The Best Everyday Makeup Brushes I Can’t Live Without

 

I’ve done a couple of these posts before which I will link below (and this does have a few crossovers) but I also have some newer brushes that I reach for everyday so wanted to do an updated version!  

 

rephr brushes when first purchased November 2023 (along with No15 eye brush - great for blending!)

Starting off with some of the newer brushes to my collection and I picked up these rephr brushes towards the end of 2023 after hearing some Instagram hype and they have been in daily rotation since! Brush 04 is a petit angled brush that I like to use for blush and it works well for cream, liquid and powder. The angled head means it is versatile if you prefer to use it for bronzer/contour/highlighter etc and the fact the head is a little smaller allows for more precision!

 

Brush 05 is their flagship powder brush and I love this for powder bronzer as it allows me to create a really diffused finish! The brush head features a slightly flattened, oval shape and the size is a little smaller than a full powder brush. I look forward to using this brush everyday!

 

I just saw on their website that Brush 37 is unfortunately going through a re-design based on feedback received from the community. I’m sure they will make it even better but I am sad to see if off the website as I think it’s perfect as is! It’s a petit cheek brush that I use for cream and liquid blush and it’s a little denser than the previous two, so I don’t use it for powder. It allows me to be precise with my application and it gives an airbrushed finish and helps blend the cream and liquid seamlessly!

 

These brushes are by far the softest I own and are made with natural goat hair in Japan! The matte black handle looks chic, they wash incredibly well and I have noticed very minimal shedding (literally a couple of hairs after washing). I absolutely love using these brushes as they are so soft and work so well for me! If I have to replace any of my makeup brushes or want to look for anything new, rephr will be my first stop! They used to hold regular sales which I think recently decreased in frequency but it’s worth waiting for a sale to get a bit of a saving even though they are very reasonably priced!

My rephr brushes 2.5 years later l-r: Brush 05, 37, 04

Next up is my Sephora Collection brush collection! I have the Mini PRO Foundation Brush #56.5 (also comes as a full size #56) which I use specifically for concealer (I apply foundation with my fingers). It’s densely packed with soft vegan bristles and blends my under-eye concealer very well as well as allowing me to build coverage easily over blemishes.

 

The Sephora Collection PRO Powder Brush #59 is my go-to all over powder brush and its rounded shape allows me to apply my powder quickly and evenly!

 

Lastly, from Sephora Collection, the PRO Blush Brush #93 - an angled brush (which you can already probably tell is one if my favourite types of brushes!) that I prefer to use for cream bronzer. I find this a little too dense for powder blush but it works well for me with cream products! 

 

I like to pick these up when Sephora has 30% off their Sephora Collection range at sale time!

The PRO Brush Collection are made with hand-shaped vegan synthetic bristles. They are soft but not nearly as soft as the rephr ones!

 

Real Techniques have been in my collection for a long time and this Setting Brush is actually my second one as I lost the first and couldn’t be without it! Though I have to say I much prefer the non-sticky bottom on the new one – if you know you know! It’s a small, soft, powder brush that adds a controlled dusting of powder or highlighter. My preferred use is to set my under eyes and this fits perfectly and ensure it never looks cakey! 

 

The Duo-Fiber Face Brush is one I can’t seem to find online so may be discontinued now unfortunately but I had to include it as it gets daily use from me to blend my cheeks after I have applied my bronzer and blush – especially if I have been a little too heavy handed! It’s quite flat and really helps to diffuse the product! It actually first featured on my blog 10 years ago in this post and it’s great quality as it still looks like new!

 

The Charlotte Tilbury Powder & Sculpt brush has a narrow, tapered end that is perfect for getting into the hollows of my cheeks as well as my temples – I use this with powder bronzer or sometimes a cooler shade for contour. I love the rose gold hardware and crimson handle on this brush but I have had to glue it back together in the past! This is another brush that I have had for a while – since 2017! It’s made with synthetic fibres and you can get 15% off your first order at Charlotte Tilbury with my discount code: CT-SOCT8QXLOF9

 

Lastly, the Zoeva 128 Cream Cheek brush and another one that unfortunately I cannot find online anymore! Whatever happened to Zoeva? They seem to have a website, but they were much more readily available back in the day and I have a number of high quality brushes from them that I still use regularly! This one is in my rotation most often and despite it being called cream cheek, I like to use it for powder blush! Again, I love the angled bristles and it makes applying blush so easy, it’s always even and never looks harsh! I’ve been using this one since 2015 and its still as good as the day I bought it! Such a pity the brand isn’t on more websites and some of the brushes seem to be discontinued! See my original review here!

I wash my makeup brushes every couple of weeks with Dr Bronner’s 18-in-1 Pure Castile liquid Soap – the eucalyptus and tea tree scents are my favourite and the bottle lasts forever while the soap itself is gentle on my brushes!

