My Everyday Contouring Duo

Contouring has been talk of the make-up town for at least a year now and although I'm no Kimmy K when it comes to shaping my face, I do use a couple of products in my everyday routine to give me a little definition, colour and shimmer.

These two have been a solid make-up favourite and in my make-up bag since the day that I got them. It was literally love at first use and I know I've talked about them a fair few times already on here but I do feel like they deserve another mention! 

These two are both from the ever-growing cosmetic brand theBalm - on the left the Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter and on the right the Bahama Mama bronzer - and I cannot rant and rave about these enough.

The highlight is a gorgeous pinky silver shimmer highlight which gives a gorgeous sheen and glow to the skin and the bronzer is a fantastic matte tan shade, which I always find hard to get hold of (For under £25 anyway!) - together they are a dream team!

I start off my doing my usual base of make-up - primer, concealer and foundation. I then use my Zoeva Sheer Luxe Cheek Brush to sweep the bronzer into the classic '3' shape from my forehead round to my cheekbones and then down towards jawline. At this point I look a bit OTT and ridiculous but that doesn't last long.

I then use the other end/side of the brush to start of the highlighting.
 With the Mary-Lou I usually pop a bit alongside/above the line I had made along my cheekbones, then down my nose, a tad on my forehead and a little on my cupids bow and chin.
Then it's time for the blending - I use my big fluffy Real Techniques powder brush to buff it all together in small circular motions, blending away those harsh lines and creating a soft, subtle and wearable bronzed and highlighted look.

As you can see.... these are running thin and I'm already panicking about running out! Even though I'm trying to save money this next year these will have the be a re-purchased as I really can't see me living without them anytime soon.

What are you favourite bronzers and highlights? Have you tried either of these?

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Beauty Wishlist : January

Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection

Make-Up Revolution Naked Chocolate Palette

Palmer's Coconut Oil Repairing Shampoo & Conditioner

Benefit Watts App Highlighter

Dior Hypnotic Poison edt

Mac Lip Pencil - Spice

thebalm Put A Lid On It

Zoella Just Say Yes Beauty Bag

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Beauty Wishlist : December 2014

Tanya Burr I Found Nemo Lipgloss | Real Techniques Nics Picks Brush Set | The Balm Anita Boy Toy Lipstick | Smashbox Halo Highlighting Wand | Tigi Bed Head Recharge Conditioner |  Tigi Catwalk Sleek Mystique Haute Iron Spray | Prada Candy Perfume | Rodial Dragon's Blood Hyaluronic Mask | Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick

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My 5 Most Used Brushes

Brushes... one of those key ingredients to make-up and it's application. 

I honestly don't know how I use to apply my make-up with no brushes when I was younger - what on earth was I thinking, I dread to think what I looked like!

Back when I was about 15 I used probably 1 brush and that was just a cheap little kabuki brush to apply some bronzer - everything else was done with my hands... opps!

I like to think I've come along way since then, it's 9 years later and I owe more make-up brushes than kitchen cutlery but there are a few that have a firm place in my daily make-up routine and those are rhe brushes I'm going to share with you today!

These are the 5 brushes that I use the most. 
Brushes that I use daily and brushes that, now, I couldn't see myself living without - they are my fav's and are all pretty affordbable in my opinion!

1.  Real Techniques Powder Brush

I love this big fluffy brush. It's perfect for using with a powder after foundation  to help set it and I use it daily - also fab if you want to add some bronzer to your neck and chest!

2. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
I use this for my Seventeen Pwhooar Paint concealer and it works wonders! So good for blending - I will never use my fingers for concealer again! Would also be great for contouring!

3. Zoeva Silk Finish Brush
This is the greatest foundation brush I've ever used! I hate your standard flat foundation brush - I've never go on with them and just don't get them! I love a flat buffing bruh like this and this works so well with any of my favouite foundations! This thing is a lifesaver!

4. Zoeva Luxe Sheer Cheek Brush

This angled brush is what I use with my Sleek contouring kit - which, to be honest, I don't know how I lived without! 
The Sleek kit has become a staple in my make-up bag and this brush with it, I hardly go a day without it! This brush is fab for using along my cheek bones and jaw lines with the bronzer and then I flip it to the other side and use it for the highlighter!

5. ELF Eyeliner Brush
Yes yes yes I know this is an eyeliner brush BUT for me this is my eyeBROW brush! This size and shape is perfect to help me fill in my brows with my HD brows palette and I have been using it for years!

So there you have it - my 5 most used brushes! Was this a bit of a boring post?!
 What brushes do you use the most and which are your favouites?

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Kirstie's Beauty Buys Of The Week #2

I first did a BBOTW post back in June and had a great response to it so after buying a few new bits over the past week or so I thought I would go ahead and do another one!

Everything in this post was actually bought from Boots (minus Glamour), I am obsessed with the all the deals they always have on, I am all about saving money and if there is a way for me to get some discount on something I am all for it!

