Favourites: August

Hello my lovlies! 

I am sure you have heard this a million times already BUT I cannot believe its august already! where has this year gone?! I do not know. However I can't wait because I love autumn/winter time.. hot chocolates, scarves, boots and dark lippy baby ;-) 

Lets jump right into my favourites for the past month: 

1. Crown brushes: Here I have the C405 Angle Contour Blush brush and the C441 Pro Blending Crease brush. I have been using these brushes to death this month. The contour brush is perfect for blush, contour or highlight and I have been using it for all three. The blending brush is incredibly soft and buffs out any harsh eyeshadow lines perfectly. I would highly recommend these brushes as they are very affordable and brilliant quality. 

2. Mac lipstick in patisserie: This is the perfect my lips but better lipstick, its a lustre finish so the colour pay off is only sheer. However since I have been working so much lately that's exactly what I have been wanting... and the smell!! DIVINE!! 

3. Benefits hoola bronzer: Again I have been loving this, however instead of using this to contour I have been using it to give myself an all over glow. Perfect for summer time! 

4. Benefits bella bamba: I am in love with Benefits boxed powders lately I own three but hoping to pick up some more. This one is a pretty pink shade with silver sheen running through it. It has been compared to Nars orgasm however I would say it is orgasms frosty sister, Its more blue toned. This has been perfect for adding a bit of life and definition to my face and because of the shimmer no need to highlight! Wooo! Also it smells great, honestly next time your near a counter smell it. LOL 

5. The Body Shop vitamin E day cream: This has been a staple in my skincare since February, it was perfect during winter to keep my skin hydrated and it still keeps my skin nice and plump during summer without being too heavy. I just love all of the vitamin E range from The body Shop.  

6. Ysl Touche eclat foundation: I have been loving this foundation ever since I used my points to buy it. I have done a more in depth review here. 

7. Garnier Eye roll on in medium: I use this product daily! It contains caffeine so it instantly wakes up the eye area up and okay coverage but I usually layer something over the top. The main thing I need this for is to reduce puffiness around my eyes and it does a great job! 

So there you have it guys my August favourites. Let me know what your favourites have been for the past month. 

Mac face and body foundation: Review

Hello ladies :) 

I do apologize for my absence recently with finishing off the uni year and what not I have not had time to blog lately.. However I am back and hoping to get into the swing of blogging on a regular basis :)

So today for you I have a review of Mac face and body foundation, I have been using this for a good 4 months now and I have to say this is my HOLY GRAIL foundation!!! However before I ramble on about how much I love the stuff lets talk details... 

Mac Face and Body foundation is a sheer/light coverage foundation however it can be built up to a medium coverage. There is a trick to getting the best coverage from this foundation, the more you work the foundation into your skin the more coverage you get. I tend to pour some on to my hand and mix it until the texture becomes more waxy then I dot it around my face and blend it in with my Real Techniques buffing brush, it evens out my skin tone and get ride of redness however my beauty spots still show through making my make up look very natural. 

This foundation is a water based foundation which therefore means its water resistant which I think is BRILL however it is extremely runny so be careful you don't drop it on yourself. It can be used on the face or body to cover up any imperfections and it has been said that this is a make up artist must have. The finish of this foundation is very glowy and radiant as though you are lit from within, its also a very natural finish on me. However because it is water based and gives a dewy finish it may not be suited to those with oily skin as it may just slide off. However I have normal to dry skin and I found the staying power to be up to 8 hours without powdering which for a dewy foundation I think is pretty darn good. 

I personally think this foundation is amazing I have not experienced any breakouts or reactions but do ask for a sample in case your skin does react badly to this foundation. I was matched to the shade C3 but because its such a sheer coverage I could of easily got away with buying C4. I bought the 120ml bottle for £26 which I think is a bloody bargain when compared to other mac foundations which cost the same for a standard 30ml size. I am no way near to even half way through my bottle yet even after 4 months, so I think that this foundation is one of my best beauty investments to date :) 

I would definitely recommend this foundation to anyone with normal to dry skin who is looking for a sheer/natural coverage, especially in this lovely weather you want something nice and light. However the only downside to this foundation for me is the look of the bottle, I really expected more from mac I wanted something I could proudly display on my vanity. Although this is easily overlooked as the product itself is amazing!!!

Pros:

• Light but buildable coverage 
• Dewy natural finish 
• Great value for money 
• Smell refreshing and soothing 
• Can be used on the body to cover up things such as razor spots etc 

Cons

• May not work for oily skin types
• Sticky after application
• A lot of blending need 
• The look of the bottle isn't very conventional with other high end foundations 

If you have tried this foundation what are your thoughts? 

What is your holy grail foundation? 

