Fresh Face Friday & Real Techniques Initial Reaction

Real Techniques Core Collection Kit - £15-£18 - Amazon

Hey Everyone! Happy Friday! Look what the delivery man came with today! It's the Real Techniques Core Collection Kit designed by beauty blogger Sam Chapman from Pixiwoo! 

I've been wanting to try Real Techniques make-up brushes for a while now. But as they are priced between £6.99 and £12.99 per brush at Boots, they've just been a lustful luxury dream. When I saw this Core Collection Kit on Amazon for a very reasonable price I just caved in. I paid £17 for these 4 brushes, but the prices do go up and down daily. I've heard of people generally paying between £15 and £18 for this set. 

Like I said, there are 4 brushes included. Starting from left to right, first up is the Contour Brush. Sam says this, "delicately applies highlighter to contour or create sheer, soft-focus finish." And yes - it does. I used The Body Shop's Brilliance Powder  as a highlight which comes with it's own brush attached to the product. So, I unscrewed the brush, dusted some product onto my palm and used the Contour Brush instead. This made a huge difference. Before, I hardly used the product because I found the brush hard and spiky. After using the Contour Brush I appreciated the white highlight with golden undertones one thousand times more. 

The second brush is the Pointed Foundation Brush which Sam says to "use with liquid foundation to build custom coverage". I haven't used this yet because I only like to wear liquid foundation in the Winter time. So this brush should stay clean for a while!

The third brush is called the Detailer Brush that Sam has "precision cut to effortlessly conceal problem areas; or, use with lipstick for long-lasting shape and definition." I used this to conceal with Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer. I will do a review on the concealer soon because it is my all-time favourite, but using the Detailer Brush really enhanced its performance. I have many acne scars that need concealing every day, and this brush felt very delicate on my skin. The last thing I want is to have a spiky brush to irritate my oily skin so this little tool is a delight to use.

The last brush is the Buffing Brush which Sam says is, "ideal for full coverage application of powder and mineral foundation." So, I used Rimmel's Stay Matte Pressed Powder (because I swear by it) with this brush. The brush itself just felt so soft on the skin, and held the powder really well (instead of it poofing everywhere). Overall, I loved using the brushes and there's a huge difference between these and any cheap supermarket brush. 

Here's my Fresh Face Friday FOTD, so that you can see these brushes in action.

Concealer - Collection's Lasting Perfection - £4.19

Powder - Rimmel's Stay Matte - £3.99

Blush - L'Oreal Paris Le Blush in Sandalrose Pink - £8.42

Highlight - The Body Shop Brilliance Powder in Shimmer Gold - £16

Mascara - Revlon's Fabulash - £7.99

Lips - Rimmel Apocalips in Celestial - £5.99

                                            Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Bloglovin'

Play Date - Essie Nail Lacquer Review

Boots - £7.99

Hello! I'm excited to tell you about another Essie Nail Lacquer. This is my second ever try of Essie. I was so impressed with Jam 'n' Jelly, I had to go and get another Spring/Summer shade. After standing at the counter for a good ten minutes, I finally went for the shade 'Play Date'.

I've had a tonne of compliments on the colour. Lots of people have said it reminds them of the purple they used in nursery or infant school. It's a perfect pastel that isn't too light and isn't too dark, And just like Jam 'n' Jelly, it's really hard to chip. I've had this colour on my nails for five days without having to do a single touch-up. I find the only downside to these perfect polishes is they do stain your nails. I definitely need to invest in a good base coat. As for application - it applies just as well as Jam 'n' Jelly. In fact,  the more I've been painting my nails the better I'm getting. This is another 5 star product and I can't wait to try out more shades.

Click here to read my Essie Jam 'n' Jelly Review

Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Bloglovin'

Spring has Sprung - Outfit of the Day

So yesterday was my Grandad's birthday - and apparently the first (slightly warm) sunny day of the year. It was a whole 13 degrees here in Wales (which meant I could get my legs out and wear shoes other than boots). Not knowing when the sun would next come out, my fiance and I decided to take my dog Louis for a walk before the birthday party.

I'm wearing a floral tapestry skater dress from River Island that was in the sale for £15 from £40. The material is thick, which was perfect for the sunny but chilly weather. At first I thought the thick material would be itchy, but it hasn't irritated me at all. You can find a similar style dress from River Island here and here. 

At the back it has a visible-zip which I don't usually like, but I think it suits this dress. I've cinched in my waist with a brown skinny belt also from River Island (you can find a similar one here).

I'm wearing these classic tan brogues that I had from H&M about three or four years ago. They still do a similar style which you can find here for £12.99. My cardi I've had for a very long time. Navy is a great colour that goes with a lot of things throughout all four seasons. It was from New Look about five years ago and they still sell it here for £9.99!

Thanks for reading and here's to hoping for more sunny days!

Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Bloglovin'