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Real Techniques Brushes

I have spoken a lot about Real Techniques Brushes (and their sponges too).

Real Tecniques Brushes

But, with all their new releases at the moment, which on a side note, I need everything! I thought I would bring it back to some of their basics, and the Real Techniques brushes I reach for on a daily basis.

Real Techniques Brushes

I’ve split it into face brushes and eye brushes. Just a coincidence that there’s three of each ๐Ÿ™‚

irish beauty blog

First up is one of the first Real Techniques brushes I ever bought. Although this is a newer version of it. John broke my old one when he attempted to do my makeup. You can check out the lolz in that video here. This is their Blush Brush.

affordable makeup brushes

Although I definitely do not use it for blush. I love that the fab Pixiwoo ladies always say their brushes do not need to be used for their namesake. Use them for what they work for.

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top irish beauty blog

I use the Blush Brush for bronzer. I love the tapered shape for doing some light bronzer contouring too. It’s โ‚ฌ14.99 from the Boots website here.

My next choice is their Setting Brush. It’s again tapered and like all of their brushes synthetic.

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I don’t specifically use it for it’s named purpose either. This, for me works great for setting my lids with powder rather than my face.

beauty blog ireland
beauty blogger ireland

I also use it for highlighter too. It’s โ‚ฌ9.50 from Cloud 10 Beauty here

My last face brush choice is the one I probably use the most. It’s the Cheek Brush.ย top beauty blogger irelandI use this to pack on setting powder. It’s domed and moderately dense, so I find it great for applying powder quite liberally. As well doing a good job of getting in around the nose and the brows.

top beauty blogger ireland
beauty blog

Because I have oilier skin. I tend to go in hard with the powder and then use buckets of setting spray to make me look less like a powdery mess ๐Ÿ™‚ This was part of the Nic’s Picks limited edition collection, so you can’t buy it individually unfortunately.

Onto my eye brush choices.ย beauty bloggerThese all have purple handles, and are all part of kits which is super annoying, I’m sorry. But they have such similar brushes still available and you can still find the kits in chemists and stores.

Feel Unique have the Starter Kit here, which contains the Deluxe Crease Brush.

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I bloody love this brush for under eye concealer. But I generally use it on lazy days when I just want to put a wash of colour across my lids. There’s no faffing needed, it does the job in a couple of swipes.

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dublin beauty blog

I do use my other choices for their actual purposes ๐Ÿ™‚ I love the Base Shadow Brush for building up colour on the lid.

dublin beauty blogger

It’s quite small and tapers at the tip so works great for blending and application. You can kind of blend with it as you go.

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drugstore makeup brushes

I love using it for applying loose pigments and glitter aswell. It works well with powders, creams and mixing mediums too.

My last choice is the Essential Crease Brush.

budget makeup brushes

This is just super dainty and great for precise crease work. The bristles aren’t too tightly packed so it still gives you scope to blend colour as you go.

top beauty blog
top beauty blogger

I love using this for blowing out colour on the lower lash line too.

And there you have my most used Real Techniques Brushes! I am a huge fan overall of the brand. They have brushes to cater to most budgets and needs. They are all synthetic and cruelty free. And for me, generally wash really well too. Have you a favourite?

xxx

 

Yep, It’s June Favourites 2017 time ๐Ÿ™‚

june favourites

June is my birthday month so I always think it’s extra exciting for monthly favourites, because I usually have more stuff to ramble about.

june favouritesirish beauty blog

This year’s June favourites really consist of a mixture of everything really.

 

  • My first faves were something I bought out of my birthday money.

irish beauty blogger

I am totally not cool enough for these babies, but sure I am going to wear the hell out of them anyways ๐Ÿ™‚ These are The Quay Australia X Desi Hi Key Black Fades. I bought them on Asos here. YouTube totally made me do it and I am completely OK with that :).

