A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I won’t be parted from my brushes.  It doesn’t matter if I’m only leaving home for a single night, I can’t make do with powder puffs and spongey applicators now that I’m used to brushes.

Which can be a bit of a problem when I’m travelling to far flung exotic lands (Bournemouth, London, Darlo).

I took one of my MAC 217s away with me the last time I travelled to London and damn near killed the poor thing.  Flapping about in my makeup bag, it returned home looking like Leila had painted the walls with it and it’s so far resisting my best efforts to coax it back into shape.

With this in mind, Bare Escentuals have released a set of brushes that I was sent to try…

A magnetic brush collection with carry case!  Great!  Another cosmetic ‘innovation’… can you see my eyes rolling?

Except… this is actually useful.  But does it work in practice?

I’ll shut up for a minute and let you see the brush collection properly…

Read the rest of this entry »

Bedcrumb is a wonderfully flirty, young brand from designer/illustrator Heidi Cannon.  Spending more than five minutes browsing her site leaves my fingers twitching at my debit card.

Check out this pretty little pocket mirror…

The mirror comes wrapped in a presentation pouch complete with a keyring tag and priced at £6.50.  Even better, all fashion accessories are posted for free within the UK (and most international orders are only charged £2).

A lovely stocking filler for lipstick lovers everywhere!

You can check out Heidi’s other beautiful designs and illustrations at Bedcrumb.co.uk

As beauty addicts, how many times have we done that huh?  I’ll tell you how many… too bloody many.

Not only that, but let’s not forget that when in the UK, you’ve got more chance of finding genuine MAC on eBay than you have being able to return your purchases… these mistakes can really add up.

So, you can imagine my utter deflation when my NARS #12 Small Domed Eye brush turned up and wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.  I mean, I know that it’s called ‘small’… but I didn’t expect the head to be quite SO small.  My fault entirely.

But then I used it and I fell in love.

The NARS blurb on the website reads… Squirrel hair for definition and for creating depth in the crease of the eye.

I say… If you have hooded eyelids, get this brush.

(excuse the eyeshadow dust – it needs cleaning!)

The NARS #12 Small Domed Eye Brush is incredibly soft.  I find some NARS brushes a little scratchy for their price… but this one is a winner.  It’s densely packed and firm enough to do more than just place the colour.  This little beauty is a master blender to apply defined but soft crease colours.

Hai!  My name’s dopey.

Ignoring my moronic eye-expression (and need for a one-on-one with my tweezers) for a moment… can you see how perfectly the brush fits under that hood?  I don’t have the most hooded eyelids in the world, but they are a pain for muddying colour when the upper part droops onto the lid itself.  If I’m wearing a v. dark crease colour, I need to be precise and I need to focus it in the outer corner and just in the actual crease itself because of that reason.  With this brush I can do this.

Why not just use a pencil brush or a small eye contour brush then?  Because I’m crap at makeup in general and those kinda brushes always encourage me to be too heavy handed.  With the NARS #12 brush, I can do gentle windshield wiper movements along the crease contour (whilst keeping my eyes half open) and achieve a soft, smoky but perfectly defined dark crease.

At £22.00 (for such a teeny little brush) my initial disappointment almost resulted in a mild strop but now?  I’m considering a backup.

Which NARS brushes do you rate most highly?

I like the look of the retractable Brow Shaping Brush (plus I’d totally use it for my lashes too), I can’t even tell you the number of times I’ve caught sight of myself in a shop window only to see this staring back at me.

Have you seen any of these on your local counter yet?  What say you?

Now that I’ve had some time to play with the products I chose to bring home with me from the Une Natural Beauty blogger unveiling, I thought I’d share my thoughts on some of the pieces and a little FOTD with them.

Une Natural Beauty is a new brand with “natural formulas for a natural result, for a natural style”.  It boats impressive eco-credentials and with prices ranging from £4.99 – £13.99, it’s accessible to all.  This is all well and good, but how do the products perform?

