Spectrum Collections Sassy Sirens Make Up Brushes

If you're a sucker for a pretty make up brush then join the club!

I absolutely cannot resist any new make up brush, I love the classic monochrome, marble, metallic accents (who doesn't love a bit of rose gold nowadays??) but the unicorn trend has brought out some corkers too. Spectrum Collections have been the obvious choice here - their range is BEAUTIFUL and I did struggle looking at the website choosing what to get.

The Glam Clam is a personal favourite and I almost chose that, but the Siren brushes caught my eye for being totally different again!

Twitter Giveaway! Spectrum Collection You Look Marbleous Brush Set!

Hi all!

Over the last few months we've received loads of support on various platforms and wanted to celebrate. We've been blogging for almost 6 years now and there are a few thousand of you who follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Bloglovin. We're not the biggest and we juggle a lot of things amongst work, travel etc to get the photos and the content completed but we love what we do and appreciate all of the support, so thank you!

We haven't done many giveaways at all over the time we've been blogging, but now we're both in full time employment we decided we want to start giving back.

Spectrum Collections Event

Morning all!

If you're a follower of our Instagram and Twitter accounts (@thecsigirls) you will have seen we were invited to the Spectrum Collection event in Cardiff last week,

It was my first time at the Tramshed so it was great to visit it and see the type of rooms it has to offer, we were in Tramshed Tech which was a gorgeous room. We were both instantly wowed on arrival and were suitably impressed all evening!

Ebay Zoeva Dupe Eye Brush Set

Hey All

Last year for my birthday I got the Zoeva Complete Eye Brush Set (full review here), I instantly fell in love and was blown away by the quality of them and brushes I never knew I needed. I'd previously ordered a few ebay (review here) that I loved and still use now so when Make Up Savvy (one of L and I's favourite bloggers, her ebay bargains posts are the one!) shared this set I thought I'd see how it compared, and it comes in rose gold so looks pretty.

Storybook Cosmetics Wand Brushes

Hey All

If you didn't know L and I are HUGE harry potter fans (my bunnies are even named after characters - Harry Hopper and Dumbledore) we've read the books multiple times and watched the films countless times. We've been on the studio tour a few times too and we're planning another trip this year. You can see when we went on The Dark Arts tour here. When we discovered the company Storybook Cosmetics we both spent the next few weeks tagging each other in every post as we knew we'd both want all the products!! We've both got the eyeshadow palette on pre-order so I'm sure you'll be seeing lots of that! The quill and liner set is what I've got my eye on next!

L.A.B 2 Brush Review

Hey All

A few weeks ago we were sent some brushes from L.A.B 2 to test out. Being the make up addicts we are of course we said yes as you can never have enough brushes (mine have reached ridiculous almost triple figures *hides face in shame!!*).

L.A.B 2 isn't a brand I'd heard too much about but are available online or in Superdrug. A big thing for me lately when purchasing new products is that they are cruelty free and L.A.B.2 is cruelty free and suitable for vegans.

TITANIUM-PLATED

FERRULE

HIGHEST QUALITY METAL only found in high-end, professional brushes

NON-CORROSIVE superior durability and resistance to damage

DOUBLED-CRIMPED for stability and to prevent brush heads from detaching and bristles from shedding

Each brush is colour coded to the area of the face, lips are purple, eyes are blue and face brushes are yellow. The colours are mimicked on the handles with the name of each brush. The handles themselves are rubberised for a matte finish and easy grip. I love the look of these but my foundation brush does look a bit mucky in between washes which I find is standard for rubberised materials. 

The back of each brush has helpful tips and detailed information on the brush. The fibers on the brushes have micro-studded surface that mimic the cuticle of natural hair to allow them to be as good as natural hair brushes. They are great at picking up product and the eye brush is perfect for blending out product. I've washed these once so far and they didn't shed which is always impressive.

I've been using the foundation and eye shadow brush the most so far as I'm a bit lazy when it comes to lip brushes. I have used the lip brush to concealer around my brows and it is really precise and easy to use. The fact it's retractable means I don't end up with the left over concealer going everywhere.

The foundation brush is great with my illamasqua skinbase. I find this works best with a traditional shaped foundation brush. It blends the foundation into my skin easily and the bristles are easy to spot clean so I don't have to wash it too often.

