INVESTING IN TOOLS

MAC KEEPSAKES STUDIO BRUSH KIT 

There's nothing like adding an investment piece to your makeup collection. The rush of adrenalin from buying something heavenly that you know is worth the hard earned cash just for how pretty it is, let alone how well it will serve its purposes. For me, tools are one of the top things that are worth investing in. Good quality tools that are well looked after should last you years without needing replacements. And yet, it has taken me this long to get my hands on MAC brushes! 

I was a rather lucky lady this Christmas... my boyfriends lovely parents bought me the MAC Keepsakes Studio Brush Kit that comes with five beautiful white/silver brushes. Two face and three eye brushes, for blending to perfection. I've had real techniques brushes for a long while now and am a big fan (cannot wait to get my hands on their Bold Metals collection!), and even have a few Sephora brushes in my stash from a trip to NYC many moons ago... but this is my first delve into the Holy Grail that is MAC brushes. I've been wanting to start a collection of them for years, but they are quite an investment and I just never knew where to start, so this little kit is just perfect. These are limited edition brushes and are slightly shorter than their original twins, so below I've listed the equivalents from the permanent collection...

129 Powder/Blush Brush
I love this for blush, it's dainty enough to get controlled colour application yet soft and full enough to give even coverage and blend well. Can also be used as a powder brush but I like to set my whole face with loose powder so a larger brush does a quicker job. Available here.

190 Foundation Brush
The MAC website states this brush can be used to 'apply, distribute and blend' your foundation, but personally I like to use this to apply and distribute, and blend with the beauty blender for a really flawless finish. Available here.

224 Tapered Blending Brush
As the name suggests, this brush is perfect for blending eye shadows across the lid. It's quite a medium sized blending brush and is perfect for everyday use, it's my go-to crease blender at the moment. Available here.

213 Fluff Brush
The perfect companion for the Tapered Blending Brush, this brush is for more dense application of shadows to the lid area, and is great for applying shadow all over the lid or in more precise areas. Available here. 

209 Eye Liner Brush
Another one with a name that fits, this is a great little brush for applying eye liner. Personally I like to use this with a gel liner, but it can also be used with powder eyeshadows to create a soft liner look (for more intensity, use the eyeshadow damp). Available here.

I would love brush recommendations, so if you have any that you swear by let me know! 

Thank you so much for reading, much love Kitty xx

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This post was not sponsored.

Sleek eye palette in Au Naturel

Sleek i-Divine Palette in Au Naturel 

Great make up shouldn't break the bank, and here's a perfect example of a brand that does all it can to fulfil that remit. I've been a big fan of sleek for a long time, and the obsession started with their perfect contouring palette, which has a gorgeous highlight and a dupe of Benefit Hoola for the contour...all for the grand total of £6.99. (More on this here).

Today however, I'm featuring one of the much loved eye palettes, the i-Divine palette in Au Naturel, which has 12 subtle shades ranging from Ivory to Black in mattes and shimmers. Gorgeous. I've always been a fan of more neutral colours for all make up, especially eyes, so I of course love the colour selection available in this palette. The 12 shades give you the opportunity to create any type of neutral eye look you fancy, whether thats a really natural look with the paler colours all over the lid and some soft taupe through the crease, or a dramatic smokey eye using the matte black, shimmery cranberry and gold tones. It's essentially the ideal starter palette for someone wanting to have one palette to cover all the neutral options. 

As a big lover of the Urban Decay Naked palettes, I feel this blogpost cannot exist without some comparison. 12 shades, mattes and shimmers, neutral colours. The concept is the same, and as I've already expressed my approval of Sleek's colour selection, the only thing left to discuss is quality. I'm talking pigmentation and staying power. Of course, a palette that costs £7.99 is going to have a massive battle to beat the likes of eyeshadow heavyweights Urban Decay, but this palette sure offers up a good fight. The consistency and pigmentation of this palette are like no other at this price point, they're soft powders that allow even application and strong pigmentation. The softness means they blend well, so they're super easy to work with which is great for beginners or busy ladies. The staying power isn't as great as some of my more high end eyeshadows (Charlotte Tilbury, Nars) but for this price point it's pretty darn good, and using a creme base or eyelid primer will help improve longevity. Ultimately, this is a really great palette and as an added bonus it's the perfect pick for somebody working on a tighter budget. The Sleek i-Divine Palette retails for £7.99 and is available online and at Boots & Superdrug. 

I actually won this palette from a fellow blogger's... The very lovely Laura from www.musthavegirl.co.uk sent this to me after I won her 200 follower giveaway - thank you so much Laura! x

Thank you so much for reading, much love Kitty xx

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This post was not sponsored.

A Drugstore Trio

Bourjois Happy Light Foundation, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation and L'Oreal True Match Foundation

A little while ago now, I decided I wanted to change up my base. For a long time I've been all about the full-coverage and flawless finish but I feel as we get older, our skin and our outlook on make up changes. Sometimes we need a little adjustment. In step these three drug store beauts. I have tried (and enjoyed) using Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in the past, but found it a little too sheer/dewy for what I wanted at the time, but it did look good and so many friends swear by it so it was added to the basket! The other two were completely new to me, but I've seen them featured in posts and videos all too often for them to be ignored.

I tried all three of these foundations on their own and somehow none of them offered quite what I was looking for. Variations of too shiny, too thin, too drying. However, don't despair - this blogpost isn't all doom and gloom! I tried mixing the foundations, sometimes on their own and sometimes with others (most often the Rimmel Stay Matte Mousse Foundation - my full coverage partner in crime!) and the effects were mostly complimentary on my skin. Mixing a foundation that's too dewy with one that's too drying, or one that's too heavy with one that's too sheer can often result in the most perfect balance and an almost taylor made foundation that's perfect for you. It can even work really well if you struggle to find the right colour for your skin, you can either mix two different colours of the same foundation, or two different foundations in two different colours (the latter being the method I most frequently use). 

I've been mixing foundations for years, and most of the time it works really well, especially if you follow the golden rule for pairing base products. You just need to make sure that your primary ingredients match on your two (or more) foundations. (As far as I'm aware the two main primary ingredients are water or silicone.) Check the ingredients list, and if the first few words are Aqua/Water on your ingredients list for both, you can mix OR if they're some variation of a silicone (Easy to spot as the word will end in '-cone' as in silicone, dimethicone, etc... although some more complicated compounds end on '-xone', if unsure Google it!) then you can mix. If the primary ingredients match, your foundations will mix perfectly together, however if they don't match it could mean the foundations will separate on your skin after a few hours wear. 

If you aren't a foundation mixologist already, I highly recommend giving it a go - especially if you've got one or two less-than-loved foundations clogging up your makeup draws! 

Thank you so much for reading, much love Kitty xx

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