Recent Favourites

Urban Decay 'Shattered' Face Case - Debenhams

Santa's Lip Scrub - Lush (no longer available)

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - Boots

Viva La Juicy, La Fleur EDT -  Boots 

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3, 8.0 - Amazon

As much as I enjoy reading monthly favourites posts, personally I don't change what I'm using enough to have different favourites every month.  So I thought doing a 'recent favourites' posts is the best way to show what I've been loving, just not on such a regular basis. First up is the Urban Decay 'Shattered' Face Case.  I picked this up a few months ago and it's pretty much all I've been using since.  With five eyeshadows, two blushers, a highlighter, lipgloss and brushes.  Speaking of brushes,  I bought the Real Techniques expert face brush as a back up for my buffing brush. as I couldn't justify buying another Core Collection set.  It's just as good, if not better, at applying liquid foundation, and I'm planning on doing a comparison post soon.  I've been quite restrained with Lush recently, however I did pick up the Santa's lip scrub in the run up to Christmas.  The cold, windy weather has taken it's toll on my lips, but this little pot has really helped them stay soft and flake-free.  I love the smell too, it reminds me of fizzy cola bottles!I managed to get a sample of this Viva la Juicy, La Fleur perfume on a shopping trip back in November; they were giving them out in Dorothy Perkins.  I'd actually forgotten about it, til a weekend away when I hastily put it in my bag as my trusty Travalo had temporarily gone AWOL.  I was actually really pleasantly surprised by it, it smells gorgeous! So much so, that I bought myself a full size bottle for Christmas. Sneaky, I know! Last up is my Samsung Galaxy Tab 3, which was a bit of a post-Christmas treat, using my Christmas money.  I'd resisted gettng a tablet for so long, but now I wonder why! This one is the perfect size for curling up and reading; whether it be a book or a blog post, not to mention browsing Twitter and Facebook, and another set of lives for my Candy Crush addiction. If you're debating on whether to get a tablet, I definitely recommend you do!

Handbag Makeup

I've never been one for carrying that much make up around with me on a day to day basis. For the longest time, it was simply my lipstick of choice.  These days I do tend to carry slightly more around with me, although if I'm honest I don't touch up my make up all that much while I'm out and about, but I guess it's good to know I have a few essentials handy in case I do need them.

I've mentioned this concealer and powder many times before, and pretty much every blogger has raved about one, or both, of these.  The Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot powder is one of the best powders I've used, and is the only one that doesn't go cakey on me.  Similarly, Collection's Lasting Perfection is my all time favourite concealer.  I don't feel the need to carry foundation around with me, these two are all I need to cope with any blemishes that may appear during the day.  I also carry my Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray which is great for refreshing the skin, and giving an instant pick me up.  As you can see, I have a number of lip products; I tend to just throw in whatever I'm wearing that day and don't take them back out again so there's always a bit of a collection in there.  I'm loving Benetint by Benefit at the moment.  I use it mainly as a lip stain, so don't really need to apply it to my lips again, but I may use it on my cheeks if my blusher starts to fade.  This miniature bottle is perfect for carrying around and I really wish you could buy them separately.  I also have a Revlon Lip Butter  (Berry Smoothie) and a L'Oreal Rouge Caresse (Aphrodite Scarlet) as well as a Maybelline Baby Lips (Cherry Velvet) which I like to layer over the Benetint.  Lastly for make up is an Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Bourbon which I use mainly on my lower lash line. Apart from my Real Techniques Powder Brush, the only other thing I carry is my Travalo which at the moment contains my current favourite perfume; Viva La Juicy, La Fleur.  It's much easier and safer than carrying around a full size perfume bottle and I keep meaning to get a couple more for all my different perfumes.

I used to just have all these bits floating around the bottom of my bag, until I came across this little makeup bag while having a bit of a clear out.  It was one I got free from Clinique when I bought some skincare items a couple of years ago.  It's the perfect size for throwing in my handbag and keeps all my little bits and bobs in one place.  I absolutely love the colours and the print, and it's a wipe-clean too so there's no need to worry about getting make-up marks all over it! 

What makeup do you tend to carry around with you?

My five most used makeup brushes

Like any blogger, I have a pretty decent collection of make up brushes.  Not as many as some I'm sure, but still enough to make cleaning them take forever! These are the five brushes I use most often, and the ones I wouldn't be without.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

I think everyone loves this brush, and I do wonder how I coped without it! I use it every day to apply my foundation and it blends it in so effortlessly and seamlessly, and it helps to achieve a flawless finish.  My only criticism is that it can't be bought individually.  It comes as part of the Core Collection as we all know, and I just can't justify another £20 when I have no need for the other brushes.  I am tempted to try out the Expert Face Brush as it does look similar and could work as a back up for my Buffing Brush.

Real Techniques Blush Brush

Yes, another brush from Samantha Chapman's line! Although a little on the large side, it's tapered top means as long as you're careful you shouldn't end up looking like a clown! It's best to use this with a light hand, especially if using a particularly bright blush. The fluffiness of the brush means you can blend your blusher out with ease to give a nice natural look. I guess it wouldn't hurt for it to be a little bit smaller, but once you're used to the size, it's not too much of an issue.  It also doubles up as a brilliant highlight/bronzer brush so it's a real multi-tasker!

