A Working Week in Blush #1

Hi everyone! I recently did a working week in lipstick post so thought I would follow up with a blusher version! I mentioned I like to try and change the products I use on my lips and cheeks every day if I can as they are the products I have most of and it lets me get better use out of my makeup! Here’s what I wore last week!

Monday

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour blush in Supreme

I had wanted to try the Tarte blush formulation for months so when I saw a set of four mini blushes on QVC at the end of last year I couldn’t resist! Some in the set are a little glittery for my liking but this matte coral shade is just the right amount of pigmentation and stays on all day!

Tuesday

NARS Orgasm Blush

I got this mini cult classic in the NARS Modern Minimalist Box a few months ago as I had a code for £15 off a £60 spend and I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I do! As you can see from the swatch below it has a lot of gold glitter in it but on the skin this translates as a gorgeous sheen!

Wednesday

Laura Geller Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl blush in Rosewater

This is probably the prettiest indentation in a blush ever! I’ve found there are two ways to apply this – a little dip in the centre with your brush to build it up slowly or if you are going all out, follow the pattern of the swirl and watch the pigmentation increase! I’ve dipped my brush in blushes before and looked like a clown because I haven’t realised how pigmented they were so this is one I like to build up with maybe 3 or 4 swipes over each cheek. It has quite a noticeable glitter in it which I normally don’t go for but there is something about the formulation that works with this and it translated to a subtle glow on the skin.  

Thursday

Soap and Glory Made you Blush in Rosy Chic

This is quite a recent purchase as it only came out at the start of summer and out of the three shades they released I went with this one as it was matte and less pink in tone than the other two! This is definitely the most pigmented of the blushes in this post so I have to be careful when applying and you really only need the smallest tap of the brush in the pan for it to show up! The packaging is a little deceptive and there isn’t as much product as I originally thought – the blush flips up and there is a mini brush underneath but other than that I have nothing bad to say about this and I might go back for the other matte one!

Friday

The Balm Down Boy blush

I *think* this is my all-time favourite blush. Big statement but when I think about it, it comes with me when I travel anywhere (even if I take something like the NARS Virtual Domination palette which has four blushes with me), I wear it on occasions I know there will be photos because it shows up, it doesn’t fade or go patchy and it’s the most perfect pink colour. I love the packaging, the size of the blush pan is generous and it’s well worth the £15.50!

Swatches l-r: Tarte Supreme, Nars Orgasm, Laura Geller Rosewater, Soap and Glory Rosy Chic, The Balm Down Boy

Brushes

I am a massive fan of using angled brushes to apply my blush so I thought I’d add in a quick note here about my favourites!

First up, the Zoeva offerings - I have a few Zoeva brush sets now and these two are definitely up there with my most used! I love using the luxe sheer cheer brush with my Hourglass brushes especially and use the Bamboo cream cheek brush with powder blushes as well. Both are super soft, pink up product easily and blend like a dream!

I got the Soap and Glory blush brush in a Christmas set last year and I wish they would bring out a permanent range because I am so impressed! The bristles are so soft, it’s the perfect size and the handles are nice and weighty! I’d buy the whole set if they brought a range out!

I bought a set of Spectrum brushes a few months ago to see what all the fuss was about and honestly, for me, they don’t beat the likes of Zoeva or Real Techniques. I found the eye brushes far too big (I have hooded eyes) and hard to use however I do love this AO5 brush and a few others in the set I got! It has a longer handle than I’m used to but again its really soft and blends blush easily!

Anyway, that wraps up a week in blush for me and as you can tell its peachy pinks all the way!

Do you change the makeup products you use every day or stick with the same ones? Have you got any blush recommendations for me?

Danielle xx

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Zoeva Rose Golden Vol. 2 Complete Eye Brush Set Review

I needed these like a hole in the head but welcome to my Zoeva brush family the Rose Golden Vol. 2 eye set! I ordered these just before Christmas when I was doing my Makeup Geek order because obviously I needed new eye brushes to go with it and just look how pretty they are! Hard to resist or what?

The set includes twelve eye brushes in a limited edition (although still available) nude and rose gold handled set. Zoeva do not test any of their products on animals and this brush set is made up of brushes with both natural and synthetic bristles. As with all their other sets, the brushes are super soft and wash really well! So, onto the brushes!

142 Concealer Buffer

First up, this is actually the third copy I now have of this brush (also in the Rose Gold Set and Bamboo Vol. 2 set I have!) and I don’t like it so I sold it on Ebay! I found with the others it just moved my concealer round and I ended up with no coverage and I just prefer using my fingers to pat it in! If you have any other uses for this brush do let me know as I have two sitting unloved in my brush pot!

