Products I tried: April

I love using face masks, however I don't use them as much as I should! I made an effort to use the Origins Out of Trouble mask during April and I did enjoy it. I use this mainly on my nose and it's left feeling so refreshed and deeply clean. I didn't notice a dramatic difference after using this, however a couple of days later any blemishes did start to go down.

Products I'm trying: April

At the end of March I posted my products I've tried: March post. This is a little later than usual, however here is my post of the products I'm going to be trying throughout April!

 

Yves Rocher

I mentioned in my spring lipsticks post that I love trying new lipsticks as the weather gets brighter, so it was great timing when I received the Yves Rocher Grand Rouge lipstick*. This is not the type of colour I would usually go for, however it actually looks very nice on. It compliments my pale complexion and can be sheered out for a more subtle look. I can get quite dry lips, however this doesn't dry them out at all. It's not moisturising, but it's not drying either!

 

Along with this, I received the Volume Vertige mascara* which is fab! I love trying mascaras and I was so impressed with this one. Instantly with just one stroke, my lashes looked thicker and longer. It left them so black and they kept their length and volume all day, with no smudging!

 

I would love to try some more Yves Rocher products in the future. Let me know if you've tried any!

 

 

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Gosh Flower Power blush

Gosh Flower Power blush had been a product I'd wanted to try for a while, so when I saw it in a blog sale, I snapped it up! It is such a lovely, rosy pink, that brightens and compliments my pale complexion.

 

The texture is amazing! It is so soft and creamy feeling, even though it's a powder, so it's lovely to use. I realised I have a high-end blush similar to this, so am planning to do a drugstore dupes video/blog post soon with other similar products I have.

 

Let me know your favourite product from Gosh! I haven't tried many. 

 

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Soap and Glory Glow All Out



I mentioned in my Products to try: February post that I would write a full review of this highlighter, as I really like it.

 

I love highlighters that provide a natural, radiant glow, without being shimmery or glittery. The only ones that I had found to do that though were cream highlighters and I prefer powder highlighters, as I find they are easier to apply. I had read several good reviews on the Soap and Glory glow all out highlighter, so decided to give it a go.

 

This is my perfect highlighter. My skin is left with a subtle, radiant glow and is not at all glittery. It is a light pink shade and compliments my pale skin, whilst looking very natural. I apply this using my Real Techniques contour brush which I find the perfect size and it helps to blend this nicely.

 

I usually just apply this to my cheekbones and then dust any remaining on the brush down my nose and above my lip.

 

Let me know what your favourite highlighter is! This is £11 from Boots.

 

 

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Max Factor Creme Puff

I have mentioned my Max Factor Crème Puff powder a couple of times recently, so thought I would write a full review for you. I received this for Christmas and used it a lot to start with, however it hasn't maintained a permanent place in my everyday makeup routine.

 

As I have mentioned before, there is quite a strong scent to this. I personally love it and scents don't tend to bother me. Do bear that in mind though if you don't like scented products! I have this in the shade translucent, which does have quite a bit of colour to it. This disappointed me a little, as I am pale and this can go a bit orange on my skin. I don't use too much of this because as well as being a bit dark, it feels very heavy on the skin.

 

I will keep this, however my favourite powder is still my Rimmel Stay Matte!

 

What is your favourite face powder? 

 

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Becca Luminous Skin Colour

I have heard various good things about Becca products, so thought it was about time I tried something! I decided to try the Luminous Skin Colour, as lately I have been wearing either no foundation or very light foundations, so thought this would be a nice product to try.

 

This is a combination of a tinted moisturiser and a sheer foundation, so leaves skin looking incredibly natural and radiant. I love the texture of this as it is very light and blends into the skin amazingly well. The coverage really isn't high at all, however I find it is perfect for evening out my skin and leaving it looking healthy. Then if I need it, I just pop a bit of concealer on over the top of this.

