Beauty Blender: Tips & Tricks

Beauty blenders are great, they've basically found themselves in everyone's make up bag in the past year or two but I cant help feel they are being mistreated and therefore underappreciated so I wanted to share some of the best things you can do to and with your beauty blender to get the best results!

1. WET IT! Please, please, please, never use your beauty blender dry- it is going to absorb the product and leave you with a streaky face which is never a great look! On the back of the pack it says use dry for a full coverage but this never worked for me- it left my face more cakey and uneven. When I wet my sponge I completely soak it, warm water first allowing the sponge to fully expand then cold ready to use! As well as providing better results, you will find it so much easier to use: it literally doubles in size, covering more of your face in a shorter amount of time and leaves the product on your face, not in the sponge.

2. WASH IT! Along with wetting it to use, it needs to washed, you are putting makeup onto it everyday and just like your make up brushes, it needs to be washed. As the sponge is getting wet it will dry with the left over product and therefore slowly become rough and not as soft as when you originally bought it. I wash mine every 3 days at least to keep it smelling and feeling fresh. I find with the wetting, washing process a sponge will last me a much longer time than if I was to use it dry. I usually buy a new one every three months but when I used it dry had to buy a new one every month! When washing your sponge use an unscented bar of soap and rub thoroughly with warm water squeezing from flat edge to tip- this will remove product and leave it the original vibrant orange colour you bought it in.

3. PAT DON'T RUB! This adorable little sponge promises big things: 'miracle complexion', 'dewy glow' and biggest of all 'covers imperfections' but the only way you will achieve this is using it how it was designed to be used. After applying your product either directly to the sponge, back of your hand or even your face pat the product across your face quickly and lightly, don't pull it across your face with harsh strokes- it won't work! Using the repetitive patting motion will provide you with perfectly even coverage and an airbrushed finish.

Good luck using beauty blenders guys, let me know if you have any more tips or tricks for the perfect results from these little miracle sponges!

Until next time, Toni. xo

Beauty blender pictured: Real Techniques Base Sponge 

My Top 3 Drugstore Foundations

 

I've always stuck to No7 foundation throughout my make up loving years however a few weeks ago I decided to give a selection of drugstore foundations a go to see if going for slightly cheaper alternatives made much of a difference. Turns out a few of these foundations actually work wonders on my skin so I've picked my top 3 from those I purchased to talk about.

 



 

L'OREAL True Match Foundation (1.N Ivory)

This is the lightest foundation of all 3 but provides a great, even coverage. The pigmentation isn't amazing but the texture and easy application makes it perfect for those confident days when you're skin is looking fresh and clear. I've been using this a lot throughout the summer because it allows your skin to breathe without moving or streaking on your face. The colour I have this foundation in is 'Ivory' which I've found is a great colour match for me. The foundation also has an SPF of 17 which is perfect for me! This foundation ticks all the boxes for a light, even and breathable foundation: providing what feels like a new top layer of skin that stays throughout the day without caking or slipping. It is also only £9.99 which is a great price for just how great this product looks and feels on the skin.

 

 

 Max Factor Face Finity Foundation (Beige 55)

This foundation is the smoothest foundation I've ever used! It is titled to be 'Primer, Concealer and Foundation in one' which I can absolutely believe, when putting it on it glides onto my skin as if I have a base of primer and covers the darker areas or blemishes on my skin perfectly. I purchased this foundation in the colour 'Beige 55'. This foundation would be perfect as a first foundation for people just getting into make up; the consistency is smooth yet buildable but not cakey or drying. This foundation offers a high SPF of 20 which is unusual with a lot of drug store foundations. This foundation is a great quality product for a fantastic price of £12.99.

 

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation (010 Light Porcelain)

 My favourite out of three has got to be this one: everything about it ticks all my personal boxes! The colour, coverage, staying power, breathability, SPF and even the smell! My colour is 010 Porcelain and I honestly cannot get enough of it! This foundation brightens my skin, covers all my dark circles and imperfections but isn't heavy or cakey. I feel like this is the only foundation of the three I can feel going onto my face but after a light powdering you can't feel it on your skin. I would recommend this foundation to anyone and at only £8.99 its a bargain!

 

Until next time, Toni. xo

New Tries and Buys.

Recently I found myself becoming bored with my everyday make up and wanted to try a few new things out - so after reading some reviews and speaking to some friends I thought I would buy and try some different products - leaving my everyday make up becoming slightly different to what I'm used to whilst still staying in my comfort zone.

 

A product I've mentioned in the past which is one of my favourites is the colour match foundation that No.7 do here in the UK in a shop called Boots. I have always opted for the 'stay perfect' range as when speaking to the specialist originally I was looking for a long lasting foundation that evened skin tone, however I now have begun wanting something slightly different in the form of a matte finish and strong coverage foundation.

 

 

Therefore, staying with No.7 in the colour 'cool ivory' I have ventured into the range 'beautifully matte' and I love it! The foundation applies easier onto my face, provides better coverage and the perfect matte finish I was after. I also prefer the bottle this foundation is in as the pump moves up the bottle throughout use meaning less goes to waste and the bottle itself is also plastic instead of glass making it lighter to carry and less of a risk for me to break!

 

Eyeliner also plays an important part of my daily routine so I want to make sure its long lasting and easy application. I have always used liquid eyeliner and pencil for my water line however I have read a lot of people commenting on gel eyeliner so thought I would give it a go. I stumbled across a brand I had never actually heard of before called 'SmashBox' when I saw some contour pencils used in a demo from the same company, after some research I ordered a gel eyeliner pen.

 

 

Upon opening the package I knew I already loved this product from the appearance of the pen itself. The sleek and clean design with a rubber tip allows for precise and easy use and application which is exactly what I was after. After using the liner I now understand why so many people recommend gel! Not only is the application thicker on the lid but also provides an instant dry and matte finish which usually comes from minutes with your eyes closed using liquid liner. The results provided a perfect finish that not only myself noticed, it lasted all day (over 10 hours) without flaking or cracking and I honestly would recommend using the product to anyone who uses eyeliner as a key feature with their makeup.  

 

Another product I picked up from 'SmashBox' was a photo finish primer. On a daily basis I'm not a big user of primer but I recently ran out of my old primer and thought it may be the time for a change and to explore away from Benefit's golden oldie 'porefessional. ' I was sceptical at first as the price of this new one was actually slightly more than the one from benefit, that I know works wonders on my skin, however I took the plunge and went for it. Honestly, I feel that although the primer does smoothen my skin ready for my foundation application, the finish isn't as thick or long lasting as what I'm used to and however much I try I don't think I can love this as much as I do with porefessional. So for me 'Smashbox' is the place to go for eyeliner however I think I will stick with what I know and love in future when it comes to primer.

 

 

Lastly, LIPS! I have never really been a huge fan of having stand out lips and just applied some lip balm or gloss to complete a makeup look, however recently I have been relying on lip colour to be a main feature of my face! After trying and falling in love with some bare minerals colours 'pink champagne' and 'berry glace' I felt that my 'go to' collection needed expansion in the form of a nude. Kate Moss' 'Lasting Finish' collection by Rimmel is my new best friend - the colours '03' and '38' are the ones I picked up and I can honestly say I've never had a better lipstick. They really do what it says on the packaging in the format of long lasting but also perfect colour coverage. They also provide a smooth finish that doesn't dry out your lips like most lipsticks. I now cannot wait to try more shades from this collection- well done Kate Moss!

 

   

 

 Until next time, Toni. xo