325 Luxe Brow Light

I usually use a much smaller and more flexible brush to apply highlight to my brow but I have been enjoying using this as it has such a light touch! It’s a bit too big to use in the inner corner of my eye though!

227 Luxe Soft Definer

I’m always happy to have another blending brush in my life and this one does a great job!

322 Brow Line

I usually use a Zoeva Wing Liner brush to do my brows if I’m using powder or something like ABH Dipbrow Pomade and from pictures I had seen of this before I got it I thought it was going to be as thin as the wing liner but shorter. It’s actually a lot thicker than I thought but still works really well at giving a precise line and doesn’t look too overdone so I’m really happy with it!

232 Luxe Classic Shader

Another standard brush to pack on shadow with! I actually prefer the Real Techniques base shadow brush when I’m using matte shadows all over as these Zoeva brushes can be a lot stiffer and I can sometimes go overboard but they are great when using glitters as they really press it on!

235 Contour Shade

I was really hoping this would be like the Real Techniques angled shadow brush as it’s my favourite for blending but it’s not as thick and fluffy so I haven’t been using this as often as I would have liked!

231 Luxe Petite Crease Brush

This is another one of my favourite brushes and I use my original Zoeva Rose Golden version every day when putting a darker eyeshadow shade through my crease and in my outer corner! I forgot how stiff it was when I first got it but I like to wash it a few times to separate the bristles a bit so it’s softer for me to use!

221 Luxe Soft Crease Brush and 228 Crease Brush

These are two lovely tapered fluffy brushes great for blending or adding a transition shade through the crease!

230 Luxe Pencil

I have wanted one of these brushes for the longest time! This is great when doing a smoky eye and adding a little shadow on the bottom lash line!

238 Luxe Precise Shader

This reaches places my Luxe Brow Light brush doesn’t so is great for inner corner highlight!

310 Spot Liner

This brush is super small but not small enough for my hooded lids! I tried it with gel eyeliner and it was just a little too thick for me but if you don’t have hooded lids or can get away with thicker eyeliner then I’m sure it would be great! Or if you have more makeup skills ha!

Overall, this is a great set if like me you are looking to expand your eye brush collection! I was tempted by the mixed eye and face set but I’m really happy with the face brushes I have so was glad to expand my eye collection! It’s a totally unnecessary set if you’re not into eye makeup but even though I’m not that experimental with it, I do wear eyeshadow every day! It’s such a luxurious set from the colour scheme to the detailing on the zip and I’m glad to have it in my collection!

I got mine from the BeautyBay website for £56.95! If you like this post you might like my favourite brushes post here or my review of the Zoeva Bamboo Vol. 2 set here! Have you got this or any other Zoeva brush sets? What do you think of them?

Danielle xx

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SEVENTEEN Christmas Gift with Purchase 2015

Hi everyone, I wanted to get a post up today with a gift with purchase that’s currently available in Boots! If you spend £6 on selected SEVENTEEN products you get a free pouch with three makeup brushes! Here’s what I bought!

  

SEVENTEEN Stay Time Pressed Powder

I go through powder quite quickly and my Holy Grail powder is No7 Perfect Light pressed powder, being that SEVENTEEN is meant to be the baby sister brand of No7 I thought I would try one of their powders. I went with Stay Time as I like mattifying powders that help make my makeup last and so far I’ve been really impressed with the stay time (geddit) of this powder! I have it in the shade Fair and although I do prefer my setting powders to be translucent, this doesn’t add any noticeable colour to my face and I’m really impressed with its lasting power!  

SEVENTEEN Blush Powder

The packaging of the blusher is not my favourite thing in the world as it’s a screw cap and I just find it more fiddly than anything but the range of colours is great and I had a hard time picking just one! I eventually settled on China Pink which is a lovely bright matte pink colour that has a great amount of pigmentation and lasts all day on my cheeks! The best thing about these blushes – they’re only £2.99!

l-r Blush in China Pink, Stay Time powder in Fair

The GWP includes a black glitter pouch with three makeup brushes, one for cheeks, eyes and lips. They are all a lot softer than I was expecting and the cheek brush works well to apply the blush evenly, the eye brush is great for applying a darker shadow colour in the outer corner and the lip brush has been perfect to use to apply the lip products in my In the Balm of Your Hand palette!

Have you seen all the Christmas makeup GWP’s in Boots at the minute? This might not have been the only one I bought! Did you get any?

Danielle xx