Best of: Beauty Sponges

Real Techniques (€7.99 Boots.ie)

• My second favourite sponge & the one which I have purchased multiple times- this is the one I use on a daily basis
• Expands by a good amount when wet & is very soft
• Has both a flat side (for blending foundation) and a pointed side (for blending concealer)
• This is the sponge that I've found is nearest to the Beauty Blender in terms of quality

Blank Canvas (€6.99 Blank Canvas Cosmetics)

• Similar to The Real Techniques sponge in terms of quality, the Real Techniques is just slightly softer
• Comes in all different shapes
• Mine ripped on the second time washing it 

Lottie London (€5.50 Superdrug)

• The smallest of all the sponges I tested & the second cheapest
• Does expand when wet, but not as soft as some of the other sponges
• Harder to get your hands on in Ireland

Inglot (€12 inglot.ie)

• I love most Inglot products, but this is the worst sponge that I tried (also one of the most expensive)
• Expanded a small bit when wet, but never seemed to dry (would stay wet for days after use even when stored in the open)
• The surface seems to be almost completely smooth with no pores like most other beauty sponges
• Did not blend make-up well at all
• Was too firm on the skin with very little give

Beauty Blender (€18.80 Beauty Bay)

• The most expensive, but the best...
• When wet it gets so pillowy soft & blends foundation like a dream
• The black colour is the best in my opinion.
• The surface has little pores which soak up excess foundation ensuring even coverage

Primark (€1.50 Penneys/Primark)

• I wasn't expecting much for €1.50, but it was alright
• Didn't expand a whole lot when wet
• I found it very like the Inglot sponge in term of the firmness.
• Tended to smear the foundation, rather than blend

The Best of Liquid Lipsticks Part 2: Kat Von D Everlasting Lipsticks

Kat Von D Beauty has only recently become available to us in Ireland (via Debenhams online). It is a cosmetic range from famed tattoo artist Kan Von D of Miami & LA Ink (Who designs all the art work for her products) & one of the products in her range is the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick. I've picked two shades up so far:

Lolita

Bow & Arrow

The packaging is my favourite out of all the Liquid Lipsticks I've tried. Black ornate tops with a gothic/floral theme.

The lipsticks are €20 for a full size & €15 for a mini set which also includes a mini Tattoo Liner in Trooper.

I exfoliated my lips as usual when wearing liquid lipsticks & allowed a lip balm to soak in before wiping away the excess. I found the best way to apply this formula is to tap it on with my finger & go around the lips with a lip liner to tidy it up (I used Colourpop's Skimpy)

Once it had dried down I could barely feel it during the day, with only a slight tacky feeling. There was slight wearing away on the inner rim, but this is typical of most liquid lipsticks on me.

This lipstick is definite winner for me. I got around 5 hours wear from one application, but I do feel like this was helped by using a thinner layer by tapping it on with the fingers.

My Favourite Brushes

 If I'm applying a full face of make-up these are the Brushes I use every single time. I know these brushes are going to do exactly what I need them to do.

Nima Foundation Brush €18

Available from Nimabrush.com This Brush is suitable for liquid & powder foundation. I tend to use it with my heavier coverage foundations if I need a flawless finish e.g Estée Lauder Double Wear.

Real Techniques Powder Brush 1401 €18.99

Available from Boots.ie I use this Brush for blending my contour as the bristles are quite tightly packed. I also use it for applying loose face powder if I need to set my foundation.

Inglot 4SS €22

Available from Inglot.ie I use this Brush to set my under eye concealer & eye shadow primer.ive a,so heard of people using this as a foundation Brush, so seems to work well with liquid & powder products.

Real Techniques Blusher Brush 1407 €14.99

Available from Boots.ie A standard tapered blusher brush. The tapered shape means it blends the blusher without much work from you.

