Real Techniques Kabuki Brush

A little while ago I bought the Real Techniques Foundation brush, but unfortunately after using it a few times the bristles started to fall out, which as we all know is a rare occurrence with these brushes.

After contacting them and sending them a photo, they promised to send me out another. I was so surprised when in the package there was not only a replacement brush but also a kabuki brush as an apology!
I was amazed at the service and customer care i received and would recommend these brushes to anyone.

I hadn't seen the kabuki brush in store before, which is not surprising as apparently Boots don't stock it, but you can get it from online sites such as Feel Unique and Escentual.
It's really disappointing that Boots don't sell them all as I like the see them in the flesh before purchasing.

I'm sure you can tell from the picture below how amazingly soft and fluffy this brush is!
I thought the blush brushes were super soft but this one is on another level!

You can see the tapered shape of the brush, and because of this shape I adore it for applying bronzer to the hollows of my cheek bones to help sculpt some shape into my face.
It picks up any product (my favourites being Benefit's Dallas or Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer) really easily but doesn't seem to overload on application to the face. Any uneven application is also easily buffed away with this brush and it is even great for application of setting powder to the entire face.

Let's just appreciate how big and fluffy it is again:

Another feature of this brush is that it separates in half, and is held together by a magnet. I haven't used it as a flat brush very much yet, but according to the accompanying video on YouTube (found here) it's better for applying bronzer so I will have to give it a go!
The YouTube channel for Real Techniques is brilliant for tips to use their brushes so you should check it out.

Do you own the kabuki brush?
The magnet halves intrigue me, unfortunately mine doesn't seem to be magnetic any more but it doesn't seem to be a problem.

Real Techniques are a very popular brand and I can definitely see why, I've loved every brush I've ever bought from them and their customer service is fabulous!

Just have to decide what brush to buy next....

L xxx

Sample Stash

This is a bit of a random post, I have been sorting out my room recently and have obviously been going through my stash of products.

It has slimmed down slightly from what it was....but it still takes over the majority of my room and I drastically need to curb my spending!

I've been doing pretty well and haven't bought much for just over 2 months and I've been trying to go through my stash of samples to keep me going with trying new things.

Does anyone else have a massive pile of samples they have collected from various places??

This is mine:

It overloaded not one box, but 2 and a beauty box bag, so I'm a little overwhelmed!

Here's a few pictures of what's inside:

I am hoping that instead of buying new products, I can use these up, therefore making space and saving money all at the same time.

I hadn't even considered this before as I honestly didn't think I had that many, and it seems silly now!

Have you used all of your samples up recently? I have so many skin product ones that I'm sure it will keep me going for a few months!

I've already used some Avene samples and they've been great, really moisturising but not overloading, I'm looking forward to trying the Bioderma ones next.

Could you do the same as me for 1 month and save yourself some money??

1 month could make all the difference to me with saving up for a car!

I can't believe I've kept them all for so long, I'm definitely a secret hoarder!

L xxx

Review: Benefit Rockateur Box O' Powder

I was so excited when I heard Benefit were bringing out a new blush. As a huge fan of their Dandelion box blush (reviewed here). I'm a fan of softer colours on my cheeks usually so I thought this would be one for me.

As soon as I heard Swansea was having a one day sale of it I headed on the train down as I really wanted to try it. The benebabes there made me need a World Famous Neutrals palette. See my review here

It comes in the typical box like all Benefit blushers and I'm always surprised how well they last in my make up bag. This is the 'provocative one' hence the packaging have a lace print.

There was some controversy when this blush was released and people found out it only contained 5g of product. I didn't know before this that benefit box blushes aren't all the same size. They vary between Dandelion 7g, Hervana 7g, Hoola 8g, Coralista 8g, Sugarbomb 8g, Bellabamba 8g, and Dallas 9g. (these are the current amounts advertised on Benefit website). Though it is a lot less Benefit released a statement stating it was due to different ingredients used in the blushes and to keep them all at the same price. This didn't bother me and due to how much I love Dandelion and the fact it lasted over 6 months before I hit pan and that was being used 5 times a week I wasn't too worried.

