Real Techniques Blush Brush Review

Hi guys! 

Recently I made my first purchase from the Real Techniques brush line, designed by Samantha Chapman, also know as one half of the Pixiwoo girls on Youtube. I'm a huge fan of Pixiwoo's channel, and their tutorials always inspire me to experiment further with makeup! 

As a 16 year old girl, with no job, I can't really afford the most expensive makeup and tools all of the time, no matter how much I want them! Up until last week, I've been using the collection of 18 mac brushes I have, and haven't really experimented with any other brands. During my recent shopping trip to Boots I couldn't resist making my first purchase and I picked out my first ever Real Techniques brush!

As you can see, I chose the Blush Brush as blush is one of my favourite products to apply, yet I've been using a MAC 168 brush for the last few months and knew I needed a proper blush brush. I can't rate this brush highly enough. It's pretty large and covers my cheeks area in one sweep. It says on the back that it is made with 'Ultra plush taklon bristles' and believe me... They are so soft it's unbelievable. Is it weird to be slightly In love with a brush!? 

I personally found that the brush builds my blusher really well and doesn't apply it heavily at all. It blends great and I really cannot wait to see if the rest of the brushes in the collection match up to the quality of this one. 

I'm 16, and want my career to be in the makeup industry, it's all I've ever wanted to do, and in the future I will definitely invest in more of these brushes. I would recommend them to anyone who has a passion for makeup. They are available to buy from Boots, Superdrug, online and at many other retailers too. The cheapest brush is around £7 leading up to the sets which start from about £20.

XPinkMacX 

MUA Lipstick Collection

This may not be very exciting for some people, however I myself enjoy these type of cheery reviews so I shall continue =D

I have collected  7 Mua lipsticks over the last couple of months, and I'm here to share them with you...the world!

L-R; Shade Number, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 14 & 15

These lipsticks are great value for money, at just a pound each, you can find them at Superdrug,online on the Superdrug website or at muastore.co.uk. Their is a fairly good amount of shades to choose from. Overall each lipstick has quite different formula's. Their are some mattes and some shimmer toned lip sticks, and ill review them each individually just for you! 

Shade 3

This is a lipstick I've spoken of before as it is the dupe for MACS very popular lipstick 'Girl about town'! The consistency of the lipstick is almost like an amplified formula, however it isn't very moisturising and definitely needs a layer of Chapstick underneath! It is a deep pink toned shade with blue undertones and has a matte finnish. It lasts for about 3 hours without reapplying. 

Shade 4

This shade is very sheer and doesn't give your lips anything other than a tint of colour really. This is a bright pink shade and looking at the colour you expect it to come out like a bright bubblegum pink, but no... Far from it. The formula is like one of a MAC frost, and just gives your lips a slight tint of pink. Unlike shade 3, this lipstick is quite moisturising and their is no need for any sort of moisturising before hand. It needs to be re applied regularly.

Shade 7

Ooh this was one of my first Mua purchases! I've only just re discovered it really. I'd describe the colour as between a berry red and a light pink! Odd... Yes, but that's the only way I can think of it! If you mixed the two together! It has a slight shimmer to it and is quite pigmented. This will stay put for several hours.

Shade 8

My more recent purchase! I love this lipstick ALOT! It gives quite a vampey look when worn, as its quite a deep red, colour. This is very very pigmented and a little goes along way! Once applied it will stay for ages, however it does bleed slightly so I do advise you try and get a lip liner that matches... This lipstick has blue undertones to it and a slight shimmer.

Shade 12

Now I'm to sure why but the casing on this lipstick is slightly different to all of the others as its slightly smaller and a different shape, anyhow tis is a staple lipstick I think everyone should own! It's Pink and its glittery, enough said! It doesn't have a matte finnish because of its slight shimmer, and it doesn't seem to stay on as long as the others, however a great lipstick and you can't beat iron price!

Shade 14

This I only bought yesterday however I'm addicted to it already! I love bright lipsticks but everyone needs a good nude lipstick in their life... Don't they?! This is the prefect nude lipstick for me! It's matte, it doesn't give you 'concealer lips' and it lasts for hours! I had been looking for this lipstick for a few weeks and every Superdrug I had gone too it was sold out, however I stumbled across it last night! 

Shade 15

This is pretty much everything I wanted shade 4 to be! This is a pigmented bubblegum pink lipstick which is matte so it has no shimmer to it! I'd say it has more of a orangey undertone to it rather than a coral tone. I love this lipstick!

Overall Id give the Mua lipstick range a 8 out of 10. Not only for value for money but I love the colours! I'm pretty sure ill end up with the whole range!

Skin Tips from Blogger & Vlogger Bethany!

Top 5 skin tips

Hey girls! Today XPinkMacX asked me to write a post for her blog (which I LOVE!)