  • The really inexpensive eBay half lashes that I talk about can be found here, if you want a closer look at them. Definitely not great quality, but they do the job!
  • The band tees are a mixture from Primark and H&M. They are pretty much everywhere at the minute though. I am very much jumping on the bandwagon. It’s a comfortable wagon though so I feel no shame about it ๐Ÿ™‚
  • I speak more about the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and link to it here.
  • Benefit’s Hoola Bronzer is swatched and linked in a blogpost here.
  • I chat about my new favourite AMC gel liner from Inglot. I did a blogpost on my latest Inglot haul here. You can see the liner swatched and where to get it over there.
  • And then, my final pick for my June Favourites was The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution. This has such a long scary name, I know! You can read more about it on the Deciem website here.

top irish beauty blogger

I obviously ramble a lot more about these in the video here. I just like to do a blog post to accompany it with links, and to add in anything I may have forgotten.

Let me know what you think and if you have any June favourites yourself.

Thanks for clicking.

Gemma xxx

 

*****CONTAINS PR SAMPLES*****

Brushes are a crucial part of any makeup lovers arsenal. I think we sometimes forget just how important they are. I know I do. I thought I would do a run down on some of my favourite makeup brushes right now.

Favourite makeup brushes

The ones I reach for time and time again. I have accumulated alot of brushes over the years and do dip in and out of some of them. Or as I’m sure you can relate, become obsessed with one in particular and then just forget about it a month later. This makeup addict business is very fickle ๐Ÿ™‚

favourite makeup brushes

This little grouping has been in constant use over the past few months. So much so I’ve really only been washing and using them… dare I say exclusively. They are all from pretty affordable brands too. I have notions of owning some more fancy brushes in my makeup future. I find it hard to splurge though when I know there are affordable brands out there making great tools for a great price point.

There is no real rhyme or reason to this list, but if you’re in the market for a specific brush for a particular use, you might find it helpful ๐Ÿ™‚

top makeup brushes

Zoeva 102 Silk Finish:

essential makeup brushes
affordable makeup brushes

This is my go to foundation brush when I’m not using a sponge. I use and like others, this is just my most picked up. I like that it’s quite tightly packed so it doesn’t splay when you’re buffing in product. The rounded shape makes it easy to get around the contours of your face. It’s also really soft and quick to wash too. It’s โ‚ฌ14.50 from the Zoeva website here.

My next choice is in the same vein as the Silk Finish. This is like it’s little sister. The Zoeva 110 Face Shape.

Favourite Makeup Brushes_6833
zoeva

It is pretty much the same brush just a third of the size. I saw Lisa Eldridge reach for this so much in her videos, I just had to have it. I adore it for buffing in concealer and cream contour. This is โ‚ฌ13.50 here.

Next up is the Real Techniques Setting Brush:

real techniques
irish beauty blog

This is quite a small tapered brush. I use it for setting product under the eyes or for when I want to apply a light powder contour. It also works really well for highlight too. The synthetic bristles are soft and moveable. So, it doesn’t apply too much product. I found it on the Feel Unique website here for โ‚ฌ8.95.

The Zoeva 126 Luxe Cheek Finish brush has been the only blush brush I have used probably for about two years now.

irish beauty blogger
beauty blog ireland

It’s domed and is a mixture of natural and synthetic hair. It is super soft and allows you to build up product and buff it into the skin all at the same time. I love it. It is on the Zoeva website here for โ‚ฌ17.50.

The Real Techniques Blush Brush is another favourite I’ve had for a while. This one is well loved.

beauty blogger ireland
top beauty blog ireland

It has rounded duo fiber bristles. They aren’t very tightly packed on top, so I love using this for bronzer. I think it’s a bit big to use as a blush brush. It applies powder product quite sheer, so you can build up as you go which is my personal preference. This is on the Boots website at the mo for โ‚ฌ9.99 here which is great. It’s usually โ‚ฌ14.99.

The Blank Canvas F28 is my go to for applying highlight.

blank canvas cosmetics
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There’s a bit of a domed brush theme going on here, I realise. They just seem to float my beauty boat. The F28 is small and fluffy. It’s a real hair brush, so is very soft. The bristles are long in comparison to the brush size, so it works great at blending highlight really well into the skin. This is currently โ‚ฌ7.99 from the Blank Canvas website here.

