I think I might be in the minority of people when I say I find washing
my brushes an enjoyable activity! I think it’s quite therapeutic seeing all the
bronzer, blusher and eyeshadow fall down the plughole and I sometimes even
shout into my mum to see if she wants me to wash hers while I’m at it (she only
has about three so I’m not as good as I sound!).
Today I thought I’d go through how I wash my brushes and the products I
use for a deep clean as well as a spot clean! I do aim to give my brushes a
deep clean every week but it doesn’t always work out like that though I try not
to go past two weeks as nothing beats the feel of a fresh, clean brush plus you
know, hygiene!
This is hands down my favourite brush cleaner! My makeup brushes get
such a good clean with this, I run them under the tap then pour a little of
this into my hand and swirl the brush around before rinsing. If I’ve got a very
dirty brush or a bigger one like a powder brush, I will repeat this until the
water runs clear!
The soap itself is very lightweight and takes no time to clean the
brushes, I love the scent too, it’s really mild but smells so fresh. It’s very
liquidy so can build up a little around the cap but it’s nothing major. My
first bottle was slightly larger and lasted me around 2 years and you can see
what I thought of it here! I can’t see myself using anything else for a deep
clean!
I picked this up last year as I’d heard a lot about spot cleaning and
also because I needed to hit the threshold for a GWP spend on Cult Beauty
(priorities!). This has come in handy though for giving my eye brushes a quick
clean and sterilising them when I don’t have time for a deep clean. I
especially love this for my base shadow and blending brushes as they tend to
build up with product quite quickly.
To use, I spray directly onto my brush from about 15cm away while
holding the brush over a face towel. I’ll then wipe the brush on the face towel
until the excess eyeshadow is off – it won’t look completely clean but it
prevents the spread of germs so would be perfect for a makeup artist working on
different faces each day and its also suitable for both natural and synthetic
bristles.
Like I
said, most of the time I just use my hands to wash my brushes but I love my
fake brush egg for my eye brushes. I got this years ago on eBay and it makes it
so easy to quickly clean a few brushes at a time. I pour a little Dr. Bronner’s
soap onto the tip of the brush egg then while the tap is running I swirl my eye
brushes into the grooves on the brush egg then rinse! Hey presto, clean
brushes!
I will
then lay my brushes flat onto a towel down on the desk in my room – this is
recommended as any water getting into the ferrule could weaken the glue that
holds the handle and brush head together!
What are your favourite products to clean your makeup brushes with?
Danielle xx
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Probably
not the first time you’ve heard it this month but I can’t believe its March! This
year is absolutely flying and I have a few products to share today that as you
can tell by the title, I’m loving!
I won
this last year in a Cult Beauty Instagram competition (lovely feeling!) and it
sat in my collection for a few months while I tried to get some other cleansers
finished. Then I thought life is too short, open all the cleansers and I’m so glad
I did as it’s become one of my favourites! It’s a black oily balm made with
Hungarian moor mud and thermal waters that works to draw out impurities and I
use it as my second cleanse to remove the last traces of my makeup. I find it
very gentle on my skin and a tiny bit goes a long way with this balm! I use the
little scoop to get a bit of product out then warm it up between my fingers and
massage into my face. I’ll then use a damp face cloth to remove and overall I’m
left with smooth, clean, hydrated skin! At £48, this isn’t cheap but I will definitely
be making a repurchase when I finish this – I alternate this with my Emma Hardie
Moringa cleansing balm and both have lasted ages so are well worth the money
for that and how they perform on my skin!
Another
little Cult Beauty gem – I got this in a GWP towards the end of last year and
having never tried a manual cleanser before I didn’t use it straight away as I
was worried it would break me out. Curiosity got the better of me and I tried
it out one morning and haven’t looked back since! Its battery operated, non-chargeable,
waterproof and as you can see from the close up has two cleansing zones – an ultra-fine
one for normal areas and a thicker one for more congested areas. I tend to use the ultra-fine
zone all over my face then concentrate the thicker touch zone on my nose and
chin area. It uses T sonic pulsations to enhance the efficiency of your
cleanser and I have completely fallen in love with this little device and can’t
imagine my morning cleanse without it now! At £29, it’s good for 100 uses and it’s
recommended you use it for a minute each cleanse. It’s hygienic, gentle and
gives a non-irritating exfoliation and I’ve include a photo of my favourite
morning cleansers to use it with! I will definitely be buying a full size
chargeable one when the battery runs out!