Real Techniques Powder Brush

Anyone sensing a theme here? This is the last Real Techniques brush I swear!  This one is also super soft and fluffy and disperses powder easily.  It's a nice large size so it only takes a few seconds to cover the whole face.  I was never a big powder user before, but using this with my Soap and Glory powder sets my make up brilliantly.

Crown Brush Blending Crease (C330)

Although intended for eyeshadow, I actually use this to blend in my concealer.  It's just the right size to fit into my under eye area and works better than any concealer brush I've used.  I'm quite heavy handed so using my fingers to blend concealer never really works for me. The softness of this brush means the concealer just melts into my skin and definitely helps make me look more awake in the mornings!

Sigma E25

The famous dupe for the even more famous Mac 217.  I've tired similar dupes from Crown, but this is the best by far.  It's real multitask brush and applies highlight, lid and crease colours effortlessly.  It's nice and soft and has barely shed in the 18months+ that I've had it. At almost half the price of the Mac equivalent, it's extremely tempting to order another one (or two!) as a backup. 

I think with these five brushes, I have every thing covered.  Obviously having only five brushes isn't ideal, but I could easily manage with just these five brushes on a weekend away.  Having said that, I always take more even if I'm going away for the one night! I think for my next trip away I'll challenge myself to just take these brushes and see how I get on... watch this space!

Do you own any of these brushes? Which brushes do you use most often?

Colours of the Rainbow Tag!

I haven't actually been tagged by anyone to do this tag, but after watching so many videos and reading lots of blog posts about it, I felt inspired to do it myself.  It was actually harder than I thought it would be; I seemd to have lots of things of one colour (purple nail varnishes, I'm looking at you!) but then some colours (green!)  I struggled with.  I've tried to get a variety of products though and think I've done pretty well!

RED

Urban Decay Super-Saturated Lip Colour in 'F-Bomb'

I don't own many red lip colours but with this being one of them, I don't feel the need for any more.  It's a bright medium-dark red with just a hint of shimmer and a lovely glossy finish. I bought this to wear for a masquerade party, and teamed it with a blue dress and gold accessories and I loved the way the whole look came together.  It's really long lasting and I keep meaning to pick up another one of these in a more wearable colour.

ORANGE

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

I don't need to say too much about this brush do I?! It does a brilliant job with pretty much every foundation I've used it with and is so soft.  Best foundation brush I've ever used! When my original one started shedding, as if the hairs hadn't been glued in properly, I contacted Real Techniques who sent me another one straight away for free! Amazing service too!

YELLOW

Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

A bit of a cult product this one.  A brilliant multi-tasker that not only soften cuticles but is great for dry skin on your elbows, knees, feet, pretty much anywhere! My only gripe is that you get TOO MUCH product.  You generally get a year-18months of this before it goes 'off' and starts to smell funny. I've thrown out only half empty pots because of this. I'd rather pay the same amount but get less than waste so much of it that someone else could have used.

GREEN

Benefit Porefessional

I've seen this mentioned for both green and blue and since I can't find anything else for green, I'm putting it here! Recently I've found my pores to be quite enlarged on my forehead and sides of my nose.  I find a small amount of this over those areas helps disguise them and allows for a smoother application of foundation.  This is a mini size that came with a birthday gift set.

BLUE

L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara, Waterproof

I tend to stay away from waterproof mascaras for the simple reason that they're too much effort to remove. Lazy I know, but I hate the way I have to tug at my eyes to get it all off at the end of the day.  I recently broke this rule as I was to be a bridesmaid for my cousin and I knew there'd be tears.  After deliberating in Boots for ages, I decided on this one and I'm flipping glad I did! It gave a nice amount of volume to my lashes, and separated them brilliantly. And it stayed put all day!

INDIGO

Tangle Teezer

I held off getting one of these for so long and now I have two! This one stays on my dressing table as I'm worried the teeth will get damaged in my bag.  It's more gentle than any other brush I've used and I love how it can be used on wet or dry hair.  My hair is pretty long and tangles easily but this brush sorts it out no bother.  It feels weird using a regular brush now.  I also have one of the compact ones with the 'lid' which I keep in my handbag.

VIOLET

Travelo Perfume Atomiser

Such a simple concept put an absolute life saver when it comes to carrying your favourite scent around.  There's not a great deal to say about these; their compact, light as a feather and super easy to refill. They are a little pricey (I think the RRP is around the £11 mark) but they can often be found cheaper on various discount websites. Mine contains my Stella perfume, and I'm tempted to buy a couple more for my other perfumes too.

PINK

Benefit Bella Bamba

I love Benefit's boxed powders and this one is no exception.  Bella Bamba is a gorgeous pink colour, and is Benefit's only '3D effect' blush, which apparently just means it brightens, sculpts, and defines. I have a good selection of Benefit's blushers and this is by far the most pigmented. However it's really blendable so it can be easily corrected if you overdo it a bit.

MULTICOLOURED

Camden Lock, Nails Inc Graffiti

I was tempted to use a nail varnish for so many colours, but wanted to keep a bit of variety so I've saved it til the end.  This, as the name suggest, was part of the Graffiti collection by Nails Inc that was out late last year.  This is easily the most colourful of the set and contains different shapes and sizes of red, green, blue silver and gold glitter.  This makes a brilliant topcoat and would look great over pretty much any colour.  I prefer to use a pastel shade for a slightly more subtle look.

Have you done the Colours of the Rainbow Tag? Link me your blogspots and videos below and I'll be sure to check them out! If you're reading this and haven't done the tag then I tag you!! :)