Makeup brushes are the tools of the face and you’re makeup is only as good as your brushes. That doesn’t mean you have to use the most expensive brushes in the world however some are definitely better than others. Personally, I like to use synthetic brushes. Not only because they’re cruelty free but they soak up less product, stay in shape better and decent ones are just as soft as natural hair brushes. Great brushes at an affordable price can be found from brands such as Sigma, Zoeva, Real Techniques and Crown. More expensive great brushes can be found from nearly every brand on the market but some notable ones being MAC, Charlotte Tilbury and Bobbi Brown. The most important thing though is to keep your brushes clean. Not only does this prevent bacteria building up but also the less product is on the brush already the more seamless your makeup application will be. Below is a few of my most used brushes.

Real Techniques Blush | My favourite brush for powder. Perfectly sized to get underneath the eyes but not so small it takes ages to powder the rest of your face.

Zoeva Luxe Sheer Cheek | The best face brush I’ve found for applying blusher or diffused contour and bronzer. For this reason, I have two of them.

Real Techniques Contour | To add some concentrated contour, particularly under the jawline or on the nose, this brush is the perfect size. It’s also great for blending under-eye concealer. This brush can only be found in the Core Collection however the other brushes in the Core Collection are also really great and make the purchase worth it.

Zoeva Luxe Soft Definer | I love this brush so much I have two. Perfect for blending but also adding diffused colour into the crease for subtle, everyday definition.

Zoeva Luxe Petite Crease | My favourite brush for adding that inner corner highlight that I can't go without. It’s  also the perfect size for adding controlled colour into the crease.

Zoeva Wing Liner | Perfect for emphasising a 60s cut crease, adding shadow onto the lower lash line or creating winged liner with gel or eyeshadow, see the full post here.

What’re your favourite brushes?

~ Jade xx

1. Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation - shade 51, Vanilla

For a lot of this year I was using Rimmels Match Perfection foundation in shade 100, Ivory which I did like and was great for the summer as it is light weight and sheer, but buildable. However, when it came to buying a new foundation I wanted to try something new as I wanted a bit more coverage and I wasn’t so keen on the smell of the Match Perfection. So, I went for the popular Healthy Mix foundation. I had tried this before but wasn’t amazingly impressed as it seemed to go patchy throughout the day; but I wanted to give it another go as it has been re-formulated since then, and my skin has changed also so I was keen to see if it suited me any better. And so far, I have been enjoying it!

Barry M textured nail varnish - lady

Revlon lash potion mascara - blackened brown

MAC eyeshadow - satin taupe

Bourjois happy light serum primer - matte

Real techniques contour brush

Barry M recently came out with a new textured line of nail varnishes called the ‘royal textured glitter’ collection. I picked up the colour ‘lady’ and have really been enjoying it. Two coats gives an opaque finish and the varnish itself is really pretty. Its part iridescent sparkle, part white glitter and part matte white flecks with an interesting textured finish. Barry M previously came out with a textured line of polishes during the summer and they didn’t catch my eye however this time around they have and I will be looking at picking up some more shades. The best part is they last a lot longer on the nails than a regular varnish because they’re textured. 

I’ve done a full review on the new Bourjois matte primer - which can be seen here - and since I bought it a couple weeks ago and I haven’t stopped wearing it. 

I picked up MAC’s eyeshadow in satin taupe when I was in London a few weeks back and I think I’ve fallen in love. I don’t usually go for cool tone eyeshadows as I don’t think they particularly suit me however satin taupe is great to pair with a warm toned champagne colour and adds just the right amount of smokey-ness for a daytime look. 

I’ve been trying out a new mascara recently and although I picked up the wrong colour - I’m a true black mascara girl all the way - I’ve been really liking this new option from Revlon. It adds just enough length and volume without my lashes looking too spidery or too full. 

Finally I’ve been in love with my contour brush from real techniques. Originally I used this for what the name suggests - contouring - however recently I’ve been using it to buff in my concealer. It’s the perfect size and as it’s duo-fibered and synthetic it doesn’t soak up too much product or make concealer look heavy and caky which I can sometimes find when I use a heavy duty concealer like my MAC pro-longwear. 

What are your current favourites?

~ Jade

Raybans

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain “Rendezvous”

Gucci Guilty

Nivea Lip Butter “caramel cream”

Mac Eyeshadow “Omega”

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail varnish “Pink”

Daniel Wellington Watch

Real Techniques Blush Brush

Recently it’s been freezing cold still in England however its been sunny at the same time so my raybans have come in handy as well as my new favourite lip butter. I’ve re-discovered my ‘omega’ eyeshadow, I used to use it for my brows all the time and slowly drifted away from it but picked it up again a few weeks back. My love affair with the Revlon lip stains and the Barry M gelly nail varnishes are still ongoing and I’ve picked up another shade of the lip stain in ‘lovesick’ and three other nail varnishes in ‘greenberry’, ‘papaya’ and ‘pink’. For Christmas I received the Gucci Guilty perfume and I’ve been loving it. I’m not a fan of sweet perfumes and prefer muskier scents which can be hard to get away with in the day but this one is the perfect in between scent. I’ve been trying out a new foundation recently and I love it, I picked it up the day it was released in the UK and haven’t stopped wearing it. I’ve also become obsessed with the real techniques makeup brushes. I own the core collection as well as the blush brush, they’re affordable and insanely good. Lastly I received the Daniel Wellington York ladies watch for me birthday early last month and I’ve been wearing it everyday since. This classic and simple design makes it easy to wear as it matches everything.

What are your current favourites?

~ Jade xx