 

Read about my past favourite makeup brushes here and here! Let me know what makeup brushes and brands you love!

Shop the post here! 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

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Beauty Spend Report | February and March 2022

I’m back with a combined beauty spend report as I had a low spend month in February! If only they could all be like that! 

 

In February, along with a £20 subscription to the Liberty Beauty Drop Box, I repurchased two products. The first of which being a Real Techniques Setting Brush. I honestly can’t remember how long I had my original brush – it featured on my blog for the first time in 2015 and would have lasted many more years if I hadn’t lost it  So mad at myself but I think I must have left it in a hotel room because I turned my bedroom upside down and couldn’t find it. I use it daily so picked the replacement up from Amazon as that’s where I found it for the cheapest price at £6.07 (RRP £7.99). The new version has a pink base rather than black and I would say it feels very slightly different though that could be because mine was so old! Anyway, it’s the best size for setting under the eye and eyelid too and I can’t recommend it enough!

 

I also just finished my favourite eye makeup remover so grabbed another Nivea Daily Essentials Double Effect Eye Makeup Remover for £1.99 from Savers. If you wear waterproof mascara you need this in your life! It’s a bio phase formula and the oil works to break down makeup all while being super gentle, not stinging eyes or leaving a fuzzy film over them! See more here! My total for February was £28.06.

 

Moving onto March now and as well as another £20 billing for the Liberty beauty box subscription, I picked up three Revlon Colorstay Foundations for Oily/Combo skin in the shade Buff as it was on 3 for 2 in Boots. Normally this is £12.99 per bottle so instead of £38.97 altogether it was £25.98 and because I had some vouchers from Christmas I only paid £3.37. Side note, when are Boots going to introduce being able to use gift cards online? So annoying. Anyway, this is my go-to work foundation as I don’t like wearing my more expensive foundations when I am just working from home! I have been repurchasing for years and it’s a great, long lasting, full coverage foundation and Buff is a perfect match for me! I don’t wear much drugstore makeup anymore, but this is one I always have in my collection! See more here!

 

Another trip to Savers for essentials resulted in me picking up some more dry shampoo – the Schwarzkopf dry shampoos feature heavily in my empties but I think I forget to add them into my spend reports as to me they are quite boring but £1.99 can’t be beaten! I also had a lovely trip to Prague in the middle of the month and took the opportunity to grab the Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Waterproof mascara which worked out at £3.10.

 

Moving onto a few more exciting end of the month purchases and I finally picked up the Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle cream blush in Petal Poppin that I have wanted for ages! It’s usually £21 but Boots had 15% off and then a further 5% off for Mother’s Day making this £16.96. Lastly, I made a Look Fantastic order for a backup of the Barry M lip scrub which is just as good as my old favourite from Lush! Unfortunately, they didn’t have the mint flavour I wanted so I picked up bubblegum – it’s usually £4.99 but there’s always a 20% off code! I also grabbed the Maison Margiela Replica Memory Box 10 x 2ml as I have wanted to smell these for ages and this was £33 but I got 20% off too and also had a £5 credit on my account so this haul cost me £25.01 altogether instead of £37.99. 

 

 

 

My total for March was £70.43 instead of £122.39 thanks to those discounts and gift cards and the total for the two months was £98.49. I think I am due another beauty box from Liberty in the middle of this month after which I might cancel the subscription. I have £80 in the account now but have to say I don’t find their beauty section that good so I’m not sure what I will pick up yet!  

 

If you want to see January’s Spend Report click here and last years round up is here! Let me know what you have purchased recently! 

 

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me.

All opinions are my own. Affiliate links used.

See my full disclosure here.

 

Danielle xx

 

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My Favourite Makeup Brushes #2

I did a “My Favourite Makeup Brushes” post way back last year and although all those brushes are still in daily use, there are a few more that I use regularly so I thought I would do a little update!

Zoeva 102 Silk Finish Brush (from the Rose Golden set)

I really didn’t like this brush to begin with and it sat unloved in my brush pot because I found it left a streaky finish with my usual liquid foundations. That all changed when I got the Vincent Longo Water Canvas Crème-to-Powder foundation* recently. I found the sponge that came with the foundation didn’t give me enough coverage and my usual fail safe Beauty Blender had the same problem so I dug around for this and it works perfectly! It helps build up coverage and it’s so easy to work into the skin because the bristles are so tightly packed.

Real Techniques Blush Brush

This is a brush that I used to use daily about 3 years ago for blush until I felt it was putting a little too much blush on my cheeks and I switched to an angled blush brush (how many times can I say blush and brush in a sentence). Nowadays, I much prefer this as a bronzer brush and I love it with NARS Laguna and Charlotte Tilbury Bronze in particular!

Real Techniques Duo Fibre Face Brush from the Duo Fibre set

As someone who has a tendency to be a little heavy handed with blush this brush is a godsend for blending! If I have gone overboard it does such good job of helping to fade it a little and make my blush look more natural!

