My Favourite High Street Make-Up

I much prefer to save money when I can, going for the cheaper option if it works as well, So heres my top picks of high street make-up...

Foundation: Toss up between Bourjois and Revlon. Bourjois Healthy Mix (£9.99) is great for normal/dry skin who want a dewy finish, it goes on lovely and lasts well on the skin. Revlon Colorstay (£12.49) is fabulous for oily/combination skin, it prevents shine and lasts on the skin for ages, and it gives a medium-buildable coverage.

Concealer: I love the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer (£5.99). It is great for both under eye circles and blemishes, naturally concealing the areas without highlighting or looking cakey.

Contour: Sleek Contour Kit (£6.49), without a doubt. The kit comes in 3 different variations for different skin tones and includes a contour and an highlight to make sclupting your face easy.

Bronzer: Bourjois Delice De Poudre (£6.99) gives a lovely natural glow without being too orange or harsh.

Blush: Bourjois Cream Blushes (£7.99) are amazing, coming in a variety of shades to give a really nice subtle flush of colour.

Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Powder (£3.99) is a great powder to keep you shine-free all day.

Mascara: Max Factor 2000 Calorie (£7.99) is my all time favourite, it gives great volume and length, without being clumpy or flaky.

Eyeliner: Maybelline Gel Liner (£7.99) is great for fine or thick lining and lasts all day. The Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner Pencils (£6) are also great, for the waterline and creating smokey liner looks.

Eyeshadow: The Sleek I-Divine (£7.99) palettes are without a doubt my favourite eyeshadows. They are super-pigmented with great staying power and the wide range of palettes means you can find one to suit any tastes.

Lipstick: Rimmel do fantastic lipsticks, especially their Moisture Renew (£6.49) range, giving great colour, finish and moisture.

Lip Liner: Rimmel 1000 Kisses (£2.99) are my favourite lip liners. They have a easy-to-apply creamy consistency and come in a wide range of colours.

If you have any questions or want to let me know your favourite high street make-up, write in the comments below
Thanks,
  Cameron :)

My Everyday Makeup

I go through alot of phases with everyday makeup and at the moment I'm aiming for a more natural look. I've opted for more sheerer bases and less harsh contouring and eyes, and here's the products I'm using at the moment.

Face:
Foundation: Mac Face and Body (C2) - Stippled on with a Crown Brush C439
Under Eye Concealer: Garnier Roll on - Buffed in with a Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush
Blemish Concealer: Bourjois Happy Light Concealer (21 Ivoire) - Stippled on with a Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush
Contour: Illamasqua Cream Pigment (Hollow) - Stippled/Buffed with Real Techniques Exprert Face Brush (Nose contour applied with Crown Brush SS021)
Powder: Clinique Blended Face Powder (08 Transparency Neutral) - Pushed on with Real Techniques Powder Brush (Kryolan Anti-Shine Powder applied on T-Zone)
Bronzer: Clinique Superbalanced Powder Bronzer (Bronzed 1) [discontinued] - Brushed over high points of face with Real Techniques Blush Brush

Eyes:
Eyeliner: Maybelline Master Drama Khol Liner in (Brown & Black (Mainly Use Brown)) - Applied with cheap angled brush from eBay
Eyelash Curlers: QVS Ergonomic Eyelash Curler
Mascara: Max Factor 2000 Calorie (Brown/Black) - Combed through with Real Techniques Lash/Brow Groomer
Eyebrows: Maybelline Brow Drama (Dark Brown)

Lips: Maybelline Baby Lips Peach Kiss

And I end up looking something like this...

If you have any questions about any of the products I use comment below!

Thanks,

Cameron :)

Review: Real Techniques Brushes

Over the past year I have ended up buying a lot of real techniques brushes. I am a big fan of Pixiwoo and when I found out about the brush range I bought a couple, and OMG I was so sucked in! Overall I've ended up buying 6 different individual brushes, the Duo-Fibre Set and the Starter Set so far... All of the brushes are synthetic, made from taklon bristles which means they are cruelty free. I have found that all of the brushes are very soft and wash up very well, no matter if you're using them with powder, cream or liquid products.

Firstly is the Powder Brush.(£12.99 From Boots) This brush is slightly over-sized and gives a great liberal application of any powder products, whether they are loose or compact it always gives great results. Personally I'd like it to be a tiny bit smaller but it's not a big issue & overall I love it!

Secondly is the Expert Face Brush. (£9.99 From Boots) I absolutely love, love, LOVE this brush, so much so that I have two of them! It's versatile and can be used for buffing/stippling foundation, cream blush, cream contours, bronzers, anything! And its slightly tapered shape means that it can easily apply to small spaces such as around your nose and eyes. I personally use this brush for foundation most of the time, as the density makes buffing so easy and gives a great finish.

