My Top 5 Real Techniques Brushes

Hello!

Today I thought I would share with you my collection of Real Techniques  brushes and what I use them for. Some would say I have an fairly extensive collection and believe they are genuinely the best brushes out there at the moment.

As I'm sure most of you know they were launched by Samantha Chapman, one of the Pixiwoo sisters and she did a bloody good job!

Their super good quality, wash well and don't shed, and they are also really reasonably priced!

I don't use them all on an everyday basis (I'd have to have about 5 faces to do so) and tend to get into a routine with a certain selection of them.

Instead of talking about all 15 of them, I thought I'd share my top 5 with you.

So the first one I'm loving at the moment is the Expert Face Brush. I use this to buff in my foundation, its similar to the Buffing Brush but more dense and smaller making it easier to work with.  It gives a really nice natural finish to the skin as well.

Sticking with face brushes, the next one I've been using a lot recently is the Buffing Brush. This comes in the core collection along with 3 other face brushes. I find this is so good for blending blushes. It works well with cream and powder and is really good for building up colour.

The third one in my top 5 is the Powder Brush. This is the best powder brush I think I've ever used. It's a fab size, really big which is definately my favourite thing about it. Also just like all of the Real Technique brushes its so so soft and not in the least bit scratchy.

Next is the Duo Fiber Contour Brush. I use this for contouring (suprise suprise). It fits perfectly in the hollows of my cheeks so is ideal for creating the illusion of cheekbones. I also love the look of this brush, with the white handles and pink writing on it. The duo fiber collection is limited edition but currently still avaliable.

Lastly in my top 5 is the Duluxe Crease Brush. This came in the eye brush set along with 4 others. This is my go to brush for blending eyeshadows. It's pretty dense and fits well in the crease making it the perfect size.

Have you tried any of the Real Techniques brushes? Which is your fave?

Xx

DUPES #1

Hello! 

I recently realised that I have a very bad habbit of buying lipsticks in colour's I already own. However to make the most of this I have decided to start a 'series' where I explore my collection and show you some of the dupes I own for some of my slightly higher end lipsticks. 

 YSL Rouge Volupte Perle, Sparkling Fuschia (114)-£23.50

So today I have some dupes for the YSL Rouge Volupte Perle in the colour Sparkling Fuschia (114). I absolutely love this lippy, it goes on so smooth, is a lovely colour and has decent staying power. However I'm not such a fan of the price tag... £23.50. So here are a couple of cheaper alternatives

The first dupe for this is the Bourjois Shine Edition lipstick in no. 22. This is really nice and moisturising and beside the fact it hasnt got a shimmer to it, its a perfect dupe for the YSL. Its also only £7.99 so alot cheaper! The whole shine edition range from Bourjois is lovely, and if you're in the market for a new lippy (or two) I suggest you go check them out!

 Bourjois Shine Edition in no.22-£7.99

L-R; No.22, Sparkling Fuschia

The second dupe I have is MAC's 'Lickable'. Its slightly more expensive at £15 but is still a very good colour match to the YSL lippy, the only slight differences are a lack of shimmer and that the shade is ever so slightly darker.. This is a cremesheen finish so is very moisturising and fairly pigmented. Again like the YSL it has a good staying power but has a slightly sheerer finish.

 MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Lickable-£15

L-R; No.22, Sparkling Fuschia, Lickable

I hope this post has been helpful, and as always, thanks for reading:) 

Xx

The Liebster Blog Award!

Thank you so much to the lovely Ellie at According to Ellie who nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award! I had heard of it before but didn't know all that much about it. However since reading Ellie's post I have learnt that it is to allow blogs with fewer than 200 followers a bit of recognition, which I think is fab!

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The Rules:

1) You must link back to the person who nominated you.

2) You must answer the 11 Liebster questions given to you by the nominee before you.

3) You must pick 11 bloggers with fewer than 200 followers for the award.

4) You must come up with 11 questions for your noominees to answer.

5) You must go to their blogs and notify your nominees.

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So here are my answers to the 11 questions Ellie has set...

1) What is you favourite thing about blogging?

I think my favourite thing about blogging is being able to write what you want in your own little space of the internet. I love trying and reviewing new products, and its nice to put down my opinions and thoughts without being judged. If I sat all my friends down and rambled on about a new lippie I'd tried they'd think I was mad, however in the beauty bloggersphere its like a little community where everyone's passionate about the same thing.

2) What 3 words best describe yourself?

Haha, oh blimey... Probably loud, clumsy and friendly. 

3) If you could star in any film, what would it be?

I've been told on countless occasions I'm very similar to Miranda and Bridget Jones but I'd love to star in a sequel to Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, or something with a cast similar to my age as I reckon it would be such a laugh to film!

4) Who would you be most curious to spend a day in the life of?

Hmmmm, probably someone who knows me like one of my friends or family as I'd love to see what I'm like from another persons point of view!

5) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I was in Thailand for a month and a bit earlier this year and would love to live on Koh Samui. Its so lovely there! Gorgeous beaches, lovely weather and the locals are all so nice! The island has a more relaxed side as well as a slightly more party side to it, so you get the best of both worlds.

6) Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I literally have no idea. Hopefully in a career that I love, and with an exciting future ahead of me. At the moment I'm stuck in a rut a bit about what I want to do with my life as I literally have no idea, but fingers crossed in 10 years I'll have worked it out!

7) What is your favourite beauty products at the moment?