My last face brush fave is another Real Techniques one. This is their Cheek Brush:

beauty blog
beauty blogger

I use this for applying face powder. As someone with oily skin, I need to apply a good layer. I like using a smaller brush to make sure I am getting powder in to the places that really need it. Like the sides of my nose and my chin. This does a great job as I can be precise, but it doesn’t cake my face in product either. There’s a fine line ๐Ÿ™‚ This was part of the Nic’s Picks Set, but I believe they do similar individually now.

The Inglot 31T is my go to for eyebrows whether I am using cream or powder:

inglot ireland
inglot cosmetics

It’s made of Taklon, so it can be used for either. It is really petite, slanted and narrow so you can be really precise with it. I’ve often used it for liner too and it washes out really well. It is โ‚ฌ14 from Inglot in store or online here.

I have four eyeshadow brushes to end things with.

The Debs from Nima is the perfect goat haired blending brush:

nima brushes
top eyeshadow brushes

It’s super soft and a little bigger than the OG Mac 217. I reach it for it more than the 217 generally because it covers more lid space and it blends out quicker as a result. It is โ‚ฌ12 from the Nima website here.

Another Nima brush I use probably more is the Crease Blender from the 5 Piece Eye Detail Set:

irish makeup blog
beauty blog ireland

It’s a natural hair brush. Great for blending out socket colours and I love it for applying washes of colour all over the lid too. The five piece set is โ‚ฌ30 from the website here.

The Large Shader brush is another favourite of mine from the set.

top irish beauty website
nima brush

I use this for the exact job it was created for. For applying base eyeshadow colours and for setting my eyeshadow primer too. Super soft and easy to use.

My final pick is the Zoeva 223 Petit Eye Blender:

top beauty blogger ireland
zoeva cosmetics ireland

It’s another Taklon brush, so great for creams. I use it to apply shadow on my lower lash line though. It’s quite dense but tapered at the top. So you can apply a good amount of product with it, blending it out as you go. A blown out lower lash line has been my go to look of late. The 223 is โ‚ฌ10.50 from the Zoeva website here.

And there you have my favourite makeup brushes right at this moment in makeup time ๐Ÿ™‚ Tell me, what are your favourites?

xxx

It’s Christmas, time to pull out the glitter and throw all the makeup on your face ๐Ÿ™‚ Here is my version of a party makeup look using all affordable products. Even most of the tools are affordable too.

Irish beauty blogger beautynook

I went simple with a gold and brown eye with some gold glitter and lashes. I wanted to create a party makeup that I would actually wear myself. As I say in the video though, 2017 will hopefully be the year, I get out of my comfort zone a bit video wise and be a little braver with my makeup.

Party Makeup

I mention all the products I use in the video as I go along, but to recap:

party makeup

Primer: Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser.

Foundation: Catrice HD Liquid Coverage (review here). Mixed with L’Orรฉal True Match. Full review here.

I used the Real Techniques Miracle Sculpting Sponge to apply them and have my full thoughts on that here.

Concealer: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind and the Collection Instant Perfection.

Brows: Nyx Micro Brow Pencil and the Freedom Duo Brow Powder. My full brow routine using both of these is here.

Primer: Flormar Eye Perfection Primer in Bright Illuminator.

Eyes: Sleek Strobing Soufflรฉ in Smoky Quartz and the Diamonds In The Rough Rockstars Palette. I have swatches of both of these here. Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave Palette. There is a full review of this here.

Glitter liner is from Catrice. Mascara is the Catrice Glam & Doll Waterproof mascara which I have a review of here. The liner I use to tighlight is the Maybelline Master Precise Skinny Liner. I actually only reviewed it here this week.

Lashes are Kiss in the style ‘Ritzy’.

Cream contour was Colourpop Sculpting Stix in ‘Dove’.

I used the Nyx Highlight & Contour Pro Palette. I have up close swatches of this here.