Next up is the Blush Brush.(£9.99 From Boots) I find this is great for blushes, bronzers and contours, the tapered shape of the brush means you only have to put the product right on the end of it, and brush does all of the blending out for you, amazing!

Next is the Stippling Brush.(£11.99 From Boots) To be brutally honest, I have a slight love-hate relationship with this brush, but I think it's because when I first got it I didn't really know what to use it for. This is good if you want a light-coverage finish with your foundation, I also use it for liquid bronzers and highlighters. (Also, when I first got this brush quite a big chunk of the bristles shed, but I'm guessing this was a one-off fault as none of my other brushes have done this, and after the initial shedding catastrophe no more bristles have fallen out!)

The last of the Face brushes is the Setting Brush.(£8.99 From Boots) This brush is great for precise application of powder highlighter, I have also used it for a one-colour sweep of eyeshadow on the eyelids.

Next up is the Limited Edition Duo-Fibre Set.(£23.99 From Boots) This contains a Face Brush, Contour Brush and an Eye Brush.

The Duo-Fibre Face Brush (Top) is great for light applications of powder, blushes and bronzers. Also, it gives you the choice to build up product gradually. The sparser bristles also make this brush great for blending out harsh lines in your bronzer, blush or contour.

I mainly use the Duo-Fibre Contour Brush (Middle) for applying cream contours, but it is also great for applying pigments as a highlighter, as it gives a really light application.

The Duo-Fibre Eye Brush (Bottom) is really good at blending out any eye makeup such as the crease, it is also really good for precise application of pigments.

The Starter Set (£21.99 From Boots) is a good eye brush set for beginners, giving you all of the tools you need to create nice eye makeup. It consists of a Deluxe Crease Brush, Base Shadow Brush, Brow Brush, Accent Brush and a Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush.

Firstly the Deluxe Crease Brush (Top) is a dense rounded brush (almost like a mini Expert Face Brush!) and I personally use it for stippling/buffing in concealer. The size of this brush means its perfect to fit under-eyes and cover blemishes.

Next is the Base Shadow Brush (2nd Brush Down), this is a flat fluffy tapered brush which is a great all rounder when applying eyeshadow. The shape means that it can be used for packing on eyeshadow, defining the crease and blending.

The Brow Brush (3rd Brush Down) is a stiff, angled brush that gives you great precision and easy application when you're using a powder product to fill in your brows.

The Accent Brush (4th Brush Down) is a really good multi-purpose brush. To be honest with you, when I first saw it I really didn't know what on earth I'd use it for but as time has gone on I've found a lot of uses for it... Blending out pencil eyeliner, precise application of concealer on blemishes, contouring small areas such as the nose, applying lipstick, detailed eyeshadow work and precise application of pigments.

Lastly in the set is the Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush. I don't particularly like this brush for eyeliner, unless I'm aiming for a really thick line. However, this brush is good for precise application of pigment and I have found it very useful for more theatrical looks, such as fancy dress.

P.S. This Set also comes with a stand/case for the brushes, which I don't personally use, but some people people might find it useful.

The final brush in my personal collection is the Lash-Brow Groomer.(£7.99 From Boots) For years I've had those plastic lash combs, but now I have one with metal teeth I'd never go back! Finally I have a lash comb which effectively removes clumps from my lashes and leaves them looking nice and defined, rather than just poking them in different directions! The Brow side of the brush is great too for putting crazy brows in shape.

Overall I LOVE the Real Techniques Range. All of the brushes are such good quality but at a very affordable price. Also the versatility of all the brushes is so good, so even if I don't use the brushes for what they are meant for I'll find another use for them.

If you have any questions, or you have tried out any of these brushes, or any others in the range, let me know how you've got on with them in the comments below!

Thanks,

  Cameron :)

Review: Maybelline Color Tattoo

As soon as I heard about Maybelline Color Tattoos I wanted some, and when I got them I wasn't disappointed... Colour Tattoos are marketed as cream-gel eyeshadows, with vivid colour and 24 hour staying power. I got 3 of the 12 shades: Pink Gold (65), Metallic Pomegranate (70) and Permanent Taupe (40) from Superdrug for £4.99 each.

Pink Gold is a light pink colour with gold shimmer and works really well in a subtle natural-eyed look. The Metallic pomegranate is a reddish purple colour, with flecks of gold shimmer, it works well with a slightly darker look with browns or purples. And the Permanent Taupe is a matte warm grey colour and would work very well in a black/grey smokey eye.

I think these cream eyeshadows are great, whether they're being worn on their own or under a powder eyeshadow. When used as a base for powder eyeshadow I find they give the eye makeup more depth and make the colours stand out more, as well as prolonging the wear-time. The eyeshadows are extremely pigmented and creamy, they are also very easy to apply and blend. The eyshadows can also be used as gel eyeliners when used with a brush, and perform very well.

If you have any questions, or you have tried out any of the Color Tattoos, let me know how you've got on with them in the comments below!

