Base of the Day!

Hey beaut's!

I thought I'd do something a bit different on the blog today and share my base makeup products of the day, so instead of a face of the day post sharing me entire makeup routine this post is just going to focus on my base makeup items. Oddly I've never done anything like this on my blog before so please do tell me if you'd like to see more of these style of posts in the future!

The first thing I pop onto my skin is my Makeup Revolution Ultra Strobe Cream (review HERE), I very rarely wear a primer unless its something very dewy like L'Oreal's Lumi Magique Primer because I don't really suffer with oily skin or have problems with my makeup not lasting, however this strobe cream just creates a nice base to work on top of and creates that glow from within look which I love. For foundation I've been reaching for the Revlon Colourstay Foundation for normal/dry skin, it just has such an amazing medium to full coverage formula that's easy to blend, long lasting and super lightweight on my skin, I'd highly recommend giving this beauty a go if you haven't already! 

To conceal my dreadful under eye area I've been using the Miss Sporty Perfect Stay 10 Hour Concealer in Light, I've actually been testing this out recently and really enjoy using it, the coverage isn't as high as my holy grail Collection Lasting Perfection but this does still do a good job of covering what I need for a good period of time. To set my concealer into place I've been using my Maybelline Fit Me! Pressed Powder in Classic Ivory, theres not too much to say about this as it does the same job as most pressed powders but it sets my concealer into place all day without looking powdery or cakey, I'd actually really recommend the Fit Me! range by Maybelline as everything I've tried from it has been really good!

To add some shape into my face I have been addicted to my Collection #BlushAndGlow Palette, which if you haven't tried you certainly need too. I use the matte bronzer shade to bronze up my skin and also to contour, it blends out beautifully without looking muddy or patchy and I also use the shimmering pink blusher to add a slight dewy flush to the cheeks which again blends out a dream. Lastly for my base I like to go to town with highlighting and theBalm's Mary Lou Manizer is now a must in my routine for this, it's just absolutely stunning and packs an all mighty highlighted punch he he!

What are your base makeup heroes at the moment beaut's? I'd love to know!

Makeup Revolution Ultra Sculpt & Blend Collection ♥

Hey beaut's!

Our friends over at Makeup Revolution are literally killing it with their new releases at the moment, they just keep getting better and better and still offer affordable prices and amazing makeup and tools. This time around Makeup Rev have launched some fancy new makeup brushes, blending sponges and sets that have me seriously excited, so say hello to the Makeup Revolution Ultra Sculpt & Blend Collection.

The Makeup Revolution Ultra Sculpt & Blend Collection* (£14.99) consists of four makeup tools in total, theres three beautiful brushes and one blending sponge all of which have been specifically cut and shaped for the perfect application of contouring, sculpting and blending of the face, cheeks and eyes. Each brush is made from the finest, super soft, synthetic hair, making them work amazingly well with cream, liquid and powder makeup and can we just take the time appreciate their on-trend rose gold handles, my goodness these are super good looking makeup brushes he he.

Onto the Makeup Revolution Ultra Sculpt & Blend Collection run down...

Powder, Sculpt & Blend Brush

The Powder, Sculpt & Blend Brush is great for blending out any contouring you may have mapped out but best of all this is a pretty epic foundation brush, because of the super soft bristles and it's flat top it works incredibly well as a buffing brush and buffs foundation seamlessly into the skin. Im defietly going to get lots of use out of this little beauty.

Cheek & Highlight Sculpt & Blend Brush

The Cheek & Highlight Sculpt & Blend brush is my best buddie when it comes to sculpting, it's the perfect shape, size and angle for me to apply cream or powder contour onto the hollows of my cheeks, around my jaw line and down the sides of my nose, even though it is a super soft brush it's also very dense which really is great for precision and allows you to contour like a queen. 

Ultra Metals Eyeshadow Blender

The third and final brush in this collection is the Ultra Metals Eyeshadow Blender, this is simply incredible at blending out eyeshadow work especially in the crease area, the super soft bristles make light work at leaving a seamless finish and I'd go as far as saying this is up there with my all time favourite eyeshadow blending brushes! Of course you could still use the Eyeshadow Blender for precise highlighting and blending in concealer but I just adore it for eyeshadow work.

