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My Top Five Eyeshadow Brushes

When I say top five eyeshadow brushes, I don’t mean you have to run out and buy these specific brushes. I just mean having similar brushes in your life will make your eyeshadow application a little bit easier.

I’m a firm believer in letting your eyeshadow brushes do the work for you. Obviously, makeup lovers tend to accumulate alot of brushes over time, but if you take care of yours, I think 5 (or so) will get you through any makeup look.

First and foremost, you need a blending brush.

Blending brushes can be used for pretty much everything.

The Mac 217 is probably the most infamous blending brush, but most brands have their own version of them nowadays. I use a blending brush for applying my crease colour and blending it out softly . As they have a rounded top, you use the higher bristles to apply the products and then diffuse it using the whole of the brush. It’s handy to have two blending brushes in your collection so if the one you are using gets too much product on it, you can switch, but you can always just wipe it off as you go. Noone wants a muddy crease line do they? 🙂 A blending brush works just as good for applying colour all over the lid to, so it’s a bit of a multi tasker in your arsenal which is never a bad thing.

For more defined crease work a tapered brush will come in very handy.

These are just examples of what I use, but again anything similar you can get your hands on will work fine. You just want a soft(ish) brush with a more pointed top. It will let you isolate the colour more when adding it to the crease, so you get a more distinct line there, but you can still use it to feather out the colour if it’s looking a bit too harsh.

A flat brush is a great one to have in your collection too and is definitely a part of my top five eyeshadow brushes list.

Something you can pack colour onto the lid with. It’s great to have a bigger one and a smaller one, but whatever your budget allows is really ok. You just don’t want something too big, unless you’re just using it for washes of colour all across the lid.

I think a pencil brush is another essential brush to have in your collection.

Like a blending brush, they can be used for a plethora of reasons. To apply colour under the lash line, above the lashline, in the tear duct, on the brow brone, or for applying very precise lines in the crease, if you are being particularly fancy.

Finally, I think an eyeliner brush is a must.

I think which one you choose comes down to comfortability really. Whether you are a bent liner brush gal, a straight thin brush, or one of an angled variety, there’s one of to suit all.

There are so many brands out there now that do fab eyeshadow brushes, for all different uses and price points. Sigma, Zoeva, Louise Young, Real Techniques, Mac the list is endless. And us Irish have some fab brands on our doorstep like Nima Brushes and Blank Canvas Cosmetics which is pretty brilliant.

When it comes to real hair or synthetic, just remember don’t apply liquid products with real hair brushes, it will soak up all the product and it will probably damage your brushes in the process too. Synthetic brushes are much more suited to this and you can apply powder with them aswell.

There you have it my top five eyeshadow brushes. I hope that was somewhat helpful, if you’re in the market. If you have any more questions, just ask me in the comments sure 🙂

Thanks for reading.

xxx

August 5, 2015/6 Comments/by Gem

Skincare, Tanning

Tanning with The Tan & Glove Your Body

I was lucky enough to the head of the launch of the newest Irish tan on the market a while ago. Simply named The Tan, It was created by the beauty powerhouse duo The Jenns who own the very gorgeous Vanity Rooms in Stepaside.

Let me start by saying…I bloody love this tan! I am down to the bare bones of this bottle of their Super Hydrating Liquid Gel Tan already.

Tanning if I’m honest is such a faff I don’t enjoy the process at all. The scrubbing, the application…the drying oh the drying. Standing on a towel naked with your arms and legs akimbo in the middle of your bedroom for 40 minutes waiting for tan to dry is one of the most annoying things to do in the world right?

Well I can honestly say you won’t have that problem with The Tan, it dries so quickly, I was astonished, five minutes and I was able to put clothes on without any transfer or sticky residue, hurrah!

So onto application.

My skin started out before showering with some left over tan on from the week before.