Thanks,

  Cameron :)

Review: Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara

In my opinion eyebrows are one of the most important features of your face, as they totally frame your face and show every emotion you feel. Also everyone would look rather odd without them... I've been drawing/filling in my eyebrows for about 5 years, I can't remember why I started, but I wouldn't be without my full eyebrows now! I've always really used eye shadow with an angled brush and a clear mascara over the top (and occasionally a pencil when plucking disasters happen...) But I got really excited when I saw that Maybelline were starting to do a tinted brow gel 'sculpting brow mascara' for only £4.99 in Superdrug, which is a steal! so I had to buy it.

The brow mascara comes in pretty ordinary mascara packaging, however the wand has a ball shape on the end. The shape of this want makes it easier to apply the product from all angles, also the wand doesn't pick up too much product, so you're not left with clumpy brows. The consistency of the product is quite thin, but I see this as a positive, as it means your eyebrows will not be too harshly coloured and they still look natural. I'm sure you could build it up if you needed more.

I love this brow mascara as I find it gives good colour and definition, as well as making my eyebrows stay put all day without them feeling 'crunchy'. However, I'm not too sure how people with sparser brows would find this product, I have a feeling it would be less effective on someone without quite a full brow.

If you have any questions, or you have tried out this product, let me know how you've got on with it in the comments below!

Thanks,
  Cameron :)

Review: MAC Face And Body Foundation

MAC Face and Body Foundation is described on the MAC Cosmetics UK website as being a low to medium coverage foundation which creates a natural satin finish, with a water resistant and long-wearing formula. The foundation can be purchased in two sized bottles, 50ml and 120ml, and in a wide variety of cool (C) and warm (N) shades. The 50ml bottle retails at £21.50 and the 120ml bottle is £27.

I bought a 120ml bottle of C2 from the UK MAC website, which offered free delivery if you spent over £30, so I made sure I did (Would be rude not to!) I made the order on Friday and received the box on Tuesday. I ordered online as I realised that you could only get 50ml bottles in the department stores near me, and I'd much rather spend an extra £5.50 and get more than double the amount of product, who wouldn't?!

So, I opened the box and saw that the foundation comes in a squeezy plastic bottle, with a small plastic spout to dispense the product and a screw cap. I personally prefer this type of packaging, as I find that with glass pump bottles you can never get the last bit of foundation out, which is very frustrating as it could probably cover your face twice, if you could actually get it out! And obviously glass is much easier to break. However, some people may be put off by the packaging as it is not particularly aesthetically pleasing...

Anyway, I screwed off the lid and poured some on the back of my hand, and immediately noticed that it is very runny in consistency, almost like water. I don't particularly mind the thickness of the liquid as I think the plastic spout is good at dispensing the right amount of product, however, I wouldn't be surprised if there is an accident at some point when it ends up all over the carpet... Also, I noticed it had a rather odd smell like rubber/plastic, but this disappears as it is applied, so it's not really an issue. So, I rubbed it in gently with my fingers and saw that it has a very light coverage, as advertised. I continued to buff it in with a Crownbrush c439 and it felt like the consistency completely changed, from a thin liquid to a creamy, thick liquid.

When applying Face and Body to my face I stippled it all over my face to ensure that there was an even distribution of product and then went back in with the crownbrush c439 to buff it all in. On my face I noticed that the coverage it not enough to cover up blemishes, scars etc on its own, however it does even out skin tone well and it looks like you're not wearing any make-up! The colour I got (C2) is probably too dark for me, but when it's blended in it matches my skin completely, due to the sheer formulation of the foundation. The foundation gives a satin finish, which would look great on a person with dry skin, as I'm Oily/Combination wearing this foundation without powder is a big no-no for me as I'd be far too shiny very quickly! For the purpose of this post, I've only applied the foundation to half of my face so you can see the difference it makes.

I would say this foundation is perfect for people who want sheer looking foundation and don't need much coverage. The foundation performs very well in flash photography, so it would work very well for bridal makeup and photo shoots. The foundation wears very well and I find by the end of the day my skin still looks as good as when I first apply it. The only negatives I would have about this foundation is that Oily or Combination skin types would definitely have to use a powder to reduce shine, also, it contains no SPF so you'd have to add that in elsewhere in your skincare regime.

Overall I'd say this is a great foundation for anyone looking for a natural, 'like skin but better' look when trying to find a foundation, and the fact you get 120ml means it should last for a long time. Also, the foundation is buildable, I've tried it with two layers and it gives a better coverage without looking cakey or unnatural. A definite re-purchase from me!

Here's a picture of me wearing the foundation, concealed with Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10, set with Kryolan Anti-Shine Powder and contoured with Sleek Contour Kit in Medium.

If you have any questions, or you yourself have tried out this product, let me know how you've got on with it in the comments below!
Thanks,
  Cameron :)