Real Techniques brushes

One of my favourite beauty channels on YouTube is Pixiwoo, two sisters who have been in the make up industry for over 15 years.  One of the sisters, Sam Chapman, has her own range of make up brushes...Real Techniques.

They are available to buy in sets or individually online, or alternatively Boots & I think Superdrug now.

They are very reasonably priced, and are super soft & make applying make up easy & quick.  They are light weight which makes the managable but are great quality.  They are 100% cruelty free and are hand cut.

They are all colour coordinated corresponding to their main purpose.  

I will include a link of where to buy these at the end of this post so you can take a look.

Now, because I'm obsessed with foundation & powders, my favourite brushes are obviously the face ones.

The ones are own are (from left to right) Expert Face brush, Stippling brush, Contour brush, Blush brush & Buffing brush.  I have the Powder brush on the way which I'm looking forward to trying out.

 The Expert Face brush is amazing at creating a flawless, airbrushed finish.  The synthetic bristles are closely packed & dense so it really does a brilliant job of holding the foundation on top of the bristles rather than it being absorbed.  I swirl this brush in circular motions to give the desired full coverage effect I require.  I like to use this brush for both liquid & cream foundations.  This retails at £9.99.

The Stippling brush again allow you to create a flawless base expertly.  This is great at building the coverage gradually until you reach the desired look.  By using a stippling motion to apply the foundation (tapping & bouncing on the skin) its creates a high definition, complexion.  Again, I like this for liquid or cream foundations and also to apply cream based highlighters to the tops of the cheekbones.








The Blush brush is incredible!  Like the contour brush, the tapered bristles mean that only the tip needs to pick up the product as the others will buff on contact with the skin when used in circular motions.  I haven't received the Powder brush yet so I have been using the Blush brush for powdering.  It's so soft and blends product into the skin beautifully.

The next brushes are not available for individual sale but are part of a set called the 'Core Collection'...


The Contour brush is a small, domed brush which is incredibly soft.  It's perfect for creating contoured cheekbones.  Due to the way the bristles have been cut, you only need to apply the product to the tip of the brush as once its applied to skin, the tapered bristles surrounding the tip buff the product effortlessly making the process quick, easy & professional looking.

Next is the Buffing brush.  Ideal for buffing mineral foundations into the skin.  I also like this for liquid foundations though, as it buffs the product into the skin to give full coverage.  This can also be used to apply a powder to set any foundation.

The Pointed Foundation brush is also included.  This is perfect for precise application in areas which need more coverage such a cheeks if they have excessive redness.  I also like to use this to apply setting powder onto my under eye concealer or any concealing around the nose & hard to reach places.

Finally, the 'Core Collection' set includes a Detailer brush.  This has a number of uses such as applying 
lipstick, concealing problem areas or to apply a highlight to the inner eye, tear duct area.

I also purchased the 'Starter Set' which has everything you need to create the most fabulous eyes.  Again, these brushes cannot be purchased individually.

There are 5 brushes in this kit.  The kit contains a Base Shadowbrush, a Deluxe Crease brush, an Accent brush, a Pixel Point eyeliner brush & lastly a Brow brush.

The Base Shadow brush is comparable to the MAC 217 in that it's ideal for applying a base eyeshadow colour, for blending eyeshadows or for blending under eye concealer.

The Deluxe Crease brush can also be used to blend due to the shape & size of the brush it fits into the socket crease & blends seamlessly.  This is also my favoured brush for applyling under eye concealer.

The Accent brush is very small and ideal for applying highlight under the brow bone, adding a highlight to the inner eye, tear duct area or for adding a highlight to the cupids bow.  This is also amazing at smudging eyeshadows under the bottom lashes.

The Pixel Point eyeliner brush isn't my favoured or most useful.  I prefer an angled brush to create a winged line on my lid or a thinner brush than this if I haven't got an angled brush to hand.  This is pretty unusable in my collection.

Finally, the Brow brush is great for applying a shadow to define & shape the brows.  This can be a tad thick so this isn't recommended for those who have thinner eyebrows.  I love this to fill mine though where they are more sparse.  

Let me know if you have these brushes or which brand you would recommend!

