✮ ✮ The Make-Up Brushes I Couldn't Live Without ✮ ✮

Obviously, I could live without make-up brushes but these are the ones I'd rather not live without. 

 Face Brushes

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Buffing Brush (part of the Core Collection) £21.99 ~ I'm sure you've all heard plenty of people say how much they love this brush but it is truly amazing for creating a flawlessly blended base due to the super-smooth synthetic bristles. I 100% recommend the 'Real Techniques Core Collection' which this brush is a part of along with four other brushes (3 of which are featured here!) so you get amazing quality for the money.

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Contour Brush (part of the Core Collection) £21.99 ~ Another amazing brush for the Core Collection. This brush is the best I've ever used for contouring, cream blush and cream highlight. The small and tapered brush makes for easy application and the synthetic bristles work amazingly well with cream products. The most versatile brush I own, I also sometimes use it to powder with if I don't want a completely matte face.

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Pointed Foundation Brush (part of the Core Collection) £21.99 ~ A lot of people say they don't find much use for this brush for foundation as it is a very small and pointed, classic foundation brush but I love it. Again the synthetic brushes make blending easy-peasy and the pointed end to the brush makes it easy to blend around the nose, chin etc. I use this when I want a thicker application of foundation, I love this brush as much as the buffing brush. It's also a great brush for concealer.

Sigma Precision Angled P84 Brush £11.99/$14 ~ From the ever so popular Sigmax range from Sigma Beauty this brush is amazing for blending concealer. The brush is dense which makes for effortless buffing/blending of concealer and the angled point makes it easy to apply around the eyes, the nose and chin area. Amazing quality, as are all of the Sigma brushes and at a really good price. I really need to try more of the Sigmax range!

Ecotools Bamboo Blush Brush £7.99 ~ I've had this brush for at least 2 years and it is in as good condition as some of my brand new brushes. The quality of this brush, and any of the Ecotools brushes are amazing for the price, super soft and no shedding with a sturdy handle. Perfect size and shape for applying blush in one sweep. 

No7 Brow and Lash Brush ~ Just found out that this particular brush is discontinued *sigh* but  you can get these kinds of brushes anywhere and I recommend you do. This brushes and shapes my brows like nothing else, no idea how my brows survived without this, and also helps brush out any clumps after applying mascara, especially on the lower lash.

Eye

E.l.f Studio Angled Eye Liner Brush £3.50 ~ This is my favorite brush for applying gel liner. The small brush makes for easy application of product and can be used to create a thinner or thicker line if desired which is why I love it because most brushes applying liner far too thickly.

Crown IB108 Oval Shadow Brush £3.57 ~ I love this brush for quickly sweeping shadow over my eyelids for early school mornings or when I'm in a rush. It was very cheap and I am very impressed with the quality, soft, dense and no shedding.

No7 Eyeshadow Blend and Contour £7.25 ~ I love this brush because it's really soft and is great for applying and blending shadows. Very cheap with a No7 voucher although I do find that this brush has shed very badly. 

Sigma Small Tapered Blending E45 £7.99/$9 ~ I looove the shape of this brush. It makes applying a crease colour to my lid so easy and effortless and the tapered point ensures a clean line. Also very good at blending and very nice quality. Although, it can be a little scratchy on my eye lid but I am willing to endure that for the shape and results of this brush!

E.l.f Smudge Brush £1.50 ~ Perfect shape for applying and blending shadow on the bottom and top lash line. Very nice quality for such a cheap price.

I hope you enjoyed this post and it wasn't too long and too much to read.
What are some of your favorite all time make-up brushes? I'm on the look-out for some new ones :)

'Til Next Time,
Carys xox




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♡ New Release: Sigma F88 and P88 ♡

Source

Hello everyone. 

I've never done a post like this before but it's the type of post that I would love to read and I think all of you would too. Sigma have released two new brushes into their best selling and widely talked about Sigmax collection.

 The Sigmax collection are all synthetic brushes and can be found here on the Sigma website. 

I am a Sigma Affiliate (anyone can become one and if you're not quite sure what a sigma affiliate is go here and click the affiliate tab). I thought I'd let you all know that that's not the reason I am writing this post, nor to gain commission/money etc. It's because I am really interested in these brushes. I own the P84 Angled brush from the Sigmax collection which I adore for concealer and various other cream/liquid products which has a very similar shape to these new brushes excepts it's more curved instead of flat. I thought I'd let you all know with this post in case you were interested in buying them, I know I am anyway. I thought I'd write this post letting you know whilst these brushes are still new just in case they sell out, I wouldn't want any of you to miss out, and anyway my blog is about informing readers on beauty/fashion etc. I love Sigma brushes anyway, I think they're very nice quality for the price and have a huge range. 

