May Beauty Favourites ♥

Hey beaut's!!!

I cant quite believe its that time again.... Monthly favourites time!!! I know we all say this every month but honestly I cant believe how quick the months are going, its crazy... Who else has been loving the first signs of Summer?? I know I certainly am, I'm absolutely loving the sunshine, warmer days and pretty flowers at the moment, it lovely!!! Anywhoo today I thought I would share with you all the makeup and beauty products I've been loving throughout May, so here goes....

Real Techniques Modern Natural Makeup Kit

A good few weeks back the Pixiwoo sisters Sam and Nic released their very first colour collection with Real Techniques in the shape of two Limited Edition Makeup Kits, obviously I had to get my hands on one immediately and I opted for the Modern Natural Makeup Kit as I knew I would get the most use of it, as the shades are right up my street and easy to wear day and night. I have been using this makeup kit more or less everyday ever since I got it but mainly just for the eye shadows and the gel liner, I've been wearing Gold Metal as a wash of colour all over the lid, then I've been taking Caramel Mocha through the crease to add some definition and finally Ive been using Quicksand on my brow bone and tear duct area for a highlight, it just creates a really pretty, golden eye makeup look for the Summer, I just love it! You can check out my full review HERE if you like beaut's.  

Real Techniques Multi Complexion Sponge

I've found myself reaching for my Multi Complexion Sponge alot recently, not to apply my foundation though as I still prefer a brush for that, but I've been using it constantly to apply my concealer and cream blush. It just blends both in so flawlessly and leaves my skin looking pixel perfect. Also I have a HUGE cleaning tip for you beauties, if you struggle to your multi complexion sponge squeaky clean just pop it in the washing machine and then leave it to dry in a warm place on top of a towel, it works an absolute treat and comes out looking brand new, obviously be careful not to put it in with washing that has alot of zips as that may snag on the sponge, I just throw mine in with my towels and voila!! 

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl 

I was having a good rummage around and sort through my makeup collection recently and came across a little 7.5ml sample of Benefits Girl Meets Pearl, truth be told I have no idea how or why I have this and I cant remember where it came from but I thought I'd give it a go. Well... it's absolutely beautiful and I'm so glad I came across it. Girl Meets Pearl is a golden toned, liquid highlighter for the face and I've been obsessed with using it across my cheekbones and down the centre of my nose, it just leaves my skin looking so dewy, glowy and luminous and is so summer appropriate, I feel like some sort of golden goddess when I wear it he he. It can also be mixed with foundation or with moisturisers for the body and face for nights out too, it just adds that extra glow when used that way.

Essie Nail Polish in Off The Shoulder

I go through phases with nail polishes, last month I was obsessed with all shades of coral and this month I've been obsessed with pink, pink and more pink, and in particular Essie's Off The Shoulder! Off The Shoulder is a gorgeous carnation pink shade with a crème finish making it perfect for Spring/Summertime wear. I also adore the Essie nail polish formula, its just so glossy, long lasting and is so easy to work with . Off The Shoulder was actually from Essies Summer Collection in 2012 but I buy all of my Essie nail polishes from Fragrance Direct to save on the pennies and they often have old season's shades, and luckily for me I managed to pick up this beaut of a shade. 

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL 50+ SPF

We've had some warmer days in the UK recently and a few weeks back we had a mini heatwave so I knew I needed to wear a nice suncream with  good SPF so I dug out my trusty La Roche Posay Anthelios. I love this stuff when it's really hot as its gel based formula just blends into my skin quickly leaving a matte finish which I love as usually sun creams can leave you with that horrible oily, tacky feeling to the skin, its also water resistant, non perfumed and paraben free so great for sensitive skin suffers like myself. The only downside is that it's not very moisturising so I would recommend when using this on your face under your makeup just to moisturise as normal.

Soap & Glory Heel Genius

Arhhh this is my new love.. I never really bother with my feet, the most I usually do is paint my toes and that's about it. However... As the warmer weather is on the way and I've been whipping out the odd pair of sandal's recently, I thought I really should pamper my feet a little as they where slightly dry and in a nutshell they needed some TLC. Sooo... I've been massaging some of the Heel Genius into my feet most nights just before bed and in the mornings my feet honestly feel so soft, smooth and pampered without a single bit of dry skin in sight. I do have a full review coming up on this very soon but Id highly recommend it, it's well worth trying.

What have been your favourite beauty products to use throughout May beaut's??? I'd love to know!!!

Real Techniques Modern Natural Makeup Kit | Review ♥

Hey beaut's!

Recently the gorgeous Pixiwoo sisters Sam and Nic Chapman joined forces again to bring us something extremely exciting... Yup... they've only gone and bought out 2 stunning 'Limited Edition' makeup kits haven't they he he. The two makeup kits available are  the Night Owl Makeup Kit which as the name would suggest contains dark, purple toned smokey colours to achieve that perfect 'night out' look and the Modern Natural Makeup Kit which contains more neutral, everyday shades. Out of the two kits, I opted for the Modern Natural Makeup Kit as it's right up my street and I know I'll get so much use out it.