I've used the eyeshadow brush for both blending and applying foundation and it works well with both, It softens the edges of my shadow easily but can still pack it onto the lid if needed.

I can't wait to try out more brushes from L.A.B 2!

Have you tried any of them? They have some great sets available.

Love M

xxx

Zoeva Complete Eye Brush Set Review

Hey All

A few months ago it was my birthday and one of the things I asked for was the Zoeva Complete Eye Brush set. I'd wanted it for ages but parting with £60 at one time was something I couldn't face doing. I thought I'd review them as since I've got them I absolutely love them and reach for them over all my other eye brushes! One thing to note is although Zoeva don't test their products on animals this isn't a vegan suitable set as the brushes are a mixture of natural and synthetic bristles. They do do a range of vegan brushes though so in future I would only get these ones.

The set itself contains 12 brushes (I'm missing one in my photographs as I'd lost it at the time!) and comes in a good quality make up bag. So even though they are pricey for the set it only works out at £5 a brush. For the brushes singularly they vary from between £8-£9 ish! I'll definitely be purchasing more Zoeva brushes!

For me there are two amazing brushes I reach for daily. They're the brow line brush (I never knew I needed this until I had it. It's amazing for concealer to makes your brows look really sharp!) and the Luxe defined crease. This brush wasn't one I expected to love as it's not densly packed with bristles but it just makes blending a dream!

The brush not pictured is the fine liner brush. I love this, it makes winged liner with eyeshadow so easy as it's bent and very precise. I've been using it with shadows so I can experiment with different coloured winged liner. 

For me I use most of the brushes daily. They may eyemake up looks so easy! The pencil is perfect for getting that inner corner liner, the smudger makes it easy to put eyeshadow under the lower lashes. All of the crease brushes make blending a dream and allow me to really focus colour on certain areas! I'm pretty sure they've made my make up application better. I haven't really used three brushes from the set yet, these are the wing liner brush (I don't currently have gel liner so think I'd use it if I had one) the detail shader and the concealer brush!

I've listed below what categories the brushes fall into. Zoeva do sell crease and blend brushes that are synthetic! I would grab these next time. 

Synthetic Brushes in the Set (vegan)

• Smudger Brush
• Fine Liner Brush
• Wing Linger Brush
• Browline Brush (my absolute favourite!!)
• Concealer and Buffer Brush

Natural haired brushes

• Luxe Defined Crease Brush
• Soft Definer Brush
• Pencil Brush
• Petit Crease Brush
• Smokey Shader Brush
• Detail Shader Brush
• Crease Brush

After trying these I feel like I need the face set now too! Maybe one for the Christmas list!! Have you tried the Zoeva brushes? They're definitely worth the hype for me.

My mum got me these from Beauty bay and one brush was a little damaged but they were so quick to replace it for me I just thought I'd mention as I think great customer service deserves recognition!

Love M

xxx

Wish List: September 2016

Hello there! 

I've been writing a wishlist for weeks now and for some reason just haven't got around to getting it posted...in this time it has obviously grown but at least the items on it have a bit of variety.

The last year of house owning has ruined most shopping trips, planned or otherwise so writing a wishlist has been quite therapeutic. If I still want it after 6 months I obviously really want it...right??

Take a look and see if they match your wishlist items too! 

I keep seeing these beautiful gym leggings everywhere. As I'm tall I can struggle to find leggings that are long enough and also sit on my waist properly, but I'm still on the endless search for a long black pair with some sexy mesh panels in - just because I'm sweating doesn't mean I don't want to look good! 

I've seen some from Active in Style, the top ones are from Zanna Van Dijk's range and cost £85, the second are the Inda leggings from Daquini and cost £110.

Travel:

Image from Lonely Planet website

Forever dreaming of a paradise island getaway my latest focus has been pinning pictures from the beautiful island of Bali. Those white sands, turquoise waterfalls and 'once in a lifetime' sunsets are on my dream list. Keeping all my fingers toes and everything else crossed that one day I can actually go on holiday!

Palettes:

I mean it was extremely difficult to choose one palette from Sleek owing to their absolute corker of a collection right now (rivalled by another fave - Make Up Revolution, see below) but this highlighter palette is just all of the Pinterest/blogger/makeup goals right now.Amazing casing, flattering colour choices and apparently awesome blend-ability. 

