Drugstore / Highstreet Makeup Haul

So I have been waiting for forever for my local boots to stock up on the new Bold Metals Real Techniques collection and when they finally arrived back I couldn't help but make a few other makeup purchases, along with a bargain buy from Superdrug too! I thought I would put everything in a haul and tell you my initial thoughts, so if you want to find out what I picked up then keep on reading...

So my first purchase was the long awaited Real Techniques Bold Metal 300 'Tapered Blush Brush'. I had heard so many great things about this brush and I really think its worth the £24 price tag. The gold metal wand is stunning, the brush hairs are super soft and synthetic, making them so easy to clean. I also love the way the brush is tapered almost to a point at the top, making it perfect for contouring the cheeks and placing your blusher just where you want it, blending the product out beautifully! I have only used this brush with powder products so far, but I also think it would work great with a cream contour and blush and I can't wait to keep using it to create different looks!!

After my brush splurge, I was wandering around the makeup stands and saw that L'Oreal had a 3for2 offer on all their makeup. I have been wanting to try a few of their foundations for a while now, so I also picked up the Miss Manga Mega Volume Mascara. I am a big fan of the metallic pink packaging and I also love the mascara. I found it was really great and operating and lengthening my lashes. It didn't add a huge amount of volume to the thickness which I was expecting, but I still really liked the finished look.

So, as I mentioned, for a while I have been wanting to try out some L'Oreal foundations in the hope to find a new holy grail drugstore base makeup product. I picked up the L'Oreal True Match shade in C2 'Rose Vanilla' and the Infallible 24hour foundation in the shade 120 'Vanilla'. I aways struggle picking out my perfect shade in drugstores so these foundations are both a little dark for me, however with a bit of tan on and when summer finally comes around these will be perfect.

My favourite of the two has to be the True Match foundation. At first pump the consistency was quite runny, which I didn't think I was going to like. However, it blends beautifully onto the skin using a buffing brush and looked amazing when I built up a few layers to create a flawless base! I was also really impressed with the lasting power, and with a little touch up of powder half way through the day and I was ready to go with no movement or patchiness. I didn't like the Infallible foundation too much as the consistency was quite thick and I found it to go a little patchy on my skin (maybe I was having a bad skin day). I will definitely let you know if my impressions of this foundation change, but true match is definitely worth a purchase if you haven't tried it yet!

Next up is my Superdrug bargain purchase. Im sure most of you have heard about the new affordable range from 'Revolution'. This eye shadow palette was just £8 and for 32 shades and a mixture of matte and shimmer, thats not bad going! I got the 'Flawless' palette of warm golden, brown and red toned shades. I have been so impressed with this palette. The shades are super pigmented and although I did find I had to build up the shades to make sure they didn't move through the day, they blend beautifully and last really well without creasing and smudging. I will definitely be purchasing more of these palettes in the future!

Sorry this is quite a lengthly post! I hope you've enjoyed it. Let me know in the comments what you have been loving from the drugstores recently.

I have also created a makeup look using all these products, so keep your eye out on my blog for that post coming up very soon!

Sam x

Drugstore Makeup Look

You might of seen my last post all about what I picked up from the drugstores. I really wanted to do a makeup look using all the products, so you could get a bit more of an idea about how the products look 'in action'. I was off out for a family meal so I went for a berry smokey eye and quite a strong contour!

Skin:
So for the base I used my new L'Oreal true match foundation which I loved and covered any blemishes and dark circles using the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. To contour the cheeks I used Illamasqua's Sculpting Duo (slightly cheated with the drugstore theme here!). To add a subtle colour to the cheeks, I used the Collection Shimmer Shases blush and to highlight I added the Seventeen Shimmer brick. I used my new Real Techniques Bold Metal Tapered Blush brush to add the contour, blush and highlight and it blended all three products beautifully onto the skin!

Eyes:
To create the berry smokey eye look I used my new Revolution palette, taking the shades 'Smudge', 'Raw', 'Universal' and 'Burgundy Nights'. I created a winged liner using my fav Maybelline Gel Liner and finished off the eyes with the L'Oreal Miss Manga Mega Volume mascara.

Lips:
I lined my lips using the Nyx lip liner in Mauve and then topped this with Topshop lipstick in 'Innocent'.

What do you think of this makeup look? What are your favourite drugstore products to use in your makeup routine at the moment?

Thanks for reading!