Foundation & Base Blending Sponge

The final piece of the Ultra Sculpt & Blend Collection is the AMAZING blending sponge. This little beauty hasn't left my side since I got it in terms of applying my foundation and concealer because it just leaves me with an airbrushed, flawless finish. To use the sponge I simple submerge it in water until it doubles in size, squeeze the excess water out and use the rounded bottom and sides to press/bounce my base makeup on, the pointed tip of the sponge is really handy too and great for precision, it really gets into those hard to reach areas like around the nose and eye area, ohhhh I do love this little sponge A LOT.

Overall I'm so happy with this little collection and I'd really recommend picking it up if your looking for some great quality, affodable makeup brushes that cover most bases, it would also make a fab Christmas present or stocking filler too. I must add since using the brushes I haven't experienced any shedding bristles at all and I did give them a quick little wash last night and they washed well and still feel nice an soft against my skin too.

The Makeup Revolution Ultra Sculpt & Blend Collection retails for £14.99 and can be found on the Superdrug website or the Makeup Revolution site.

Collection Contour Kit Review ♥

Hey beaut's!

Recently the ever so affordable Collection released a Contour Kit for us to sculpt and highlight our face with until our little hearts content, the minute I heard about this new release I just knew the contour kit had to be mine regardless of whether I actually needed it or not and so far I've been loving it.

The sleek little Collection Contour Kit is an absolute bargain at just £4.19 ( however I picked mine up for £2.79 when it was first released ) and is available in one 'suits all' shade. The kit contains two powders - a bronzer shade to contour with and a highlight shade to highlight with, the bronzer shade is very nice, its easily blendable, very pigmented so a little goes a long way, completely matte and oddly a slight mix between cool-toned and warm-toned, on me it's cool-toned enough to add depth to the contours of my face, yet warm enough to add a bit of life into the skin which I really like. The highlighter is very pretty too, it's a cream, pearly pink kind of shade and contains some subtle micro-glitter particles that look super pretty when the light catches them and isn't disco ball-esk in the slightest, I've found it great to use as an everyday highlight but you could easily built it up for a night out.

As for the packaging.... It's actually a very good size, small enough for your handbag but big enough to contain a decent amount of product inside. The slim plastic packaging feels very sturdy and robust and the lid houses a small mirror strip at the top, which is quite useful if you want to have a quick glance at your makeup when your out and about. 

Overall I absolutely love this little kit and have been using it everyday since I bought it, I'd highly recommend it if your looking for a budget friendly contour kit on the high street that works amazing well at highlighting, bronzing and sculpting or if your a beginner to the contouring, well this kit would be a great to learn and play around with.

Have you tried Collection's new Contour Kit beaut's? What did you think?

Makeup Revolution Ultra Contour Palette Review ♥

Hey beaut's!

Our lovely friends over at Makeup Revolution have another new release for us all... Yup they are the Kings and Queens of new launches aren't they he he. This time around Makeup Revolution have launched the most amazing contour palette, so if your a fan of contouring and lust after that Kim K sculpted/highlighted look then Makeup Revolution have got you covered beaut's! 

The Makeup Revolution Ultra Contour Palette* (£8.00) comes packaged in the usual sleek, black casing with a lovely large compact mirror inside the pull up lid which is always appreciated. The palette itself contains 8 all new, large panned shades - theres three contour shades, three lighter "highlight" shades and two merged baked highlighters. 

The three highlighting shades at the top of the palette start with a matte peach which is ideal for brightening around the eye area and masking signs of fatigue as well as setting any makeup/concealer into place, a matte yellow amazing for colour correcting purple and blue under eye circles and veins as well as highlighting underneath the eye area and setting your concealer work in place and a shimmery peach (no glitter) perfect for highlighting the cheek bones. The three matte contour shades have varied levels of warmth to suit a good range of skin tones, the first shade has a medium level of warmth perfect for me to use as a bronzer, the second shade is literally the best contouring shade ever because it's a cool toned brown and has some grey undertones so it really creates that shadow/ contoured effect and the third shade is very warm and would most suit olive skin tones to bronze with. The two merged baked highlighters are super pretty, theres a cool toned ice white shade and the most stunning warm golden shade that looks almost rose gold in some lights. 