I chose 2 eyeshadows, a creme blush, a lipstick, 2 eye pencils, a brush and a concealer.

I didn’t like the shade selections for the base products, so I left those alone.

Let’s start with the Une Multipurpose Brush.  It’s goat hair, and a little scratchy.  It’s densely packed and the most perfect shape for sweeping blush onto the apple of the cheeks and outwards.  It just fits my cheeks brilliantly and totally stops me from applying too low or too high.  I’ve also experienced only one or two shed hairs.  Priced at £7.99, I’m pleased with it.  I’d love it to be a little softer, but hey, it’s less than a tenner.

Glimmer Eyes Shadow G02 is a neutral cream shadow with shimmer.  It feels greasy and although the shimmer is indeed beautiful, it invariably ends up in the socket line less than an hour after applying.  I’ve tried with UDPP underneath and setting with eye shadow ontop.  I’ve decided that the best way to work with this is to pat a tiny amount near the tear duct for a subtle sparkle and resign yourself to a bit of creasing.  I’m cool with that, but I just can’t work with this as an allover lid shade.

Sdumato Eyes Shadow S23 is a matte aubergine.  It’s quite… powdery and kicks up a lot of dust when picking up the product with a brush.  It’s not the best matte I’ve worked with in terms of pigmentation but it’s buildable and the texture is pretty soft.  Lasting power over a slick of eye primer is fair.

Overall, I think the eye shadows that I’ve tried here are overpriced at £8.99 each.  That’s a lot for a high-street mono eyeshadow, at least £2 too much in this case.  Though you do get a fairly generous 1.8g of product, they just haven’t blown me away.

Une Natural Beauty’s Breezy Cheeks blush in B02 (£8.99) on the other hand, has.  It’s a beautiful mid-toned pink (leaning towards mauve) cream blush to powder formula.  Applies like a dream with my fingertips and blends beautifully, leaving a subtle colour that is pink without being too flushed.  It doesn’t have the most amazing staying power, but I can get through most of the day without needing to reapply.  I’d absolutely repurchase this product.

A quick note about the packaging…

Slidey mobile phone of 3 years ago-esque.  I reckon it’s a brave choice… love it or hate it, it does what it’s designed to do which is be easily recyclable.  It’s a little chunky, but not particularly cumbersome.  I’m a fan.  It has that slidey satisfaction thing too… yano when you close a drawer?  And the last couple of cms glide to a satisfying stop?  This does that.  By the way, I’ve left the peel-off stickers on… underneath, the surface is mirrored… generously so!

All the eye pencils from the range are reasonably priced at £4.99 each.

The Sfumato Eyes Pencil in S23 is a color match to the Sfumato Eye Shadow I mentioned earlier.  An earthy aubergine shade.  One thing that I adore about the Une Natural Beauty range is the colour selection.  I’m all for creating a collection based solely on natural and muted colours, and I think that this has been done exceptionally well here.

However, some of the formulas, just don’t work for me.  I understand that a lot of the products are sheer in support of the natural beauty ethos, and I commend that.  Infact, I’m often a fan of more sheer products (especially in darker shades) as I can be heavy handed and prefer the option to build colour rather than desperately try to remove it once overdone!

Unfortunately, I’m finding the Sfumato Eyes Pencil is just too hard and sheer.  It drags across my lashline and doesn’t deposit enough colour to make the uncomfortable application worthwhile.

The Glimmer Eyes Pencil in G13 is sadly even harder.  Such a shame as it contains the most beautiful and fine-particled glitter… I adore how it looks.  Infact, once on… it’s more comfortable than my NARS glitter eye pencils, but what a total drag it is to apply.  Pun intended.

The Skin Glow Pencil in G01 is slightly more expensive at £6.99 and is the most perfect colour match concealer for pale cool-toned ladies I’ve seen on the high street.  It’s creamy and soft and applies really nicely.  I’ve been using this around my nose and in the corner of my eyes to highlight and lift areas where I’m naturally more shadowed.  It’s a great pencil that fills a void in my collection.