I'm going to be talking about my 5 most important things to stick with if you want clean, fresh skin! Even I suffer from outbursts of bad skin sometimes (doesn't everyone?) 

1. Make sure you ALWAYS take your makeup off and wash your face!

I know sometimes it can be a lot of effort to do, but this is seriously going to prevent break outs! Even if you're really tired, make sure you clean your face so bacteria can't spread overnight! You want to get all the dirt out of your pores so your skin can BREATHE!

2. Drink lots of water!

(Yes I know you've probably heard this a thousand times!) but water is seriously good for your skin! Our body is made up of about 60% water so it's good to keep yourself hydrated! Not only will it keep the oil levels down, but it will help with dark circles too!

3. Invest in a facial wash that works for you! 

I have tried a lot of facial washes and I find that my skin often 'adapts' to the wash, so I do have to swap around what I use! Proactive is good, but again my skin 'adapted' to it and its very expensive. Remember that not always the most expensive products are the best for your skin. At the moment I'm using neutrogena transparent facial bar which I love! It also helps if you exfoliate once in a while too!

4. CALM DOWN!

Stress can lead to a lot of blemishes and breakouts so it helps to keep calm and think positive. A lot of my bad skin comes from stress!

5. Tie your hair up before bed and/or sleep with a towel on your pillow!

This helps to soak up any bacteria that could breed in your pillow and stop breakouts from occurring! Also if you're elevated it will help you have an even blood flow throughout your face which prevents dark circles!

Remember: No one has perfect skin! (Yes that includes celebrities!) sometimes bad skin is hormonal and there is nothing you can do!

You are yourself and you are beautiful!

Love and kisses,

Bethany

xox

YouTube: www.youtube.com/beautiibites

XPinkMacX:Go and check out Bethany's youtube chanel for amazing fashion and beauty advise! 

Get Her Style - TANYA BURR

Tanya Burr always looks amazing, in everything she wears, and here is how you can copy her style too!


















The Dress

This dress is pretty similar! They both have a jewel neckline, and the bottom half is a skater dress style. This is also a gorgeous Jade green shade, the same as Tanya's.
AX Paris Green sleeveless Skater Dress - New Look - £18

The Belt

I was unsuccessful at finding a triple peace sign belt! The only one I could find was white! So I thought this gorgeous little belt from Missguided.co.uk was similar enough! At only £9.99 this is a steal!
Salinea Leather Love Belt - Missguided - £9.99





The Bag


This bag is also from New Look. It has the gold look hardware which Tanya's has, and a quilted effect with a lock at the front. This bag is such a bargain!
Black Quilted chain Shoulder Bag - New Look - £12.99


The Shoe

Although were unable to see Tanya's show choice from the inspiration picture, I think these cute gold capped ballet pumps would look lovely, Especially if all of this is paired together with a pair of Black tights!
Black and Gold Metal Toe Cap Pumps - New Look - £15.99



Their you have it! A Tanya Burr inspired outfit for just £56.97! 

7 Deadly Sins Of Beauty Tag

I've been wanting to do this tag for a while now, so here it goes!

Greed

What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?

My most inexpensive beauty item has got to be a 12 piece eye liner set, I wanted to try. I found it on eBay for about £2.70 for a 12 piece set! You can't sharpen them so onceI've used the tip up its all gone, but you really can't complain for £2.70! You get 12 different colours; Black, Navy Blue, Light Blue, Inky Blue, Olive Green, Grassy Green, Burgundy, Pink, Gold, Bronze, Purple and Brown. They have a crayon like texture, and glide on so smoothly, I wear them to school, and when I get home 6 hours later, it's still on! They're great and it says they can be doubled as lip liner, however I can't really see myself using them for that!

My most expensive item, is my Benefit Smokin' Brows and Eyes kit, which retails for £28.50, however I didn't pay for this item, and received it  from Elle magazine. So the most expensive item I've paid for is my Benefit, Bella Bamba blush! I love this blush so much it's absolutely gorgeous, and it's said to have a 3D effect! Theirs not much else to say about this blush! It's just great! It has a slight shimmer to it, and totally worth the money, as yet I haven't come across any dupes for it!

Wrath

What product do you have a Love Hate relationship with?

This has got to be my Miss Sporty So Matte foundation, as some days it can make my skin look flawless, yet other days if my skin hasn't got much of a colour, it can just look like a big orange mess, and I have to take it all off and use a different foundation! It's odd because sometimes this foundation is my colour, but as soon as my skin is a bit lighter than usual it looks awful! I usually use this product when I have fake tanned, as that's when it's a good match for my skin.

Gluttony 

What are your most delicious beauty products?

My most delicious beauty product has to be my MAC Dazzle Glass, it's in the colour 'Like Venus' and its Amazing! I love love love the textures of the mac lip-glosses as they glide on and aren't overly sticky. Also the colour is amazing! I just generally love Mac Products. These retail for only £17!