Anastasia Eyebrow Brush 12 £17

Available from anastasiabeverlyhills.co.uk This brush is double ended with an angled eyebrow brow brush on one end & a spoolie on the other. This Brush is perfect as the Brush is so small & skinny it can create really precise lines. Works perfectly in conjunction with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade. 

Blank Canvas F28 Contour Brush €8.99

Available from blankcanvascosmetics.com This brush has long thin bristles which I like as it gives a nice precise & sharp contour line. This brush isn't suitable for blending the contour, but great for laying down the initial line. For blending I use the Real Techniques Powder Brush above. This Brush is also great for applying highlighter, especially if you just want to apply it to a very specific area e.g side of the eye contour or the very top of the cheek bones.

Inglot 37R Fan Brush €40

Available from inglot.ie €40 might seem a bit steep for a fan brush, but this one is worth every penny in my opinion. This one is quite dense for a fan brush meaning that it can pick up more product than the average fan brush & gently lays down highlighter without disturbing the foundation & underlying products.

Avon Shader Brush (As part of a set) 

I got this as part of a set from Avon.co.uk a few years ago, so not sure if it's still available, but the shape of this brush is perfect for applying a nude base colour. The flat but fluffy shape means it can lay down a good amount of product & blend it at the same time.

Inglot 6SS x2 €20

Available from inglot.ie This is my absolute must have eye brush. I always use two of them when doing my make-up, the first one for my transition shade & the second one for the lightest shade of my eye look. The shape & size of the bristles means that it can lay down a lot of product with less movement so it's gentler on the delicate skin of the eye. This isn't suitable for the more intricate work nearer the lash line as it's a fuller brush, but it's perfect for crease work.

Blank Canvas E42 Pointed Crease Blender €7.99

Available from blankCanvasCosmetics.com This is the brush that I use after my Inglot 6SS brushes. I use it for blending a deeper colour into the crease (not the deepest colour though) I then use it to blend the same deeper colour on the lower lash line, it has a slightly narrower brush head than the 6SS, so I can do a bit more detail in the crease.

Blank Canvas E23 Pencil Brush €7.99

Available from blankCanvasCosmetics.com This is the perfect multi use eye brush. It's great for applying inner corner highlight & brow bone high light. It can also be used for smudging deeper colours on the lower lash line.

Blank Canvas E24 Flat Shader Brush €7.99

Available from blankcanvascosmetics.com This a small shader brush with quite stiff bristles making it perfect for laying down glitter shadows to the eye lid for smokey or halo eye looks.

Inglot 10s Brush €18

Available from inglot.ie This is a very narrow brush which I use to apply my deepest crease shade & for blending under the eye. The very fine tip means it can right into the crease to create a lot of depth. I usually This brush with very dark brown or black shadows.

Real Techniques Bold Metals 201 Pointed Crease Brush €16.99

Available from boots.ie I use this Brush for applying a solid colour to the crease or dark shadows to the outer "v" of the eye lid. The short compacted bristles of the brush make it ideal for application of strong dark colours.

Milani Cosmetics

I recently discovered that US make-up range Milani Cosmetics was available in the UK from both their own UK website & also from Beauty Bay. So I ordered some of their "cult products" which featured prominently in a lot of US bloggers' "Best of 2016" Round-Ups to try out. I decided to order from Beauty Bay rather than their own website as Beauty Bay has free international shipping for orders over €18, also they seemed to have a better shade range in stock when I placed my orders (Beware though as Beauty Bay took aaaages to delivery, was waiting about three weeks for each order & tracking is not available with free delivery).

On my first order I purchased one bottle of the Conceal And Perfect 2 in 1 Foundation & Concealer in the shade 03 Light Beige (€13.10), two of the Baked Blushes in the shades Luminoso & Dolce Pink (€9.50 each) And one of the Powder Blushes in the shade Tea Rose (€10.70).

On My second order I purchased the Conceal And Perfect 2 in 1 Foundation & Concealer in the shade 01 Creamy Vanilla.

