Most Used Eye Brushes | Real Techniques, ELF and eBay sets!

As promised I said i'd follow up my previous post on my most used face brushes, but before I go into that I thought i'd let you know that I've done a guest post over on Erin's blog, here. Erin has recently just started blogging again and decided to add a new feature to a blog where every now and then people she know's from online or through blogging write something, whatever they'd like. I wrote 5 Things Things That Make Me Happy, so please go check that out and the rest of Erin's blog!

Anyway, here I am again talking about my most used eye brushes, although I have a lot more eye brushes than face brushes there are a select few I reach for every time I do my eye makeup. 

1. Lydia Professional Pink Flat Brush.

As you can see this is a small flat brush and I use this to pack on the base of my eye shadow. This holds the eye shadow well and i'm able to apply it with no fall out, however that could just be down to the eye shadow i'm using- who knows! I picked this brush up in a set from Amazon, here and they're so pretty- I've not had any problems with them so far, plus they come with a pink case that is very handy for travelling!

2. Large Pencil Brush.

Again, this was part of a set of 4 from eBay, here. I cant fault the brushes that came in this set, despite them being a little bigger than I thought they're such great quality and the bristles are so soft. It's perfect for applying eye shadow in the crease as it fits in nicely and if you keep working at the eye shadow it blends in nicely.

3. ELF Blending Brush.

I had heard good things about the ELF brushes and I really needed a blending brush so I picked up this to try. At first I was a bit disappointed with the quality, the bristles fell out easily and especially when washed. I stopped using it for a while and decided to try it again and I've not had that problem, perhaps there were a few odd bristles that just wasn't glued in properly? It's holding up well now and blends my eye shadow well, it's also really soft so it's perfect for blending! If this one isn't clean, i'll use one of the blending brushes from the eBay set I mentioned previously- although it's a bit big, it does the job!

4. Real Techniques Detailer Brush.

I've just realised that the majority of these brushes are from a set, however most of the sets are so affordable from eBay or Amazon. This brush is from the Real Techniques Core Collection and I use it for applying eye shadow to the lower lash line as it's so small and fits perfectly under the lashes!

5. Spooley Brush.

This isn't really a brush, well it sort of is as it has tiny bristles. This again was part of a set from eBay, here. The quality of this brush isn't that great but the rest of the brushes are so I can't fault them, plus I use this every day so it's had quite a lot of use, therefore it was worth it! I comb through my eyebrows with this before and after applying my brow pencil, it tidies them up when I've just rolled out of bed and after applying brow product to ensure it's spread evenly. 

And there you have it,  a quick run through of my favourite eye brushes. Each of these brushes/sets are great however if you're on a tighter budget then i'm sure you can find similar with all of these types of brushes in.


What are your favourite makeup brushes?
Please let me know in the comments!

♥   ♥   ♥

High-End Beauty Wishlist | Five Most Wanted Products!

First of all i'd like to apologise for my lack of blogging recently, things have got pretty hectic while coming to the end of my course at college. I'm still not finished but my work load should calm down as I've just got one more portfolio to hand in as a first submission. I've also been applying for full-time jobs for when I qualify and although it's time consuming and pretty frightening, i'm excited to start working full-time to hopefully be able to buy some of these products to come..

1. Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

I was so excited to try this mascara as I had read lots of reviews saying it was amazing for lengthening and giving your lashes a lift that will stay all day long, which was just what I needed. I picked up the Elle magazine as it was exclusive, free with the magazine before it was available to buy full-sized. You can my thoughts on it here, (hint: I love it, which is why is why it's on my wish list to buy). I'm still not out of the sample so I can tell the full-size will last ages so £19.50 will be well spent.

2. Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins Moisturiser
I received this in an Origins Sample Set that I bought in the January Sales, you can see my thoughts on some of Origins best-selling products here.
 I didn't have a night specific moisturiser before this and I can honestly see the difference this has made to my skin. Through the winter and during the change in seasons I get some dry patches on my skin which I can't seem to shift with my usual moisturiser and exfoliator so this has become an essential in my night-time routine and I couldn't be without it now as it disperses across the face easily, sinks in quickly and gives your skin the hydration it needs. I've got the smallest amount left in my sample and again it has lasted me ages so this will be a good investment at £34.50 for 50ml.