Product Infomation

Sigma say.... "The F88 brush blends foundation easily onto hard to reach areas of the face. The specially designed angle fits all areas of the face seamlessly. The F88 works especially well on the cheekbones and contours of the nose. The P88 brush is best used for precise application of concealer products. It works particularly well around the eyes and nose."

P88 Precision Flat Angled

I can imagine this to be true about the products as the P84 brush works well in the same way for concealer and other liquid/cream products. The angled point makes it easy to blend and apply the product to hard-to-reach areas such as around the nose, the crease or the chin and in the corners of the eye. I can imagine the P88 brush being just as good or maybe even better than what the P84 can do so I am very much intrigued. I also think the brush would work well in apply a contour right into the hollows of the cheeks and applying highlighter. Due to the synthetic hairs these brushes will work best with liquid/creamy products.

F88 Flat Angled Kabuki

I haven't really used anything like the F88 brush, nor have I tried any foundation brushes from Sigma but I imagine this to work similarly to the P88/P84 brushes only on a larger scale. I image it would blend foundation well around the nose where it sometimes sticks for me. I'm very interested in trying this product as I love the P84 so much.

Cost? The F88 Flat Angled Kabuki brush is $16 (around £10.50). I'm actually surprised at this price, I thought it would be a lot more expensive. The P88 Precision Flat Angled brush is even cheaper at $14 (around £9).

When Available? From July 11th on-wards. 
Where? The Sigma website here.

These brushes are also part of the permanent collection, yay!


Also, Sigma have offered a 10% off  discount code of your entire order with no minimum spend required. The code is AP2012 and is valid from July 1st - July 31st. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and if not I have a haul video and a 'top summer cheek products' post coming soon. 

What do you think of the new brushes? Will you be buying?

'Til Next Time,

Carys xox

(All infomation and images are from the Sigma Beauty Affiliate blog, here.)

❀ ❀ Current Beauty & Skincare Lusts ❀ ❀

Hello everyone!

Thought I'd do a quick little post letting you all know what I'm lusting over beauty/skincare wise at the moment. Mostly because I've been watching YouTube videos (and the tennis!) all day and it's really got me in the mood to splurge on some high end make-up bits. I'm looking forward to when I got some money as I'm very poor right now so I can purchase some of these items! I haven't bought nice, high end make-up in months and I need my fix. I'll most probably purchase Illamasqua's Cream Pigment in Hollow first, or the Skin Base Foundation, or MAC's Morange as they are the products I'm lusting after the most. Enjoy! 

1. Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation £25 

2. Sigma Beauty Limited Edition Paris Pallette $59 (Around £38)

3. Dior Addict Eau Sensuelle Eau De Toilette Spray £49 (50ml)

4. Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector £16

5. Origins A Perfect World BB SPF15 £27

6. Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow £17

7. Bobbi Brown Creamy Corrector £18

8. Sigma Beauty Mr. Bunny Essential Kit $109 (Around £70)

9. M.A.C Lipstick in Morange £13.50

10. Origins GinZing Eye Cream £21

• I really want to try the Hollow pigment as a contour colour as I'm rather pale and I've heard this works really well. I can also use it on my eyes so I think it's worth the £17 price tag as it's a multi-tasking product.
• I'm dying for Morange by MAC because classic red lipsticks don't suit my pale, and sometimes quite pink, skin. Oranges flatter my skin really well so this is the perfect "reddy" colour for me (I think!).
• I love the synthetic brushes from Sigma so this synthetic, 12 peice, vegan friendly brush kit is right up my street! I think 12 'best selling' brushes for around the £70 mark is pretty good (and it comes with a container for storage and travel!). I'm definitely hinting at these to my parents for my birthday! You can get Sigma brushes here.

I hope you've enjoyed this post!

What are you currently lusting after?

'Til Next Time,

Carys xox

♢ April Favorites ♢

Hello guys. A kind-of late April favorites, but I've been doing a lot of revising and I don't have too much time on my hands at the moment :( Thought I'd do an April favorites anyway because they're my favorite type of post to write and I love reading other people's. (If you've done one this month, leave it below!)


