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Real techniques

Make-up

Internet Haul – Real Techniques & Make-Up Revolution

April 29, 2014

Haul April

I’ve been doing some big hauling recently, but this is the last for one a loooong time!

I’ve been dying to try out some of the bits and pieces from Make-Up Revolution, so when I saw their Easter offer of a free gift with every purchase I had to take advantage!

Make Up Revolution Haul

 

The first thing I knew I had to have was the Scandalous Lip Collection (£1 each), the blue lipstick in particular called out to me and I’m already in love with it! I haven’t tried foiling eye-shadow in a while so I thought I’d give the Awesome Metals Foil Finish (£4.00) set a try. No Make-Up Revolution haul would be complete without trying out one of their much talked about eyeshadow palettes! I chose Sticks and Stones (£4.00) but really I want them all!  My last pick was the Vivid Blush Laquer in Bloom (£3.00), I figured I have a whole host of bright blushes but not many subtle ones! My free gift with the Easter special offer was two Pure Pigment Eye Dusts in Levity and Cautious (worth £1 each),  a black Kajal (worth £2) and a lovely minty nail polish in Cool Days (worth £1)

So far the quality of all the products looks amazing for the price and I can’t wait to have a play with them all!

Real Techniques Haul

 

I’ve been after some more Real Techniques brushes for a while, but when I found this amazing offer on Ebay I had to grab them right away! I got the Core Collection, Travel Essentials and Eye Starter Kit worth just over £60 for only £40 (with P&P added in) from this American ebay listing! You can read Amie’s review of all the sets here! I also got a cute NYX lipgloss as a free gift!

My to-review pile is stocking up, so I’m now officially on a spending ban! No more beauty products for the whole of May, can I keep it up? Argh. We will see! I still have packages to come from Latest in Beauty and Geek Chic Cosmetics so that should keep me going!

Totally hellbent for one last spending splurge!

– Gem

Make-up

Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush Review

April 9, 2014
Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush Review

Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush Review

Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush Review

 

I am -rubbish- at applying eye-liner! Considering it’s one of my make-up staples you’d think I would be better at applying it by now, but no, every day is a war on even level lines that I inevitably loose and then have to  start all over again…till now!

When I first saw this brush launched I just knew I had to add it to my Real Techniques collection, I’ve been on the search for -the- eye-liner brush since forever and with the fantastic reputation of the brand I had a good feeling that this could be it.

First up let’s go over the basics, as with all Real Techniques brushes the Silicone Liner Brush has a signature colour coded handle (purple for eye brushes) with a black end; simple but effective and iconic. The handle itself is very slim as to be expected with a fine liner brush, but doesn’t feel too fiddly.

As for the tip itself, make from flexible silicone it is soft enough to not cause drag along the eye-lid, but rigid enough to draw the straightest of lines. The tip is tiny and perfect for getting right into the lash-line, in fact as a whole the brush is versatile enough to do everything from the most subtle lining to the biggest most dramatic looks you can imagine. I had no problem whatsoever picking up product with it, though of course it’s not as absorbent as a bristle brush so I did have to reload between eyes.

One of the things really worth raving about though is how easy this brush is to clean! Deep cleaning brushes is the bane of every beauty lovers life and it takes me a good few hours to get through my collection. Lip brushes and eye-liner brushes are always the worst though, often setting hard making them completely unusable till you’ve used half a bottle of brush cleaner on them – well no more! You can simple wipe away any residue with a tissue or baby-wipe after each use and it looks band spanking new again!

Real Techniques Silicone Liner

Overall I can’t recommend the Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush enough, in fact that goes for every Real Techniques brush I’ve tried (you can check out my review on the Duo-Fibre set here and Amie’s massive post on the Core Collection, Starter Kit and Travel Essentials here). There’s a reason they are so coveted amongst bloggers and make-up artists, because they consistently deliver fantastic brushes at a more than reasonable cost.

Have you tried this brush yet?

You can pick up the Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush for £5.99 from Boots.com

Totally hellbent for anything that makes eyeliner fast, simple and easy!

