Real Techniques

Probably a few months ago now, I was stuck on which brushes to by. I walked round and round the aisles of Boots in the hope that I would find a set of brushes that were affordably priced yet good quality. I came back empty handed. A more recent update, and I've now found the gem I was looking for- the Real Techniques Brushes. I found out about them via Sam Chapman of Pixiwoo, who created the line of brushes with the same criteria as me. 

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - £9.99 - I am yet to purchase the full set of Face Brushes from RT (The Core Collection) so when I saw this single brush, I picked it up. Although a tenner may initially seem pricey for it, the quality is great, and in MAC for example, you'd easily pay double that. None of the brushes are at all scratchy, and they are all synthetic which means they are ideal for use with cream shadows, blushes, and more. 

Real Techniques Shading Brush - £7.99 - This was another single brush, and again, well worth the money. It blends, shades, and softens harsh edges. In general, its great, and can be used for eyes or even concealer. The brushes all have a colour scheme with the Face Brushes being Yellow, the Powder/Stippling/Setting brushes being Pink and the eye brushes being Purple. 

El

May Favourites

left to right: Real Techniques Shading Brush, No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow in Truffle, Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze, Maybelline The Falsies Flared Volume Express and Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer

A whole new category has appeared on the blog, and its about time! A monthly favourites post has been lingering in my mind, and now I've finally put pen to paper (or rather hands to laptop) and written one.

May's makeup is somewhat more of a simple one. No messing about within a sea of eyeshadows or array of mascaras- you could even call me speedy when it comes to getting ready! I find that a few well chosen products can really brighten up a look, and switching up my makeup on a monthly basis means its all getting used, and I can try out different things every once in awhile.

Collection 2000's lasting perfection concealer has become somewhat of a cult product in my collection, but it is often used for more than just the conventional use. The perfect dupe for a primer, I find that smoothing this over my lid before a smokey or just neutral eye can increase the longevity.

Ever since the Real Techniques Shading Brush came into my makeup bag, I've found eyeshadow application even easier. I'm not saying I was an expert without it, but I could choose a few colours to sweep over my lid (basic inner corner highlight, neutral on the lid and a dark crease) but now I don't have to worry about packing on the shadow either. It's a perfect brush for base and blending, and the RT brush will be in my bag for quite some time...

My Maybelline Colour Tattoo is a beautiful colour. Pair this bronzy and almost Rose Gold cream shadow with No7's Truffle, and you have the perfect lid. I like to apply a fair amount- not too much, not too little-but I do like to smoke it out for an appropriate occasion. Blended out with my favourite brush and I'm left with a pretty eye with subtle definition.

After hearing the raves of beauty gurus such as Tanya Burr and Missglamorazzi, I finally bought the infamous Maybelline The Falsies Flared Volum' Express. Mouthful, yes, but you should hear the name of the waterproof formula! The big brush is perfect for lash-catching (ever attempted to coat those baby eyelashes and failed? Not with this!)

My favourite Beauty Blogger/ Youtuber of the month has to be Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup- her posts are so well written! I love reading her blog and watching her vids.

My favourite TV Programme of the month has to be Drop Dead Diva, which is a girly feel good show of 4 seasons that I have been catching up on on Netflix. I love it- just the right amount of cheesy-ness and reality! I've also just started watching Covert Affairs, and when I say just I mean Just the first series! One down, one to go. 
I'm obsessed with Doctor Who. Literally, obsessed, and so when the series finale aired, I was on the edge of my seat. And it was amazing! It you haven't seen it then you are seriously missing out!


El
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New Additions

I am fairly sure that since my budget for makeup has increased (slightly) I've gone really crazy for cosmetics. Really crazy. Not all of these are strictly 'new additions' but they are mainly products that have been purchased fairly recently, give or take a few months or so. And by using the help of Polyvore, I've managed to put them in picture form. Snazzy, I know.

1//Benefit's Badgal in Plum seems to have re-entered my life 2//The much raved about Real Techniques Brush(es) have joined the cosmetics crew 3//Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Flared Mascara- and breathe- was sneakily picked up whilst doing the weekly food shop. Good ol' Sainsburys! 4//Primers aren't my priority but when I tried this little baby I couldn't resist- Benefit the POREfessional 5//I've jumped on the bandwagon to pick up another cream shadow in the form of a Maybelline Colour Tattoo 6//Benefit's multitasking Posietint cheek and lip colour is gorg!

Hope you liked this kind of post- I may do something similar with Instagrammed photos!

El
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Tools Of The Trade

An artist has their brushes, and so do I! Makeup brushes are a must-have for cosmetics cravers, and I'm certainly no exception. Although my 'collection' of tools is small (and still growing) I do use them all for different reasons.

Although eyeliner isn't really my area, I've still managed to acquire a brush for it! This multitasking brush from 17 can be used for shadow, gel or liquid liner as well as a brow tool. Tap into a cool brown eyeshadow or brow powder and brush through unruly arches for quick and easy definition.

This brush has to be my favourite. After I finally purchased the infamous Real Techniques Shading Brush, there was no going back. Ideal for cream or powder eyeshadows, I like to use this brush to apply a base product and then for blending out harsh lines and edges.

A cheapo-brush is one usually found in most gals collections- often unused or dirty, I found myself reaching less and less for my Boots' own synthetic shadow brush. It doesn't pack a lot of colour, but I've slowly discovered that it's perfect for concealer. Bigger than the rest of my brushes, it blends as it goes, and leaves my under-eyes or pimple points in a slightly smoother state.

I think this one was once my Mum's, just another Boots brand brush, but a jolly good one all the same. The shape and size of this small and skinny brush means that it just fits in to the crease of my eye- perfect for a smokey socket. Paired with a bronzy shadow, this brush blends up a storm.

Last, but not least, the sister to the 17 angled brush. This one is flatter- better for applying cream shadows as opposed to  blending or liner-work. Dip this in a pot of a champagne base colour and you're good to go.

El
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Mini Shopping Trip to Boots...

As I was down on eye makeup remover, a trip to Boots was in due, which meant that I came home with a small bag of goodies! I didn't go crazy however, and only bought 3 things, but I thought I should show you them all the same.

left to right: Real Techniques Shading Brush, L'oreal Eyeshadow, Boots Eye-makeup Remover

My first purchase was what brought me to Boots in the first place! As eye makeup is the main feature in my everyday makeup look, I needed to buy something to remove it! As mentioned in an earlier post, I like Boots own gel one. It is very inexpensive, and is very good considering the price (£1.50).

Being the eyeshadow lover that I am, I figured it would be time to get a proper eyeshadow brush! Sam Chapman (from Pixiwoo) has a line of brushes, so I thought I'd pick up one of her highly praised Real Techniques brushes. I bought the shading brush, as all of the other eye ones are in a set, and for £8, I think it was worth it! I'm definitely interested in having a look at the other brushes in the range...

And in the spur of the moment, I picked up another whim product. L'Oreal eyeshadows (or any other product really!) have never caught my eye, but when I saw this little baby-165 Golden Rose- I couldn't resist picking it up. Do I really need any more eyeshadows?! At £6, I think it is fairly affordable.

This month's spendings have definitely stocked me up on eye products!

El
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