Review: Real Techniques Core Collection, Powder Brush and Stippling Brush

 

Powder Brush £12.99

Contour Brush

Flat Foundation Brush

Buffing Brush

- Core Collection £21.99 - 

(also includes lip detailer)

I am sure by now pretty much everyone has heard about the Real Techniques brushes created by Sam Chapman, professional make-up artist and one half of PixiWoo. I first heard about them back in January and spent a while trying to track some down but with no luck, however in April of this year they were launched in the UK, USA and elsewhere worldwide in high street shops, so off I tottered to Boots and picked up a Stippling Brush (not pictured). My love for the brush was instant, it transformed my make-up application, from flawless foundation to cream blush and contours, it could do it all! I did not feel I desperately needed any other new brushes so I held off for a few months, however disaster struck, and let this be a warning to you all! I was washing my brushes one day when I noticed the stippling brush hairs were folding, turns out the water was too hot and the synthetic fibres essentially melted (yeah I know, how hot is my hot water?!) so sadly, my brush was no longer fit for purpose, it went to brush heaven, and I now had an excuse to re-stock!!

So a few weeks ago I finally purchased the Core Collection (buffing, contour, flat foundation and lip detailer) and the Powder Brush. I think I am in love again! I will give a quick run down on the brushes, they are cruelty free, made of synthetic fibres which makes them super easy to clean (in cool water) and they dry so quickly! They also look gorgeous, I love their orange, pink or purple metal handles with a black rubber end, also the individual brushes are self standing, if that kind of thing floats your boat. Ohh and did I forget, so reasonably priced!!

Lets start with the buffing brush, hailed by many as the ultimate foundation brush, offering the perfect flawless finish in an instant. Oh boy do I agree! This brush has literally transformed my make-up routine (I know, again!) I honestly believe this has the ability to turn even the cheapest, nastiest foundation into a beautiful, dreamy finish product. One pump on to the brush, dab about your face and then in circular motions buff it in to your skin and hey presto! Perfect skin! I would pay £21.99 alone for this brush.

The contour brush is also lovely, when I first saw it I thought it was a little small for contour however I mainly use cream products and it turns out it is brilliant for them! I use it to apply my Chanel Bronze Universal , cream blushers and I've also found it great for buffing liquid concealer under my eyes.

The flat foundation brush is, in my opinion, far too small for foundation application, but it is lovely for applying cream concealer under the eyes or cream highlighter to the cheeks. Considering this set works out at just over £5 per brush, I can cope with a random brush like this!

The lip detailer (not pictured) is a fairly standard lip brush, I like it, I use it, I probably won't write home about it, but I needed a new one so it's a welcome addition.

Finally the powder brush, ahh beautiful fluffy powder brush! This is gorgeous, probably my favourite brush I have ever owned. It is so soft and perfectly shaped for applying loose powder to the right parts of the face. It looks a little large and scary for bronzer but turns out, it is pretty good for that too! Perhaps nothing too pigmented but I am certainly enjoying using it with my Bourjois bronzer.

My apologies this is such a long post but I felt these brushes deserved it! They really are lovely, including the stippling (if you don't melt it, oops!) so go on, join that bandwagon! If you can recommend any other RT brushes I would love to hear about it.

Lazy Sundays: Beauty Tidy-Up

As far as  lazy Sundays go this has been a semi-productive one! I have skyped a good friend who has taken a year abroad, I went to the super market and I now have a pot of pea soup on the hob. My drawers have been a bit of a mess recently as I have just returned to Uni and could not be bothered sorting them out, but it was time! So I thought I would share it with you all. There is nothing fancy going on, everything just has its place and it will hopefully be a lot easier to get to things, but knowing me it will be a mess by next week!

Have you done anything fun with your Sunday? Let me know if you would like me to do a Make-Up collection!

Review: Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronze Universal Make-up Base

 

As I am currently away on holiday, I was faced with the almighty task that is duty free shopping, I felt slightly panicked, what to buy? With a limited budget and an element of self restraint I whittled it down to 3 items, one of them being the cult product, Chanel Bronze Universal! So with plenty of time by the pool I thought I'd take some time to tell you all about it.

First, the packaging is gorgeous! In line with all Chanel products, it comes in a black and gold box and the bronzer itself is in a frosted pot. You get 30g of product for £30 (or £24 in duty free) which I think is actually pretty good, compared to say a Mac cremeblend blush that is 5.6g for £17.50. 

The product smells fruity which I really like, however if you have more sensitive skin it may be worth trying it out before purchasing. The colour is a soft, light, matte brown which is ideal for sun kissed skin. I have found it is best applied to the areas where the sun would hit your face rather than as a contour but it also works well for that! It blends beautifully but I advise starting with a small amount of product and building up to a colour level you would like, I do this with a Real Techniques stippling brush as it works best when buffed. It leaves a soft satin finish on the skin which, other than the colour, in undetectable. It's perfect for Summer make-up, I'm loving it with my Vitalumiere Aqua foundation and my Something Special Mac cream blusher.

All in all, this is a beautiful matte bronzer, that blends well and is best suited to Summer skin. Let me know what you think of this product in the comments below.