Now, I used to have a serious serious addiction to magazines. I am not kidding I would buy at least 6 a week. It was bad. But a good few years ago now I realised that I didn't actually read them all cover to cover and actually I knew alot of the stuff in them already because of the internet (I spend quite alot of time on here ya know!)

That being said I'm not saying I never buy them! I love curling up with a magazine and looking at the beauty  the fashion, he bargains and the interviews!

So each month I normally pick just 1 or 2 of the monthly magazines! This month it is Glamour. I am such a fan of Glamour, I first started reading it years ago when I used to steal my Mum's (who is also a known magazine buyer/hoarder like myself) and seeing as it as just £1 I couldn't say no! 

This issue is really thick and I know it's the sort of thing that I'll be able to pick up throughout the whole month and still have something to read in it! Not to mention the gorgeous Nicole on the front and an awesome free sample of Rimmel's new foundation that I've been dying to try before I purchase!

Since I found out about this new product from Real Techniques I have been waiting and waiting for it to be released.

 So as soon I saw it had popped up in my local Boots store I didn't even pause to consider and I flung it straight into my basket! So far I have only tried out one of the eBay cheap beauty blenders which cost me about a £1 and even though it wasn't bad I can already see and feel this is going to be a million times better!

 It is so so soft and after trying it out with both some of my new CC cream and my True Match foundation I can see how much better the quality is! It gives such a lovely flawless finish and I may have to jack in my brushes for a bit while I'm totally in love with this! For £5.99 I am really happy with this purchase!

Autumn is officially here (well where I live anyways.. Brrr!) so it's that time of year here lips start to become extra dry and chapped! *Queue the thousands of lip balms and butters I will be hoarding over the next few months!*

 This is one of the lip butters from Nivea and this isn't my first. I first mentioned these in my July favourites post after buying the Vanilla and Macadamia version and falling head over heels for it. These lip butters are just as good if not better for your lips as vaseline and they all smell so incredible (which is what drew me to them in the first place!) You won't get bored of putting these on to help soothe your lips, in fact you may become addicted!

Like I just said, Autumn is here and along with the changing of bare legs to tights and t-shirts to jumpers comes the changing of nail and make-up shades.

 I'm not saying that I completely ditch my bright corals and pinks over the Autumn and winter period but it is the perfect time to get out those deep, warm, rich colours from your make-up collection and rock the sultry,vampy look! 

I've always been a bit of a wimp when it comes to really really dark colours as I thought they never suited me. But over the last year or so I've slowly been teaching myself to come out of my wimpy shell and try and rock as many different shades as possible!

This had lead me to this - Barry M's Lip Paint in shade 156.  This is a gorgeous deep purple shade and I thought it would be perfect for the up coming months! I think the swatch actually looks a little lighter on my arm than it will on my lips and I am actually a little annoyed at myself that I didn't include a lip swatch - sorry girls and guys! I cannot wait to try this out on a night out, I'm thinking of wearing it with a really simple eye, maybe just fake lashes and no shadow! Have any of you got this shade?

I mentioned in a previous post this week how much I am loving Seventeen's products at the moment. They are normally a brand I will overlook and not really bother looking at as I would rather stick to the stuff from brands like Rimmel and Barry M which I know I love. But recently I have been so pleasantly surprised with the stuff I have bought from them and have a long list of products from their range that I want/need to add to my collection!

This is their new CC Cream which retails for £6.99. I have been wanting to try out a CC Cream for a while now as I love the thought of all the redness and fatigue vanishing off my face!

 I have been looking at so many in all the drugstores and once I saw this one I knew it was the one. This is literally as good as my True Match foundation which I use everyday, I love full coverage and a matte finish and this does it all! I was worried a CC Cream may have left me a little shiny but this stuff is fantastic. I bought the shade medium, although with it coming to the cloudy/rainy part of the year now I'm thinking I probably should have bought the light, so I may have to invest in that one too! 

Lastly it is a repurchase. The Eylure Naturalites false eyelashes in 107 are my go-to lashes every single time. 

Now and again I will stray to the 101's but 107's are my ultimate favourites. If you ever see a photo of me and I am wearing fake lashes 99 times out of 100 it will be these! I get through so so many pairs and it seems silly to always be forking out for them but I love them so I just don't mind spending the money!

My natural eyelashes are so short and I am alwasy moaning about them so when I am doing a full-face of make-up with eyeshadows etc (normally for a night out or big event like Bestival) I always like to complete my look with a pair of these!

Now the reason these are in my beauty buys of the week this time is because they were, of course, on offer! All make-up & make-up accessories are BOGOHP at the moment AND these packs of 107's have a FREE extra pair in them! Meaning that instead of paying £21.40 for 4 pairs of these I only pay £8.02 - basically only £2 a pair! That will keep me going for a while!

What have you bought recently that you have been loving? Have you bought any of these?

June Favourites

Another month down which means, another favourites post! June has been mostly a great month, with a few lows! My highlight of the month has to be the Isle Of Wight Festival, I had such a great time with my boyfriend and friends (check out my 30 Day Snap for some pictures of my weekend)!
Here's just a few other things I have been loving in the month of June!

