brow Pencil in 'Lingering'
This is the product that I use practically on a daily basis. In my opinion a brow pencil gives a more natural finish as oppose to using an angled brush, as it allows you to simply fill your brows, following their natural shape. I've never been a great artist, so it's practically impossible for me to angle off my brows like I would do with an angled brush, but it's great for during the day when you don't want to draw attention to overally strong brows. What I find great about pencil is that it's incredible soft and easy to build, which is great if you accidently smudge it or accidently line your eyelid - just simply wipe away with your finger and start again. It's quite lengthly so it's easy to grip and basically use like a regular pencil, there's nothing worse than a sharpened down pencil eyeliner or brow pencil that's been sharpened so much it's barely useable as it's practically a stub!

(I know that isn't me, it's my little sister but I just wanted to give you the gist of what my brows look like whilst using Brow Zings!)

Brow-Zings
(Sorry about the bad condition of this, I use it all the time!!) This little box of tricks is my faithful best friend on every night out, special occasion, or on the days where I want to direct the attention away from any blemishes to my brows. Brow-Zings has been a bestselling product from beauty giants Benefit for many years, and comes with everything you need for perfectly groomed brows. A pigmented wax for shaping, a powder for setting, hard-angle and blending brushes and a mini pair of Tweezerman tweezers (Possibly the Queen of Tweezers, which are usually priced between £20-£25 alone!). Although powder is great (Sort of an in-pan equivelent to the soft brow pencil), the wax is perfect for sharply defining brows, and you can use the hard angle brush to mark the angles of your brows for even more detailed definition. However, with a wax it's easy to get carried away and go too dark, which is why I think it suits more at night when you tend to apply more makeup.

Etc:
MAC Brow Set - Use to set the brows, keep them in shape all day or even push up the hairs for a 'high fashion' feel. Full review here.
Tweezers - Although in the evenings I tend to use my mini Tweezerman tweezers, when my brows need more attention I use my full length tweezers from quirky London shop Octopus - I forgot to take a pic but they are in the shape of a woman!
Brow/Lash comb - An essential for when you need to comb down those brows before application, and also great to rid of excess product if you've accidently applied too much pencil - just run the comb through a few times a wipe off on a tissue or wipe. Sorted!
High Brow/A Highlighter shadow - To accentuate the brows, lift them and brighten your eyes.

So there you go, my essential products for perfect brows!

Review: MAC Clear Brow Set

I recently read somewhere that in order to achieve that 'fresh-faced, all-natural' look, you would need a clear brow gel, and since then i've been on the hunt to purchase one to see if this was infact true.
It's no secret that i'm an eyebrow girl, and I love anything that gives them definition and that perfect arch. However, I also love the natural look and there are times where I go out completely make-up free so I don't become reliant on my products. So when I saw that MAC did infact stock brow gel, I jumped at the chance to give it a go.

For anyone who hasn't heard of brow gel, it's a brush-on gel that holds hairs in place, adding shine in the process (Think of it as a setting powder for the brows!). MAC currently stock three different shades: Beguile (Full bodied taupe), Show Off (Rich brown) and clear. Now I wasn't aware that gels came in shades and instantly went for the clear but I am curious about how it compares to other brow products i'm a fan of.

The product comes in a tube, with a simple mascara wand for application. It doesn't really have a strong scent, but has a slight cooling element to it, making it feel refreshing on your skin.

This product is perfect if you have quite unruley brows, but it's generally great for anyone that doesn't want a single hair out of place throughout the day. I'll have to admit, for me it's not a necessity - but it's always good to have a great finish on eyebrows. The one thing I dislike is that the clear product has eventually turned a murky brown colour due to the eyebrow pencil I use to fill them in, but I suppose that is unavoidable and doesn't affect the quality of the product - it's just not as aesthetically pleasing as it is in the picture above.

I've also found this product to be quite versatile, by being able to tame flyaway hairs while in a high pony or a bun - it's great to use the wand just to gently slick back the hairs. There is also an option of going for a more high-fashion look by using the gel to comb the eyebrows upwards (if anyone is daring enough!),m as well as using it on your lashes to set your mascara. Overall this product is great for gaining a more polished look to your brows, giving them a more defined shape - but for £12.50 it won't be something i'll desperately run out and buy after i've run out. It just seems that for me personally my brows do quite well without them, and there isn't that much of a noticeable difference for me to feel the need to reach for it every day.

You can purchase MAC Clear Brow Set for £12.50 online HERE or at your local MAC counter.

**On a more personal note, voting for the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards has now closed and i'm so grateful for everyone that's taken the time to vote or even just to have a look through my posts! My aim isn't to win - i'm ecstatic just to even be nominated and winning definitely isn't everything in this case! So basically... thanks!**