I've found that each pan of powder within the Ultra Contour Palette has great pigmentation but be warned a little goes a very long way with these, I'd definitely suggest applying small amounts of each powder and build to the level you need.  As for lasting power... it's great! Each shade lasts most of the day on me and doesn't go patchy or blotchy at all which is a major bonus because I really do hate that.

Overall I absolutely love Makeup Rev's new contour palette, I've been using the middle contour shade to contour with everyday and and mixing the first to highlight shades to set underneath my eyes and to brighten areas that I like to highlight, arrhhh it's such a gorgeous palette and for just £8.00 you really cant go wrong! 

What's been your favourite Makeup Revolution new release recently beaut's?? I'd love to know.

Makeup Revolution Pro Curve Contour Brush Collection Review

Hey beaut's!

Back in January all of us Makeup Revolution fans where ecstatic when they launched their first makeup brush collection, it's something that we'd all been waiting for and they certainly didn't disappoint. Since then Makeup Revolution have not also brought us the Pro Go Mini Makeup Brush Set  but they have been working hard on something else makeup brush related and it's got me very excited! Arhhh que the launch of the Makeup Revolution Pro Curve Contour Brush Collection *!

The Makeup Revolution Pro Curve Contour Brush Collection consists of four brushes in total all of which have been specifically cut and shaped to allow the perfect application of contour to the Face, Cheek and Eyes. Each brush is made from the finest, super soft, synthetic hair, making them work amazingly well with cream, liquid and powder makeup. The classic Makeup Revolution style really reflects in these brushes, they all have gorgeous rose gold coloured ferrels and black glossy handles with rose gold font etched on the side of each brush stating the brush style number and the 'Revolution' logo, personally I have fallen in love with this style, they are just so pretty aren't they? 

Onto the Makeup Revolution Pro Curve Contour Brush Collection  run down...

Pro Curve Contour Powder Brush £5.99

Firstly we have the largest brush in the collection, the powder brush! The powder brush is my absolute favourite out of the four brushes in the Pro Curve Collection, but why do I love this makeup brush so much? Because it's the absolute queen of all brushes when it comes to contouring! The bristles of the brush are uniquely shaped into a narrow, angled style meaning it fits perfectly under the cheekbone's, down the sides on your nose and around the jawline and moves back and forth effortlessly blending either powder or cream contour beautifully. Whether your new to contouring or not you need this brush, it makes your life so much easier, so say hello to your inner Kim K he he.

Pro Curve Contour Foundation Brush £5.99

Next we have the foundation brush, now I must admit I've not used this brush for applying my foundation as I'm more of a buffing brush kinda gal but I can definitely see it's potential, I think if you like using those flat foundation brushes you'll love the contour foundation brush because it's flat but has that amazing curved shape to get around the nose, along the jaw line and would literally hug the cheek bones. I've been using the contour foundation brush for more precise contouring down the side and the tip of the nose and under my bottom lip, it works really well and if your really into your contouring I'd definitely recommend having this brush in your kit. 

Pro Curve Contour Blusher & Highlighting Brush £4.99

The third brush in the collection is the contour blusher and highlighter brush and this is another absolute favourite of mine in this collection because it's so blooming well soft and versatile. I have literally used this brush to death, it's great for blending concealer in under the eyes and around the nose, blending and applying cream contour, to highlight with, to add and blend blush, to blend eyeshadow work through the crease, I wouldn't use it to apply eyeshadow through the crease as it's quite large but to blend everything seamlessly it works brilliantly. I'm definitely going to make an order and buy a few more of these brushes because I use mine so much, it's an amazing brush that you NEED to try.