Sloth

What beauty product do you neglect due to laziness.

As much as I love wearing eye shadow, I really don't spend enough time perfecting it! I wear eye shadow most of the time, however I often just sweep a neutral shade all over my lid, instead of a smoky eye. This is my biggest fault!

Pride

What product gives you the most self confidence?

No doubt about it, this has to be my MAC lipsticks! When I put any of them on I feel absolutely great, and when I walk into a MAC store or up to a counter to purchase one I always feel guilty, but the get such a buzz of excitement after! I own MAC's Girl about town, Pink Pearl Pop, Violetta and Viva Glam Nicki. They each are quite different and means I always have one to suit the look I'm wearing. My favourite without a doubt is Girl about town, and recommend it for every skin type!

Lust

What attributes do you find most attractive in the opposite sex?

This is an odd question for this tag! Anyway, they need to have a good skin complexion!  I hate spots! I'm very lucky, as I rarely get spots, however I know that people can prevent their spots! They need to just look after their skin! It's a must! 

Envy

What product would you most like to receive as a gift?

Oh! How hard! Pretty much anything from MAC that I haven't already tried! I'd love to try Mac Face and Body foundation or something from NARS like a lipgloss, as I've never tried NARS before! 

The £20 makeup Challenge!

I've been inspired to follow the trend and see what £20 would get me in terms of a full face of makeup.

All of the products were bout with my own money, and can be purchased in the UK. None of the items were on sale or in a limited time deal. 

FOUNDATION

I used the Miss Sporty So Matte Perfect Stay foundation in 002 Light. I prefer a fuller coverage foundation, and this foundation gave me a light-medium coverage, which for £3.99 you can't argue with. The foundation did give me a slightly orangey tint to my skin, but once blended in it wasn't too bad. I used the MAC 190 and 187 brush for this foundation (I didn't included brushes in the total price.)

CONCEALER 

I then used the MUA cover and conceal concealer. It has a wand with a slanted doe foot applicator which I like because its more accurate that in solid form such as cremes. I got this in the shade Fair and it was just £1. The coverage is okay however doesn't give you an amazing complexion. 

POWDER

I then applied the Natural Collection loose powder in translucent to set the foundation, I used the MAC 134 brush for this and the powder only cost £1.99 from Boots.

EYE SHADOW

I splurged out on the £4 eye shadow palette by MUA called Undress Me Too. It is a dupe for the Naked 2 palette and I love it! I used the shade 'Naked which is the first pan, all over the lid and then Tranquil (the pan underneath) on the crease. 

LINER

I lined my top eye lid with the MUA eye liner in malt chocolate. I really love the MUA eye liners and they are just £1 they are also very very easy to apply!

MASCARA

I used the Miss Sporty 24hr Pump up Booster waterproof mascara which cost just £2.99. This mascara was slightly clumpy however for the price it's a really great mascara and doesn't budge all day! 

BLUSH

The MUA blushers are great! After loving the first one I bought, I repurchased, however bought a different shade. For this look I used shade 6 which is extremely pigmented and is a dusky rose colour. This blush cost just £1!

LIPSTICK

I used the Collection 2000 lipstick (or collection as they are now called) in shade 6 which is called bubblegum. This is a perfect name for the product as the colour really is a bubblegum pink! This lipstick cost £2.99 from Superdrug from the lasting colour range.

Lipgloss 

The lipgloss I purchased I found In the 99p shop! It's the miss sporty xxl lipgloss in shade Pop Fiction. It was part of a duo but it was 99p for the two. I know these used to retail in boots and superdrug for between £1.99 and £2.99 each however they were discontinued and I believe this may be why the 99p store got all of the stock.

This is it for my under £20 tag, and it all came in at the grand Total of....£19.95! 5p under budget! 

My Top Ten Summer Polishes of 2013

I found this so difficult to choose just 10 polishes that I adored for summer, however I managed it and here they all are! Some of the following colours are not 'Typical Summer Shades' however In the summer i want my nails to stand out and either be bright or sparkle, and all of the following polishes do it for me!

10- Sinful Colors - Courtney Orange

This polish is a bright orange colour with a hint of glitter. The consistency is quite watery, and you need two coats to get it to be a bright solid colour, however I really do love this polish! It is also going to look great with a tan! The polish with a top coat lasts about 2-3 without any sign of chipping, which isn't the best but I paint my nails so regularly anyway that id usually only keep it on this amount of time anyway!

£1.99

9- Barry M - Silvery Lilac

The name of this polish describes it really well! This polish has a duo-chrome effect and has so much sparkle to it its amazing! The formulation is fine, It glides on smoothly like all Barry M polishes however you do need at least 2 coats to get the best results possible from this polish. As so many people have stated now, its pretty similar to Butter London's Knackered however I find silvery Lilac to be a bit lighter. This is a gorgeous colour however and when the sun is shining (Something that doesn't happen a lot here in England!) the glittery-ness of the polish  really sparkles!