Here’s my lovely freckly Irish arm skin in all it’s glory 🙂

Before Using The Scrub Your Body Exfoliating Mitt

I used the Scrub Your Body Exfoliating Mitt from Glove Your Body, with the Dove Deeply Nourishing Body Wash which I reviewed here. I am loving this combo at the minute when I really want to scrub my skin. The mitt is is gritty but doesn’t pull the skin, and the body wash is lovely and foaming so together they do a great job of getting rid of all the dead skin cells and the remainder or tan or product you may have on your skin without stripping it completely. The Scrub Your Body will cost you €9.99 here

It’s not the most photogenic product in your beauty arsenal, but it does its job very well 🙂

After Using the Scrub Your Body Exfoliating Mitt

So next step is applying The Tan. I have been using the Glove Your Body Tanning Mitt to apply my tan for the last few weeks and I have to say I am really enjoying it.

Glove Your Body is another Irish owned company which is fantastic. The Mitt itself is quite big as you can see. Inside, it has little elasticated rings to hold all your fingers in place…I know pretty nifty right? It means your fingers can still grip but you have the handiness of a flat surface on the outside on the mitt itself. The Glove Your Body is really soft and can be used on both sides without any products getting through and ruining your hands. It is also really durable, you can just pop it in the washing machine and it comes out like new! It will set you back €19.99 but it will last you a really long time so I for one think it’s worth the investment.

I am not a professional tanner, I just dive in and hope for the best 🙂

So, I apply some of The Tan Super Hydrating Liquid Tan Gel onto my glove.

I find the Glove Your Body doesn’t soak up any of the product so you can do a little a time. I start from the bottom of my body up in small circular motions personally but whatever works for you is a ok 🙂

The Tan gel is tinted so it’s really easy to see which I love, as I am forever missing spots! After application, your skin will already have a hint of colour which is handy if you have somewhere to be straight away. The Tan is a gel formula so it doesn’t slip and slide when you apply it, it soaks in really quickly and you are left with soft non sticky skin.

After Applying The Tan

As you can see my pasty freckly arm already has a bit of colour, and that’s before development.

I tend to leave my tan on to develop overnight but you of course do whatever works for you skin.

The next day, my skin looks a bit like this.

The Tan The Next Day Before Showering

The Tan develops into a night golden tan with no streaks. I’ve applied The Tan now on my skin probably about six times, and it didn’t streak any of those times. When applying it has a nice watermelon scent. It does smell slightly when developing, but honestly I have never ever used a tan that doesn’t yet!

The Tan After Showering

After showering I am left with a nice golden colour much more pleasing to my eyes anyway then the pasty red toned skin after scrubbing 🙂 Some people were blessed with lovely porcelain white skin…I was not 🙁

The Tan Super Hydrating Liquid Gel Tan has lovely ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid, Shea Butter and Sunflower Seed Oil. The Jenns say this mix helps your tan fade evenly. I think it really does. I don’t find it goes patchy at all, if you stop using it and exfoliate it just disappears.

Overall, I am loving The Tan products. I use their Gradual Daily moisturiser too when I want to prolong my tan and like the Hydrating Liquid Gel it soaks in super quick and leaves you skin feeling soft.

If you don’t like to tan yourself, The Vanity Rooms also offer professional spray tan using their products, so you don’t need to miss out 🙂 Well done Jenns, you are a force to be reckoned with. The Hydrating Liquid Gel will cost you €19.99 and the Gradual Daily Bronzer is €14.99

Also, Glove Your Body is such a handy tanning tool as is the Scrub Your Body Exfoliating mitt, I am completely converted..

Take it from a tanning novice, these products combined do the job and do it well 🙂

xxx

July 20, 2015/2 Comments/by Gem

Current Faves From Catrice Cosmetics

I picked up some bits not too long ago on a bit of a shopping spree from Catrice Cosmetics and I have been loving them and using them alot. I thought I would share some of them with you in case you are in the market for some afforable lovelies 🙂

First up is their All Matt Plus Shine Control Makeup.

I got the shade 015 Vanilla Beige which is a pretty good neutral match for my pink toned skin.

It has a light coverage and is shiny when you first apply but dulls down as it dried into your skin.