I bought the shade Porcelain, which is the perfect match for me. As you can see in the photos above, the products just melts into the skin and leaves a gorgeous glow. I think this would be brilliant underneath a foundation as well, so if I did want a little bit more coverage, I could just use this as a base.

 

Have you tried any Becca products? Let me know your recommendations, as I would love to try some more.

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Clarins Graphic Expression powder

You may have seen this beautiful product popping up recently (here and here), so I thought I would write a full review for you. I received this for Christmas and it is so pretty. I love that Clarins products always come in lovely velvet pouches and the outside of this is like a mirror!

 

This is the Clarins Graphic Expression powder which is made up of pinks, bronzes and a little bit of glitter. The gold strip of shimmer on this left my skin quite glittery, however thankfully it goes after a couple of uses. Whilst the gold was still coming onto my brush, I found this too glittery to bring onto my temples as a bronzer.

 

Once the glitter had gone, I started using this more often and love it! It is made up of beautiful bronze and pink tones, which compliment each other and my skin really well. I find this very versatile, as I can use all the shades equally to add some colour all over my face, or focus more on the pinks for a rosy blush on my cheeks. 

 

I find this starts off light and is very buildable. I like this as I am fairly pale, so don't like something too heavy. This adds a lovely, natural glow to my skin, which I can easily build up if I would like to look more bronzed. This always leaves my skin looking natural and radiant, however much I build it up!

 

Have you tried this? I would love to know if you have used any similar products which I could try.

 

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Valentine's Day makeup

If you read my daily makeup routine, you will know that I keep things fairly simple and natural. On special occasions, I still like to look natural, however I do put a little more effort into my makeup!

 

The face makeup I am going to wear is fairly similar to my everyday makeup. I am still trying my new Liz Earle Signature foundation which I am planning to wear, as I'm hoping it will last well. Instead of wearing my Rimmel Stay Matte powder, I like to wear my Hourglass Ambient powder for special occasions, as it is gorgeous and leaves my skin looking radiant. I am also planning on wearing a little bit of Nars Deep Throat blush to add a natural glow to my cheeks. The rest of my face makeup is the same as my daily makeup, as I like to keep it fairly easy.

 

I am definitely going to use my Naked 3 palette for my eye shadow! The colours are gorgeous and all pink tones, so quite appropriate for Valentine's Day. To complete my eyes I am going to use my Eyeko Skinny liner and L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara, which I use daily.

 

Mac Charcoal Brown is what I have been using on my eyebrows recently. I am tempted to try the Anastasia Dipbrow because the Mac powder isn't a perfect match in colour. I love using my Maybelline Browdrama on my eyebrows, as it adds some extra definition and also sets them in place.

 

You have probably seen lots of reviews on the new Rimmel Matte Balms. I have the shade Sultry and love it! It's relatively moisturising and I wont have to worry about reapplying it through the evening, as it lasts fairly long.

 

Let me know if you use any of these products on Valentine's Day. I hope you all have a lovely day!



 

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My daily makeup

I love reading everyday makeup posts, as I find it nice to see which products people rely on daily. I don't wear exactly the same makeup every single day. My foundation may change depending on how my skin is, or my lip colour may change, however these products are what I have been using a lot lately.

 

My skin can be quite oily, so I find a primer really helps. I stopped using one for a while, however I tried this Maybelline Baby Skin one and have been using it daily!

 

I then follow with my new Liz Earle Signature foundation. I haven't had this for very long at all, so am still testing it out. I will write a full review once I have been using it for longer.

 

My concealers may come as no surprise to you! I use the Seventeen Paint underneath my eyes and Collection Lasting Perfection on any redness or blemishes. I love these two concealers and know I can rely on them everyday.

 

I use my Rimmel Stay Matte powder, which I concentrate on my t-zone and then dust a little on my cheeks. This does a brilliant job at controlling my oily nose, but without making my skin look dull.

