New In: Make-up

There comes a time every year when I have the harrowing realisation that I must chuck out my dried up mascara and crumbling blusher; once I've squashed my inner-hoarder and binned half my make-up collection, it's time to head to Boots and re-equip myself.

SHOP: Soap and Glory Thick & Fast Flash Extensions Mascara - £10.50 // Real Techniques Stippling Brush - £11.99 // Rimmel Match Perfection Fix & Perfect Primer - £6.99 // Botanics Angled Blusher Brush - £7.99 // Soap and Glory Hocus Focus Illuminator - £11 // Good Things Manuka Honey Radiance Face Mask - £5.99

Brushes

The only brushes I currently own are the Real Techniques Core Collection kit; seeing as I only wear a full face of make-up once in a blue moon it seems a little indulgent to have a whole host of brushes and so instead I just improvise with the brushes I have and often end up applying blusher with my contour brush (does it get more rebellious than that?!). I bought this Botanics blusher brush purely on the basis that it was on the slightly cheaper side and the fact that it's angled sounds a bit fancy. The brush itself is incredibly soft, sort of like rubbing feathers on your face,,, which means it fulfils my main criteria. The angled brush makes it easier to apply blush to a more specific area which is certainly helpful if, like me, you often somehow end up with it on your chin. I also decided to add the Real Techniques stippling brush to my collection; this is great for apply cream blushers and highlighters as you can simply press them on to your skin without disturbing any of the expertly applied make-up underneath. 

Soap and Glory 

I am a big fan of Soap and Glory's skincare and make-up range; I shan't deny that they're a little pricey, but considering the quality of their products and length of time that they last, I certainly think it's worth spending the extra. This mascara separates my lashes beautifully and doesn't clump at all; one coat is enough to really open up your eyes and the brush makes it very easy to get to the corner lashes. Unfortunately this mascara runs quite easily which isn't ideal when you live in the windiest city in the UK and spend 90% of your time with watering eyes. I have been mixing a small drop of this illuminator with my moisturiser found that it definitely gives my skin a subtle glow; however the same look can be achieved with the Rimmel primer and so I'm not sure that this product is worth the money.

Skincare 

I decided it was finally time to try out a primer; I wouldn't style my hair without applying product to it first so why am I slapping make-up all over my face without priming it first? I wasn't sure exactly what to expect from a primer but after rubbing a pea-sized amount of this across my face, I was amazed. It instantly made my skin look smoother and brighter; my pores looked smaller and my cheeks finally had that highly-coveted dewy glow that no foundation has ever managed to give me. I will definitely be repurchasing this product as I've started using it on a daily basis on top of my moisturiser; if you're as lazy and/or useless with make-up as me, I would highly recommend this primer as it gives you healthy, radiant skin without having to slap on all your other products. 

Lastly, I invested in this face mask as I noticed my pores were looking a bit clogged. I followed the instructions on the tube and despite feeling slightly terrified by the fact I couldn't move my face once the mask had dried, I was delighted to see that it had instantly cleared my pores. 

Have you purchased anything recently that you'd recommend?

Thanks for reading!

KJ