My Current Makeup Menu

It’s been a while since I last shared my current makeup routine so it makes sense to post a little update. Having got back into wearing makeup again on a daily basis, I have been sticking pretty much to a solid consistent routine using the same products again and again and rarely changing it up. For someone who adores Autumn and particularly the makeup trends at this time of year, surprisingly I haven’t turned to dark lips and eyes, instead I’ve been loving a more Summer appropriate look with dewy skin, a peachy eye look and nude lips.

My base is the one area I’ve been sticking to a constant routine and hardly changing up. I start by priming with the Jouer Anti-Blemish Matte Primer which feels nice and calming on the skin but I can’t say it’s helped improve my skin long term. I then go in with my trusty Nars Sheer Glow foundation and top it off with the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer on any blemishes, again another favourite of mine! I then conceal under the eyes with the Mac Prep and Prime Highlighter in Light Boost with the yellow toned liquid working to highlight under my eyes and discard any darkness.

Before setting my base with the Chanel Les Beiges Powder, I use the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid Highlighter in Opal across my cheekbones and blend it out with my Beauty Blender. Before finishing off my face with a bit of bronzer to warm up my skin a little. Of course I am still obsessed with my favourite Honey Bronzer from The Body Shop.

Moving onto eyes, I start with my eyebrows and keep it fairly simple by running the Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil through them to add a little more definition. I then move onto eyeshadow using the beautiful Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette which is full of gorgeous peachy and brown warm tones. I like to create a simple shimmery golden-y peachy look using mainly Nectar, Luscious, Cobbler and Caramelized which creates a gorgeous ‘golden goddess’ look that gives off extreme VS Angel vibes! Damn yeah! To finish off my eyes I coat on my favourite Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant mascara which leaves my lashes looking thick and full.

To finish off my look, I like to dabble in a few different lip shades since lipstick is my thing, if you haven’t noticed all ready! Currently though, I am loving one of the new Urban Decay Vice lipsticks in the shade Backtalk. A gorgeous cool toned pink with a comfortable matte finish. LOVE!

 What makeup have you been reaching for lately?

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Beauty Blender vs Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

The question every beauty lover wants to know, what is better; the original Beauty Blender or the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge? I’ve never been much of a sponge person when it comes to makeup application but I soon began daily using my RT sponge and could easily see the hype around using one. I had never been overly fussed about an expensive pink sponge but after enjoying using the RT one, I thought it was time to try out the incredibly hyped Beauty Blender. So having tried both is the beauty blender a waste of money or worth the hype?

PRICE AND SHAPE 

One of the most obvious differences between these two sponges is the price. The Real Techniques sponge retailers for a much more affordable price at £5.99 whilst the Beauty Blender comes in at more than double at £16. In terms of the shape of the sponges they also differ quite significantly. The Beauty Blender is simply a rounded egg shape whereas the Real Techniques Sponge has a little more shape to it in the way that is offers a flat edge for using round the eyes. The texture of the the two also differ with the Beauty Blender being much more bouncy and lighter compared to the Real Techniques which is more firmer in texture. For me, the Beauty Blender comes out on top for the shape/texture with the bounciness making it easier to work with.

APPLICATION

In terms of application, the Beauty Blender wins outright. One of the problems I had with the RT sponge was that it soaked up a lot of product so I never got on with it when applying foundation and stuck to using it for patting in concealer. I’ve found the Beauty Blender to be much superior, it doesn’t seem to soak up the product probably from the lightweight texture. Even when wetting the sponge, the Beauty Blender doesn’t hold as much water compared to the RT one which I was always having to squeeze the excess out of. The bouncy texture of the Beauty Blender also makes it far superior for working with and it blends much better on the skin than the RT one. The flat side of the RT sponge can be useful for under the eyes but really I have no problem using the BB and the texture is much better to work with.

OVERALL

I think it is clear to see that the Beauty Blender wins the game for me. It is pricey for a sponge but it is so worth it in comparison to the likes of the RT sponge. The texture of the BB is unbeatable being soft and bouncy which works so well in application. The stiffer texture of the RT sponge and the soaking up of product makes it much weaker in my eyes. Whilst I got good use out of it and the price is great, I just think for better results it is a good and better investment to pick up the Beauty Blender. Well worth the hype!