Hope you enjoy and I'll be back to more regular posting after the 1st of June :)

Make-up Favorites


Urban Decay Naked Palette - Recently started using this again after neglecting it last month. You can literally do any look with this palette and the lighter shades are soo pretty!
Benefit BADgal Lash - Had this sample with a little set called 'Tan About Tan' by benefit. I wasn't too sure of the big, chunky brush to begin with but now this is the only mascara I always use. I already have long eye-lashes so I like mascara that add volume but don't tangle, or clump my lashes together and this one is perfect for it!
Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Tint in Nothing But Nude - I've been wearing this everyday for school since I got it a few weeks back. It's a more intense version of my natural lip colour and stays on for a very long time , I have found though that the product is beginning to dry out :(
Topshop Kohl in Saddle - I love this! It's a slightly coppery brown colour and is so soft and creamy to apply. I apply a thin line on my top lash line and then blend it out for a angled brush. It's very subtle but still defines the lash line well. And it's only £4? Bargain.
Natural Collection Lip Gloss in Fondant - This is one of the only lip gloss' I get a lot of wear out of. I use it over Mac's Rebel Lipstick and it makes the colour a touch lighter so I can get the wear out of it for spring/summer. It also tastes/smells lovely and applies really smoothly.
MAC Satin Lipstick in Rebel - I've been wearing this lipstick every time I've gone out anywhere nice or when I've had the chance to wear a more brighter lip. It's a really pretty deep fuchsia purple colour and I've had loads of compliments when I've worn it. It also stays on for forever!
MAC Eye shadow in Rice-Paper - I love this eye-shadow swept all over the lid as it's a gorgeous shimmering muted gold colour. It looks perfect with the Topshop kohl along the lash line.
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in Shade 51 - I love this foundation! It is a million times better than the original as it blends so much nicer and gives a far more natural finish. I've worn this everyday since I got it and it feels extremely light on my skin :)
Elf Mineral Eye Shadow Primer - I've been trying to use this up recently and it's actually pretty good. It's basically like the Urban Decay Primer Potion but it doesn't make the colours of the eye-shadows appear as bright. But it has the same staying power in my opinion so if you're looking for a very very cheap alternative that just keeps your eye-shadow from creasing then this could be the one.
Sleek Make-Up Blush in Pixie Pink - I adore the colour of this blush, a very pretty cool toned pink that looks amazing when used with a light hand. I also love sleek blushes, they have great pigmentation, then blend lovely and they are only £4.49! I can't wait for summer so I can wear this blush more :)

Brush Favorites


Crown 1B108 Oval Shadow Brush - This brush was only a few pounds from love-makeup.com and I love it. It's super soft and the dense large brush is awesome to quickly sweep a light colour over my lid. It also does not shed at all in my experience and the quality is definitely similar to that of a more expensive brush! Definitely want more Crown brushes!
Sigma Precision Angled P84 Brush - I love this for applying concealer especially around my nose. It's super soft and blends anything flawlessly. I love the angled, dense brush!
No7 Eye-Shadow Blend & Contour Brush - I love using this to sweep a light dusting of MAC's rice paper over my eyes. Very versatile brush and only a few pounds with the No7 £5 vouchers! It does shed a lot though. 
Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Buffing Brush - Everyone is raving about these brushes and with good reason! I love this brush for my foundation, it makes it look perfect.

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Contour Brush - I love love love this brush. I use it to apply my highlight, contour/bronzer and cream blush. It blends each perfectly and I don't know where I'd be without it!

I hope you enjoyed and I'd love to see your favorites so link them below if you've done one,

Til next time,

Carys xox

Beauty Wishlist 2012

Hello strangers.
 I'm so sorry I have been lacking in posts, again. I have two very important science exams at the end of this month so I haven't stopped revising, and my computer decided to stop working just before Christmas so I have been unable to put anything on here until now as only now I have a replacement computer, but I cannot upload any photos from my camera so I'm a bit stuck on posts to make :( *I'm not the most creative person either* 
I really wanted to do an inspired by someone make-up tutorial, kind-of like step by step photos on how to achieve a certain look, as I love doing make-up, but the camera problem kind-of prevents me from doing that, but would that be something any of you would be interested in seeing? If so, let me know in the comments below :-) 

I've been lusting over many high-end beauty products since the start of 2012 and I thought I'd share them with you, hope you enjoy! 

1. Nars Single Eyeshadow - Cyprus - £16.50 - Narscosmetics.co.uk/asos.co.uk

2. Mac FluidLine - Dipdown - £14 - Debenhams.com/maccosmetics.co.uk

3. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - £36 - Debenhams.com

4. Clinque Lid Smoothie Antioxidant 8-Hour Eye Colour - £17 - Boots.co.uk

5. Bobbi Brown Corrector - £17 - Bobbibrown.co.uk

6. Sigma Eye Liner E05 Brush - £6.99 - love-makeup.co.uk

7. Sigma Synthetic P84 Precision Angled Brush - £10 - love-makeup.co.uk

8. Sigma Tapered Blending PRO E45 Brush - £9.99 - love-makeup.co.uk

'til next time,