3. Liz Earl Cleanse and Polish
I feel as though everyone and their dog has tried this, except me. I've had my eye on this for ages and i'm still not too sure why I haven't picked it up already. I love using hot cloth cleansers as I really like how they feel on my face and I find it relaxing. This is supposed to work for most skin types so will be perfect for my moody skin, it's supposed to be gentle yet remove all traces of makeup which is great as nobody likes to be too harsh on their skin. Once I've finished my current cream cleanser i'll definitely look at picking this up, priced at £15.50 for a starter kit. I'm sure you'll see a review if I love it. 

4. MAC Lipstick in Fast Play
Yes, i'm still yet to try a MAC lipstick. I just haven't got the budget to spend £15.50 on a lipstick but i'm hoping i'll be able to part with my money soon. There are so many lipsticks from MAC i'd like to try but after plenty of narrowing down I've decided Fast Play should be my first purchase as it's not quite your typical brown/nude and looks very wearable which is what you'd like if you were spending £15.50 on a lipstick. 

5. The Balm NUDE'tude Eyeshadow Palette
I love a good nude/neutrals palette and I know everyone loves the Urban Decay Naked palettes, though I feel I could live without them as I've discovered and tried the affordable alternatives which I love (click here if you'd like to find out more). This palette features a range of browns, bronzes, pinks and a few others, but what I particularly like about these is how highly pigmented they are when swatched and the diverse range of looks you could create. I've also never tried anything from The Balm so I may have to very soon, this is priced at around £30 depending on where you shop.

And that's it for my five most wanted high-end products.
What high-end products would you like? 
I'm sure there's lots you're all lusting for just like me, so let me know in the comments below!

♥   ♥   ♥

My Most Used | Face, Eyes and Lip Products

Myself and a few lovely bloggers have been planning this post for a short while and here is the result of it. Today myself and the others will be showing you our favourite Face, Eye and Lip product- the majority of mine will be drugstore so at more affordable prices, though if you're in the market for some higher end pieces be sure to check out the other girls blogs to see what they love!

Chloe from Chloe Paigee 

Megan from Secretly Megan

Jess from Hey It Is Jess

and Nicole from Thrifty Vintage Fashion

Without further-ado i'll just get straight into it..

L'Oreal True Match foundation in N1 Ivory-

I'm sure you will have heard lots about this foundation before, I've actually done a review here. This is the only foundation I've been using since so it'd obviously have to be my favourite! I look for something medium-high coverage when buying foundation and this definitely fits into that category as it's medium coverage with one application but is very buildable to a higher coverage. I find this lasts on my skin all day which is a bonus as my face apparently eats my foundation, not cool! This retails at £9.99 in Boots and Superdrug so not the cheapest nor most expensive so is really reasonable as it lasts me a long while!

MUA eye shadow palette in Heaven and Earth-

I really love experimenting with eye shadows even though i'm not the best at applying them. Unfortunately that was put on hold as I had extremely dry eyelids that I could not shift, thankfully that's been sorted now so I can finally wear a subtle smokey eye or pretty shimmer!
I bought this palette a long while ago now and it's been quite well loved yet I still haven't hit pan on any of the colours. I find they are well pigmented and last a long length of time on the lid which is amazing as this palette only cost £4.
If I've not got the effort to apply eye shadow I usually go for a quick flick of the Benefit Roller Lash mascara, you can see what I thought of it here.

No. 7 lipstick in the shade Vanity-

This is my go-to if i'm wanting a pink lip, I love it! This is a really old No. 7 and I probably shouldn't still have it but i'm on the hunt to find the perfect match for it. I haven't found an exact match but I also really like the Natural Collection lipstick in Rose Bud.
Both are perfect for everyday wear, although I find the No. 7 lipstick lasts longer on the lips but I can't fault Natural Collection as they're so affordable.