My only wish is that it were chunky.  I’ve only used it twice and already it needs sharpening.  I’m literally gonna go through one of these every few weeks if I use it daily.  Bigger please!  More product for the same amount of money, thank you!

Finally the lipstick, Une Lip-Toned Colour in L02.  Love it.  It’s a beautiful nude… a proper nude, not one of your concealer-lip nudes.  It’s creamy and glossy without being too sheer.  No hint of frost, just proper ‘my lips but better’ goodness.  A makeup bag staple done well.  Priced at £7.99, it’s what I’d expect to pay.  Another definite repurchase!

Finally (are you still with me?!), my Une Natural Beauty FOTD.

Eyes

~ Une Natural Beauty Sfumato Eyes Shadow in S23
~ Une Natural Beauty Glimmer Eyes Shadow in G02
~ Une Natural Beauty Sfumato Eyes Pencil in S23
~ Avon Super Shock Mascara in Black

Face

Une Natural Beauty Breezy Cheeks Blush in B02

Lips

Une Natural Beauty Lip-Tined Lip Colour in L02

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Une Natural Beauty is a huge brand launch and I’ve only delved into a tiny percentage of the 25 new products and 148 shades.  It’s a varied review with a couple of stand outs and a couple of disappointments with one or two “OMG this could be awesome if only they…” thrown in.

Une Natural Beauty is available in the UK online and in selected stores at Boots.  It should be rolling out into Superdrug from September 2010 and launching in Irealand sometime in August.

Let me know if you’ve tried anything from the range yet!

Pro Makeup Brushes are one of the UK’s leading suppliers of makeup brushes.  They offer wholesale, customisation and supply to brands such as Elizabeth Arden and The Green People.

and they kindly sent me a few from their range to trial and report back on.

I would call their selection of 16 tools fairly exhaustive for your average makeup user.  The price is low/mid range.  Brushes start from £5 and work their way up to £15.

The white goat hair brushes feel fairly soft, pliable and densely packed.  There’s a faint whiff of wet dog about them which is common with the more budget friendly natural hair brushes.  This is accentuated when I give them a wash but as they dry, the smell fades once again.  Similarly, the other sable brushes are soft and densely packed.

The brushes arrived with this rather fabulous booklet which describes itself as an ‘educational booklet for makeup application’ and it’s really rather fab!  It manages to cover all the basics in plain and simple English.  Definitely a worthwhile inclusion and great for novices.

Onto the brushes…

#14 Blush Brush – £13

Though described as a blusher brush, the hair is cut with a slight angle so it’s perfect to use for contouring those cheekbones aswell.  It’s a lovely brush, densely packed, soft enough not to scratch and well cut.  Unfortunately, that’s where my praise ends.  This sheds like a mofo.

Amount collected from running my fingers through the brush after 2 washes… this amount of shedding is kinda unacceptable from a £13 brush.  I pick white hairs off my face every time I use it.

#1 Round Ended Concealer Brush – £6.50

I’ve never used a long haired concealer brush like this before… but it works fantastically well at applying concealer under the eyes and around the nose…. all those little crevices are covered quickly and smoothly with this brush.  I didn’t expect much from this unassuming little tool, but it’s made it’s way into daily use for me.

#2 Fine Angled Brush – £6.00

A nicely made brush that picks up brow powder well.  I wouldn’t use this for gel liners as the hairs are a little too bushy for precision lining.  This has replaced my usual GOSH brow brush simply because it seems to work the powder through my brows more evenly.

#12 Large Eyeshadow Brush – £10

Another disappointment.  I was hoping for a reasonable MAC #239 dupe, but the quality falls way short.  Most noticeably, the ferrule on this particular brush is loose.  I can hold the brush at the end of the handle… give it a gentle shake and watch the whole thing rattle.  Perhaps connected to the loose ferrule… but despite gentle washing, I can’t get the brush to hold it’s original shape… it’s now a splayed mess.  I’ve obviously received a faulty brush, but have to review on what I find.  The goat hairs however are pretty soft and non-scratchy.

