Monday 21 January 2013

Feeling Pale & Miserable

Although the snow looks so pretty and wonderful, it can leave us feeling very cold, dry and morbid. I decided at the weekend that I was going to try and add some warmth to my complexion without needing to use makeup as it isn't very practical when going out in the snow and ending up with melting snow flakes on your face, I wanted a colour that would stay on without needing to worry about my make up coming off. Like most people the skin on my face is always quite a few shades lighter than the rest of my body so when I am not wearing make up I can tend to look a bit poorly.
I wanted something that was a hint of colour but nothing to false or drastic. I picked up the St Tropez gradual tanning gift set on Boxing Day that was half price and hadn't yet used either of the products so I decided to give the face tanner a go.First impressions were good as it was exactly how it was described on the label and was a white lotion formula, the scent was the typical St Tropez tan smell which is quite strong but as a fragrance lover Its not something I mind. However for someone with sensitive skin it may be a little bit to much to use a highly fragranced moisturiser on the facial area. But it is safe to say I didn't have any irritation and after doing my usual skin care regime it felt quite nice when applying and definitely made me skin much more soft and glowing even without the development of the colour. The first time I applied it was at night time and I woke up with an ever so slightly warmer complexion that looked healthier than my usual morning look, i was really pleased with it and have since applied it two more time and it has gradually built up a colour that's natural and I am very happy with it (reason why I thought it deserved a blog post)
Due to washing my face twice a day and carrying out exfoliation I think i will need to apply the face tanner 2-3 times a week in order to maintain this shade.

For anyone looking for a face tanner this one is highly recommended  I used the product which is medium/dark but there is another formulation for people with a fair skin tone which is the light/medium formulation. You can pick this up reduced from beautybay.com currently for £11.27
Thanks for reading this blog post and I hope it is helpful to those of you who are feeling a little bit pasty and pale throught these dark winter months
xxx

Monday 14 January 2013

Favourite Make-up Brushes & Reviews

These are my brushes laid out after washing and letting the brushes dry, these are the brushes I use on days when I am applying a full face of make up, if I am having a lazy day I will most commonly use my Real Techniques Stippling Brush and Blusher Brush along with some mascara. However to apply a full face of make up these are my most used brushes...



  • MAC 187 - Large Stippling Brush  (this is brilliant for using powder to set liquid foundation)
  • Real Techniques - Stippling Brush (smaller and more dense Ideal for buffing in liquid foundation for a flawless finish on the skin)
  • Real Techniques - Blusher Brush (perfect shape to be used as a contour brush or just ideal to apply blusher onto the apples of the cheeks)
  • MAC 190 - Foundation Brush (gives a smooth finish to the face with the use of liquid foundation)
  • Revlon - Foundation Brush (usually only used when the MAC foundation brush is due for cleaning)
  • No. 7 - Eye shadow Brush (something I have owned for years, which was given in a No. 7 set for Christmas one year it is actually a really good quality brush and helps reduce fall out when using highly pigmented eye shadows)
  • Royal - Large Eye Shadow Brush (best I have used for applying darker shadows to the crease, it helps you do it quickly and makes sure there isn't any harsh lines)
  • Royal - Blending Brush (can be used for both patting in eye shadows on the lid, creating a line of shadow under the water line, or can also used as a concealer brush) 
  • MAC 263 - Eye liner/Brow Brush (i use this only for my brows, its the perfect size, density to create very natural but filled in eye brows i use with a brown brow powder and setting gel)
All my brushes range in price the MAC ones being the most pricey and the Royal ones being the cheapest, however the price is irrelevant as long as the brushes are good quality, I like to explore the market to try out different types of products and tools both high end and drug store.
Please leave comments letting me know what your favourite brushes are, it would be great to find out :) <3