This is a good foundation, it lasts well (powdered) on my oily skin and doesn’t oxidise. It isn’t too drying or cakey and it blends really well. It is also buildable for us girls who like a more medium coverage.

Next up on my Catrice love fest is one of their Ultimate Shine Gel Colour Lipsticks.

This is in the shade 080 Russian Violette. These are like a hybrid lipstick lipgloss. They are not sticky and are really pigmented. They feel balmy on the lips so good for days when your lips are not in tip top condition. Also I am in love with this colour.

It’s a purpley pinky lipstick of loveliness and I have been picking it up so much over the past few weeks. It’s so easy to throw on and lasts really well.

My last two Catrice finds are two of their Liquid Metal Eyeshadows.

I threw these into my basket because they looked cool in the pan, I have to be honest. They have a cool wavy effect to them and I couldn’t say no :p

The first one is called 070 Gold Leaf Me and is a kind of pewter cool toned gold colour.

The second one is called 100 What Do You Sea? My description of this would be nearly a green toned blue, if this exists? It is blue but there’s an element of green in there too.

The name Liquid Metal, sums these shadows up quite well I think. They are opaque when built up but you can also just use them for a wash of colour on the lids too. I have used them wet aswell and it brings the metal element out in the colour even more. They are smooth and they blend too which is not always the case for cheaper shadows.

Catrice have really upped their game in the last couple of years. They have such a diverse range of products for all types of makeup users. Everything is reasonably priced, and they are constantly bringing out new collections and products to keep us wanting more. I know I do 🙂

xxx

March 9, 2015/2 Comments/by Gem

Gem’s Favourite Liquid Foundations of the Moment (For Oily Skin).

I am coming at you today with a few of my favourite liquid foundations of the moment. I tend to have a lot on the go at any one time testing them out and seeing how they fair. I have not got the best skin. It is overall very oily with some random dry patches and I tend to get breakouts quite alot, so for me foundation is pretty important and I use it everyday to even out my skin which has pink undertones . I would be an NC20 in MAC.

The first of the foundations I want to talk about is the purse friendly Revlon Colorstay which you can pick up in nearly all Boots and on their website for close to 18 euro.

Revlon Colorstay Foundation Oily/Combination Skin

Sigma Flat Top Kabuki Brush

This foundation comes in two formulas oily/combination and dry. Of course I use the oily/combination version. It’s thick in consistency so you don’t need a whole lot and it dries to a matt finish. It’s medium to full coverage depending on how much you build it, so if you want a light layering maybe for work or just for daytime, I suggest adding a little moisturiser to it to loosen it a bit. I don’t feel doing this adds any more oil (to my skin anyway). My favourite way to apply this foundation is with a flat dense kabuki brush or with my fingers, for a lighter layer. Working it into the skin with a dense brush tends to make the product work better for you and cover any large pores so less concealer is needed. I really like the Revlon Colorstay and feel it wears pretty well on me throughout the day and is good for nights out as it only has an SPF of 6 so doesn’t have much or any flashback in photos 😉 I think it will always be in my arsenal of foundations.

The next foundation I want to chat about it a pretty new one to my collection and it is the Jouer Matte Moisture Tint. I picket this up on Cult Beauty for 30 pound so it would definitely be classed as a “higher end foundation”.

Jouer Moisture Tint

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

As the name implies this is a mattifying foundation but has all the benefits of a moisturising foundation. I would class this as a heavy duty tinted moisturiser with light but build-able coverage. It is oil free and fragrance free so good for any of you sensitive oily ladies out there! The texture of this foundation is like nothing I have ever used before, it is nearly like a gel which makes it very easy to blend. I tend to use my fingers if I am in hurry with this or a Real Techniques Buffing Brush as its not very dense and distributes the product nicely. I really like The Jouer Matte Moisture Tint, it wears well, however it is not great over blemishes, it can cake around them so you have to be careful of that when blending it. This had an SPF 15, so it is suited better for day wear. I wear the shade Linen.