#11 Mascara Brush – £5.00

Again, I’m going to have to raise an eyebrow at the quality of a brush that arrives like this.  You can see in the photo how some of the fibres are straggly.  I’ve since cut them with a pair of nail scissors to avoid poking myself in the eyeball.

Aside from this… it’s a useful tool and is designed well.  It does a good job at separating the lashes once mascara has been applied.  It’s an extra step to the routine and one I wouldn’t normally take… but I can’t deny that it’s worth the effort for special occasions.

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Overall, Pro Makeup Brushes offer a good range of products at a reasonable price but I’m disappointed with the overall quality of the samples I received.  The sable brushes were mostly of good quality, but I’m afraid that I can’t recommend the goat hair brushes based on my experiences with them.

Straight ones, short ones, long ones, curly ones.  Pubes Eyelashes, they’re the business.

They’re the shields that protect our precious eyes from debris every second of the day, they’re sensitive enough to let us know when that mascara wand is getting perilously close to our eyeballs and trigger the reflex that clamps our eyes shut just before we stupidly poke ourselves with it.

The problem with eyelashes though?  They’re just not long enough.

Horses have fab eyelashes, have you ever noticed?  Straight as a poker… you’d need to put the Shu Uemura’s to work… but still, mega lashes.

I was contacted by the PR for Trish McEvoy who are going to love the fact that my feature about their lash enhancer has already managed to mention pubes and horses when we’re barely 100 words in… but nevermind…

Where was I?

Oh yes, nice PR lady said “Hello!” and “Would you like to try our new Lash Enhancer?”.

“Hmmm” said I… “I’m already using some lash enhancing stuff that I bought, but if you don’t mind a potential guest reviewer I have just the person!”

Meet my cousin… A.

I don’t like this before picture… she’s not as good at taking photos as me.  She says she has some more, so if and when she emails me them… I shall add them.  But this will do for now.

She’s desperate for longer lashes and infact… this photo is the first time I’ve seen her for ages where she isn’t sporting either extensions or a pair of falsies.

We’re gonna give it a couple of months and see how she gets on with the Trish McEvoy Lash Enhancer.

This stuff isn’t cheap by the way… around £89 for 4 months supply.  I hope she doesn’t drop it down the loo or something stupid like that.

Let me give you the rest of the blurb:

Lashes lose fullness due to day-to-day wear-and-tear, makeup removal, eyerubbing, and the aging process. Using highly potent SymPeptides™ and an abundance of powerful proteins, vitamins, and moisturizing ingredients, Lash Enhancer helps condition, hydrate, strengthen, and nourish lashes to help them withstand the mechanical, natural and environmental aggressors as well as aging process that may shorten their life.

A single nightly application of Lash Enhancer Nighttime Conditioning Treatment will promote the stronger, fuller, healthier lashes of your dreams. In just 2 weeks of daily use can you experience as much as a 25% increase in volume. A few quick seconds each night will put you on the road to fuller lashes.

So… fundamentally this stuff is different from the more pharmaceutical lash enhancing treatments.  Most importantly, you can apply this stuff without fear of your eyes changing colour or growing a second head.  Which is always reassuring.

The packaging is sleek, sexy and heavyweight…

A nice precision applicator so you don’t waste too much product during application and deliver the good stuff right to where it’s needed.

I’m excited!  I like these kind of trials… I like tangible results!

Fingers crossed for A that Trish McEvoy’s Lash Enhancer can turn those puny lashes into floor sweepers!  Stay tuned!

Tiny picture… sorry… it’s a makeup bag.

But not just any makeup bag…. oh no…

The Refresh Make-up Chiller is an ingeneous way to keep your cosmetics cool when the temperature rises.

This handy little pouch with a pocket for a mini-ice pack is the ideal way to protect your cosmetic essentials when you’re hot in the city or relaxing by the pool.

Large enough to hold your daily essentials, but small enough for your handbag, the Refresh Make-up Chiller takes the heat out of looking your best in the sun!