Ooooh, probably my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I only bought it the other day and I'm not quite sure how I lived without it... It completley blown all other foundation applicators I own out of the water!

8) What was the last piece of clothing you bought?

It was a black cardigan, pretty boring to be honest. But it was replacing one I left in TGI's last week. I phoned up to try get it back but annoyingly they didn't have it :(

9) Tea or Coffee?

Tea

10) Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?

Hazza P!

11) High street or designer?

High street

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So without further ado, here are my nominees and questions!

Humble Honesty

Raspberphobia

Right Up My Street

Masha's Mumbles

Amber Types

Velvet Ghost

Your Beauty Fix

Curls and Swirls

Favourite Purchases

Life is a Highway

B.L.A.B

1) Why did you start blogging?

2) What's your holy grail product?

3) What's the most disappointing product you own?

4) What's your best beauty tip?

5) What 5 things would you take to a desert island with you?

6) What is your most prized posession?

7) If you could, what 1 thing would you change in your life?

8) What is your favourite thing about yourself?

9) What 3 things do you look for in a fella?

10) What is your no.1 make up disaster?

11) What is your favourite high street brand and why?

Once again thanks to Ellie for nominating me! Sorry if any of my nominees have already been nominated by someone else, and I hope you enjoy taking part!

Xx

Nars Laguna

 Nars Laguna-£26

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last year or so you'll have heard of Nars' bronzer, Laguna. Its such a talked about product in the beauty blogging world! 

I'd always been intrigued by it but never quite managed to justify the price tag that comes with it. However whilst in Selfridges the other day I decided to bite the bullet and fork out to £26 price tag to see what all the fuss was about.

Safe to say I'm very glad I did! I absolutely love this bronzer! Its such a good colour for contouring as its not too brown or too orange. Its almost got a taupe-y undertone which I think is really complimentary.

Its very pigmented and there is a decent amount of product in the pan. I use this to contour with a duo fiber limited edition  Real Techniques brush, just to make sure I don't over do it and can build it up if need be.

Overall a lovely product that I can totally see the hype around!

Xx

Current Beauty Must Haves

Hello!

I thought I would do a post on my current beauty must haves as there are some bit and bobs that have really become staple items in my routine recently. The things I have chosen are mostly beauty 'tools'  rather all than actual products, but each one I've been using a lot recently so thought I would share with you:)

The first one is my tangle teaser. Oh my god this thing is amazing! I put off buying one for so long as I didn't really get the hype and wasn't sure how brilliant a plastic hair brush which looks pretty similar to the ones you used to get with barbies would be. But oh how wrong I was. This detangles my hair so easily, which is impressive as its so thick and knotty. I have deffinately noticed a decrease in breakage aswell which is fab! It leaves my hair so soft and lovely, I love it!

The next item is my cosmopolitan beauty blender. I bought this cheaper alternative to the original beauty blender in tescos and its fab! I never properly got into it when I first bought it a few months back but rediscovered it a few weeks ago and it does such a fab job of blending my concealer, and it gives a really smooth flawless finish!

Next up is my Real Techniques Stippling Brush. I am a complete sucker for the Real Techniques range and own all of them apart from maybe 4? This brush is deffinately one of my favourites from the range as it applies my foundation so nicely. It gives me a really even coverage and blends it really nicely into my skin. I have also used this brush for cream Blushers before which it also works really well with.

This little baby I got in my stocking last year. It was invented by someone off of dragons den and it such a nifty little nail file! Due to the shape its so easy to achieve a lovely curved nail. I think I'd struggle going back to a regular nail file which doesn't auto automatically shape your nail. So thanks santa!

My final current beauty favourite the Some Like It Hot body exfoliator from Soap and Glory. This stuff is amazing! It leaves my skin feeling soooooo soft and it heats up as you rub it in. I love the smell of this and the whole concept of opening up the skins pores with the heat to really give your skin a good exfoliate!

I hope you enjoyed this post, as always thanks for reading :) xx

MAC Rebel

Hello there!

Today I have another MAC lipstick review for ya!

I bought this little beauty after having wanted 'Wicked' by Topshop for so long. Except unfortunately it had sold out completely by the time I came around to buying it.

Rebel is alot more purple toned whereas Wicked was more of a deep red colour, looking back I'm glad I went for Rebel if I'm honest.

I love love love the colour of this however I have to admit it took me a good 4 weeks before I actually felt brave enough to wear it.

Its really versatile as you can wear it quite sheer or build it up to give a real pop of colour, both which look lovely. 

I teamed it with a smokey eye the fist time I wore it which actually worked really well despite my fears of looking slightly like a drag queen.

This is one of the deepest colours I have in my lippy collection, but its also deffinately one of my faves!

Have you tried it? What did you think? Xx

Current Lipstick Storage

Hi there! I thought I'd do a post to show you my current lipstick storage.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a slight addiction to lipstick. My collection ranges from highend to drugstore and from lipsticks to lip crayons. Before I bought my current storage I had them stored in my make up drawer in a little square compartment which wasn't really ideal as I couldn't see  which was which etc.

However the muji drawers and lipstick stand I got off amazon are the perfect solution. I do have to admit that I am running out of room though and may have to invest in another one stand or bigger drawers!

The stand holds 24 lipsticks and then I keep all my lip crayons, balms, liners, stains and other bits in the drawers below.

I absolutely love my lippies being so handy when I do my make up and I love the look of them all on display.

As always thanks for reading! Xx