Are you a fan of the beauty sponge?

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Real Techniques Bold Metals Brushes

Real Techniques are one of my favourite brands for makeup brushes. They offer incredibly affordable brushes that offer the most amazing quality. For anyone looking for good makeup brushes I really couldn’t recommend them enough. So obviously when I heard they were bringing out a new range of brushes I couldn’t help but feel excited. The Bold Metals collection by Real Techniques is essentially the more luxury brush line from the brand with a more expensive price tag and the most gorgeous appearance of metallic hues in gold, silver and rose gold (every bloggers dream!). I’ve picked up some of the brushes from the range and thought I would give you the lowdown on whether these are worth the hype or not.

The first brush I picked up when the collection launched was the 301 Flat Contour Brush which was probably one of the more popular brushes from the range. I picked this up with the hopes of finding the perfect contour brush and it has definitely lived up to my expectations. The brush has a square shape to it with very dense packed bristles. It fits perfectly in the hollows in the cheeks so works as a perfect fit for contouring. Due to the shape it only really works as a contour brush but it is great for creating neat lines and really packing the product on.

I picked up a few other brushes from the range recently as part of their Christmas gift set which includes 3 brushes with one being exclusive to the set. I picked this up for the bargain price of £30 whilst it was on offer with the usual price being £64 which is really a fantastic deal. The first brush is one I’ve been desperate to get for a while now, the 300 Tapered Blush Brush. I’ve been looking for a good blush brush for a while now and I may have found a perfect one. Like the 301 brush this one also has rose gold aesthetics which just makes it even more perfect. The brush has a small tapered shape with a set of fluffy soft bristles. The brush is dense enough that it picks up and distributes a perfect amount of product but is also beautifully soft on the skin.

The original Real Techniques eye brushes weren’t really my favourite eye brushes but I have always had an interest in the Bold Metals eye brushes. Obviously I was excited to see the 200 Oval Shadow Brush included in the gift set. I love a good fluffy brush for blending out eyeshadow so this makes a great addition to my collection. Compared to the likes of the MAC 217, this brush is pretty big with a more rounded shape. It works great at really blending out the whole lid as it fits so perfectly across the eyelid.

Lastly, the exclusive brush to the holiday set is the 103 Angled Powder brush which is the largest brush from the collection. As you would imagine from the name, its like your typical big fluffy powder brush with an angled shape. The brush is so incredibly soft and fluffy and works great for powdering large areas of the face. Also as it is angled it can work really nice with bronzer too to warm up the skin.

Overall, a really great set of brushes that I would all really recommend. Whilst the price range is a little higher than what you would expect from Real Techniques you do feel a much higher quality in these brushes compared to the original and they also look pretty darn beautiful!

Have you tried the Real Techniques Bold Metals range?

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Real Techniques Core Collection

I have mentioned my love for the Real Techniques brushes a lot on my blog but I haven’t properly reviewed them. So obviously for this reason I thought I would do a proper review on the core collection set. The Core Collection set contains 4 face brushes perfect for creating a flawless base! The great thing about these brushes is that they can be used for a number of different makeup products and not just the main use they are provided for. Below I have listed each brush and what they can be used for.

Buffing brush – Firstly is the buffing brush. This is great for buffing in foundation whether it be liquid or mineral. For anyone looking for a brush for foundation that is affordable but still good quality, this is the direction I would be pointing you in. Even though I tend to use my Bobbi Brown brush now for foundation I still can’t fault anything in this brush. It is also really good for powder if you are covering larger areas and I also tend to pick this up if I need to blend out harsh lines from bronzer or blush.

Contour Brush – Probably my most used brush from this collection these days. This brush is intended for contouring hence the name! However it can be used for other things too. Due to the size of the brush it is really handy for buffing in concealer in larger areas. It is also great for powder if you are setting over small imperfections. Also, it is really great for blush by adding a little colour to the apples of the cheeks. So, pretty much a good all-rounder brush!