Um. Ok then.

This is SO overdue and I completed it aaaages ago, but just haven’t gotten around to writing up my experiences of my week long Beauty Blender trial.

Beauty Blender trial? I hear you ask…

Well, I set myself the silly little task of using nothing but a Beauty Blender to apply my foundation.  I wasn’t allowed to touch my foundation brushes for a full week.  I wanted to see if the Beauty Blender was anything more than just a passing novelty.

I’ll show you a ‘step by step’ from my first day and how I use the Beauty Blender and I’ll leave you with some observations I made from this daft little exercise.

The cast of characters…. The Beauty Blender and Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

Dispense the usual amount of product onto the back of your hand and wet your Beauty Blender until it swells in size.  Once thoroughly soaked, gently squeeze excess liquid from the sponge until it feels damp, but not wet.

Taking the round end of the blender, “bounce” the sponge into your foundation… coating it in product.

It doesn’t matter if it’s not *that* evenly coated…

Taking the blender, “bounce” the sponge on your face… a constant patting/bouncing type action all over… don’t swipe or circle… just bounce!  To get the foundation into nooks and crannys like the inner corner of your eye socket, use the pointed end of the sponge.

I found the whole process quite slow-going at first…. it took me about 4 days to get my speed up.  The first couple of goes I was a bit “what’s the point… this is taking me double the time a #187 would take”.  But as I persevered, I really started to hone my technique.

The obligatory before/after foundation shot!  (Bourjois Healthy Mix is a great looking foundation btw – although the lightest shade is a touch too dark for me).

Here’s a horrible close up… but it always helps to be able to see the finish properly right?  Click the image to SUPERSIZE MAH FACE!

Please note, this was before powder… shine city!

So there we go, that’s how I use my Beauty Blender… it still takes me a bit longer than a stippling brush so I don’t reach for it if I’m in a hurry.

I do love the finish it gives me… but I think I use a bit more product in the application thanks to the sponge (despite being damp) soaking up a fair amount of foundation.

I need to tell you something though…

I bought Makeup Forever HD foundation at IMATS… and I haven’t liked it at all.  I simply could not see what the fuss was about.  Overrated.

Until I used it in conjunction with the Beauty Blender.  Oh Em Gee.  It’s turned blog sale fodder into a wonderful foundation for me.  I’ve also done a complete 360 on my Clinique Superfit since applying it with the Beauty Blender.

Don’t ask me what the Beauty Blender does that my normal application methods obviously don’t.  I couldn’t tell you.

I also prefer the Beauty Blender over a standard cosmetic sponge, the Beauty Blender is softer, bouncier and just feels far more luxe on my skin.  Don’t bother with those expensive special Beauty Blender cleansers though… I use a bit of Leila’s shampoo and it works great!  Oh and be careful of putting nicks in the sponge when squeezing… it’s delicate!

Back to my original question… could I really throw away all my brushes in favour of the BB?

No… I like having the choice, I like the speed a stippling brush gives me.  But I’ll be forever grateful to the Beauty Blender for making me fall in love with some foundations that I thought I’d wasted nearly £50 on.  It’s already paid for itself twice over.

In the UK, you can purchase the Beauty Blender from Just Beauty Direct, priced at £14.50 each.  I was lucky enough to nab mine from a blog sale woo!

If you wanted an introduction to some of Shu Uemura’s most iconic products… look no further than the limited edition Iconic Discovery Set which comprises 3 of Shu’s most well-known offerings.

The neat little box contains:

~ Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curler (multi-award winning.. yano the ones)
~ Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse SPF30 (full size, new formula)
~ Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil (50ml complimentary/travel size)

After being sent the set for review consideration, I was extremely keen to find out if the infamous cleansing oil would live up to the hype that surrounds it.  Infact, so keen was I… I went and took all my makeup off with it in the middle of the day.  In the same way a 4yr old with no patience might.

