Review | Real Techniques Duo Fibre Brush Set

Real Techniques Duo Fibre Brush Set

With the release of the new Bold Metals collection it's easy for a lot of the Real Techniques brushes to fall of the radar and be forgotten about, so after finding these pictures on my laptop I thought I'd give them some of the recognition they deserve.

High End Beauty Wish List

I don't know about you, but I find after Christmas I seem to be wanting more than I did beforehand. I have a wish list of stuff I want before Christmas but when people start asking what I want it's always "I don't really know", then as soon as Christmas is over you're reminded of everything you've ever wanted and more.

Top 15 Discoveries of 2014

My initial intention for this was to do my top 14 of 2014, but when I was taking the pictures and writing down my choices I couldn't kick one out, because they're all amazing products, and whilst I feel I'm a bit late to the 2014 favourites I still want to do one. Exam revision is slightly taking over my life but I've been thinking and planning this post for a few weeks now. Instead of doing top products I've decided to do my top discoveries, because I don't think I could whittle down my top products in to a select number and I wouldn't have a favourite for every category. Some of these products are new to the market this year and some are just new to me, but hopefully you'll find something you'll want to try this year!

Beauty Gift Guide: £10 and under

November Favourites

Okay, I'm going to be a cliche blogger and say I have no idea where this month has gone! October didn't really go that fast, it was just a normal month, but this month seems to have just flown by. I've been caught up in work for university these past couple of weeks so maybe with that preoccupying me I've just not noticed the days passing me by. But, on to the favourites of November.

Review | Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge - £5.99

When it comes to foundation application the thought of using a sponge used to once disgust me. When I think of foundation sponges I just think of the multi packs you can buy in Poundland or dirty sponges girls in high school would keep in their makeup bag -  and those kind still do disgust me. However, in the past few years the beauty industry has seen the launch of several different foundation sponges, most notably the Beauty Blender. I've never tried the original but I've tried a cheap one off eBay and needless to say, it was rubbish! Around a year ago, Real Techniques, released their own version of the Beauty Blender and with mixed reviews across the board I've always been keen to try it, so on a recent trip to Boots I noticed they had their 3 for 2 offer on and picked one up to try.

What I've Bought #2

Firstly, sorry for the not so great picture. Getting natural light to take pictures seems impossible at the moment as the day goes dull around 2pm and I don't get in from university most days until gone 3:30pm. So I had to try and get a picture where there were no visible shadows, with enough light and still being able to see everything. Which didn't work that well.

But anyway, I thought I'd show some of the beauty items I've been buying recently because there's some great offers and some new products out in Boots I was keen to try.

I'll start with the two things I actually got for free, which is the Barry M Showgirl Extra Lengthening Mascara and the Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Backcomb In A Bottle. I recieved these from a goody bag in Boux Avenue, when you spent £45 you got a gift bag with a few beauty products, sweets and a magazine in. I've been keen to try the Umberto Giannini product for a while so I'm glad I got this for free!

Next I've picked up a few more products from Real Techniques. I already have most of their brushes but when Cohorted were doing the Duo Fibre Set for a really great price - it was something crazy like £13 - I couldn't say no, so snapped them up. I also picked up the Miracle Complexion Sponge from Boots, I've already started using this and I absolutely love it. It's great at getting your makeup on quickly and flawlessly!

Whilst I was at Boots I also restocked a few items that I had run out of. The first were my two favourite concealers which are both from Collection. The first being the extremely hyped up Lasting Perfection Concealer, I only ever repurchase this every few months and will sometimes go months without using it, but always go back to it because the coverage is great. The next is also one I always go back to and that's the Illuminating Touch Concealer which I love for under the eyes. It adds a nice glow under the eyes but still provides enough coverage. I also picked up another Maybelline The Falsies, but picked up the wrong one because there's about 4 different variants. Another repurchase was the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+, I've used up two of the original formulas and I can't see this one being that different to the original.

The last makeup item was a L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Mono Eyeshadow in Cafe St Germain 201, which was actually smashed when I got home. So I'm not very impressed by them, but hopefully I can still make it work.

Finally, the last two products I picked up were Embroylisse Lait Creme Concentre and Duo Striplash Adhesive, and they were both on a bit of a whim and because I was just surprised to see them both in Boots. I have been wanting to try a new moisturiser and have recently been getting in to false eyelashes, so I'm excited to try them both!

Have you bought anything exciting recently?

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Top 5 Makeup Brushes

When it comes to makeup brushes I'm still to branch out of the lower end of the spectrum. For a long time I have lusted after a MAC 217 and would love to be able to go out and spend £20 on one brush, but as a student it's just not likely. There are so many great and cheap offerings that right now I don't really feel an expensive brush collection is necessary. I have around 30 brushes in my collection which I've bought over the past 18 months, so I've compiled down which of them are my 5 essential and favourite brushes.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush - This brush is probably a brush you'll find on most people's list of their top brushes, and for good reason. Whilst it's annoying that it can't be bought alone, the core collection is an amazing kit to have, I've found a use for each brush and even if you only use one other brush from the set that's still only £10 each. This brush helps to seamlessly blend your foundation in to the skin in seconds giving it a natural and flawless look. It works amazing at blending out concealer and evening out cream blush in to the skin. My only problem is how hard it can be to wash and how long it takes to dry, but it's still probably the number one brush for anyone new to makeup! 

ELF Complexion Brush - When I first bought this brush I didn't think much of it, and for a while it just sat in my pot of brushes unused. But in recent months I've been using it more and and more and it has become one of my daily essentials. It is able to do pretty much the whole face, apply powder, blush, bronzer and highlighter, and is my favourite brush for all of them things. It picks up a light amount of product meaning the face never looks cakey and the cheeks are never too bronzed. For £3.95 it's super soft, washes amazingly and is a great one to have. 

eBay 222 Eyeshadow Brush - Like I said, I'd love to own some MAC brushes, especially their eyeshadow ones, so when I came across these dupes on eBay I knew I had to try them. I have 4 brushes from this seller, all different numbers and this is by far my favourite. It picks up enough product to cover the eyelid but is small enough to fit in the crease and blend the shadow out. It is slightly scratchy but for 99p you can't really expect the best quality and it does seem to get softer with every wash. If you're after brushes but don't want to spend a small fortune eBay is the best place to look.

Real Techniques Multi Task Brush - Another Real Techniques brush which can only be bought in a set, they really should offer some way of selling all their brushes individually. Similar to the complexion brush it does pretty much everything, but this brush is perfect for contouring. Although the brush is slightly larger than most peoples ideal contour brush I love it, I'm able to get a precise contour which is blended perfectly and doesn't leave any lines. I do prefer my ELF brush for bronzing and blush, but for on the go this is pretty much the only brush you would need.

SEVENTEEN Brow Brush - If I pair this brush with my eBay 222 I can do pretty much any look. This is great for doing your brows, gel liner and smudging out eyeshadow and eyeliner, (can you see a theme? I like brushes that can do more than one job). It's small and thin which means you can get a precise application for what ever the use, something that can't be done with the Real Techniques Brow Brush. The one bad thing is the brush can't actually be bought anymore, I got this in a brush set that was exclusive to Boots at Christmas, but is a set I'll be looking out for again this Christmas. 

There are my 5 top brushes and probably all I would need for a full face of makeup, that doesn't however mean I won't need anymore in my collection! What are your favourites, I'm always on the look out for some more to add?

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