MIXING THE METALS

Ask me a few years ago, and I would have claimed rose gold to be my favourite type of jewellery. I then moved onto gold, then more recently silver, then onto both gold and silver. What? Mixing metals has been a new thing for me and I actually have been enjoying it. I know a lot of people hate the clash between gold and silver but I really like the contrast. 

What got me into this is the larger necklace from Primark. It cost a mere £1.50, so isn't the best quality but the concept is what I love. The gold 'v' is about as statement as you will see from me when it comes to jewellery, but it's pretty thin and dainty, and what I personally like is the thin contrasting silver chain. In terms of necklaces I also have some more subtle options, and I have a selection of gold ones from Forever 21 that I sometimes wear at once, or wear one with this silver knot necklace from H&M. 

In terms of rings, I have quite the collection, as I tend to go a little bit mad in the sale section of H&M, and pick up a good four packs at a time - especially when my older ones are looking a little worse for wear (I don't have the money to invest in pricey rings). I like either really thick, bold rings or very thin dainty ones, and at the moment I have a good mix of the two, in gold and silver, both midi and regular in size. I love wearing rings, because I have quite short stubby fingers almost and I really dislike my bare hands, however when I wear lots of rings they look far more elegant. 

Do you love or hate the mixed metal look?

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.