Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

I'm a lover of a beauty blender sponge! I've tried a lot of them recently. Some brilliant and some not so good. So as soon as I set my eyes on the Real Techniques take on the staple sponge I grabbed it!!

As with every sponge I tried this wet. It swelled to over double its original size. But a good squeeze and a squeeze in a towel tales out all the excess but still leaves it just damp enough to not soak up all your product.

This sponge has a pointed end, round back and a flat side. So this really makes it a multi purpose tool. The flat side amazing for applying foundation. You can either bounce the sponge of your skin to really blur the product into the skin. Or you can use short strokes like a brush o apply. By bouncing the sponge you can work up a higher level of coverage.

The pointed end I use to apply concealer directly on to blemishes. It really helps you pinpoint where you want the extra coverage. Also its great for blending in tough areas, such as around the nose and the eye area. It really works product into the skin. 

The rounded edge you can use to blend your base or I prefer to use it to apply cream blush. Especially highly pigmented cream blushes. You can bounce the colour around the cheek area and then go over with the side you applied your foundation just to really blend it in and give you a natural looking glow. 

This sponge is the perfect shape to fit all the contours of your face. 

I love how soft and bouncy this sponge is. I hate blending sponges that are too firm and almost hurt to bounce around your face.

I have found this to be the most versatile sponge I've used. I'm planning on buying another so I have one to use and one to wash. To wash them you can use a little shampoo and rinse them through similarly to how you'd clean your brushes. For me I don't like this way they never seem to get clean, I pop mine into the washing machine with a load of laundry and let them air dry.

Another great product from the Real Techniques team!

You can pick one up from selected Superdrug and Boots for £4.99. At the moment neither website is stocking them.

Do you like beauty blenders? Have you used this? Let me know!

XOXO - Lizzy

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Weekend wants

Here are the pretty things I'm lusting over this week. I know its a little late. But here goes!

1 - MAC Fleshpot - I'm a recent convert to MAC lipsticks and I'm always trying to find a nude lippy that is the perfect shade for me. But finding out this one which is pretty perfect is sold out is rather rubbish. So back to the drawing board there! But theres ALOT of mac shades I'm liking at the moment!

2 - Sleek Snapshots palette - I love Sleek, and this palette has a real cute girly vibe to it and so many pretty colours. I just hope superdrug get it in stock soon! £7.99 at selected Superdrug stores or online Here.

3 - Real Techniques starter kit - I'm in love with Real Techniques. I have a fair few face brushes but I'm so wanting to try their eye brushes and see if they're just as good as the rest. Available at selected Boots stores or online here £21.99

4 - Benefit Dallas - I love Benefit powders. Not too keen alot else with them but these are fab. Dallas is a beautiful colour which I have used before in there Powderazzi kit. I love it as a contour colour or a blush.£23.50 selected Boots, Debenhams and house of fraser.



Those are what I wanna get. What items are you wanting this week? Let me know!

xoxo - Lizzy

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Real Techniques powder brush

I have a love affair with real techniques brushes. So when I opened my birthday presents and saw the powder brush in there I was incredibly happy!

The powder brush is a nice big fluffy domed shape brush. The bristles are made of taklon and are so soft its unreal. The bristles are dense and pick up the perfect amount of powder. Powder is evenly distributed over your face. I find with this I don't go too heavy with the powder, so I don't get that horrible powdery look that makes it obvious you're wearing make up.

The brush is gold coloured to indicate that its a complexion brush. The handle on this is great. Its perfectly weighted and is moulded for easy gripping. This one is also made to be free standing. So you don't have to find space for it in your brush holder you can pop it on the side and it will stand there itself. Which is great for me as I'm trying to figure out new storage!

This brush is great for all over powdering such as face powder or a bronzer. I've also used it for high lighting but its not to great for that. Its too big for around the nose and mouth area. So a small brush for high lighting is my next purchase!

Real Techniques are also really affordable. This one is £12.99 and is the most expensive individual brush in the range.

You can purchase Real Techniques at larger Boots stores or online Here

Have you used any Real Techniques brushes? Let me know!

xoxo - Lizzy

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Real Techniques Stippling Brush

I loved the Expert face brush and Blush brush so I decided I had to expand my Real Techniques collection. I wanted a brush I could use with my liquid foundations and keep my expert face brush for creams. I finally settled on the Stippling brush.

Stippling brush £11.99

At £11.99 this is a snip compared to other big brush brands, and the quality does measure up!

The packaging for this is nice and simple with a few little tips on the back to help you get the best looks from the brush.

Its a flat top brush much similar to the MAC 187. The bristled are so soft, All Real Techniques brushes are made of Taklon which make them ultra plush. The fact this brush is a duo fibre makes it even better. The bristles to both are soft but the white larger bristles are slightly more firm.  Unlike another stippling brush I have these bristles don't bend when you put them to the skin.