On my third order I purchased two Baked Blushes in the shades Rose D'oro & Berry Amore.

The foundation has quickly become my absolute favourite foundation, and is, in my opinion a close dupe for Estee Lauder Double Wear. It is a high coverage foundation when applied with a brush, but can be sheered out if applied with a Beauty Blender. This foundation does not settle into any of my fine lines & lasts throughout a full day's work, which would be about nine or ten hours. I don't set mine with a powder (except maybe my nose), I mist MAC's Fix+ over instead to keep it dewy looking, but those with oily complexions will probably need to powder. 

Be warned though, this foundation runs incredibly dark. From the description on the website I thought 03 Light Beige would be my perfect shade, but I could only wear this shade with a dark tan. The lightest shade 01 Creamy Vanilla is still very dark (and yellow toned) so I'd still need to have a bit of colour to match it. Milani Cosmetics has just announced that they have launched an even lighter shade 00, but this hasn't reached us yet.

Left: 01 Creamy Vanilla. Right: 03 Light Beige

The Powder Blush is beautiful to look at, almost too pretty to use! It offers a matte flush of colour. Very pigmented, so the brush definitely needs to be tapped off. Long lasting too. I probably won't order any more of these, as beautiful as they are, as I think they Baked Blushes give a much nicer & more luminous look, where as the matte finish can tend to look a bit flat on the skin

The Baked Blushes are fabulous! Although they swatch with chunks of glitter, this doesn't seem to translate when applied with a brush to the cheeks, instead you are left with this fabulous healthy sheen. Some of the brighter colours can be very pigmented, so a light hand is needed, but the glow you are left with is incredible. 

They come with a little portable brush in the little compact mirror underneath, but these are pretty useless, the wrong shape & they don't seem to pick up pigment. But you will not be disappointed with a proper blusher brush. 

Although most people's favourite shade seems to be Luminoso, mine is Berry Amore. It looks so good on the skin without leaning too pink or too orange.

Disappointing Products

Bourjois City Radiance Foundation

This foundation is really bad. Really really bad. I picked it up due to the fact that it had "Radiance" in the title & I find that a lot of foundation can look flat on the skin. This product has no radiance at all. The product seemed to separate as soon as it was applied to the skin, leaving what looked like small dots of foundation on the skin instead of a smooth canvas. I tried different methods of application- Beauty Blender, brush, fingers etc, different types of primers and mixing it with other foundations or moisturisers. Nothing helped, its just a really bad foundation. €12 from Sam McCauleys. 

Schwarzkopf Got2b Mind Blowing Xpress Dry Styling Spray

This spray actually damaged my hair rather than helping it. It is supposed to speed up drying time when blow drying, condition & provide heat protection. This product completely dried my hair out & it became incredibly brittle & ended up breaking.This spray might work if you have oily hair, but stay well clear if you've any dryness.  

Naked 3 palette

I wanted to love this palette so much, it looks absolutely beautiful & the colour range of dusty pinks is divine. Unfortunately I was disappointed, when blended on the eye the mattes just blend into one dusty pink colour, there's no gradient or colour differentiation. Some of the colours even blend away to nothing. 

The shimmers are, unfortunately, just as bad. Even when using Mac Fix+ on the brush you can't get enough product for a wash of colour, all you end up with is a few flecks of glitter on the eye.  I barely use this product, but I opened it the other day & some of the pans are loose. Not good, especially for the money. €50 from Debenhams.

Caudalie Micellar Cleansing Water 

I received this product in a kit from Cult Beauty & also received it in a Birchbox last year. Its not necessary a terrible product. It's just OK. My Garnier Micellar Water performed much better & is much cheaper. It doesn't seem to be great at removing make-up, so I generally just use it at the very end of removing make-up to get rid of any left over cleanser.

Catrice High Glow Mineral Highlighting Powder.