Pro Curve Contour Eyeshadow Brush £3.99

And lastly we have the contour eyeshadow brush, this brush for me isn't overly useful on a daily basis but is great to have in your kit if your want to create a striking cut crease look for a night out as it really would work perfectly for that purpose. You could also use it for precise contouring but overall it's a bit of a funny brush to place in this collection.

Overall I'm so happy Makeup Revolution delved into the depths of contouring, they really are lovely brushes and would be amazing for beginners. Since using the brushes I haven't experienced any shedding bristles at all and they all feel nice an soft against the skin too. 

The Makeup Revolution Pro Curve Contour Brush Collection is available in two different ways, you can either pick up the entire collection for £15.00 which will save you £5.00 or you can buy each brush individually to create your own dream collection!

 Don't forget I'm currently giving away a Nanshy 'Gobsmack Glamorous' Face Makeup Brush Set, you can enter the giveaway HERE.

Real Techniques 'Collectors Edition' Sculpting Set Review ♥

Hey beaut's

You may have seen that back in May I reviewed the Real Techniques Sculpting Brush which you can read all about here, and because I was so impressed with the brush and the fact Superdrug had a cracking offer on I ended up treating myself to the Collectors Edition Sculpting Set, it was Superdrugs Star Buy for just £13.99 so I couldn't resist a cheeky Real Techniques bargain could I he he. 

The Sculpting Set has been put together to help us achieve that perfect contoured look, whether you want to accentuate your bone structure, enhance facial features or highlight those cheek bones this little trio will have you covered. As I just mentioned the Sculpting Set contains three Real Technique brushes in total, one of which is exclusive to the set and cant be found anywhere else or be bought separately. The sets lightweight handles also have a new and exclusive finish to them in the form of bright pink shiny chrome, arhhh they are so pretty aren't they! Like with all Real Techniques Brushes the Sculpting Set follows suit with the super soft, hand cut. duo fibre synthetic taklon bristles which can be used with cream, liquid and powder products and are all 100% cruelty free which is a major plus.

Anywhooo lets see what I think of each brush individually.....

♥ Sculpting Brush ♥

 I've been completely obsessed with this brush so I'm super happy I now have two to play with he he. The bristles of the Sculpting Brush are quite dense and are shaped into a narrow oval shape, this makes it so effective for contouring as it fits right into the hollows of the cheek, around the jaw line and down the sides of the nose perfectly. Like most Real Techniques brushes the Sculpting Brush can be used in multiple ways, I've personally been using it mostly for foundation application and have been obsessed with the results. It leaves the same finish on the skin as the Real Techniques Buffing Brush does when used with liquid foundation and is so easy to blend with and really gets in those harder to reach areas because of it's shape. Contouring is something I'm only just getting really into and I find the Sculpting brush really does make this easier for me, I'd highly recommend this brush to any beginners in the contouring world like myself or to anyone that's looking for a gorgeous foundation buffing brush.

♥ Fan Brush ♥

The Fan Brush is the sets exclusive brush and believe it or not its the very first fan brush that I own, so as you can imagine I was eager to try this little beauty. The Fan Brush is designed to softly sweep on powders and whisk away any excess makeup for an even finish, personally I've been using it to highlight with everyday because it just creates such a soft, diffused finish.

♥ Setting Brush ♥

I do already own one of the Setting Brushes but I'm happy to have another in my collection because I use if for so many things, it really is a very versatile brush. It's small, somewhat tapered shape allows you to either highlight with it, use it with a dusting of setting powder under the eye area or you can use it as a blush/contour brush, I've used it for all of the above and it works amazingly. 

Overall I'm in absolute love with the Real Techniques Sculpting Set and it's quickly become one of my favourite sets that Real Techniques have released, the sculpting brush is just amazing, the fan brush has changed my highlighting life and the setting brush is a great all rounder for me. You really cant beat Real Techniques brushes for price and quality can you, they are such reliable brushes that always perform brilliantly and wash up as good as new.

Have you tried the Collectors Edition Sculpting Set beaut's?? What's your favourite brush out of the set?? I'd love to know.

Real Techniques Sculpting Brush Review ♥

Hey beaut's!