Next on my list is the MakeUpForever Mat Velvet +. You can buy this from the MakeUpForever shop in Clarendon street in Dublin which I am lucky to live quite close to or on their website for 35 euro (again another high end foundation).

MakeupForever Mat Velvet +

Sigma Round Top Kabuki Brush

The bottle in the picture above is empty, so I guess that’s a sign I like this foundation :). This is my” I’m late for work” product. Squeezable bottle, medium coverage and lovely to blend, so doesn’t need much attention. It is oil free and water resistant so lasts pretty well on the skin throughout the day with a light layer of powder on top. It doesn’t tend to oxidise on my skin which is brilliant. It does not have an SPF so if you want to protect yourself layer it up underneath. I apply this with fingers in a hurry or a dense kabuki foundation brush. I find the brush really helps gets the product into the skin. I may have to repurchase this, I’ve talked myself into it 🙂 I wear the shade 30.

My final choice of the minute (although I could ramble on for hours) is the Estée Lauder Double Wear Light. You can buy this in Debenhams or any other place that has an Estée Lauder counter. It retails for 36.50 Euro. Another pricey one I know sorry, I must be going through a phase .

Esteé Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Real Techniques Expert face Brush

This is my heading out on the town foundation. I also own the original Double Wear in the glass bottle which I love but it is much harder to work and I am lazy so the light one is better for me. Don’t be fooled the word “light” in my opinion does not mean a lighter coverage foundation, this is a full coverage foundation and is hardcore stuff so needs to be used carefully. I apply it in light layers, letting each one dry as I go with a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. It is a wet foundation and applies shiny to the skin, but sets quick and stays really well throughout the night. Honestly, only if I am in a really hot place or out til’ all hours of the morning do I really feel the need to touch up. This foundation covers like a dream, and is great in pictures even with an SPF of 10. I wear the shade 2.0 Intensity. This is not my colour match its probably about 2 shades darker, as I would have false tan on wearing it.

These are just a few of the liquid foundations I am using at the moment. I tend to vary my foundations depending on where I am going, if I am wearing tan and how much coverage I want that day. I will never be the girl who just has one foundation and sticks to it. However I think Revlon Colorstay and Estée Lauder Double Wear Light will be in my collection for a long time to come, as well as Mac Face and Body which I always keep a hold of for the summer time as it can be used on the face and any other body parts that might need an extra bit of coverage.

As I have oily skin I always prep my skin with primer and set with powder, my next blog post will go into more detail about this so keep an eye out for that 🙂

Let me know if you have any foundation suggestions for oily skin, I am always on the look out and have a shopping problem so would love to know.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Gemma xxx

January 22, 2014/4 Comments/by Gem

OPI Liquid Sand Nail Polish Review

So let me start out by saying this stuff is not for the girls who like a nice clean, classic type of nail polish. This stuff is for us who like to be a bit more experimental when it comes to our talons. I introduce to you OPI’s offering of the chunky, glittery, almost sand like (hence the name) polishes. I own two shades of these. The blue is “Tiffany Case” and the purple “Can’t let go”.

To use you use you just put your base coat on as usual, then it takes about two layer of this stuff to make it opaque.

The above is a picture of one layer of “Tiffany Case” to the left and then two layers to the right it’s quite chunky in consistency but it’s easy enough to work with and not too gloopy which is good. It is pretty quick to dry so it is less time consuming than standard polish and you don’t need a top coat. The whole point of the polish is the gritty texture and it last pretty well without any help! I personally love the texture and I think it looks like 3D glitter on the nails and who doesn’t love a bit of glitter :).

The blue shade is definitely my favourite of the two, “Can’t let go” is more of a muted, darker colour with less shine to it, but it really is a personal preference

Polishes like this are great for us normal people who are not experts in the nail department but like to try our best to jazz up our fingers, it’s the little things, right? :). I buy my OPI polishes in Sally’s Salon Services.

Thanks for taking the time to read, and any questions or tips are greatly appreciated in the comments section below. We all love learning new things 🙂

Gemma

xxx

January 8, 2014/by Gem