All of this for £9.99?? Get me on the delivery list pronto!

Lipstick:

Image from UD website

Long have I lusted after the Urban Decay lipsticks but after their recent revamp and 120 shade uber collection I perve on them all the time.

I am still looking for the perfect red, this time a classic blue toned red. I either seem to repurchase orangey ones, or the super dark vampy ones but I always get it wrong!

F-Bomb looks the perfect shade, and is 100% on my wishlist

Browse them all by selecting this link, each comes in at a perfectly reasonable £15.

Chanel Chance:

Another dream - owning a Chanel perfume!

Chance is my favourite and I had another whiff of it recently, I still love it. At £68 for 50ml however I definitely need to save or wait for a rich man.

One day!

MakeUp Revolution: 

Last but certainly not least is Make Up Revolution. 

There are so many things I want....NEED to pick up from this brand and knowing they are affordable means I actually can. I'm waiting for some free time to go in store and browse myself as that's always the best part, but these rose gold brushes are high on the priority list

Five brushes for £34.95 sounds pretty reasonable to me and they are beautiful! So instagrammable!

What's on your wishlist at the moment??

Hopefully I can get some of these soon but it's always nice to dream!

L xxx

Make Up Brushes.co.uk

Hey All

A few weeks back we were asked if we wanted to try out some new make up brushes from makeupbrushes.co.uk, as I'm sure most beauty lovers will agree you can never have enough brushes. We both decided to try a multi tasking brush but from different brands as they both looks similar to the Real Techniques buffing brush that we love!

A great selling point of Make up Brushes.co.uk is that they have free first class delivery on all orders. I always slightly begrudge paying for delivery and it's great to know that it's not only shipped free but first class so that it will arrive quickly. They also offer same day dispatch if ordered before 2pm. I personally do the majority of my shopping online now as I just find it so much more convenient to just order things during work breaks and know they'll be at my house within a few minutes. Make up brushes.co.uk stock various brands including So Eco, Real Techniques and Japoneqsue.

The Brush Works Multi-Tasking Brush was one that I couldn't resist trying and seeing how it compared to that of a Real Techniques brush.

They are made using Taklon bristles and hand cut to create the perfect shape. They are also vegan and allergy free so that's always a bonus!







The brush is very similar to the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, but is slightly smaller in width and bristle height.
I've been using it with my current foundations (Vichy Dermablend and DiorSkin Forever) and I really like it. The effect is similar to the buffing brush so gives a flawless finish, but I found it a lot easier to control because of the slightly smaller size, it was especially easier around the nose and eye area for blending foundation and concealer.



I am suitably impressed with this brush and would certainly purchase more, on pay day I will be browsing to see what others are available from Brush Works.

The Brush Works Multi Tasking Brush (link here) costs £6.99 which is an absolute bargain when the RT buffing brush can only be purchased in a set for £20.99.




I chose the So Eco multi tasking brush. So Eco isn't a brand I've heard of but after recently deciding to only purchase cruelty free brands it was great to see that So Eco is cruelty free. As it wasn't a brand I'd tried before I couldn't wait to see how it felt. Nothing beats a soft brush and this didn't disappoint. Definitely on a par with Real Techniques.





As you can see from the packaging above So Eco brushes are also made from recycled and sustainable materials and think about things such as the packaging their products come in which is compostable. 



The multi tasking brush is a great all rounder which is a reason I went for it as at least a few times a week I do my make up for work on the bus so something like this is great for those days I inevitably forget a brush. It's full of densely packed bristles and reminds me of a mixture of the Real Techniques buffing brush and expert face brush. It buffs foundation into the skin flawlessly and easily. I've also used it for blush which I love as it's so dense I find it always me to control where blush goes as I've been leaning towards smaller brushes for blush lately.



The biggest test for me for a brush is how it washes. No one wants to spend money on a brush for it to shed or not be good once washed. This washes really well and I haven't had any shedding from it. It retails for £7.50 here which I think is a great price!

We also got the So Eco 5 brush eye kit to try. I love how travel friendly this is in the pouch and it's really thing. The brushes also feel nice in the hand as they are lightweight. I do think the colours and the packaging fit the brand theme. 