I reviewed this just after Christmas but it’s nearly finished and I just had to mention it
again as I’m very fickle with conditioner and apart from the OUAI one I haven’t
found one I want to repurchase since this! I always brush my hair before I wash
it and pat it dry with a towel instead of rubbing it to try and minimise how
many tats I will inevitably be left with but I always have to spend so much
time brushing my hair out because the tangles just come out of nowhere! That
was until I tried this! It’s so gentle and I know every time I brush my hair
after using it I won’t get any giant knots caught in my brush because they are
just not there! It has a really inoffensive scent and is just a dream to use, I can’t
wait to pick up a bigger size!
I got
this in a set with the Aloe Herbs and Rosewater facial spray for Christmas and
while I love it too, I wanted to talk about the Drying Lotion because it’s been
amazing recently on any breakouts I’ve been having! It’s made with a blend of calamine
and salicylic acid and where I usually find spot treatments dry the spot and
skin around it out (all great until it’s a flaky mess with makeup over the next
day) this works on my skin to dry out the spot, all while being soothing and
not drying on the skin around it. It works really well to settle down my
breakouts and they don’t last for as long, hooray! The instructions say don’t
shake solution and use a cotton ear bud to reach the pink sediment at the
bottom then dab onto any spots and it has quite a medicated smell which I love!
I was sent three of these before Christmas and this one in particular is my current
hand bag essential! I go through hand cream so quickly but Nivea is by far my favourite
as I love how soft it makes my hands feel. The scent and how quickly it absorbs
as well as the fact I don’t feel the need to reapply 20 times a day are also plus
points! This is the 75ml so will last ages but doesn’t take up a huge amount of
room in my bag! Love!
That’s
five products I’m currently loving! Let me know if you have tried any of these
before and what you thought of them!
*denotes
a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own.
Danielle xx
If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me
on
It’s been ages since I did one of these so I thought I’d try to get
back into it starting now! Lipstick is one of my favourite makeup items and I
love changing what I’ve got on each day although some of my lipsticks are more
similar to each other than I sometimes think they are!
Monday
I went with Urban Decay Vice Comfort Matte lipstick in Backtalk today and this has to be one of the most
comfortable matte formulations I’ve tried and I suppose the clue is in the
name! It’s a beautiful mauve shade that isn’t drying at all and wears off
evenly, I love it!
Tuesday
I wasn’t working today so went with something a little more daring than
my usual nude pinks with this Too Faced Melted lipstick in Fig! I absolutely love the shade; it’s so rich and vibrant!
This isn’t a lipstick I would wear to work though because I find myself
checking my lips/teeth in the mirror quite a lot with this as it doesn’t
completely dry down and has a tendency to move about a little! I got my mini in
a set last Christmas and I don’t wear it nearly enough! It’s worth the extra
effort though as it feels good on my lips and wears off slowly leaving a
gorgeous stain behind.
l-r: Urban Decay Backtalk, Too Faced Melted Fig
Wednesday
I picked up this NARS Audacious lipstick in Anita last year and it’s another one I don’t reach for enough. I
was a bit unsure of the colour when I first saw it in the flesh after buying as
it seems to lean a little warm on me but I’ve grown to really like it (especially
when I’ve got tan on). Again, it’s a comfortable creamy formula that lasts a
good few hours on my lips before it starts to feel a little drier – but a bit
of clear balm extends it a while longer!
Thursday
After falling in love with the K.I.S.S.I.N.G formula of Bitch Perfect,
I picked up Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Liv it Up. Like NARS Anita, the
colour wasn’t quite what I was expecting – it’s very pink! This might be something
to do with my lips though and not the actual colour of the lipsticks! Anyway,
once I got over the pinkness, this is a beautiful lipstick and the
K.I.S.S.I.N.G formula is probably my favourite lipstick formula ever! It’s so long-lasting
and hydrating and I love it!
Friday
Just before Christmas, MAC had 20% off so while I was getting my mum a
foundation I treated myself to my second MAC lipstick in Brave, a satin formula. Again, and I didn’t mean this post to
be about initial disappointment in lipstick but I was shocked at how pink this
turns up on my lips! It settles down after a while though and a little more
mauve shows through which I prefer but overall although it’s comfortable, it’s
not the longest lasting and overall I don’t get the hype for MAC lipsticks! This
also looks quite similar in the swatch to Liv it Up but I find Liv it Up shinier and brighter overall!
l-r: NARS Audacious Anita, Charlotte Tilbury Liv It Up, MAC Brave
So that’s
another working week in lipstick! Let me know if you have tried any of these
shades or what you’d recommend for a mauve lipstick lover like me!
See my
last working week in lipstick posts here and here!
Danielle xx
If you want to keep up do date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me
on
OK, OK, I know I say it every time but I really didn’t mean to have
this many empties again! They just get away from me so easily and before I know
it I can barely fit them on my sticky back marble board! I’ll do my best to
keep it short and sweet and will link any full reviews of the products I’m
talking about too!
