REAL TECHNIQUES NIC'S PICKS

Real Techniques have ruled by brush collection for more than enough time for me to know I love their range, and when this set dubbed Nic's Picks came out I knew I would be getting my hands on it, a range of brushes chosen into a set by a professional herself, in stunning silver packaging - I was sold. Each brush holds a different purpose for me, and I love every single one.

The Duo Fibre Brush is the one I use daily for powdering my base, as it offers a light dusting and does not overpower any of my makeup. This is not dense at all, so you won't be looking flat faced at all, and this brush is a staple from me, and it's also brilliant if you are a bit scared of blush like myself, as it offers just a light sweep of colour.

The Cheek Brush is exclusive to the collection, and from looking at pictures I imagined it to be like the Expert Face Brush, but it is rather different, as it is larger, with longer bristles yet still rather dense (although not quite as much). This is also good for blush, especially cream products and bronzer too as it seems to get the same perfect for my face.

The Angled Shadow Brush is another exclusive to the set, and this is a good one for crease work, especially if you want to define with a matte shadow, as it fits right into the socket. I didn't think I would like this one so much, but I've got quite a lot of use from it and it is super handy for a range of eye looks, from everyday neutral to an intense smokey eye.

The Base Shadow Brush was the one I was really looking forward to trying, as I'd heard so much praise about it, and boy is it good. It applies colour and blends colour seamlessly and honestly if you only had to get one brush, make it this. It's slightly tapered making for easy blending and I use this no matter what look I am going for. It's a winner.

Finally, another exclusive in the form of the Eyeliner Brush, a short, firm angled brush which is superb for a strong gel liner wing, or even for pressing a dark brown or black shadow into the lashline for some less intense definition. I also like this for a strong brow with an eyeshadow, as you can be really precise with your application and with a little extra time you can almost mimic some hair strands as it is such a fine brush.

I certainly have me eye on the bold metals collection too, though I'm not sure my budget will allow for it, but the Flat Contour brush from that range is most certainly on my wishlist.

SLEEK BLUSH BY 3: LACE

Sleek blushes aren't stocked near me, but they are definitely some of my favourite blushes out there (my Face Form has huge circles gleaming silver in where I have hit pan for the reference), so when I saw the Blush By 3 in Lace for £5 in my local Tesco I nearly wept (with joy).

There are two matte shades, a bright vibrant orange called Chantilly, and a hot red-pink dubbed as Crochet. The formula of these two are nice, not too buttery nor too chalky but the right balance that allows them to really stain the cheeks and create a long lasting colour. The shimmer is called GUiPure or something(?!), but is a stunning colour. Think Sleek Rose Gold but lighter, and I really love the look of it swatched and kind of packed on - it reminds me of a sunset, what more could you want?

These could possibly be some of the brightest powder blushes I now own and I am really inspired to try more from the Sleek blush range now, let's hope Tesco get some more trios into the clearance so I can get a collection going! But, saying that I would definitely pay full price for these, as three blushes in one place for £9.99 is a brilliant deal, and what sounds like a travelling essential...

MINIMALIST BLUSH

When it comes to the spring, I either go to the bright blushes (which I already posted about here), or the natural looking, barely there shades that I can sweep on in a matter of seconds, and those are what I'll be sharing today, featuring an old favourite and a new addition.

The golden oldie is the Dainty Doll Cream Blush in Paper Roses, a pale pink with a hint of silver shimmer, and whenever I slap this one on my cheeks (read: gently tap on and blend with a brush), I always seem to get compliments and questions on my cheek colour, which makes this one an instant winner.

The new love is the Rimmel Mono Blush in Santa Rose, which is slightly more peachy so is less noticeable on the cheeks. This is a firm blogger favourite, and I can tell why. Its slightly shimmery, natural toned, and adds a light flush to the cheeks, and using the contour brush to just focus is on certain areas of the cheeks is my way to go about using this one.