 Though if I'm honest I have mixed feelings about the brush selection. I love the mascara spoolie, the angled eyeliner brush and the fine point brush. All of these are amazing and great at what they're used for (I do use the angled brush for brows rather than eyeliner though and the mascara spoolie to brush my brows with). But for me the eyebrow comb isn't necessary in the set as well as the spoolie and I think it would have benefited from a fluffy blending brush. I do find the shading brush to big for the eyes but do love it to apply concealer.

It does retail for £12.50 here which I do think is a good price for the brushes you get especially as a set for eyebrows! 

Have you tried So Eco or Brush Works?

Love L and M

xxx

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Ebay Make Up Brushes

Hey All

After seeing a post on Make Up Savvy's blog I've been debating trying eBay brushes for a while. I'm always after new make up brushes as you can never have enough right! When I saw this set for around £6 delivered I decided to give them ago.

The set comes with 5 face and 5 eye brushes and with different colour options if you search. I thought black on black looked the best. It was also a UK seller so arrived really quickly with free postage.

left to right are the Round Kabuki, Flat Kabuki, Tapered Kabuki, Flat Angled Kabuki and Angled kabuki.

The first thing I noticed when they arrived was how soft they were! I really didn't expect them to feel so nice but they are pretty much as soft as real techniques brushes and as densely packed! There are 5 different shapes and all of them are great. I've mainly only used them for foundation at the moment but the shape of some of them will make them perfect for contouring and blush too. They work great with liquid and powder products I've tried and don't shed. They give the same flawless finish as my RT buffing and expert face brush!

They are all synthetic hair but do have different textures depending on what they are best used for and the shape of the brush.

For each of the face brushes there is a corresponding shaped eye brush. These are as soft as the face brushes but I've found my self using them for other things. The size and fluffiness of them has made them great for blending in concealer. Some work as crease brushes and I find them good for final blending but they don't seem to pick up eyeshadows great for application. I do still reach for them on a daily basis and would order more.

Due to the price the only quality lacking in them is the finish as you can see here on this brush there are stray hairs. This was present in a few brushes but hasn't affected how they work. In some brushes I've pulled them out and some I've left them.

Overall I'm really impressed in my first lot of eBay brushes and will definitely be ordering more.

Have you tried cheap brushes and been impressed? At 60p a brush you really can't complain at these!

Love M

xxx

Real Techniques Sculpting Set

Hey All

When me and the OH were in Falmouth a few weeks ago I popped into superdrug and saw this set which I hadn't noticed before. This is the Sculpting set, I'd wanted the sculpting brush since the bold metals collection was released and I loved the look of the flat contour brush but didn't want to pay for the bold metals brushes without being able to feel them. Apologies for the photos in this post I was taking photos in the pod we were staying in as I couldn't wait to use them.

The set retails for £20.99 and contains the three brushes you can see below. I used to own the setting brush but somewhere along the line it got lost. You can see my original review on it here.

I'm a firm believer of you can never have too many brushes so when this set was on offer for a third off I had to snap it up. For a long time I didn't really know what you would use a fan brush for so had never wanted one but after seeing a few you tube videos where it was used for highlighter It was in my mind that I needed it. 

As with all real techniques brushes they quality of these are great. They are super soft densly packed where they need to be and wash up great. This set does have the shiny handles which to be honest I don't like as much as the matte ones. They show up finger prints and scratches easily but it's nothing that actually effects the brush so I can't complain too much.

The sculpting brush is amazing. I love it. It's so dense and picks up product well but not too much. It makes applying contour so easy, and leaves it looking natural. I've been favouring this over the contour brush.

The fan brush is so light. I use this for highlighter. Up until getting this set I was using another contour brush. The fan brush picks up a small amount of product and is easy to dust over the cheekbone. I'm glad I've picked this set up and I've now got this brush.

The setting brush is a great little brush to use to set concealer and I have missed having it. 

Have you grabbed any of the new brushes or this set?

I need some new eye brushes. Any recommendations?

Love M

xxx

Dr Bronner's Pure Castile Magic Soap

Well hello there!

Sticking with the clean theme for the new year this post is all about my new favourite make up brush cleaner. Most people have heard about Dr Bronner's Pure Castile 18 in 1 Magic Soap by now courtesy of a lot of reviews from other bloggers, Anna from Vivianna Does Make Up is a fan!