A bit of a mixture of things this month and I've actually already mentioned a few of them in previous posts aswell, but these are my top picks from the last 30 days or so!

First up is the Sally Hansen Moisturising Nail Polish Remover for dry, brittle nails (aka mine!)

I actually was going to put this in my May favourites but totally forgot about it, so Iknew it just HAD to go in this months!

I have been using this stuff for  a few months now (after stealing it from my Mum) and really love it! 

My nails are so so brittle and flaky and always have been. They don't grow and if they do then they just break - which is why I love have extensions and shellac! Not only can I feel this stuff befitting my nails but it works so so well as a remover. Just one cotton pad with this stuff gets all my nail varnish from both hands off first time, not alot of removers can do that! (if you go looking for this in the shops it is the blue Sally Hansen remover .... you can't really tell that in the photo!)

Next is the Face Contour Kit by Sleek in the shade - Light. I mentioned this in a haul post called Thank You Mr. Postman and have used it everyday since! (Well everyday that I've worn make-up)! I use an angled blush brush from the elf mineral bamboo line for the bronzer along my cheek bone and then the real techniques contour brush to apply the highlighter above it! I then use the blush brush again from Real Techniques to blend them together to avoid any harsh lines. I love the effect and the quality of the product is amazing, I keep getting asked if I'm wearing High Beam (a Benefit highlighter) on my cheeks - well worth the price it is now a staple in my make-up bag.

Pretty isn't it? Yup I've got myself a new bag this month, so clearly it has to be in my favourites!

This is the mini shopper bag from Zara (I'm sure you've all seen it before!). I don't have a Zara anywhere near where I live so I always get my stuff from their online store. Originally I did want the orange version of this bag but unfortunately they didn't have that one available on the website so I settled for this gorgeous green colour. (Although black is a great colour as it goes with everything I fancied something a little different this season)! I think this bag is such a bargain for the price -  only £22.99 - and the size, for me, is perfect! 

I always seem to manage to have everything in my bag, I feel the need to be prepared for any situation or outcome so space is a big thing for me and although it looks fairly small it really isn't! I've used this everyday for weeks and keep getting loads of compliments on it, if the orange shade ever goes online I will 100% be buying that one too! (What's in my bag? post will be up later this week!)

                 

First of all ... LOL at my foot sneaking in the photo, I've only just noticed this as I'm writing this section - doh!

If you read blogs alot, watch youtube, go on twitter or hell, just use the internet you are going to have heard so much about  these already! Baring this in mind I shan't bore you for long. These are some of my Real Techniques brushes - the best brushes I own. From left to right you have - the Powder, Buffing , Blush, Stippling, Contour & Expert Face brushes. I use most of these daily, they are so soft and give the best results for someone who wears a full-face of make-up like myself - a fantastic investment.

Now, I could do a whole post about these. If you are a regular reader (thank you) you would have already seen me rave about these in my recent post - Kirstie's Beauty Buys Of The Week. A few weeks ago now I purchased the pink shade on the right - Nova. I immediately fell in love with the feel and result of it and knew I would be purchasing more.

 After searching high and low for a new red lipgloss I knew this was going to be the one - Big Bang (left) is such an amazing colour and I love that I have the look and stay of a lipstick and the shine of lipgloss all in one!

 These lip lacquers are faultless I'm going to be buying more this week!

Guilty confession to make with this one. I copied my Mum! She has the larger version and this one and I always think they look so cute! So this week when I saw this on sale for half price I had to buy it! 

It is from M&Co (I think this is actually the first thing I've ever bought from there) and was down to £6 from £12. I've put all my small stacking rings in here and it's replaced the glass ashtray that was featured in my Make-up Storage post with it.

In my last favourites posts I shared with you my favourite album of the month and this month is going to be no different!

 I cannot stop listening to Demi Lovato's new album - Demi! This is my sort of music, girly, fun, a few ballads and great to sing along too! It is one of those albums that you only have to listen to once and you know you love it, I have been playing it non-stop for weeks and weeks! My favourite tracks are Nightingale, Warrior, Made In The USA & Really Don't Care (which features Cher Lloyd!).

What have you been loving this month?!

30 Day Snap #26 - Brush Love & A Sad Day

Returned home from work today to find these beauties waiting for me (Thank you Mr. Postman!) 
Been wanting these 4 for so so long (so far I only have the core collection and that is NOT enough!) and finally splashed out (yes I'm tight) and bought these Real Techniques brushes from feelunique.com.
I ordered  the Powder Brush, the Stippling Brush, the Blush Brush & the Expert Face Brush.
Now...I know they are all going to be amazing so I'm not going to bore you with a post about them because there is already hundreds out there but I thought they would be perfect for today's 30 Day Snap!

Had a really bad day today, one of my little doggies had to be put down so I'm very sad this evening :-( He was 13 and I know it was the best thing for him but I can't help but feel heartbroken, I've grown up with that little guy!


Catch up here, Days - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25.