 

Lastly for face is highlighter and bronzer. I haven't been wearing blush on a daily basis, as I find the shades from my Dior Nude bronzer add enough colour into my skin. The Soap and Glory Glow All Out is a new product to me which you may have seen in my Products I'm trying: February post.

 

On a daily basis, I don't tend to wear eye shadow. I like wearing a thin line of eyeliner and some mascara. The Eyeko Skinny eyeliner is new to be and I am really enjoying testing this out. I find it so easy to control the line and make it nice and neat. For mascara I have been loving my L'Oreal Miss Manga.

 

I love having defined eyebrows, however on a daily basis I don't always have time to be filling them in. I find the Maybelline Browdrama a fantastic product. It actually leaves my eyebrows looking filled in and defined.

 

Finally for lips, I have been wearing my Maybelline Baby Lips. I get quite dry lips, so tinted lip balms are perfect for me and I have been loving this one!

 

Those are all the products I use on a daily basis. Let me know your everyday makeup products!



 

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Crown makeup brushes

I bought the Crown HD set a while ago and absolutely fell in love with it. It comes with 6 brushes (the powder brush is not photographed above) which are all absolutely incredible to use.

 

I received some other Crown brushes last week and I really wanted to show them to you because I think Crown may now be my favourite brush brand!

 



I received a range of brushes which I have been enjoying using. 

 

I have been using the Duo Face brush* for bronzer and it has been incredible! I haven't used a duo-fibre brush for bronzer before. This distributes the powder so well, whilst also blending it in. As it is duo-fibre, it also doesn't pack too much product onto my face at once, which is brilliant as I am quite pale so have to be light handed with bronzer! It is extremely soft, fluffy and light on the skin.

 

The Mini Blender* is duo-fibre and the same shape as the duo face brush, just a mini one! I find it to be a little more dense which I like, as I have been using it for highlighter. It's very good at patting the highlighter onto my cheekbones and blending it out.



 

The Deluxe Foundation brush* is the first double ended brush I own. I have actually been using the concealer brush daily which is unlike me, as I always use my fingers for concealer! The foundation brush is lovely, soft and smooth's foundation on without leaving any lines. I then use the concealer end to pat concealer under my eyes and blend it onto any blemishes.

 

 

My Blending Fluffy * looks fairly similar to a Mac 217, however I find this a lot more dense and less fluffy. This makes it very good at packing eye shadow onto the eyelids, which is what I have been using it for. The shape is perfect for using all over the eyelid and it feels nice and gentle.

 

The Deluxe Crease brush* may be my favourite eye shadow brush! It is so soft and fluffy which I have found perfect for blending eye shadow. I like my eye shadow to be very blended, so need a very soft, light brush to do this. Otherwise if I am blending for a while, my eyelid can become sore if the brush is too hard. This is the perfect blending brush and is the perfect size to fit in the crease.

 

I haven't used the Angle Liner brush* yet, as I already own quite a few. I may start using this for applying powder to my eyebrows, as the brush I currently use is quite fat, so I can't create a defined line. This is very soft for a liner brush, so I am excited to try it!

 

I would love to know your favourite brushes and if you have any Crown brushes you would recommend.

 

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Makeup brushes: Foundation

I think it's really important to own good quality makeup brushes, as I find it makes a difference to how well my makeup applies and lasts. The other day I showed you my powder brushes and today I am going to show you my foundation brushes.

Foundation brushes are my favourite to buy and I love trying different types!

Starting with flat foundation brushes, I have these five to tell you about.

The two on the left are basically the same! The Bobbi Brown Foundation Brush and Benefit Foundation Brush are what I would call 'traditional' foundation brushes. They apply foundation in a sweeping motion, which isn't my favourite, however with certain foundation types they work best.

The NO7 Foundation Brush is a lot thicker than the other two. It's quite fat which I really like, as it allows me to buff the foundation in better. It also gets foundation on a little quicker because it's that slight bit bigger.