Blush: Makeup Revolution Ultra Blush Palette in ‘Sugar & Spice.

Highlight: Sleek Solstice Palette. I have swatches of this here.

Bronzer: Note Bronzing Powder in 10.

Powder: Paese Rice Powder.

Lips: Penneys PS Love Lipliner in number 6 with Rimmel’s The Only One Matte Lipstick in 200 ‘Salute. I have lots of these swatched in a blogpost here.

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top irish beauty blog
Party makeup done ๐Ÿ™‚

beauty blog irelandirish beauty blogParty Makeup

Sometimes it takes a village, I am happy with how it turned out though. I do love a bit of sparkle.

You can watch the video by clicking above or directly on my YouTube channel here.

I’ll stop rambling now, Merry Christmas!!

xxx

 

 

 

 

I know it’s a tad early, but Christmas is only a few weeks away now. I am a big fan of Santy season, I’ll take any excuse to talk about it here on Beautynook ๐Ÿ™‚ I haven’t done a Get Ready With Me style video in a while so, I thought I would start the season off with a Festive Makeup GRWM ๐Ÿ™‚

festive makeup get ready with me

I reckon I can call it festive makeup because I added some Christmas music over it and used a bit of sparkle.

I did speed the video up, but I edited very little of it out, so this is my makeup pretty much from start to finish, just 4 times as fast. I was going out that night so I did apply a fair bit of slap, but sure we’re all makeup lovers here, right? ๐Ÿ™‚

beauty blog ireland
irish beauty blogger

Some of the main products I used were:

  • Dermalogica Hydra Blur Primer.
  • L’Oreal Infallible 24 HR Matte (full review here). Mixed with the L’Oreal True Match Foundation.
  • Nyx Micro Brow Pencil (full review here).
  • Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer with the Too Faced Born This Way one over top.
  • theBalm Put A Lid On It Eyeshadow Primer (review here).
  • WetnWild Dual Ended Contour Stick (Video on this here).
  • Too Faced Merry Macaron Palette.
  • Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette (Post on this here).
  • Fairydrops Scandal Queen Waterproof Mascara (Review here).
  • Hourglass Mood Exposure Blush. (You can see it swatched here).
  • theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer (Review here).
  • L’Oreal Infallible Fixing Mist. (Review here).

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Anything I missed and you are curious about, just ask ๐Ÿ™‚ As always, you can watch the video above by just clicking on it. Or head over to my YouTube channel here to watch my festive makeup get ready with me video there.

As always thanks for taking the time to click. I personally love watching these types of videos as well as making them myself.

Happy Christmas….countdown ๐Ÿ™‚

xxx

 

I am not really one for dressing up at Halloween. #partypooper alert I know. It’s just never really been my thing. So John suggested for me to do my Halloween Makeup Look for this weeks video.

irish beauty vlogger

As in the makeup I would actually wear if we were up to anything. Although we will probably end up just staying in and watching some scary films and filling our faces with popcorn ๐Ÿ™‚ But, I thought it was a cool idea to go all out orange for the day that’s in it. And if you’re like me and you just cannot be bothered to venture out too far, this Halloween Makeup Look might float your boat.

halloween makeuptop irish beauty blog

I went a bit overboard with the orange and used some new products to me. Overall, I was really happy with how the look turned out though and it is something I would actually wear.

Halloween makeup
irish beauty youtuber
irish beauty blog
halloween makeup

How much of a difference does makeup make though?? I do love a good before and after ๐Ÿ™‚

You can watch the video directly on my Youtube channel as always here. I know if you’re a Youtube fiend like me it might be easier to watch there ๐Ÿ™‚

I used an abundance of products I know, but I just wanted to have some fun and play around with makeup. I think I name everything I used. But, if I missed anything or you have any questions feel free to leave them down below. I do enjoy a makeup natter ๐Ÿ™‚

 

As always thank you so much for taking the time to click on this and watch. I am like a broken record now, but I really really appreciate it. Have a brilliant Halloween Bank Holiday Weekend whatever you get up too.

Gemma

xxx