And that's a round up of my favourite Face, Eyes and Lips products, don't forget to check out the other girls blog posts linked at the beginning of this post.

What are yours? 

Leave them in the comments below!

♥   ♥   ♥

Favourites this May.

Hello!

So today is Bank Holiday Monday, as I've got a day to myself I thought i'd get a post up! This is going to be a small-ish roundup of my favourites this May 2014, as the title suggests! Now I have a week off and although I have a lot of things to get done this week as I am finishing my first year at college soon, I am hoping to get some blogging done! So lets just get straight into it.

Collection Lasting Perfection concealer- £4.19

The first two of my favourites come together as one really, first is the much loved Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, I have this in shade 1 Fair. Now I purchased this a few months ago, I used it for a while and I wasn't overly impressed but it did the job within budget, for some reason I went off this concealer and forgot about it. Recently I picked this out and thought i'd give it a whirl again and I'm loving it, perfect for covering the spots that have been breaking out recently, although I am still looking for the perfect under-eye concealer- this is well worth it for under £5!

Real Techniques Pointed Foundation brush(from core collection)- £21.99

As I said the next links to the concealer, its the Real Techniques Pointed Foundation brush. Now I know the name doesn't suggest this but I just feel the brush is too small for foundation. I've been using this for my concealer, under my eyes and to cover blemishes- this brush is so quick to blend and doesn't leave the streaky brush marks you sometimes get!

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water- usually £4.99

I've been trying to get my hands on the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water but every time I went into my local Boots, it was sold out and double the price in Superdrug! I made a trip down to another boots a little further away and got it! I've been using this to take off my makeup when I get in late for work and really can't be bothered to do the full cleansing routine. Yes I know that sounds disgusting but this takes off the makeup and cleanses at the same time without the need for a deep clean wash afterwards! Amazing!

MUA Heaven and Earth Eye shadow Palette- £4.00

I don't think I've said enough about this palette but I love it! It's the MUA Heaven and Earth palette. I must admit i'm not the best at applying eye shadow but i'm learning and I've found a way that works for me. This is the perfect neutral palette, with beautiful gold, bronze and champagne shimmers that are subtle enough for day to day looks! I'm hoping to do a more in depth review once I feel more confident with eye shadow!

Topshop 'High Vamp Skaters'- £20

And the final pictured here is my Topshop Skater style shoes. I cannot begin to explain how much I've been loving these this month- so much to the point that I've worn them nearly every day and they're still in good nick! I saw a few Youtuber's with these and instantly fell in love! At £20 I just couldn't let them go, now I've seen the pink and white pair and am lusting over them both! Watch this space to see if I *accidentally* get my hands on them, haha!

Finally the last things that I've been loving this month aren't pictured but i'd thought i'd tell you another few.
1. The weather. I live in Wales and i'd be lying if I said its been amazing all month, but there have been the odd days like today where the weather has been so lovely, so warm and summery! It's also been a tad stormy this month too, I must admit I love it when its like this! Just feeling all cozy inside listening to the rain and thunder. Its been the perfect mix this month haha!

2. Doing things. Well that's way too vague, but my confidence isn't the greatest, i'm working on it but it will take a while. This month I've been able to voice my opinions and not be afraid what people will think, especially at college. I'm so glad to say I've stuck at college for the whole year- In September I panicked and cried every morning and nearly didn't end up stepping foot back inside the building. It took time but I got over that and have near completed my first year at college!
I also attended an interview last week and for the first time it went well! I was actually able to form sentences while in there, it resulted in getting invited back for a trial day which is tomorrow! After much thinking, I decided it's something I don't want but I am going to attend to say I've done it.

And that's it for my favourites this May! This month has well and truly flown by! I can't even believe that next month we will be half way through the year of 2014 already, whaaat!

Comment below what you've been loving this month and maybe some suggestions of under eye concealers that won't crease!? Also let me know what you'd like to see on my blog!

Talk soon,

Amy X