My Crown Deluxe Foundation Brush is the newest edition to my foundation brushes! It's duo ended as the other end is a concealer brush. Tomorrow I am writing a full post on my Crown brushes, so pop back tomorrow if you would like to know more about this brush!

The final brush in the photo is my Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush from their Core Collection. I personally find this too small for foundation, so instead I sometimes use it to pat concealer around my nose. I don't feel the need to use a brush for concealer very often, so this one doesn't get used a lot.

My MAC 187 is a brush I used to love for foundation, however I don't tend to use it as much lately. I used to use it regularly with my MAC studio sculpt foundation as I found they worked very well together. I don't use that foundation anymore though, and haven't found another foundation this works as well with.

 

A while ago I posted about my Zoeva brushes. The buffer brush is one I don't use very often now. I used it more when I first bought it, however I have discovered that I prefer a rounder top rather than a flat top! I also have a petite Zoeva brush. If I use this, I don't tend to use it for foundation. I do find it buffs it in nicely though and because it's small, it applies foundation nicely around the nose.

 

One of my most regularly used brushes is my foundation brush from the Crown HD Set. This is small, so takes a little longer for application but I find it leaves a very nice, flawless finish. I tend to use this with my Laura Mercier Silk Crème foundation, as I find the consistency works nicely with this brush. 

 

Other brushes I use very frequently are definitely the Real Technique Buffing Brush and the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (not photographed). I find these work great with lots of different foundation textures and I have used the buffing brush for liquid and compact foundations.

I also have the Real Techniques Stippling Brush (not photographed) which I like for thinner, liquid foundations. I rarely use this for foundation though, as I find it works nicely with cream blushes. The design of the brush means it distributes the blusher a perfect amount and in the place you want it!

 

I would love to know your favourite foundation brushes.

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Makeup brushes: Powder

This post is going to show you the brushes I use for various powder products, including powder, bronzer, blushes and highlighters. I am planning to write a foundation brushes and eye brushes post to follow this one, so please let me know if that would interest you!

The Zoeva Powder Brush is what I would call a traditional shaped powder brush. It's big, fluffy and round. I find this buffs powder in nicely but sometimes I think it's too dense and can move product underneath.

My Bobbi Brown Powder Brush is definitely my favourite for applying powder. The shape is tapered which I love as I find it dusts powder on my face without leaving it looking heavy or cakey. The only negative about this brush is that it sheds a little bit when I use it.

Finally is my little Bobbi Brown Setting Brush. I use this daily for applying powder under my eyes and a little bit around my nose. The shape is perfect for underneath my eyes and it's so soft and delicate.

Moving onto blusher brushes!

The Crown Blush Brush is my favourite for applying blushers, especially cream ones. I find it doesn't soak up any product, so gets it all onto my cheeks and then blends it nicely. It's incredibly soft and one of my favourite brushes to use.

One of my other favourites is the Mac 168, which is an angled blusher brush. I like that this is cream as I find it easier to judge how much blusher I have put on the brush! This is a lovely shape for sweeping the blush from the apples on my cheeks, up towards my temples slightly.

My other favourite brush is the No7 Blush Brush. This is the perfect shape and size for applying blush onto the apples of my cheeks. It isn't as dense or soft as the others, but it blends the product very well and leaves it looking quite subtle. I don't find it ideal if you want to pack a lot of colour on, however for a natural dusting of powder, it does the job nicely.

My favourite brush for applying bronzer is the Real Techniques Blush Brush. I personally find this too big for blush, as I only apply a small amount of blush onto the apples of my cheeks. This is brilliant for bronzer though. I sweep this along my cheeks, onto my forehead and dust it across my nose. This is tapered, so I find it blends the product as I am applying it.

My final brush is the Real Techniques Contour Brush. I like using this to apply highlight onto my cheekbones. I would say this is the same shape and softness as the blush brush, just a mini one! I find this applies highlighter nicely as it blends the product as I apply it.

I am easily convinced into trying new brushes, so let me know if you have any that you would recommend!

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