I saw the Citrus Orange scent in TK Maxx recently and couldn't help but take it home with me!
I'm a sucker for citrus scents as it is but with my trusty Johnson's baby shampoo running low I knew it was a sign.

I love the packaging for this, like an old style bottle with hundreds of words on it dictating tips, tricks, suggestions and ingredients. Not only that but it's also fair trade certified and all contained within a recycled plastic bottle; it's like the most justifiably purchasable product in existence.

I love the description of how soap is made, it's really interesting a quirky touch that other products don't have. Did I mention this snapshot also shows that it's organic as certified under the USDA National Organic Program?! It's also refillable at certain stores though I'm assuming this is America only.

This 18 in 1 soap has many uses including face and body wash, and facial wraps using hot water infused with the soap and a warm towel. This has become popular with bloggers due to its ability to clean make up brushes easily and leaving them with a gorgeous scent; not to mention its super concentrated so you only need a small amount to get things clean/

As far as make up brush cleaning goes; it's one of those tasks that we all hate doing! I always seem to have used a ridiculous amount of them and facing up to an hour of cleaning is always offputting!

However using this scent i barely noticed the time going by as it just made me feel like I was on holiday in an orange grove, or in the middle of Christmas - weird how one scent can bring such opposing images isn't it?

I tested it on all of my eyeshadow brushes first and it cleansed them really well, even those that have been applying the super pigmented Urban Decay shadows and MAC pigments, especially Blackout from UD which just seems to be the blackest thing I've ever seen.

So I moved onto the dreaded foundation and powder brushes that get abused on a daily basis by me and should be cleaned  a lot more often than they do!

But you can see for yourself that they've come up almost back to their original white which is impressive considering some are over a year old.

This has been a big hit for me and I'm hoping it lasts a really long time too; I will certainly be scouring my local TK Maxx for some of their other scents in future though it's always a one hit wonder kind of place for me!

I miraculously managed to get mine in TK Maxx for a £5.99 bargain so I'd recommend checking your local shop just in case. Otherwise amazon also have some pretty good deals, it all depends on which scent you are looking for.

The soap is also available in Almond, Baby Mild, Eucalyptus, Green Tea, Lavender, Peppermint, Rose and Tea Tree. I'd love to try the peppermint one too as its my other favourite scent!

Have you tried Dr Bronner's Magic Soap? Which is your favourite scent?

L xxx

Urban Decay 24/7 Blending Brush

Hey there!

I've got a quick review of my latest brush addition today. You're probably sick of hearing about Urban Decay by now but that's tough really, because they're an amazing brand that i can't believe I haven't bought more from sooner, so settle in for another review!

I've already raved about their 24/7 pencils multiple times before but regardless of which pencils you have, you should know that you also need this brush in your life.

The 24/7 Blending brush is a staple brush for any make up addict. It has so far perfectly blended every eye liner I've thrown at it and it does it with ease.
The small tapered shape allows you get right into the corner of your eye without feeling like you've thrown sand into it and it expertly blends the product along lash lines without dragging it halfway down your face.

It's made from cruelty free, super soft synthetic hair held together by recycled aluminium. It also cleans back to its original white colour without much hassle, I've found that simply using an eye make up remover takes away even black liner from the brush leaving it white which is pretty impressive really!

It definitely doesn't disappoint with regards to its name; it blends like a trooper.

The easiest was is for me to show you some looks I've created myself using it:

On the left below we have Perversion, UD's number one black liner thats soft yet super pigmented. On the right we have Smoke, a soft grey that complements the Naked 3 palette perfectly.

Both look perfectly blended to me, would you agree?
I do like wearing product under my eyes as well as on the top so the ability to blend it through my lower lashes was a high priority for me but applying the liner and brushing and blending it through was no problem at all and I love using Perversion for a night out!

For the image above I used the Naked Basics double ended eye pencil which I've posted about previously. Smudging the darker colour (crave) on the outer corner and the lighter colour (Venus) on the inner corner proves how easily the colours have blended as there isn't a line where they connect.

So have I won you over??

I think everyone needs one of these in their make up bag, and the best part is.......its only £10!!

What a bargain, go and snap one up straight away!
(I'm not on commission....just a bit of a fan!)

L xxx