Again not a terrible product by any means, but this was so hyped on Instagram I had to try it. Because of the surrounding hype, it was out of stock every time I tried to purchase it from Penneys/Primark. When I finally did get my hands on it I was severely under-whelmed... It's fine. Just fine. Gave a subtle highlight but also left a slight pink cast & noticable glitter on my cheeks which I wasn't a fan off. It's grand if you're looking for a cheap highlighter though.

Best of Skin Care 2016

Eye Make-Up Remover

This eye make-up remover is one of the few that removes my eye make-up without me having to rub vigorously at my lids. I just shake the bottle to mix & saturate two cotton pads, leave on my eyes for a few seconds & wipe away. At €3 from most pharmacies its easy to find, lasts for ages & doesn't break the bank.

Make-Up Remover

This make-up remover is micellar water mixed with oil & it removes every scrap of make-up off my face. I soak one of the large cotton pads & sweep across my face. This bottle has lasted me for months. It says that it is for dry/normal (my skin would be quite dry) but it doesn't leave any residue on the skin, so might work for all skin types. €6 from most pharmacies, but I actually picked mine up from Penneys/Primark.

Facial Cleanser

After I've removed my make-up with the micellar water I usually deep cleanse with Simple's Kind to Skin Moisturising Facial Wash. I don't have particularly sensitive skin, but I do find that alot of other foaming cleansers dry my skin out too much & leave it feeling uncomfortably tight. This removes any traces of make-up which I may have left behind without the uncomfortable feeling. I got mine from Tesco when the whole Simple range was half price.

Toner

Pixi's Glow Tonic is my absolute Holy Grail skincare product. My skin's texture has improved so much since using this product. The Glow Tonic is an exfoliating toner, so it removes dead skin cells to reveal the brighter skin underneath. As it contains 5% Glycolic Acid you will have to slowly build up to using this neat on the skin. I started using it on damp cotton rounds for the first week or so. I use this every evening now & it makes my dull, dry skin so much brighter & the next morning my make-up goes on smoother. £18 on Cult Beauty.

Facial Exfoliator

I received The Dr. Brandt Pore Dermabrasion in a Birchbox, so it was only a sample size, but it has been the best exfoliator I used in 2016. It has tiny granules which slough away the dead skin cells leaving incredibly smooth skin underneath. A tiny bit goes a long way, so as I only use it around once a week a small tube lasts for ages. £43 from Birchbox.

Lip Scrub

The smell of this lip scrub is delicious (safe to eat as well!) The granules are course enough to make a difference & it leaves behind a slightly oily residue which moisturises the lips. £5.50 from Lush.

Serum

This has more of a lotion consistency than a typical serum. It doesn't give me enough hydration by itself, but this gives my skin an extra boost of moisture underneath my normal moisturiser. Great also as a primer before foundation. I've gone through multiple tubes of this & I will keep repurchasing.€3.50 from Penneys/Primark.

Eye Cream

I use two different eye creams, one for the morning & a different one for the evening. My morning one is Caudalie's "Premier Cru- The Eye Cream", this has a nice light consistency but still moisturises & smooths under the eyes. It also doesn't have any adverse effects with any make-up applied over it. Benefits "It's Potent" eye cream is a bit richer so I apply it in the evening after I've removed my make-up. Since using this cream I've noticed a huge difference in the texture of my under eyes & also the appearance of some of the fine lines. Caudalie Premier Cru as part of a kit from Cult Beauty. Benefits It's Potent €26 from Sam McAuleys.

Facial Moisturiser

I have yet to find my perfect moisturiser, but this one from Simple has been the best so far. Its easy to layer with other products & doesn't leave a residue on the skin or clog the pores. I mainly use this as a night cream, but works well under make-up too (if you have dry skin). €5 from pharmacies.