Morphe B8 Badger Deluxe Fan Brush

With my fear of highlighter, this brush means that anytime I apply it, it’s subtle exactly how I like it! The brush is very soft and I would prefer the bristles to be a little stiffer but it does the job and it didn’t break the bank!

Zoeva 232 Luxe Classic Shader from the Rose GoldenVol. 2 Complete Eye Set

I've been using this brush to highlight my inner corner and brow bone and really like it! It’s quite stiff and allows you to be quite precise too so is great for applying the likes of the Makeup Geek foiled eyeshadows all over the lid!

Zoeva 227 Luxe Soft Definer from the Rose Golden Vol.2 Complete Eye Set

This has replaced my beloved RT angled shadow brush as my preferred eyeshadow blender brush now! It is the perfect size and just makes blending so easy and I now have three of these babies! I also have a full review of the set these last two brushes came in here!

Anastasia Beverly Hills #12 Large Synthetic Duo Brow Brush

This brush makes applying Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade a doddle! It’s quite a stiff angled brush with synthetic bristles and it gives such a fine line it makes it so easy to apply hair like strokes through my brows! I love that it has a spoolie on one end too which makes it perfect to travel with!

So that’s my updated favourite brushes! I have to add that all these brushes wash up really well even though they are from different brands and I haven’t noticed any of them shedding which is another bonus!

As you are reading this I’m on holiday for my birthday (which is tomorrow!) but I’ll be doing my best to keep up with comments so do leave me one below and let me know if you have any of these brushes and what do you think of them!

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own.

Danielle xx

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My Favourite Makeup Brushes

 

I thought today I would share my favourite makeup brushes! These are the ones I use every day and some of them I have doubles for because I love them so much!

Zoeva 106 Powder Brush

Some powder brushes I've used in the past are massive and while I like my powder, I sometimes feel a little like they make my makeup look a little cakey! This one is a great size and works perfectly to spread my powder evenly over my face! I got it in the Zoeva Rose Golden set which is expensive to fork out for but the quality of the brushes is amazing so it’s definitely worth it!

Real Techniques Setting Brush

I never used to use this one until maybe the start of the year when I realised my powder brush wasn't great at reaching under my eyes and my concealer was creasing a little. This brush solves that problem for me! I sometimes use a different powder to the one I use all over my face such as a banana coloured powder to help brighten this area and it works so well, I couldn’t be without this one now!

No7 Blusher Brush

No7 brushes are seriously underrated! This is actually the third incarnation of this brush I have gone through. It was in the first brush set I ever got years ago in a No7 Christmas set and I used it for blusher until replacing it when it got a little too worn looking and starting to use it for contour. I then rebought it a few months ago as they updated the brush line and mine had started shedding a little! This is my favourite brush for contouring as it's quite small but not completely flat so there are no harsh lines and it fits nicely under my cheek bone! It’s really soft so blends easily and it’s probably my favourite brush ever! I've got about 2 to 3 years daily use out of each of the previous versions I've had and while it’s quite pricey for a drugstore brush, if you get them with a £3 off No7 voucher they work out much better!

Zoeva 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek Brush

I switch quite frequently with this brush and a Zoeva 128 Cream Cheek brush depending on what blusher I am wearing but at the time of taking these photos I had just got the Hourglass blush palette (found it in stock online at John Lewis!) and this is the most perfect brush for applying those blushers! I have preferred to use an angled blush brush for the last few years as I feel I can apply my blush much more evenly and this and the Zoeva 128 are the perfect size.

Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush

I actually have two of these brushes, one from the starter set (of which this is the only brush I rate) and one from the Nic’s Picks set. This is by far my favourite brush to apply eyeshadow with. It’s soft, flexible but not too flexible and applies just the right amount of eyeshadow. I wish they would make this available as a single brush because I would definitely pick up a couple more, mine are starting to look a little battered but they still work really well!

Zoeva 231 Luxe Petit Crease

At first I thought this brush would be too stiff to apply a darker colour in my crease but it works perfectly to add a bit more depth to my eyes!

Real Techniques Angled Shadow Brush

This is my favourite blending brush to use, I love that it’s angled! I find it fits my crease better and allows me to blend more effectively! This is another brush I wish Real Techniques would sell separately as I love it so much!

Zoeva 317 Wing Liner Brush

This is another brush I have two of and originally talked about in this post! I use this bamboo handled one for my eyebrows when I’m using powder for my brows or my Anastasia Dipbrow pomade and I also use the one from the rose gold collection to apply eyeliner (usually just a black eyeshadow). It’s not too firm so I get a really natural look when using this!

I generally use my fingers or a Real Techniques sponge/Beauty Blender to apply my foundation so don’t really use brushes for that! Let me know what your must have brushes are!

Danielle xx