– Gem

Make-up

Real Techniques Brush Collection

March 4, 2014

travel-ess-stand

 

Ever since Gem has discovered how beautiful these brushes are, I too unfortunately sucumbed to their spell and have been pulled into the Real Techniques obsession. Luckily for me, Gemma started my collection off by purchasing not one set, but three of these bad boys for my birthday.

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Core Collection Kit

This set comes with a contour brush, pointed foundation brush, detailer brush and buffing brush.

From Left to Right:

Contour Brush – The first thing I noticed about this brush, is that it’s slightly domed towards the tip and I’ve been using this for contouring ever since getting my hands on this set. This brush is perfect for defining my cheeks with bronzer, the sides of my nose and also my jawline, although I don’t use this for highlight or blush. Although this is slightly domed, the brush itself is quite fluffy which is great for blending, ensuring I don’t end up looking like I’ve drawn a few brown lines from each ear to the corner of my mouth.

Pointed Foundation Brush – I’ve used quite a few foundation brushes in my time, but this one is so soft, and having used it a few times now, it isn’t congealed with foundation and is pretty easy to clean. I was worried at first that the brush wasn’t big enough for my face, but actually because it is pointed, it ensures an even coverage by getting into the hard to reach places (namely around piercings). Definitely not an every day brush, but I am favouring this over all my other foundation brushes.

Detailer Brush – This is mainly for “problem areas” or lipstick – I’ve been using it to apply my concealer and it seems to be working quite well. My only major issue with this brush is it’s not as fluffy as the others, but this is Okay because the last brush makes up for it! It didn’t wow me as much as the others but I’m still finding it hard to pick out any flaws.

Buffing Brush – Why haven’t I had the pleasure of using this before? This can be used to apply loose powder or mineral powder but I’ve been using it after my foundation and concealer to blend and buff my base to perfection. It’s such a simple thing but honestly, it’s done wonders for me.

 

 

real-tech-gold

 

Real Techniques Core Collection Kit – £20.99 from Feel Unique

starter-boxed

Starter Set

This is by far my favourite set of the three. Predominantly for eyes, this literally has all the brushes a girl could ever need to perfect the simplest to the most dramatic eyes. With an amazing 5 brushes, it’s well worth the money to start any brush collection.

From Left to Right:

Deluxe Crease Brush – Although designed to fit in the crease of your eye socket, I’ve actually been using this as a base and blending brush. My eyes are quite little, but unfortunately if I blend my darker shadow too much, I end up looking like a drag queen – I just can’t pull it off! In my opinion, this definitely works better for applying my base colour, because it’s fluffier and bigger too, it blends like a dream.

Base Shadow Brush – This brush I’ve been using too add my middle colour and blending it into my darkest. It’s nice and fluffy but not as big as the crease brush, which means its perfect for my little eyes and means I don’t go overkill on the darker shadows. The best thing about this brush is that even if I only throw on some eye shadow in a few minutes before going out, it looks absolutely amazing!

Accent Brush – This definitely completes the look along with the two above. I’ve been using this mostly to add my darker colour to my crease, and the base shadow brush to then blend my darker shades together. It’s absolutely perfect and the best thing about it has got to be being able to use it under my eye to create a smoky look, since the brush is small and flat.

Pixel Point Eye-liner Brush – I haven’t actually used this brush yet, when applying gel eye-liner, I tend to use my Loreal Brush and I haven’t found anything that beats it yet. Having said that, I may give this one a go and see if it lives up to the other brushes in this set. If it doesn’t, it’s a perfect shape and feel for applying lipstick.

Brow Brush – I didn’t think I was going to use this brush. For my eyebrows, I use an old Gel eye-liner brush which has short and stiff bristles, perfect for defining my outline, and a smaller brush similar to an eye-liner brush to blend my brows. I tried this one just so I knew how it applied and since doing so, this has now replaced one of my other brushes and I’ve used it every day. It’s just the right shape to fill in my brows and blend the harsher outline to make them look more natural and is also brilliant for applying my clear gel top coat to keep my brows from straying here there and everywhere.

real-tech-starter

Real Techniques Starter Set – £20.99 from Feel Unique

travel-ess-boxed

Travel Essentials Kit

After watching some of the video reviews available on the Real Techniques website, apparently you can take this anywhere and not need any other brushes. I’m inclined to believe this and if I ended up stranded with no other tools except these, I could definitely get by with just these three.