Firstly onto the packaging... The Modern Natural Makeup Kit comes in a black and white cardboard box which has a handy QR barcode on the back for us to scan with our smart phones, I've actually done this myself and it brings up Sam's makeup tutorial using the Modern Natural Makeup Kit, personally I think it's a great idea and something you never really see on other makeup kits or palettes. The Modern Natural Makeup Kit itself has sturdy cardboard packaging which is embossed with the Real Techniques logo all over it. Inside, the products are contained in a plastic tray which you can easily be pulled out if you'd like, I don't why you would but hey, the options there ha ha. The lid of the kit has a very thin, clear plastic window which again boasts the Real Techniques logo and has a magnetic closure. I must admit when I first saw the packaging I was slightly disappointed and on the inside especially it looks very cheap because the tray the product pans are sat in is again very thin plastic, but it does do the job so I shouldn't really grumble he he.

As I said before the Modern Natural Makeup Kit is all about neutrals, and we all love a good natural smokey eye don't we beaut's he he. The kit is made up by four powder eye shadows, a gel eye liner, a powder blush, a cream highlighter along with a choice of two different lip glosses, so basically it contains everything you will need for an everyday look that can easily be transformed to something more smokey for an evening look. Also as a little bonus treat, the lovelies over at Real Techniques kindly adding a Pointed Liner Brush into my packaging which is perfect to use with the gel liner that's  within the kit, I'm pretty sure Real Techniques are giving away a Pointed Liner Brush with each palette purchased, but I'm not 100% sure on it so don't quote me on that ha ha.

Onto the shade rundown for the eye shadows and the gel liner...

From left to right...
♥ Quicksand- A cream highlight shade with a beautiful pearl sheen to it.
♥ Gold Metal- A highly pigmented golden/bronze shade that reminds me so much of Half Baked from the Naked palette.
♥ Caramel Mocha- A medium matte brown shade, and again great pigmentation for a matte eyeshadow.
♥ Nightshade- A mauve shade with a brown undertone and contains lots of silver micro shimmers, be warned the silver shimmers do have a tendency to fall down when applying.
♥ Dark Chocolate- Just as the name would suggest, the gel eyeliner is a dark yet rich chocolate brown shade.

I have to say each eyeshadow really does pack some amazing pigment, it's incredible, and I must admit I wasn't expecting them to be as pigmented as they are. All of the eye shadows feel super smooth and silky to the touch and apply lovely, and they all blend with complete ease. I don't find any of the shades to be powdery or chalky, the only shade I experience fall out from is Nighshade but that's only the silver shimmers not the colour of the shadow itself. As for lasting power... I have used the shadows with and without a primer and I would say for best results definitely use a primer as I got a full day of wear out of mine however, without a primer I noticed creasing and fading after around 3-4 hours. I also want to add that nowhere on or within the makeup kit are the shade names for the eye shadows displayed, however you can find them on the Real Techniques website. As for the gel liner, well I love it... It has great pigmentation, glides on beautifully and I have no problems with smudging or transferring, it's also great to use as base if your using the palette for an evening look as it will really intensify the look.

Onto the Blush and Highlighter...

♥ Coral Sunset- A super subtle, peachy pink, which is completely matte and blends out beautifully. You can wear this blush more natural or build it up for more colour pay off depending on your skin tone. 
♥ Champagne- Arhh I love this highlighter, as the name suggests it really is a champagne colour. It's very creamy in the pan and feels very lightweight on the skin and again it blends out beautifully. Just be careful if you do leave your makeup kit in a warm room as the highlighter can go slightly melty and gets a watery residue on the surface, this happened to me and was rather annoying. 

Now my thoughts on the (teeny tiny) Lip Glosses...

♥ Copper Head- In the tiny tube Copper Head looks like it's going to be a shimmery golden shade with fine golden glitter running through it, but if I'm being honest the pigmentation is pretty much non existent, however it does feel lovely on the lips, very smooth, non sticky (woohoo) and moisturising.
♥ Nectar- Again in the tube Nectar looks like it's going to be a sheer pink/peach shade, but on the lips its nothing more than a clear gloss really, neither of the glosses have a scent or taste and they both last no longer than around half an hour really. I have to be honest the glosses really are quite disappointing but are OK if you need a quick slick of gloss on your lips. 

And lastly the Pointed Liner Brush... 

As with all Real Techniques brushes the quality is amazing and they are so easy to work with and the Pointed Liner Brush doesn't differ, it applies gel liner beautifully and work well at smudging out eye shadows and liner on the lower and upper lash line.  

Wowza, after all of that my overall thoughts on the makeup kit are... I think the packaging is OK but definitely could be alot better, the eye shadows are absolutely beautiful and the quality and longevity (when used with a primer) is amazing. The gel liner is my new love, it's so pretty and achieves a natural look, and it's so nice to step away from harsh black liners for a change. I really like the blush and the highlighter so there are no grumbles there. The glosses are a real let down for me, despite the gorgeous non sticky formula, they aren't long lasting nore are they pigmented, plus you probably only get less than a sample size of product within each tiny little tube which I feel is slightly pointless. If I had to rate the kit out of 10 I'd give it a 7 , that's with me knocking a point off for each gloss and the packaging, apart from that I love everything else the kit has to offer.    

The Modern Natural Makeup Kit and the Night Owl Makeup Kit are both available to purchase from the Real Techniques website only. I must stress that as both of the makeup kits are Limited Edition it means that there is only a limited amount of stock and once their gone, their gone! So grab one or both quick beaut's. As Real Techniques are based in America the costings on the site are based in dollars, but don't worry is does convert to pounds and they will ship worldwide. Each palette is priced at $25.00 or £14.86 for us in the UK and I payed £1.04 for delivery, so all in all it's very reasonably priced. 

Have you bought yourself one of the Real Techniques Makeup Kits yet beaut's?? Which one did you go for?? I'd love to know!