DIY: How to clean makeup brushes!

Whilst I was giving my makeup brushes a good clean, I thought I'd share my way of doing it. Obviously there are so many different ways people do it and I'm not saying this is the only way, it's just the way I like to do it. Everything you need can be found around the house or are easy to get your hands on as there isn't anything special!

You will need

*My mum likes to use oil spray but it makes no difference as long as its olive oil*

• A bowl/container (to put the mixture in)
• Baby shampoo or any light shampoo (to clean the brushes)
• Olive oil (to keep the bristles moisturized and feeling soft)
• Conditioner (to keep the bristles healthy and nourished)
• Something to lay the brushes on (like a flannel, cloth or towel)
• Running water (I'm sure you're aware of a tap haha)

All you need to do

TIP: Make sure the brush is never upright, this is so the mixture or water doesn't run down the neck and makes the bristles loose or fall out!

• Mix the shampoo, oil and conditioner in with a small amount of water. 
• Dip the makeup brush into the mixture and rub into the palm of your hand in circular motions (you may have to rinse your hands if there's too much foamy stuff and keep going until the brush looks clean) 
• Wipe off any excess foam and just leave a small amount of the mixture on the brush, reshape the brush and lay flat on the flannel for around 5 minutes. (whilst a brush is left on the flannel I do the rest of my brushes instead of just waiting around, ooo productive!!)
• Rinse the brush under cold running water and make sure all the product is out the brush, reshape again and lay them on the flannel till they are completely dry, I like to leave mine overnight (I cover my brushes up whilst drying so that they don't get dusty)

I do have quite alot of brushes so it does take quite a while as you might be able to tell from the first picture to the one above (from light to dark outside), because it takes so long to do I usually do it once a month.

If I just want to give my brushes a quick spot clean (I do this more regular because it's quicker) then I just use my M.A.C brush cleanser (around £10) and a lightly damp cloth. Work the cleanser through the brush (keeping it upside down again) and once clean leave to dry for five to ten minutes and they should be all ready to use again. 

This is just how I clean my brushes, it works for me and I just thought I'd do something different like this little DIY.

Hope you enjoyed reading and thankyou!

If you like what you see, it'd mean the world to me if you followed this blog!

Speak soon♥ 

Benefit Cosmetics Haul!!

So I've developed a slight obsession for Benefit Cosmetics recently and spent a fair bit on their products (they're too pretty not to!!)

I've been wanting to try some products for a while so I went just to have a browse and maybe buy something, but I ended up getting quite a few things...

My nearest Benefit Beauty Bar is in my local House of Fraser and when I first went to have a look at what they had, the lovely Jade who works there offered for me to come back another day and have a *free* makeover so I would have a better idea of what I want to buy. A few days later, I went and had my makeup done going for a natural, radiant look. I literally loved ALL the products that were used, the products used where: Total Moisture Facial Cream, POREfessional, Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation (Shade 'Believe in Me'), Hello Flawless powder (Shade 'Gee I'm Swell'), Hoola bronzer, Rockateur blush, High Beam highlighter, Fake Up (Shade 1), Browzings (Shade Medium), POREfessional Agent Zero Shine powder, They're Real mascara and Fauxmance lipgloss. Now this sounds a lot of things on your face but honestly it felt really light and natural. My skin felt and looked amazing!

After my mini pamper session, I couldn't help but pick quite a few products that I fancied up.

First is their POREfessional



Now I've heard SO SO much about this product so it just seemed obvious that I had to try it for myself. It's silky, lightweight formula is said to minimise the appearance of pores and fine lines which I noticed that it did straight away. You can wear it as a primer or alone, as well as using over makeup as a touch up.






Next is their They're Real mascara

Again this is a product that I've heard a lot about and being the UK's No.1 mascara, I'd of been stupid not to pick it up! It is said to lengthen, curl, volumize, lift and separate lashes without smudging. It is a plastic applicator which I prefer for no reason at all it's just down to personal preference. I love this, it makes my lashes look a lot longer and the packaging is gorgeous too.



Next is their Erase Paste



I got this in No.1 Fair to match my skin colour,  this conceals and brightens dark circles, discolouration and dreaded imperfections. It's quite creamy based and acts as a camouflage for your eyes and face. It comes with lessons on how to use it for each area (dark circles, discolouration and imperfections) and a super cute mini spatula to make it easier to scoop out the product.





Another thing I bought is their Rockateur blush

Now I absolutely LOVE this blush, it just looks gorgeous. It gives a gorgeous flush of colour to your cheeks and even comes with a mini brush to sweep it across your cheeks (I rarely use brushes that come with products personally).