Flat Pointed Foundation Brush – This is probably my least used brush from this collection. In fact I really don’t tend to use this. As suggested by the name it is intended to be used for foundation however I am not really a fan of flat foundation brushes and this is also a tad small in my opinion. However it can be a useful tool for working with smaller areas of the face and could also be handy for concealer particularly under the eyes due to the shape and size of the brush.

Detailer Brush – This is a tiny addition to the collection and perfect for working with really small areas. Again I don’t pick this one up a lot, only if I have any red blemishes that need a little more attention. This is great though for concealing spots or imperfections and can be used to pinpoint areas for a flawless base a la Lisa Eldridge style.

Are you a fan of the Real Techniques Brushes? 

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Three New Makeup Tools

Splurging on expensive makeup is pretty pointless if you don’t have good makeup brushes and tools to apply them. I am slowly but surely building my makeup brush collection by trying to find the perfect brush/tool for each area of makeup and I recently added a few more to my collection.

Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush – If you seen my 2015 wishlist you may recall seeing this included. I heard so many great reviews on this brush for foundation use with many YouTubers and fellow bloggers raving about it. Prior to using this one I relied on my Real Techniques Buffing Brush which is a great option for foundation and a much cheaper alternative. When I first got this I was a bit unsure since I was pretty happy with my RT brush but now I am a total convert. Paired with my Nars Sheer Glow this is the perfect brush for such a flawless finish. It is much more dense than the RT brush and is smaller too making it perfect to really get into every area of the face. Only negative is that I am now lusting over a couple more Bobbi Brown brushes!

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge – Now I may have traded my RT buffing brush for an alternative but I don’t think I would ever turn my back on Real Techniques altogether. They really are a fab brand, making quality brushes at an affordable price. One thing I never thought I would be buying though is a sponge. When I first started getting into makeup the one thing I used to apply my foundation was those cheap sponge wedges which were pretty disastrous. Although it is safe to say this sponge isn’t any were near that level. I bought this sponge after seeing the Beauty Blender being raved about a lot as well as this being mentioned as a dupe so I thought why not jump on the bandwagon. I have been using this mostly for concealer as the shape is great for covering the under eye area and also the tip is also good for dabbing in other areas. I’ve really been liking using this although I am yet to try it for foundation so I will definitely need to try that out too!

MAC 217 Brush – The iconic 217. I must admit I am a bit of an eyeshadow noob. A smokey eye for me is more like a got into a fight black eye situation. Not pretty. Now everyone basically raves on end about how great this brush is and for the longest time I really wanted it and pretty much needed it. Its meant to make eyeshadow a breeze and my god it does. I don’t even know how I survived this world without a MAC 217. It works as a good all-rounder, packing colour onto the lid and blending out in the crease. If your eyeshadow isn’t quite up to scratch then I suggest this mighty brush! I could quite do with a second 217 if I’m honest…

Are you a fan of any of these tools? What tools do you rely on? 

 

April Favourites

I probably say this every month when it comes to monthly favourites… but where has the time gone! It’s crazy to think we are in May already *gasp*! Anyway on to some of the beauty bits I have been loving this month, if you read my blog regularly then you may find some of these a little predictable haha!

Benefit Majorette Blush – No surprise here really! After lusting over this blush for quite a while I finally picked it up and fell in love. Its a beautiful coral cream-to-power finish blush that just adds such a nice boost of colour to the cheeks, perfect for spring! You can see my full review on this beauty here.

Real Techniques Bold Metals Flat Contour Brush 301 – Quite the long name there! I picked this rose gold beauty up after Real Techniques launched their incredibly anticipated higher-end brush line. Compared to other RT brushes, this one was a little on the pricey side at £22 but its pretty damn beautiful. It’s the perfect contour brush, the brush is quite dense and really picks up product well and also distributes it well on the face. It’s hard to think how I ever contoured without this one!