Applying liquid foundation with this brush is amazing, the foundation buffs into your skin like a dream. It doesn't leave those tell tale brush marks. You can also stipple the foundation on to get more coverage on particular areas. I also use this to blend concealer is. A few gentle swipes and my complexion looks flawless.

Where this brush is made of synthetic bristles you can also use it for powder foundation or your usual face powder. I haven't tried this yet where I am mainly using it for foundation.

The handles on these brushes are brilliant. They are perfectly weighted so they don't feel flimsy in your hands. The shape also fits into your hands easily and allows you to get a firm grip. The best part for me is they are free standing. The black base of the brush is wide enough for it to stand on its own. The only downside to this is the base is a little bulky to put into a brush holder. Especially when you have more than one. I have mine stood on their own while the rest of my brushes are in pots. The three I have combined with other facial brushes are far to bulky to be put together. (Excuse to buy another brush holder!)

Next purchase the core collection and the eye starter kit.

You can buy this brush Here or at larger Boots stores.

Have you use any Real Technique brushes? What are your favorites? Let me know

xoxo - Lizzy

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Winter Wants

With so many great products out there obviously theres loads I want to get my hands on! So here's my top 6 Winter Wants.

Clockwise from top

1) Mac Lightscapade. This has been on my want list for ages but its always been out of stock. Its the perfect highlighter colour and being a MAC mineralize skin finish I know these powders are beautiful I have soft and gentle and its amazing. This would be perfect for cute winter highlighting

2) Sleek Snapshots palette. I've recently discovered Sleek and how awesome their eye shadows are. I looked at the palette and loved the colours instantly. There's a really nice mix of colours that would create a fair few beautiful looks. The mix of mattes an shimmers is a bonus to. I love Sleeks matte colours and think their fab. So this would be used an awful lot!

3) Real Techniques powder brush. My powder brush is getting a little tatty and I love Real Techniques brushes. The powder brush looks perfect. It looks a great size to get a good even coverage and keep good control of the brush.

4) Nars Multiple Bronzer. I love bronzers but am yet to play with a cream bronzer. I've heard so many good things about this one and love other Nars products This would make for beautiful contouring and to give my skin a nice glow this winter.

5) Benefit Hervana blush. I'm obsessed with Benefits box o powders. I have 4 and this one looks gorgeous with the swirls of colour. Each swirl will give you a slightly different effect which I love! I love girly blushes and this looks to be the girliest of them all. Im also intrigued to try the new brush that comes with Hervana. Its angled to give a contoured effect.

6) Philosophy. The present. I love philosophy, No one really compares in terms of skin care. The Present is a make up primer. Which claims to minimise pores. My pores are always open and are on the big side, so I'm always trying new products to try to hide them. This is the next one on my list to try out and see if it holds up.


Those are my winter wants, what are yours? Let me know!

xoxo - Lizzy

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Real Techniques blush and expert face brushes

Real Techniques Blush brush and Expert face brush.

I finally purchased myself some Real Techniques brushes. After seeing alot of hype about these brushes on other beauty blogs and needed to purchase a new foundation brush (My Gosh one was 4 years old and should have been binned a few years ago!) I decided to treat myself to the Expert face brush (£8.99) and the Blush brush(£9.99).

Real Techniques brushes have been created by Pixiwoos Samantha Chapman. Sam's a make up artist and also a beauty blogger.

The blush brush has the most beautiful soft bristles I've ever used. There made entirely of taklon and are synthetic. They aren't scratchy on the skin they glide along perfectly. The brush itself deposits colour evenly onto the cheeks and picks up the perfect amount of product. I've used it with a variety of different blushes in different pigmentation's. Even with the highly pigmented colours this brush picks up a perfect amount to allow you to build up the colour needed on your cheeks. It also blends the colour perfectly out so your not left with any harsh lines. 

The expert face brush has become a holy grail item for me. I am in love with this brush. As with the Blush brush it has taklon bristles and they are the softest of the soft. Its a firm bristled brush which blends foundation effortlessly on to the skin. I've tried all my liquid foundations with it and have found that I use less product due to how well the brush deposits foundation. I also found that this brush blends my dream matte mousse perfectly, normally to blend that in without it being cakey or patchy I have to use my fingers. This brush also blends without leaving those annoying tell-tell  brush lines, it gets into every part of the face perfectly. I use this for everything but powder it blends my Mac studio finish concealer like a dream without taking too much product of my skin like some other brushes can do it keeps the extra coverage I want. I also use it to blend my Urban Decay Afterglow cheek tint, normally I use my fingers but I always find I go a little overboard. Using this gives I need less product and get a better over all finish. 

The brushes are free standing which makes for easy storage. They have perfect sized handles which help with control. They're so easy to grip and are perfectly weighted. 

Overall the Real Techniques brushes are great, I'm hooked and will for sure be putting them on my wish lists!

You can purchase them at your local boots or here!

xoxo - Lizzy 

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