I couldn't help myself buying their Hoola bronzing powder



Another product that I've heard a lot about and it certainly lives up to its name. It creates a gorgeous bronzed glow leaving you with a lovely tanned appearance. It also can be used to contour which gives the face definition and a slimmer appearance.







I also got a mini It's Potent Eye cream and a mini That Gal brightening face primer in a set with my POREfessional


I can't help but love any mini version of things because they just look so cute! It's Potent fades dark circles and brightens up the eyes, creating a more youthful, fresh looking face. That Gal primes the face while giving it an instant glow, this could be used alone if your feeling a day that you don't want to wear much makeup on your face.





I know this was quite a long, rambly post but I just can't big up Benefit Cosmetics enough! I'm off back at the end of the month when there will be some new products coming out and no doubt I'll have  something to show you...

Check out all what Benefit Cosmetics have to offer:  http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/

Hope you enjoyed reading and thankyou!

If you like what you see, it'd mean the world to me if you followed this blog!

Speak soon♥ 

*These products were purchased with my own money and all opinions are my own*

Sleek's i-Divine au naturel eyeshadow palette review!

Hello again,

I've been looking for a natural eyeshadow palette for the colder season and this palette seemed like a great one to choose. There are 12 different colours with a mixture of shimmery and matte colours.

From L to R: Moss, Bark, Mineral Earth, Regal, Noir, Nougat, Nubuck, *Cappuccino, Honeycomb, Toast*, Taupe and Conker. 

*These colours are hard to see (sorry!)

My favourite colour out of this palette is the 'Taupe' colour, it's one of the shimmery shades and slightly reminds me of M.A.C's 'Satin Taupe'. It looks gorgeous on the eyes and is perfect for a warm winter look. 

For a smoky eye look I use the shades 'Nougat', 'Nubuck', 'Moss' and 'Noir' and blend the colours with a soft crease brush(I use my M.A.C 217 Brush).

The shadows in this palette are really pigmented and are good quality, I'd recommend them! (Price £7.99)

Check out Sleek's website for more: http://www.sleekmakeup.com/

Hope you enjoyed and thankyou!

If you like these sort of things, please follow this blog it would make me so happy :)

Speak Soon♥

*This product was purchased with my own money and all opinions are my own*

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I'm back! I took a break from here over the festive season as I was super busy but everything is back to normal now:)

This is just a little note to say I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all the best for 2014!

Speak very soon, thankyou for reading ♥ 

It's Christmas❆

1.  Do you prefer a real Christmas tree or synthetic?

I love real Christmas trees, they just smell of Christmas (whatever Christmas smells like) but I don't think I could deal with the pine needles that fall out so a synthetic one is fine for me.

2.  You're in a coffee shop, it's December, what do you pick?

I've only just started to like coffee and I'm in love with mocha's at the minute but I really want to try Starbucks' Toffee Nut Latte (to taste and just so I can get a cute, red cup!)

3.  Whats your favourite colour scheme for decorating the tree?

In my bedroom I have a mini Christmas tree, the theme in my room is red, gold and white. The tree is white and the baubles are red and gold, I have lots of light up things in my room too. I even made my own little decoration (picture on the left!), it's a usual mason jar filled/sprayed with fake snow with a light up Christmas tree inside and finished off with a lace bow. It's a cute little DIY craft project to do for Christmas and it looks so sweet in my room.

4.  Giving or receiving?

Obviously it's lovely to receive presents but I enjoy giving them out too! I love writing the Christmas list of what you're getting everybody then ticking them off as you buy, wrapping them up and then giving them out. It's my chance to be Santa haha!

5.  To mince pie or not to?

No, no, no! I don't like the look/smell/taste of them, although I've not long discovered that it's not mincemeat as in proper meat it's actually fruits! (I lack in the common sense department) 

6.  What's your traditional Christmas lunch?

Our usual Christmas dinner includes Turkey, roast potatoes, parsnips, sprouts, carrots (ew), mash, stuffing, broccoli + cauliflower (we call them trees in our house) and pigs in blankets. Then we always have After Eight chocolates in the middle of the table, so we have a couple of them for dessert (rebelling against eating them after eight ooo).

7.  Christmas day fashion?

Each year we all wear our new clothes that we got for Christmas (Mum usually buys us an outfit) but this year we've gone for a theme that we're all going to wear Christmas jumpers. Mine is from Primark and was £12, it says 'I <3 Santa' on it and is super cosy. I got mine in a size bigger so that it's slouchy and more comfortable for Christmas day and I'm just going to pair it with some basic leggings and fluffy socks.