It’s a light-feeling oil that spreads easily over skin with no dragging as you massage it into the delicate eye area.  The scent is extremely mild and totally pleasant… not at all oily-smelling like the DHC oil.

It emulsifies nicely with warm water and rinses away leaving my skin completely free from makeup.  Mascara melts happily between my fingers as I gently work the oil across my lashline.  If you are going to use a cleansing oil to melt away mascara, then you need to GENTLY encourage the oil onto those lashes.  I have used cleansing oils in the past that have left my eyes stinging or at the very least – cloudy.  This is a total “no no” for me and thankfully the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil left my eyes fully unaffected.

I was hoping that the Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil would be the one that put an end to the ‘after cleansing tightness’ that is a significant cleansing oil annoyance for me.  It didn’t.  My skin was left a little tight as with most oils I’ve used… nothing that wasn’t remedied by a slick of moisturiser, but it means that (for me) Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils have been lifted down from their pedestal status.

A great cleansing oil, but I’ve used ones that are just as good for 2/3 of the price.

Ahhh, those “eyeconic” lash curlers!

I’m blessed with naturally curly lashes, so curlers aren’t something I generally incorporate into my daily routine.

At least, they weren’t until I tried these.

I’d previously owned one pair of curlers, a set of ELF ones that I bought last year and struggled to make fit my eye socket… contorting my face and gurning as I angled my head this way and that trying to get all my lashes to squish into the business end.

I gave up.

When I pulled these out, I was surprised by how light they felt.  There’s a real delicate ‘springiness’ to them.  I have to say, they fit my lashline perfectly… from those little lashes right in the inner corner around to the longer outer ones.  I can also get right down into the base of my lashes with these Shu Uemura curlers.  I can completely see why they’ve achieved the cult status that they enjoy.

My lashes get enough natural lift at the base, but a little squeeze towards the tips with these curlers makes quite a difference to achieving a more doe-eyed flutter!  I’m impressed.

Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse SPF30 PA+++

Beige it says on the can…. Beige.

Beige is never good for me.  As a pale chick, you get to know these words… “honey, beige, sand, caramel, fawn…” and seeing them written on the back of any kind of base product is enough to set the corners of your mouth into a downward direction.

“Beige” (in this case) is actually more “Vanilla” to be frank.  You can see in my swatches that it’s really quite pale.

You give the can a shake (it has a noisy little metal ball bearing inside which makes this far more enjoyable than it sounds!) and squirt a walnut-sized amount onto your fingers.  Spread between your digits and then straight over your face before the mousse evaporates.

Love. It.

There’s a definite ashiness visible at first thanks to the SPF which is a touch off-putting to say the least…  but after about 40 seconds the base turns completely invisible on my skin.  I would insert a caveat here that if you’re darker-skinned it may not be quite so invisible… because lets face it, if it looks ashy on ME… anyone darker will really notice that greyness and it may not fade so well.

Once the base has had about a minute to “fit” to my skin, I’m SO loving the effect.  Again, as with all primers I’ve used… I’m not seeing any pore filling or wrinkle reducing stuff.  But what I’m seeing on my skin-tone is a reduction in redness, a far matte-er appearance, a softer feeling complexion and thanks to the hint of colour, a more even overall tone.  Throw into that mix a decent SPF30 sun protection and I would be more than happy to pop down the shops sans foundation.

Another reason that I’m loving this product so much is… it’s easy.  You don’t need brushes… it’s fun to use.  Squirt and spread, squirt and spread.  It dries to a powder matte finish in less than a minute.  It’s a true no-fuss base.

My one reservation with this product is that I think it would be too drying for me to use in the Winter.  For the Summer, I will be squirting with reckless abandon… thrilled to have found something that leaves a long-lasting matte effect down the bridge of my nose!  However, I have a couple of dry patches at the moment above my eyebrows and I don’t think that this base is doing them any favours.  It’s something to consider if you’re a dry-skinned lady.  If you’re more oily… I think this could be a fantastic product for you.

So, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad (as they say).