2 blushes, 2 brushes, and the perfect no frills cheeks...

BARGAIN STILA PRODUCTS

I love a good sale. Even when I am on a spending ban, one incredible sale popped up on the Stila website and I simply couldn't resist, and obviously I am going to write a blog post about my bargainous finds.

So, basically, Stila incredibly discounted tons of their products, including sets, individual products, and some limited edition items, and the thing which made up my mind was the free shipping - result. I picked out 2 sets which I am so happy with and I will be more than happy to review them in the future if you wish.

Firstly, I found the Smudge Stick Eyeliner Set for an incredible £6.25, which contains 5 shades of what is a bestselling liner. Although I have complaints about the packaging and the often faulty twist-up mechanism, I can get round it because the colours are divine.
 You get Moray, which is a stunning olive base with some green and almost rust coloured shimmer, which only shows withing certain lights. You also get Oscar Fish which is a brown liner, with some reddish shimmer in there which I adore. Next up is Angelfish which was the one I was most excited about, which is a nude shimmery liner, with almost a slight hint of greyish lilac to it, but only slightly. Then there is Stargazer; a black liner with sliver glitter/shimmer in it which is nice for a feline flick. Finally, Tetra is a gorgeous jewel-like purple which is infused with some pink shimmer to add some dimension.
These liners are truly smudge proof, to an extent which I can rub my eyes like mad without any evidence of doing so.

Then, I got the Positively Pink Lip and Cheek Palette, for £3.25 which contains a powder blush, and a lip glaze, both of which are stunning pink colours. I believe this was made to support the Breast Cancer Awareness week/month which is a lovely touch as well.

Bargains everywhere. I hope to will restrain myself now, after buying the Ikea Alex 9 Drawer Unit, and needing to pay my family back some of the money. Spending ban it is. 

 

ON WEDNESDAYS WE WEAR PINK

Catch the Mean Girls reference there? 10 points to you. Recently I have been standing at my Muji drawers (soon to be an Ikea Alex - I am very excited) and staring at all things pink; perfumes, lips, nails, and even a brush. Am I going a little cray? I think so. But today I shall be sharing the love for the pretty shade and going through my picks from the categories.

Lips: The newest addition is the Kiko Smart Lipstick in 912. As soon as I set eyes on this I instantly thought that it was a possible dupe of MAC Impassioned and if so, that is another to add to my MAC Lipstick wishlist. For something a little more balmy, I always opt for the Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart which is the colour that really got me into wearing pinks. Another offering is the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Oxford Street Fuchsia which doesn't suit me all that well but the formula is amazing.

Cheeks: For a powder offering, the Stila Positively Pink Cheek Palette has recently made its way into my collection, at from a first impressions point of view, it is gorgeous, and I can't wait to use this more often. For a cream blush, the MUA Blush Perfection Cream Blusher in Bittersweet is a great one for a budget offering, coming in at only £2 a pop, so I assume more of these will soon enter my collection.

Nails: I rarely sport a pink polish because not many suit me, but these 3 are some of my favourites. Ciaté Candy Floss is a gorgeous bubblegum pink colour, and after I went through a similar Gosh one entirely, this is the next best thing, and I own 2 of them. On the theme of Gosh, we have Flamingo, a bright medium pink colour, which I adore as it reminds me of summer. Finally, we have Rimmel Strawberry Fizz which is another medium pink colour which looks pretty good on toes as well as fingers.

Miscellaneous: So, I couldn't write a post about pink products without including the Real Techniques Stippling Brush which is the perfect blush-buffer, foundation's best friend, and an all round multitasker and my face appreciates it greatly. Then for fragrance I have this mini of the Ted Baker Woman Pink scent, and I love this at the moment, as it smells exactly like the general Soap and Glory scent, and I adore that.

So, I have been thinking pink recently, and it probably won't be stopping for a while.
What colour is on your mind beauty-wise?