8.  What's your favourite Christmas song?

Oh my god I absolutely love Christmas songs, I don't think I could pick a favourite! I've just got the 'Now That's What I Call Christmas!' CD, and it has all the best Christmas songs to get me in the festive spirit. I've already wrapped my presents up and I put the CD on whilst doing them, and whilst I was decorating my Christmas tree.

9.  What's your favourite Christmas film?

I have a few... In our house all the Home Alone's have to be watched about 1000 times near Christmas, you can't beat Elf either 'the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear'! Each year on Christmas Eve, my family cosy up with the fire on in the living room in our new PJ's and watch a new Christmas film (we buy a new one each year). My mum and brothers love 'Nativity' so I think this years Christmas Eve film will be 'Nativity 2'.

10.  Open presents before or after lunch?

Who opens them after lunch? That's far too much waiting!! It's also my birthday on Christmas Day so I have my Christmas presents in the morning with my family and then after I'm full to the brim from my Christmas dinner, I open my birthday presents.

Christmas is my favourite time of year and I get WAY too excited for it...

I tag everyone who loves Christmas, if that's not you- BAH HUMBUG!

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the holidays:)

Thankyou for reading!

Speak Soon ☃

W7 Professional Brush Set Review

I fancied some online shopping on Amazon and I came across these brushes, they are W7's Professional Brush Set which include 12 different brushes. The set was £3.49 (excluding P&P) so I wondered whether they'd actually be any good, and surprisingly they are for the price!

L to R- Eyebrow Comb and Brush, Brow Spool, Sponge Applicator, Lip Brush, Large Squared Liner Brush, Angled Liner Brush, Fan Brush, Small Flat Shader, Medium Flat Shader, Large Flat Shader, Small Powder Brush, Large Powder Brush.

They come in a smart, leather roll so makes it easier to store them or take them on your travels.













I hate when brushes shed but these haven't as yet and don't look like they will, they're also really soft which I wasn't expecting when I see the price.

I'm quite chuffed with this little purchase, it could've done with a soft crease brush and maybe a foundation brush to make it even better but for £3.49 you can't really complain.

I'd recommend this set for anyone who's just starting to build up their makeup collection, it's a great start and a fab alternative to more expensive brushes like Real Techniques and Mac.

Thankyou for reading!

Speak Soon!♥ 

*This product was bought with my own money and all opinions are my own*

November Favourites

I'm not even kidding, this year is going WAY too fast and the year is almost over...

I love sharing my monthly favourites with you but they're coming round too quick now!

This month I have a few new products that I've been loving :)

Makeup Brushes

First is my W7 Professional Brush Set which I will do a review on soon. My favourite brush out of the set has to be the Angled Liner Brush because it can be used for my eyebrows and used to apply gel liner to the top/bottom of the eyes to create a thin, precise line.




I'm also loving my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.This brush is ultra soft and great for really buffing in your foundation, I find that their Expert Face Brush is quite similar to their Buffing Brush so if I am deep cleaning one, I'll use the other. Price: £8.99







Hair Products



I though I'd try something new because my Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner has run out so I purchased Inecto's Shampoo and Conditioner, in my opinion the two products (Inecto and Argan Oil) work equally well and both leave my hair feeling soft and manageable.








I have a thing for having sets of products so I wanted to try their Dry Shampoo too, it works fine and leaves the hair feeling and smelling lush! However, it doesn't last very long as I have to use a lot of product each time  I use it for it to work properly.






Foundation 




I've changed my foundation back to Rimmel's Match Perfection because I found Rimmel's Wake Me Up foundation to be more summery and shimmery for Winter time. Price: £6.99







Concealer

I've heard alot of people talk about Collection's Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer and wow I know what they mean, it covers blemishes and dark under eye circles so well! Price: £4.19




Powder




Another product lots of other bloggers/YouTubers have been raving about is Rimmel's Stay Matte Powder, it stops any unwanted shine and makes the skin look great. Price: £3.99







Eyeliner



MUA's gel eyeliner has also landed on my favourites this month because I find it looks great on the eyelids and I absolutely love it. It comes with a thin brush which works absolutely fine with it but I prefer to use my W7 Angled Liner Brush! Price: £3






Thankyou for reading, and I'm going to try post more often I've just been SUPER busy lately:)

Speak Soon ♥

*All prices are based on those at Superdrug, products may be cheaper/more expensive elsewhere*