Facial Spray

This is without a doubt the best facial spray I've tried. It contains Argan Oil & is great underneath my moisturiser for an extra boost or for spraying over make-up when my foundation looks dry or cakey. I love it so much... but it breaks me out... I get small little red bumps on my forehead when I use this, easy to cover up with make-up & usually disappear after using a detoxing face mask. But it does mean that I don't use it every day. Its such a good product that I'm going to persevere using it & hopefully my skin will adjust to it as I'm not usually prone to breakouts. £18 Cult Beauty. 

Best of Beauty 2016

The I discovered so many new products in 2016, so it was hard to narrow it down to just one product per category. These products were not necessarily released in 2016, but they are the products which I discovered or used most during the year. 

Primer

I have included two primers as I generally use an illuminating one & a pore-filling one. The Catrice Prime & Fine Beautify Primer paired with Benefit's The Porefessional has been my favourite combination. As I have dry skin I don't use either to prolong my foundation, more to even out my complexion & smooth the texture.

Concealer 

Too Faced's Born This Way Naturally Radiant Concealer has been a game changer for me in 2016. It has a large doe foot applicator, which distributes just enough product, doesn't crease & lasts all day under my eyes. Love. Definitely better than any of the cheaper concealers I tried over the last year.

Foundation 

Foundation has been one of the hardest categories, not because I had too many to choose from but because I didn't have enough to choose from... I didn't come across a foundation that I was 100% happy with during the year. My skin has changed a lot in the last few years, going from oily/combination to dry/dehydrated. The one that I have worn the most has been Inglot HD Perfect Cover-up Foundation. It's been the best so far, giving me the coverage that I want with the best shade match (73 or 74 depending on how tanned I am) I still find that it can cling to some patches of dehydration & emphasise some fine lines. The search continues...

Highlighter

The Balm's Mary-Louminizer has been my most used highlighter in the last year, it gives a high impact shine with no glitter chunks. Perfect for cheekbones, brow bone & inner corner of the eyes. There is nothing bad to say about this highlighter, I've no doubt that I will continue to use it in 2017 (although I suspect my new Becca highlighters will also feature strongly...)

Eyebrows

I didn't experiment with too many eyebrow products in 2016 because the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade is the best there is. I've heard of a few people complaining that theirs dried out fairly fast, but I've had two pots for over a year & there's no sign of either beginning to dry out, a pot will last forever (almost). I use the Anastasia 12 Eyebrow brush with the pomade & it's the perfect combination.

Eyeliner

I've always been a black liquid eyeliner girl, but in a whim ordered the teal gel eyeliner from Colourpop. This has completely changed up my eye looks, adding a pop of colour to otherwise neutral looks. The teal is a softer look than the black, so a great option for day time. The gel has a very creamy consistency that glides onto the eyes  then dries to a matte finish  which does not budge (I have to use an oil-based remover to take it off). I use an Inglot 31T brush to apply, which allows me to do a thick or thin wing depending on my mood. Just make sure to clean the brush after each use as the eyeliner can tend to really dry into the bristles. Not bad for $5.

Bronzer/Contour

I've lumped these two categories together as I've been using the same product for both. Benefit's Hoola Bronzer is the perfect contour shade for my skin tone & blends so easily. I got a mini size well over a year ago & I still haven't hit pan. I usually hate the little brushes that come with blushers/bronzers, but this one is just the perfect size for contouring. I don't actually bronze my skin too often as I think it can look too muddy on my fair skin, but if I need to, just a light dusting of Hoola works perfect as it can be buffed in to the skin. The deluxe size is €12 & full size is €35.

Eye shadow Pallet

The break-out product for me in 2016 was definitely this pallet. I had seen it around for while & was recommending it to people based on the reviews that I had watched/read. I did have the Pippa Pallet from Blank Canvas which I loved, the texture of the shadows was amazing but I generally only use it for travelling. I recently received The Master Series Pallet as a gift from a very generous friend and I have used it almost every day since. The shadows are so buttery, they blend seamlessly while still maintaining their colour integrity. 