Rockateur comes with the new shaped brush. I love the brush with dandelion and use that over others but I prefer this one. It's angles at the tip to make it easier to apply to the cheeks.

It also contains a small mirror which I have come to think is more of a gesture as it is a little to small to use in my opinion. I love that this is an embossed blush and has rock imprinted in it and has a a sparkle over it. This doesn't translate onto the cheek though which I like.

To me Rockateur is a mix between coralista and dandelion. It has more of an orange tint than dandelion. It;s really soft to the touch and sits well on the skin and lasts all day.

On the cheeks it translates to a natural colour, and has a great pigmentation. One sweep and I'm done which is always great for the mornings. I do think as the colour doesn't require building up it should last well. I really love how it looks. It's the perfect inbetween orange and pink blush, not overly shimmery but looks healthy and lasts!

Here it is on outside. It makes my skin look so healthy and works well against the very light tan I have.

The size issue doesn't bother me too much. It's a really pretty colour on the skin and I love the way it looks. I'll update on how well the product lasts. 

Will you be picking up Rockateur? Does the amount of product bother you if it's a great colour and lasts all day?

Rockateur can be bought from the benefit website from August 22nd.

Love M

xxx

Benefayre Cardiff

I'm sure you've all seen plenty of posts about this but I had to show my thanks and support for such an amazing event that Benefit have been putting on around the country over the past few weeks.

The Benefayre in Cardiff was on this weekend just outside Jamie's Italian and a few of us popped to see it on the Saturday.
You can see us all below with the lovely Alyson Rowe, she's so lovely and always has time for a chat with us!

There were so many things going on so I took a load of pictures to save me from waffling on!
Below you can see the face painting, amazing decor, kids playing with the ducks and the photo booth:

 

 The best part of the day was the fair style games.
Porefessional had been turned into a Shootout, Hello Flawless into a Tin Can Alley, and They're Real was turned into a Hoopla game.

 

This one was my favourite but unfortunately I missed one so lost out on the top prize!

 

This one was a surprise to me, I am normally awful at these things and this was the hardest one but I actually got all of them onto the brushes! I couldn't believe it!

 

This one I was awful at, getting the balls to knock down all 5 of the bottles was so hard! Especially the bottom ones.

When you arrived you donated money and received these poker chip style coins to use at all of the stalls including the photobooth and for drinks, makeovers and facepainting.

This was of course, all in aid of Refuge, a charity to help women and children against domestic violence.
Similar to their Mascarathon last year this was a great way to raise money and so many people got involved.
There were so many children there having just as much fun as the women, and plenty of boyfriends shooting, throwing and looping to get their partners presents!



Twice as many women in the UK suffer from domestic violence than breast cancer, which was shocking to me as you just don't hear as much about it.
It also shocked me that 2 women are killed a week by their partners/ex partners.

Although it was a really fun day it was very important to get this message across as it's so easy to donate a few pounds and this could make a real difference to someone in need of help.

You can text BENE88 to 70070 to donate £2 which is so easy, let's face it you will barely notice an additional £2 on your phonebill.
If you'd like to donate more you can follow this link to Just Giving.

I was lucky enough to win a few things whilst I was there including the Stay Flawless mirror (which is amazing!), a make up bag and a few mini products which you can see below:

I had a lovely day there and had some great fun with the girls, catching up and having fun in the photobooth!
We tried many poses, not all were successful.........

Did you make it to the Benefayre whilst it was travelling around the country?
This is such a good way to raise money and awareness and have fun too, this is exactly why Benefit will always be a brand that I purchase from. Not only do they make great products and have fun with it, they raise money in a fun way that everyone can join in with!

L xxx