Swatch: Un-blended and blended

MAC eyeshadow giveaway

What's In My Bag?

 

Handbag - Zara

 

Left to right if I can manage!

Umbrella

Strepsils

Gloves - Johnston Lambswool

Hair clip - Primark

Uni things

Nivea hand cream

17 Shine Control Powder

Max Factor pocket mirror

Glasses (Oscar and Fitch) and lens case

Gold large clasp - Primark

Jack Wills lip gloss and lip stick

Jack Wills pen

Piz Buin Suncream

Abercrombie and Fitch No. 8 perfume

Car and house keys

Purse - Osprey

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Lip Protectant

Vaseline

Nail file/buffer - Leighton Denny

Space Nk Travel brush kit

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

Bobbi Brown Day to Night eye palette

iPod

Coin purse - Radley

 

As you can see I carry a lot of rubbish in my bag but I probably use most of it on a fairly regular basis.

Let me know if you enjoyed this post or if you have any suggestions in the comments below!

The Sweet Scent of Perfume

In my blog awards post yesterday I mentioned that I was going to do a review/post about my favourite perfumes. If there is one luxury product I couldn't live without, it would definitely be this. There is something to be said about having a signature scent or the way a smell can evoke, often quite powerful, memories from our pasts. The smell of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, for instance, will always remind me of my first day at school (yes I can remember that far back) because it was what my mum wore at the time. So before I ramble anymore, let's move on to what perfumes I have chosen to review today!

 

My all time favourite, without a doubt, has to be Pomegranate Noir Cologne by Jo Malone. It is a spicy fruit infusion which Jo Malone aptly describes as having the 'sensuality of a daring red dress'. This is not a scent for the shy, retiring type. It's ever so slightly masculine to begin with, but in a good way, who doesn't love a sexy smelling man?! It then softens off in to the warm spiced pomegranate smell which I described. It is perhaps more of an autumn winter scent, think of Christmas and mulled wine, but I don't let that stop me wearing it all the time. It's very unique and I always get people asking me what I'm wearing. If you're a fan of YSL opium and Dior Poison then you'll love this.

My other favourite, rather unoriginally, is from Jo Malone as well (they do make the best!). Blue Agava and Cacao is a beautiful, light yet decadent, floral scent that is described as 'the rhythm of Latin music -- sexy, edgy and persuasive.'  It starts of a little zesty, lime and grapefruit according to their website, and as it settles in to the skin, the flora element comes through, which is just gorgeous! Honestly, I can not quite convey how amazing this perfume smells, and it only gets better, the base note is Cacao (the basis of chocolate) so as the scent wears on your skin the amazing warm sweet (but not too sweet) scent remains. I'd liken it to Angel by Thierry Mugler but better! It's perfect for summer and I just know I will wear it for years to come.

Some other Jo Malone scents I would recommend are 'Nectarine Blossom and Honey', 'Dark Amber and  Ginger Lily' from the Cologne Intense collection and 'Vintage Gardenia'. I would suggest going to a JM shop and trying out a few of their perfumes as there is bound to be one to suit you. They last all day long, I never need to top up. They do come in at the higher price range, with a 30ml bottle setting you back £36 or a 100ml bottle for £72, but so worth it! The bottle is very understated and looks chic sitting out on the dressing table. I was lucky enough that my Jo Malone addict mother bought me my favourites as a gift at Christmas time but you can slowly collect them and I guarantee you won't regret it.

Other fragrances I love are...

• Miss Dior Cherie
• Coco by Chanel
• Ellenesia by Penhaligons
• Malabah by Penhaligons

Any more questions? Pop them in the comments below!

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Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

For the last few months I have been searching for the perfect foundation. I have tried out many; embarrassing my friends by asking for millions of testers at counters, from Clarins, Clinique, Lancome, Estee Lauder... I tried a lot! I was looking for something light that made my skin glow and I certainly found it with Chanel.

I guess I was slow to catch on with this as I've heard so much about it but the £32 price tag put me off trying it. How wrong I was! This is, without a doubt, the best foundation I tried.

It offers a light to medium coverage with a soft satin finish. It's not too dewy and basically looks like your skin but better.

It is quite a watery formulation so it needs a good shake but once mixed up, it glides on perfectly and does not cling to any dry patches. I have a normal to dry complexion and it is prefect for me. I don't know how well it would sit on an oily skin, but I reckon with a bit of finishing powder it would be fine. It lasts pretty much all day on my skin, perhaps needing a touch up late afternoon if it was a warmer day. I apply it with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush, I find this the best way as a sponge absorbs too much and it looks amazing when buffed in to  skin, a look which I don't find I can achieve with a traditional flat foundation brush.

The packaging is cute and very handbag friendly as it is made of plastic.

The only downside to this foundation is the colour range. I have fair skin and wear 20, 30 or 40 Beige depending on the time of year, and it only goes up to 50. I believe the compact version now has colour 54 but again this is not likely to suit darker skin tones which is a real shame!

If you can find a shade to match your skin, I guarantee you will adore this!

If you have any questions I didn't cover in the post then please feel free to comment!