You can purchase the Shu Uemura Limited Edition Iconic Discovery Set from Beauty Expert.  It’s priced at £41, which is a saving of £12.50 were you to buy the curlers and UV under base separately.

Are you a fan of the Shu?

I first heard of Aurifere when I saw their stand at IMATS back in January…

…I was on the hunt for a Shu Uemura foundation brush dupe at a bargain price, when my eyes alighted on this domed goat-hair blush brush (Series 150) from Aurifere (£11.99).  It has a slight taper and I umm-ed and ahh-ed that it could be a possible match.

But before I could make the purchase, I got sidetracked by this:

Aurifere’s Series 480 blending brush in squirrel (£8.99).  Soft doesn’t even begin to describe this brush.

It has a beautifully sharp taper that gets right into the socket line for precise blending with complete control.  I find that unless I’m very careful, my MAC 217 can spread the shadow a little too far above and below the crease for me.  I’m not hugely aufait with MAC brushes, but I’m thinking that the MAC equivalent to the Aurifere 480 would be a 224 (tapered blending brush).

I paid around £9 for the Aurifere blending brush and I’m absolutely delighted with it, though I have been lamenting not picking up the 150 ever since!

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Fast forward a couple of months and you may have noticed from my top photo that I do now have the Aurifere 150 in my grubby little hands!  Shall I tell you how?

Aurifere have opened a web store!

Hot off the press, the store only opened last week and I was their first customer – yay me! Desperate much?

Whilst making my order, I also added another blending brush to my collection:

The Aurifere Series 490 (£9.59) is a goat-hair blending brush which is nicely packed but definitely scratchier than my 480 or MAC 217.  What I do love about it though is it’s ‘springiness’.  That’s a terrible way to describe it… but it blends out harsh lines effortlessly when I hold it near the end of the shaft and do windscreen wiper motions across my socket line… something I appreciate because I kinda suck at doing those little blending circles with my 217.  How crap was that testimonial?  Way to make myself sound like I have no clue about makeup application… but I hope at least some of you appreciate what I’m trying to say!

My package also contained the Aurifere Sablinsky Series 330, a synthetic brush that is amazing for cream shadows like my Benefit creaseless creams.  Total bargain at £6.69!

I am so happy to have given Aurifere a try, I simply haven’t been disappointed with anything I’ve bought so far.

I want to give the Series 150 (blush brush) a full try before passing judgement, but so far I’m liking it ok as a foundation brush, but I’m freaking loving it as a blush brush.

I emailed Aurifere and asked if they’d consider passing along a discount code for my readers and they obliged!

I have 30 codes available (single use only).  If you try one and it appears to have expired, come back and give another one a go!

Enter one of the following codes at checkout to get 5% off your order (I may have ‘accidently’ already used that first one, sorry ;)) and remember all items have free delivery:

I just treated myself to a Series 180 Racoon Powder Brush. Vex has one, and it’s softer than Leila’s bum. FACT.

Have you heard of Aurifere?  Used any of their brushes?  Let me know if you make an order and tell me what you get, I’m hopelessly nosey.

I’m about to lock away my foundation brushes, stippling brushes and buffing brushes.

I’m doing a full-on swap for these:

The infamous Beauty Blender!

I bought 2 of these a while back and have used them a couple of times when I’ve been away from home and not wanted to carry too much makeup with me.  They’ve performed well, but as soon as I’ve gotten home they’ve been washed and popped back in the drawer whilst my full attention returned to my brushes.

I was going to review them as is.  I’ve used them 5/6 times… washed them, gotten a feel of how they work best for me and I really, really like them.  But if I like them SO much, why are they not in constant use now?

Over the next week, I’ll be limiting myself solely to these and asking myself the simple question: Why would I recommend you buy these when a brush works so well?

I don’t know the answer yet, I just know I’m pleased I bought them.  Anyone have any specific questions about the Beauty Blender that I can help answer whilst trialling?

Can I also draw your attention back to the questions for a Benefit MUA post?  I’m compiling an email for her this weekend, so it’s your last chance!