Sam x

'Berry Smokes' Make-up Tutorial

I really enjoyed creating the step-by-step tutorial on how to stop your eyeliner smudging, so I thought I would do another tutorial style make-up post. I have been loving a berry eye recently, and with Rita Ora creating a gorgeous purple smokey look for the Grammy awards adding a purple pop on the eye has become very popular. With all of this in mind, I thought I would share with you how I create a berry smoke on the eye, so here it is...

What I used to create this look:

To create the berry shades I use Maybelline colour tattoo in Pomegranate, Illamasqua Complement Palette and a shimmer cube quartet from The Body Shop. I also like to add a flick of Maybelline Gel Liner and Seventeen Blow Out Mascara. To apply all these products to the eye I would be no where with out my trusty brushes. In this look I used an Illamasqua Blending Brush, Smoulder Brush and Fine Liner Brush and Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush and Shading Brush!

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: I began by applying my foundation and defining my brow.

Step 2: Next I took Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pomegranate on my Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush and washed this over the lid.

Step 3: Next I took the dark berry shimmer cube from The Body Shop on the Real Techniques Shading brush and took this onto the lid and under the lower lash line.

Step 4: Next using my Illamasqua Smoulder brush and the Illamasqua Complement Palette, again I took the berry shade and ran this under the lower lash line and through the crease. I then took my Blending brush through the crease to blend out any harsh lines.

Step 5: To blend this out further, I took my bronzer onto the Blending brush and ran this around the crease area.

Step 6: Next using Maybelline Gel Liner on a Fine Liner brush, I created a flick to frame the upper lash line. I also took this lightly in the waterline. 

Step 7: Finally I added Seventeen Blow Out Mascara to both the upper and lower lashes to finish off the look.

And there you have it! My berry smokes eye make-up look!

I hope you have enjoyed this make-up tutorial style post, let me know what you think in the comments below! Have you been using any berry shades in your make-up looks?

Thanks for reading! Samantha xx

Tips and Tricks to Stop Eyeliner Smudging

One of my pet hates is getting to the end of the day and finding my eyeliner has smudged up into my crease. This used to happen on a daily basis for me and I used to find myself constantly checking and rubbing it away. There are a few tips and tricks which I have picked up to ensure the dreaded smudge line does not appear, so I thought I would share these with you.

The key is to apply lots of powder products into the crease of your eye, to counteract any oils lying on the lid and provide a dry base. This is particularly important if you have hooded eyes as your eyeliner will regularly meet with your crease. So what exactly will you need?

If I want to create a classic flick of eyeliner with no colour on my eyelid, I use a pressed powder (Rimmel Stay Matte Powder), a flesh toned powder eyeshdaow (Illamasqua Justify), a bronzer (Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer), a gel liner (Maybelline Gel Liner) and Mascara (Rimmel Scandaleyes). In order to apply these products I use an Illamasqua Blending Brush, Real Techniques Shading Brush, Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush, Real Techniques Pixel Point Eyeliner Brush and an Illamasqua Fine Liner Brush.

Step-by-Step:

I have put together a step-by-step pictorial as to how I use the products to mattify my eyelid and prevent creasing.

Step 1: Apply a very small amount of foundation onto the eyelid.

Step 2: Take Rimmel Stay Matte Powder onto a real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush and press this all over the lid and up to the brow. 

Step 3: Take Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow in Justify on a Real Techniques Shading Brush and add this to the whole eye lid and take a small amount under the lower lash line.

Step 4: Take Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer onto Illamasqua's Blending Brush and Run this through the crease and up towards the brow. 

Step 5: Next I take Maybelling Gel Liner onto a Real Techniques Pixel Point Eyeliner Brush and Illamasqua Fine Liner Brush to create my feline flick.

Step 6: Finally I take Rimmel Scandaleyes and apply a coat of mascara to my top and bottom lashes.

And tada!!!! There you have a flick of eyeliner which will not smudge into your crease and will stay put all day!

I am so glad I have finally found my tip to avoiding my eyeliner moving all day, and as I said above the key is to use lots of powder products and word these onto the lid and into the crease. I have described how I use flesh toned products, but I also use coloured eyeshadows to add a pop of colour to the eyelid and prevent the eyeliner moving.

I hope you have found this post useful! To you have any different tips to stop your eyeliner moving?

Until next time, Samantha xx

High Street Make-up Must Haves

In this post I thought I would share with you the high street make-up pieces which are staples in my everyday make-up routine. 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer:
This concealer has been a staple in my make-up bag for a long long time! I love how creamy it is and this makes it so easy to blend. I always apply this with the applicator under my eyes and around the nose area, as well as any where I have a blemish and blend it in to my foundation using my ring finger.

Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil:
This product is a recent purchase of mine and I don't know what I did without it! Before having this I used a matte eyeshadow to fill in my brows but this pencil has made it so easy to make my brows look neat and get the desired shape with very little effort. I have this shade 002 Hazel and I find this to be the best colour to compliment my blonde hair. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder:
I saw many beauty bloggers rave about this powder for a long time so I picked it up for myself and I can honestly see what all the fuss is about! It helps keep my make-up base in place all day in the office and it doesn't leave my skin looking chalky which many other powders do!

Bourjois Bronzing Powder:
This is another product I saw on beauty blogs over and over again before I made the purchase. I love the way this product applies to the skin, giving you a smooth matte contour with no heavy patches which I have found some other bronzers to give. Another bonus of this product is the smell, it really does have a chocolatey scent to it! 

Maybelline Gel Eyeliner:
You may have seen my previous post a few months ago on this product. I honestly LOVE this gel eyeliner. I had never previously used a gel eyeliner before this purchase and always found my eyeliner to crease a smudge. However since using this my eyeliner never moves and I have found myself using this product in my eye make-up day after day!

Real Techniques Brushes:
I have also done a post on my love for these brushes before and therefore my love for them definitely has not died! I love they way they help me apply my make-up with ease and they will not be disappearing from my daily make-up routine for a long long time! The added bonus is they are made by the amazing Samantha Chapman from Pixiwoo! Check out my previous post to see which brush I use for what. 

I hope you have enjoyed this post. I would recommend these products to anyone wanting to try a new and affordable product. What high street make-up products have you been loving? 

Until next time, Samantha x

My Favourite Make Up Brushes - Real Techniques

Ever since I got my first set of real techniques brushes as a present I have fallen in LOVE with them. With them being designed by the amazing make up artist Samantha Chapman, who I have watched on YouTube for years, I always wanted them after seeing them being used in the pixiwoo make up tutorials. If you haven't seen their make up tutorials you have to watch them they're amazing!

I use the real techniques brushes for applying most of my make up so keep reading to find out which brushes I use for different stages of my make up application...

Starting from right to left ....

Blush Brush: I use the blush brush mainly for applying bronzer and occasionally for applying the Rimmel stay matte powder. I love how big this brush is, which allows easy application of something like powder which I like to apply to my whole face.

Buffing Brush: I LOVE the buffing brush for applying liquid foundation. Its amazing for really working the foundation into your skin.

Contour Brush: I always use the contour brush for applying blusher. The small shape of the brush makes is easy to apply blusher to the apples of your cheeks and it helps blend really well!

Pointed Foundation Brush: I do not actually use this brush for foundation as the name suggests, I actually use it for highlighter, as the shape of the brush is really good to place highlighter into the right areas of my face. 

Detailer Brush: I normally use this brush for applying lipsticks. For day-to-day make up I just apply lipstick straight onto my lips, however when I'm going on a night out I really like to make sure my lipstick is perfect and this brush really helps to get lipstick in the right shape around your lips. 

Brow Brush: again I do not use this brush for brows as the name suggests, as I actually use a different brush for my brows. I use the brow brush for blending out black eye liner as it helps to create a more smoky and blended look. This brush is also great for using a gel eye liner to create a winged look. 

Pixel Point Eyeliner Brush: Again this brush is amazing for gel eye liner as the thin shape allows you to get really close to the lash line.

Accent Brush: I love using the accent brush to place eye shadow into my tear duct area. Because the brush is so small its really good to add fine details to your eye make up. It is also great for putting eye shadow underneath the eye.

Base Shadow Brush: This is the brush I use to apply all my eye shadow. It blends shadows amazingly so I usually use just this brush to create a subtle smoky eye with neutral/ brown shades for every day make up.

Deluxe Crease Brush: Again this brush is amazing for blending eye shadow. I usually use my base shadow brush and go over the top with the deluxe crease brush when I'm using stronger, darker eye shadows as it helps to blend eye shadow even more and never leaves harsh lines.

I have also hear that the Expert Face Brush is amazing for foundation so this is 100% on my shopping list for the next real techniques brush to get! Hope you have enjoyed this post and if youre wondering whether or not to purchase these brushes I would definitely persuade you because i personally think they are AMAZING and priced very well too!!