£2.99

8- Sinful Colors - Thimbleberry

Isn't the name of this so adorable!? Thimbleberry is a bright pink which has a slight coral tint to it. Its not a typical 'Barbie Pink' shade and when you look at it it screams out to be worn with some gorgeous flip flops at the beach! Once again, one coat won't cover the nail with a solid shade however i think two coats may do it for this polish! I think this is a must have polish for anyone who loves bright nail polishes!

£1.99

7- Maybelline New York - Urban Turquoise 

Turquoise can really work in summer as long as you use the right shade. Bright colours are a must and this polish certainly ticks the boxes! This bright bluey/green colour has a very thick consistency and you only really need one coat! Its a great colour to just quickly apply before you go out and it dries pretty quick too! I really love this colour and it looks even better adding some nail art or summer sparkle over the top too!

£2.99

6- Revlon Moon Candy - 200 Moon Dust

Black isn't a typical summer colour either but by adding the holographic glitter over the top this paint looks amazing when the summer sun shines on it! The light is reflected and you can make out several different colours that appear from the glitter! Ive already done a review on this polish so for more information go and check it out!

£7.99

5- Sinful Colours - Daredevil 

This hot fuchsia shade has a hint of shimmer to it and really is a summer party colour! I cant rave enough about the new sinful colours range that has come to Boots! Their mega affordable and have an amazing colour selection! For this colour two coats will be enough to make it truly opaque and as with all the sinful colours polishes it glides on smoothly.

£1.99

4- Collection 2000 - Lemon Soda

Just the name of this polish screams out Summer! I'm in love with this polish! For me, I find it hard to select a yellow colour which isn't too 'In your face' and will suit my pale skin complexion. This polish is a yellow but it is quite a creamy colour. I don't really know how to describe it other than a creamy mustardy yellow! Its a fast drying polish which is great, but isn't the shiniest so it deffinently needs a top coat. You usually need to apply two coats of this polish so that you can achieve a gorgeous result. 

£1.99

3- MoYou Nail Art Special Nail Polish - Lilac

This is a lavender purple coloured polish, it doesn't have the highest shine of finnishes but looks great with a top coat. This polish is quite hard to find. You can't buy it in regular drugstores such as Boots or Superdrug, to get this polish you have to buy direct from MoYou themselves. I recieved this polish in part of the MoYou OMG nails stamping kit (Which for anyone who loves decorating their nails is a must! Mine cost £60 from the Ideal Home Show and Theirs nothing i regret about it!) The polish has great coverage and you only need one coat! I highly recommend these polishes!

£4

2- Sinful Colors - Pink Forever 

Yet another SC polish ! I love them! you can't go wrong. This beautiful pale pink is amazing for summer and is a typical barbie pink colour! It haas quite a high shine finnish and last a long time! I can wear this for about 5 days without a single chip appearing! This colour is a must for any 'Girly-girls' like me! 

£1.99

1- Barry M High Shine Gelly - Satsuma

This colour is a highly glossy, thick polish, with two coats gives you the 'Salon Gel' effect. I love the formulation of these polishes! They last for ages without chipping and look amazing on! This is a bright orange colour which reminds me of somewhere tropical! Don't ask me why! This is my number one polish for the summer and I recommend it to EVERYONE! 

£3.99

Mac 'Girl About Town' review & DUPE!

Yes I finally caved in and bought it! Girl About Town is one of the must have staple lipsticks for MAC's huge collection! The lipstick isn't the cheapest though as they are £14 each.

I was so excited on getting this lipstick as I've heard so much about it from so many other bloggers, and when I was in MAC the other day, I just couldn't resist!

The lipstick is a bright fuchsia pink, with some blue undertones to it. I find this colour so easy to wear, even just on a day to day basis. The colour looks scary in the tube but it really isn't when you apply it. The colour lasts for hours! It has a creamy consistency when it's first applied, but then tried to a stain kind of form. It's an Amplified form lipstick to you need very little to give an amazing look!

DUPE!

When reorganising my makeup table the other day I found my much loved MUA lipstick in Shade 3. Opening it the colour looked pretty familiar, so I opened up MACs Girl About Town next to it and the colours looked similar but not identical.

I then swatched them both next to one another, and they are pretty similar! Close enough to be a dupe anyway! I'm really expressed at the pigmentation of the MUA lipsticks, they either get it so so right, or so very wrong! The MUA lipstick has an almost satin/amplified Finnish to it.

To conclude all of this, I don't regret getting Girl About Town at all as its such an amazing lipstick, however if your not able to pay the pricey £14 for this lipstick and still want a great colour,I highly recommend the steal MUA lipstick which is just £1!