Real Techniques Duo Fiber Collection Limited Edition

Well Hello Ladies,

This is just a quick post on my first impression on these limited edition brushes by real techniques. These brushes have duo fibres in them, 'to create a light yet build-able coverage'. They are available in selected boots stores across the UK for £23.99 but I was way to inpatient and ordered mine off IHerb for £16.49 including P&P, which I think is great! They was also delivered within 4 days, so if like me you cant wait I would definitely recommend ordering off iherb.com. At first touch I can say they are all very soft and fluffy, and in my opinion are more for everyday light coverage which is great for me as I was on the hunt for everyday brushes.

Three brushes come in the duo fibre collection, the first being the duo fibre face brush this can be used for a light dusting of face powders, or a natural flush of blush on the cheeks. This is a nice switch up from the larger powder brush real techniques which is rather dense and packs on a lot of powder. The duo fibre contour brush is very similar to the contour brush in the Core collection however the fact that is duo fibre allows for easier blending, this is my go to contour brush for everyday looks when I want a heavier contour I lean more to the contour brush from the core collection. The last brush is the duo fibre eye brush, and this is perfect for blending which seems to have been missing before from the real technique eye brush collection before but alas it is here!!! 

I have only used these brushes a couple of times so I haven't fully put them to the test yet, but when I have used them more I will post a full review on them, although I think its safe to say it will be a positive one as I am loving them!!! 

Have you tried these new brushes? let me know what you think :)

Real Techniques Brush Comparison : Stippling Brush, Buffing Brush and Expert Face Brush

Hello Everyone! :) 

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend... 

I thought I'd finish off the week with a comparison of three Real Techniques brushes. Firstly if you have never heard of Real Techniques they are make-up brushes designed by Samantha Chapman from the Pixiwoo girls off YouTube. They are made from ultra plush taklon bristle which means they wont soak up loads of product, they are easier to clean and dry super super fast. The brushes I will be comparing are the Stippling brush, the Buffing brush and the expert face brush. 

The Stippling brush

This brush is a duo-fibre brush which mean its great for creating that airbrushed look. It retails for £11.99 in Boots or Superdrug, if you wait a while they usually have a 3 for 2 offer on them so you can snap up some other goodies. I usually dot my foundation onto my face and then use this brush to stipple the product into my skin, this is great for creating a naturally flawless face. However as you can see the the head of the brush is rather small, and therefore creating this flawless look takes a little time and effort. Which is fine when I have plenty of time to get ready, but usually my mornings consist of a battle between my bed and the snooze button so time is an  issue. This is why I swapped this brush up for buffing brush... 


The Buffing brush

This brush is part of the Core collection which comes with 3 other brushes: detailer brush, pointed foundation brush, and the contour brush, this retails for £21.99 from Boots or Superdrug. I use this brush for foundation and it is perfect for quickly buffing foundation into the skin, creating a seamless complexion. It has the most natural coverage of all the brushes I own and it blends foundation into the skin like a dream. I have used both cream and liquid foundations with this brush and it works great with them, however I am yet to try this brush with a powder foundation any recommendations? The brush head is round and is the perfect size for quickly swiping the brush over my face, this is my go to brush when I'm in a hurry. Although because of the size of the brush its difficult to get into all the nooks and crannys such as around the nose or under the eyes. Therefore with fuller coverage foundations it can get cakey in these areas.This is where the Expert face brush comes in...


The Expert Face brush 
 

This brush as you can see if very similar to buffing brush however its smaller and slightly flattened. This brush is available to buy on its own and retails for £9.99 from Boots and Superdrug. This brush is very dense and although the buffing brush provides a good coverage, this brush will give you the fullest coverage out of your foundation. It is best used with cream or liquid foundations and it is perfect for blending foundation into smaller narrower areas like the nose or under the eyes. The only problem I find with this brush is that it is harder to clean as the brush is very densely packed together, therefore washing the product out is a bit of a difficult task. Similar to the stippling brush this brush requires a little more time and effort to get that perfect airbrushed look. But my my my the results are amazing! This brush teamed with my Mac studio sculpt is what I use when I want a super duper fully covered flawless face for special occasions. I just love this brush!!! 

I highly recommend these brushes to anyone who likes to use brushes to apply their foundation. They all have the signature self standing bases which look very pretty on the dressing table, and the quality of these brushes are AMAZING! better than any mac brushes I own. If I had to choose one of these brushes for foundation I would choose the Expert Face brush as it is the perfect size, shape and blends foundation into the skin like butter. Although the Buffing brush isn't far behind as its so easy a quick to use, I would recommend this brush for anyone just starting using brushes to apply their foundation. As for the stippling brush I tend to use this more for blush as its small and pushes the product onto the cheek evenly. 

And there you have it a comparison of three Real techniques brushes, have you used theses brushes? If so which one is your favourite and what do you use it for?