Being the massive Real Techniques fan that I am I've taken it upon myself to try and collect every brush that Pixiwoo's Sam and Nic Chapman release. I've been lusting after their new Sculpting Brush for a while now and have featured it in numerous wish list post's over the last couple of months or so, so I'm super happy that I finally have it my life to review for you all today.

The Real Techniques Sculpting Brush* (£9.99) is going to be a contour lovers dream, it's been made especially to help accentuate bone structure and enhance facial features for that contoured, defined look. The bristles of the Sculpting Brush are quite dense and are shaped into a narrow oval shape, this makes it so effective for contouring as it fits right into the hollows of the cheek, around the jaw line and down the sides of the nose perfectly. Like most Real Techniques brushes the Sculpting Brush can be used in multiple ways, I've personally been using it mostly for foundation application and have been obsessed with the results. It leaves the same finish on the skin as the Real Techniques Buffing Brush does when used with liquid foundation and is so easy to blend with and really gets in those harder to reach areas because of it's shape. Contouring is something I'm only just getting really into and I find the Sculpting brush really does make this easier for me, I'd highly recommend this brush to any beginners in the contouring world like myself.

The Sculpting Brush is actually from the ‘Your Finish’ collection of Real Techniques brushes which all sport the pink the light weight aluminium handles, and also has a nice sturdy rubberised part at the bottom of the brush for easy grip and allows the brush to stand up by itself for easy storage. Like all Real Techniques Brushes the Sculpting Brush has super soft, hand cut. ultra plush synthetic taklon bristles which can be used with cream, liquid and powder products and are all 100% cruelty free which is a major plus. 

Overall I'm in absolute love with the Sculpting Brush and it's quickly become one of my all time favourites from Real Techniques, I've even just bought the Limited Edition Sculpting Set from Superdrug because I love this brush so much and not only wanted another one but wanted the other brushes in the sculpting collection too. You really cant beat Real Techniques brushes for price and quality can you, they are such reliable brushes that always perform brilliantly and wash up as good as new.

Have you bought the Sculpting Brush yet beaut's?? What did you think?? I'd love to know!!

Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit Review

Hey beaut's! 

A while ago I picked up the Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit in Boots on an absolute whim, at the time I hadn't seen many reviews at all but was looking for an affordable contour kit that was easy to use on everyday basis, and finally I have found one!

The Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit is packaged in a thick, reinforced cardboard style palette much like Barry M's eyeshadow palettes. When opening up the flip up lid your not met with a mirror but instead theres an easy to follow, step by step guide which helps you make the most out of the palette, this is also great if your new to contouring because it really takes you back to basics and makes things very easy for you.

 The Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit contains three medium sized pressed powders, a highlighter, a bronzer and a contour powder. The first powder in the palette is the highlighter which I love, it's a soft, ivory coloured highlight that is about 90% matte and 10% sheen, the sheen isn't very obvious but it is most definitely there, theres no unnecessary glitter particles that some highlighters contain which makes it great to use as you would a normal highlighter but also to brighten underneath the eye area further after concealing.  The next powder is the bronzer which I've really been enjoying using, it's a matte warm toned bronzer which really does add warmth to the face, I love the fact it's fully matte because sometimes when bronzers contain shimmer or glitter it looks very un-natural so the fact Barry M's offering doesn't makes me very happy he he. Lastly we have the contour powder which is a matte deep brown shade with a some what grey undertone, I've been obsessed with how nice this looks when blended on the skin, the grey undertones really do help create natural looking shadows and it just works perfectly. I really have no complaints on the palettes overall quality, each of the powders with in the Chisel Cheeks Palette are very good, they all have a lovely soft texture, blend out well, are easy to work with and have great pigmentation.

Overall I absolutely love this little kit and have been using it everyday since I bought it at the beginning of February. I'd highly recommend it if your looking for a budget friendly contour kit on the high street that works amazing well at highlighting, bronzing and sculpting or if your a beginner to the contouring well this kit would be a great to learn with.

The Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit is available in Superdrug and Boots for £6.49, what a bargain!

Have you tried the Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit beaut's?? What did you think?? I'd love to know!!