The brush that comes with it is the same as one which is sold separately, so it is great quality & blends the colours out perfectly. Its not like a cheap version that comes with some pallets (Like some Urban Decay ones). €35 from Blank Canvas.

Blusher 

Before 2016 I tended to wear the same colour blusher with every make-up look that I did. Always a medium rosy pink as that was the colour that best suited my complexion (blue eyes, fair skin & dark hair), but I also used to just use a wash of a cool toned taupe on my eyelids, so when I started experimenting with warmer colours on the eyes I needed a few warmer toned blushes (Orange eyeshadow & pink blusher is NOT a good look on me). I decided that a blush palette would probably be the best & most cost effective option. I came across this Make-Up Revolution palette in a pharmacy near where I work. I am not usually a fan of Make-up Revolution products, I find that the eyeshadows turn messy on the eye & blend into one colour. But when I saw that this was only €8  I decided to give it a go. I wasn't disappointed, their blushers perform much better than their eye shadows on me. The is a mixture of nudes, pinks, corals & oranges which means that there is a blusher to match pretty much any look. The colour pay-off is good for all pans except  for the highlighter/blush- topper shades on the right hand side of the palette, these didn't really show up on my skin, but as I already have highlighters that I love, this isn't an issue for me & I still have six usable shades in the palette.

Pressed Powder

I only received this baby at the end of November (My parents picked it up in Sephora in the States for me) This. Changed. My. Life. No exaggeration. This is one of my favourite products that I discovered in 2016. It's described as a finishing powder, meaning that it won't actually set your make-up, its used as the last step to add an almost airbrushed look to the skin. This works perfectly for me as I have dry skin & don't need to set my make-up. This powder gives a lovely sheen to the skin & can also be used as a highlight if you build it up enough. It stops my skin looking dehydrated & blurs fine lines. I actually use all three colours together most of the time to give dimension to the face. I use a big, soft powder brush to gently sweep across my face after I have finished the rest of my make-up.

Mascara

The only reason I picked up this Soap & Glory "Thick & Fast" mascara was because I was away for the weekend & forgot my make-up bag. It was the first one I saw in Boots at around €12 (I think it was also on a Buy One Get One Half Price offer). I wasn't really expecting too much from it as I only needed it to fill the hole until I got my Benefit Roller Lash back, but this product has absolutely become my Holy Grail Mascara. It gives incredible length, thick volume & blacker than black lashes with no fall out or smudging throughout the day. Often times I haven't even bothered with false lashes on nights out when I use this.

Eyeliner

I don't really wear much pencil eyeliner anymore, mainly just when heading out at night. I prefer to use shadow under the eyes as it gives a much softer look & doesn't melt or migrate after a few hours. However, this Sephora Contour Eye Pencil is perfect for the waterline as its waterproof & doesn't smudge into the lower lash line.

Lip Combo

Colourpop's Ultra Satin Lips liquid lipstick is hands down my favourite formula. I started off wearing the Ultra Mattes, but when I discovered the Ultra Satin I was instantly converted. Its similat to the Ultra Mattes, but it doesn't completely dry down & isn't as drying on the lips. My absolute favourite shade is "Echo Park", a pinky nude colour perfect for everyday. I have been pairing it with Colourpop's Lip Pencil in Skimpy. The only annoying thing about Colourpop products is that the holographic logo rubs off as soon as you put it in a make-up bag. Ultra Satin Lip €6, Lip Pencil €5.

Setting Spray

While technically not a setting spray, Mac's Fix+ is an absolute must have in any make-up collection. Its uses are endless. My favourite use for Fix+ is to spray it on my brushes before applying pigments/glitter shadows, it helps the colour "stick" to the lid & intensifies the colour. Another use is to spray over the face at the end of make-up application to take down any powdery look & fuse the layers together. 30ml for €10.

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