From Left to Right:

Essential Foundation Brush –  I love this brush for full face foundation coverage – the speed in which I can apply is brilliant with this brush and it doesn’t hold too much product either. It does mean that I can cover my face before my foundation begins to dry, teamed with the pointed foundation brush and it’s a match made in heaven.

Domed Shadow Brush – I have also been using this as a blending brush and it’s so so soft! This is also a brush I’ve been taking out with me to keep my eyeshadow in check or turn day makeup to almost stage ready makeup.

Multi-task Brush – Another firm favourite of mine – Kabuki brush move aside because you have been well and truly replaced. I absolutely thrive off using this to apply my powder – the bristles are far enough apart for them not to hold too much product and coverage is even and beautifully flawless. I’m not even sure I would go back to my Kabuki now that I’ve been using this.

real-tech-travel-ess

Real Techniques Travel Essentials Kit – £20.99 from Feel Unique

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It’s safe to say that I am absolutely smitten with these brushes – but one of the best things about all three is that they come in a case that also serves as a stand, whether you are applying make-up in a service station (as Gem and I often indulge in on the way to gigs) or just want them displaying nicely on your dressing table, they are a great extra. The cases also have space for additional brushes, although I fear I will never fit all of mine in them when I take them out and about! I honestly do not need any more brushes after finding these – although I’m sure I will find a way of talking myself into buying others down the line!

These are absolutely brilliant sets, perfect for those who want to invest in some brushes but arn’t sure what to buy and also not too pricey considering how wonderful they all are – not to mention the fact that the Real Techniques website has lots of tips and tricks for you to try out with your new brushes here.

Have you tried any of the Real Techniques brushes? If so I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can also view Gemma’s review of her Limited Edition Duo Fibre set here.

Totally hellbent for a purely effortless face thanks to brushes.

Pants

 

Make-up

Real Techniques Limited Edition Duo-Fibre Collection

January 22, 2014

real Techniques duo fibre collection

 

When the Real Techniques brushes launched a while back, the blogosphere went into total melt down over them, and my lust to own some grew and grew! It’s harder than you think to find synthetic pro-standard make-up brushes that don’t cost the earth, but finally I have found my match in make-up brush heaven!

IMG_7355The duo-fibre collection contains three brushes – a face brush, a contour brush and a eye brush. There’s no travel case as with the core collection sets, instead they arrived housed in a spongy tray. I don’t think it’s intended to be used as storage but I have kept mine for the time being as it makes them super easy to find in my brush collection!

IMG_7362

 

All three brushes are made from ridiculously soft synthetic taklon that feel amazing on the skin, with a design that means they pick up only the minimum of product. The face brush is perfect for daytime powdering, there’s literally no way your powder can cake with how delicately this applies! You can also apply liquid and cream products, but I think by far this works best will loose or pressed powers.

The contour brush is perfect for building up blusher, bronzer or highlighter to a very natural look, no more frantic rubbing because your blush brush picked up half the pan! I reckon this would make a sneaky foundation brush too if you were hard pushed as it’s dense enough and a good shape!

The eye brush for me is a perfect blending tool, so light and fluffy! I’ve been trying this out as a crease brush too, and though it does work well enough I think I’ll be using it for blending more than anything else.

Overall I would definitely recommend these to absolutely everyone. The face brush alone is worth the investment – I’ve yet to find another brush that applies powder as flawlessly light. If you want to get your hands on this set, I’d do so quickly as they are a special edition so could quite easily be gone if you linger in indecisive territory!

Available for £23.99 from Boots.com.

Totally hellbent for fabulous affordable cruelty free brushes!

– Gem