Chanel Rouge Coco Cecile Lipstick – There was no escaping this one when it came to this month’s favourites. There is nothing more exciting than picking up a new lipstick (that sounds so tragic but ever so true!) especially a Chanel one. They are a must have in any beauty lover’s makeup bag! The newly reformulated range offer great pigmentation whilst also having a good level of hydration on the lips. The shade ‘Cecile’ is such a pretty neutral rosy pink that I have been loving paired with MAC Soar lip liner – dream duo right there! Check out my full review here.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette – Do I even need to explain why this is a favourite. The UD Naked palettes are widely coveted and with good reason. I am pretty sure I mentioned this exact palette in a previous favourites post which pretty much sums up my love for it. I am sure you are all aware of the fantastic quality of the shadows so I will refrain from discussing that side of things. The colour range is just perfect. Its such a versatile palette, berry, pomegranate shades for Autumn and light rosy pastel pinks for Spring. I am having a bit of an obsession over light pinks and lilacs when it comes to eye-shadows and this palette has it covered. To stop myself writing a full essay on this one, you can simply check out my full review here.

Nivea Lip Butter Raspberry Rose – A lip balm/butter, not the most interesting product but hella good. The scent of this is incredibly dreamy, a raspberry scent which feels rather nostalgic some how, I am thinking some sort of candy but no idea? It is incredibly creamy and I like layering this on overnight for a full boost of hydration on the lips to keep them soft and moisturised. The great news here too is that its as cheap as chips and comes in other scents too including an ever popular blueberry, mmm!

Chanel Tenderly Nail Polish – Another post, another Chanel Tenderly mention. When will it stop, never! I finally buckled up the courage for a Chanel splurge on this beauty and so far no regrets (thank god!). This shade is just so my colour, a beautiful plum taupe-y colour that is just so versatile and looks ever so sophisticated. You can take a further look into my thoughts on this one here.

What have you been loving this month? 

 

 

 

Christmas Wish List

Can you believe its less than three weeks until Christmas! Christmas is by far my favourite time of the year, I just love the atmosphere and all the events in the run up to the big day. Anyway of course there is always a little gift giving across Christmas and I have put together just a few things I would quite like to own. Some of these items you may recall me mentioning them before in other posts but sadly they just haven’t came my way yet!

Benefit They’re Real Mascara – Its one of the most raved about mascaras in the beauty world and I want to try it out for myself. I love the Benefit Bad Gal lash mascara and would love to give this one a try.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette – Well obvious one here, I picked up the original naked palette and the third one this year and with one left to get its no surprise this is on my list!

Versace Crystal Noir – I have been failing quite recently in the perfume department, I am really in need of a good strong bottle of scented stuff. This scent is quite different for me but its strong and dark.

Real Techniques Eye Starter Kit – If you seen my Fave brushes post not too long ago you will know I am a huge fan of the Real Techniques brushes and one thing I don’t own is any of their eye brushes. I would love to add these to my collection and hopefully they are as good as their other brushes.

What is on your wish list this Christmas?

Top 3 Makeup Brushes

In my opinion, the secret to a perfect flawless look is to have some good quality brushes. You can have the most expensive foundation but with a cheap and poor quality brush you are not going to have the results you are lusting after. I have had my fair share of pretty bad makeup brushes but for the price I paid I wasn’t really expecting the best quality. Then of course came the Real Techniques brushes <3. These are probably the most raved about makeup brushes, I don’t think you will find a beauty blogger without one of these precious beauties. They are amazing quality and also a fantastic price. I have picked up quite a few of these brushes but I have my particular faves that I just couldn’t live without!

Buffing Brush – This brush came in the core brush set which is around £20 or a little cheaper if you purchase through Amazon. The great thing about these brushes is that they are so versatile and can be used for quite a few number of things. I use this brush mainly for pressed powder and then I actually use it with my bronzer to contour as it prevents harsh lines and really gives it a good finish on the skin.

Stippling Brush – This is probably my overall favourite. When it comes to foundation, I am a brush gal. I always had a bad experience with applying foundation from those wedge sponges to the flat foundation brush, they were just not working until I got this. Its the perfect brush for working with liquid foundation and blends it in to the skin so effortlessly with the perfect finish. This brush is sold separately.

Contour Brush – Considering I’ve already mentioned contouring with another brush you might be quite intrigued where this brush comes in. While I think this brush is also quite handy for contouring, I prefer this for blush. Its the perfect size for just a little spot of pink powder for the cheeks and ensures there isn’t any OTT blush. This is also part of the core collection range.

So are you a fan of Real Techniques Brushes?