Hannah xxx

Expert Face brush: http://www.boots.com/en/Real-Techniques-Expert-Face-Brush_1277695/

Stippling brush: http://www.boots.com/en/Real-Techniques-Stippling-Brush_1253416/

Blush brush: http://www.boots.com/en/Real-Techniques-Blush-Brush-1407_1252046/

'Core Collection 1403': http://www.boots.com/en/Real-Techniques-Core-Collection-1403_1252038/

'Starter Set 1406': http://www.boots.com/en/Real-Techniques-Starter-Set-1406_1252040/

My want list...

There are so many amazing products on the market, both high end & drugstore, at the moment which I really want to try so I have composed a list to share with you.

*My want list...*

• Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation - I've heard so many rave reviews on this foundation and this sounds perfect for my oily complexion

• MAC tan pigment - I saw a beauty guru on YouTube use this pigment as an eyeshadow, bronzer, highlight & even added a pinch in her foundation to give a gorgeously, subtle bronzed glow without changing the colour of the foundation...amazing!

• Vichy Dermablend foundation - OK, so I'm slightly obessesed with foundation & even though this is specially designed for covering scarring, acne or redness, I love the full coverage look so I really want to try this

• MAC Soft & Gentle - This is an absolutely gorgeous highlight but also can be used as an eyeshadow

• Bobbi Brown Corrector - This is amazing at covering under eye circles

• Urban Decay Naked 2 palette - This neutral palette will see you from day through to night

• Barry M Lavender lipstick -  A lipstick in a lavender shade may sound way out there, but the colour is gorgeous!

• Revlon ColorStay liquid eye pen - This is perfect for creating a gorgeous winged line

• Urban Decay De-Slick oil control setting spray - Eliminates the look of a cakey complexion while ensuring make up stays in place all day

• La Roche-Posay Toleriane Teint Corrective fluid foundation - More comparable to a tinted moistuiser with  very good coverage. A must have for days where foundation isn't needed but you want an even complexion

What products are on your shopping list?

Hannah xxx

Tom Ford Bronzing Powder '01 Gold Dust' review

I am lucky enough to have a very good friend who is a photographers assistant.  She is often assisting on Vogue front cover shoots.  In a recent conversation, I learned that she regularly works with Lisa Eldridge & I couldn't contain my excitement.  Anyway, some weeks passed & one day the post man delivered me a parcel.  Basically, my friend had told Lisa how much I admired her & as a gift she sent me the Tom Ford Bronzing Powder. I was ecstatic!!

Tom Ford make up is extremely luxurious & to own a product from this range is unbelievable!  From the lipsticks to the brushes, every part of the Tom Ford range oozes extravagance & this powder is no exception.

It claims to create a sensuous, bronzed face which is spot on. This bronzer does have a slight shimmer but its very slight & so fine that it wont leave your face looking like a disco ball.  It looks amazing sweeped on the top of the cheek bones & around the perimeter of the face to create a gorgeously bronzed complexion.  It simply enhances the faces natural colouring to give a radiant, healthy glow.   

This bronzing powder is exceptionally silky & lightweight. It has an exclusively formulated mineral blend of sunstone, amber and black tourmaline crystals combined with unique pigments, which as I said previously, flawlessly highlights the skin’s natural radiance or accents an existing tan. 

I tend to start with a small amount & build this up as the pigmentation is superb.  I love using this just as a subtle addition to my natural skin tone just to make me look healthier.

Tom Ford is extremely high end & therefore comes with a designer price tag! The product retails at £65.00 for 21g and comes in two shades '01 Gold Dust', the one I have, which i would recommend for light to medium skin tones & '02 Terra' for the deeper skin tones.  Both include the finely milled shimmer.

The packaging is exquisite.  The box itself is a deep brown, very subtly embossed with a small quilted pattern.  The writing is in gold & looks incredibly chic.
The product itself is in a small brown, velvet dust bag which oozes glamour & luxury & inside is the product.  This comes in a metallic brown compact with a gold rim with Tom Ford engraved on the opening clasp.

The compact includes a very large mirror (the size of the compact) with a simple mirrored gold base.  It's incredibly luxurious & quite heavy which shows the quality of this product.

This product is extremely high end & i would not have this in my collection if I wasn't gifted it so I appreciate it may be out of some people price range.  If, however, you have a special birthday approaching or you have been looking for a high end bronzer then I would seriously recommend looking at this one.  Its available to buy online from Selfridges & Harrods and I also believe House of Fraser stock it if you have one of these stores local to you.

Hannah xxx