Skincare
Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum
Probably my favourite serum ever, this is a constant repurchase for me!
It’s lightweight, hydrating and sinks in quickly, I love it and you can hear
more about it in this post!
Caudalie Eau de Beaute Beauty Elixir
I’ve went through a few bottles of this but I think recently I’ve been
using mists that have more benefits for my skin. Saying that, this is
lightweight and feels refreshing and I love the scent but I don’t think I will
be repurchasing any time soon.
Papaya Gold Paw Paw Moisturising Balm
I bought this mistakenly thinking it was the cult Dr Paw Paw balm and I
generally don’t like Vaseline/petroleum jelly type products which is what this
feels like with the addition of Manuka Honey. I only used this on my lips
overnight and it did a good job of keeping them hydrated but I probably won’t
repurchase as I already have so many other lip products.
DNA Renewal Eye Renewal
I got this in a Cult Beauty GWP ages ago and I absolutely loved it! It
lasted me ages too! It’s a lightweight cream that sinks in straightaway and
kept my eye area hydrated. It was perfect for both day and night use and I was
gutted when it finished! At £44, I won’t be repurchasing straight away but it
is definitely a product I will come back to!
Goldfaden MD Bright Eyes Dark Circle
Radiance Concentrate
Another Cult Beauty GWP special (can you tell I love those offers!)
this only lasted me about a week but it felt a little thicker that the DNA Eye
Renewal though still lightweight enough for day use. I don’t have massively
dark circles under my eyes so can’t say much for its claims but again I would
repurchase in the future though out of the two, I preferred the DNA Renewal!
Mint Skin Mud Detox and Hydrating Clay
masks*
I have a couple of these masks here and I absolutely love them! I have
a full review on both here but in short the detox mud worked wonder on my nose
blackheads and the hydrating mask is perfect for the dehydrated skin I have
round my nose! Both are gentle yet effective and I highly recommend them! I
have some more to use up and I’m keeping some past for a wedding I have in
March because I love the results they give!
This was a very popular shampoo when it came out a while ago and I
generally jump on anything that promises to help with greasy hair! Overall, I
really liked the shampoo and I do regularly buy L’Oreal shampoos but this
didn’t make my hair any less greasier. It did smell lovely and made my hair
shiny so I would repurchase. I also have the shampoo and clay hair mask in this
range so they will probably pop up soon too – conditioners take me ages to
finish!
L’Oreal Elvive Fibrology Thickening
Shampoo
It was a good month for finishing shampoo and here we have another L’Oreal
one! Again, I really like these shampoos and the scent of them but as I have
such long hair, volume doesn’t come easy for me. This didn’t weigh it down or
make it go any greasier than normal so I would repurchase! I will however
always miss the L’Oreal Elvive Nutrigloss Light shampoo that was discontinued!
Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk*
This is a lovely dry shampoo, it smells so fresh! My hair always looked
shiny rather than greasy when I used this on second day hair and though it’s a
little dearer than what I would normally pay for a dry shampoo at £8, it’s
often included in Escentual’s French pharmacy 1/3 off promotion and 3 or 2’s at
Boots so I would repurchase when on offer! Full review here!
OUAI Treatment Masque
I got a pack of these in another GWP from Cult Beauty (can you tell
I’ve been getting through my samples this month!) and having loved everythingelse I’ve tried from Jen Atkin’s range, this did not disappoint! It made my
hair feel lovely and soft as well as smooth and I got two uses out of this
satchet! I’m not completely sure if I’d repurchase though as I love the
conditioner too and it does pretty much the same job and I always forget about
treatments!
Bodycare
Soap and Glory The Scrub of your Life
This is probably my second favourite scrub from Soap and Glory (Pulp
Friction always being my favourite!). I love the scent of this and though it
doesn’t lather as much as Pulp Friction, with the help of some exfoliating
gloves it does a great job of removing my tan! Will repurchase!
Sass Perfect Me Skin Concentrate
I’m only really realising this now but this is actually an intimate
body product! I just used it on my legs after waxing or epilating and I loved
it! My hairs grow back quite fine anyway because I have been getting waxed for
years but this made my legs feel so smooth and I think the hairs grew back even
slower! It’s scented but not very strongly and has a pump while the product
itself is a gel like texture. I got this in a beauty box but I would definitely
repurchase and try it on my bikini line too next time!
Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel
My old favourite Snow Fairy, probably the most childish candy floss
scented product ever but I love it! This is actually from Christmas last year,
how bad is that? I have a few more to get through from Christmas just past too,
its limited edition but I will repurchase when its back later this year!
Lush Rose Jam Shower Gel
This was the first time I’d tried the infamous Rose Jam shower gel and
it smells lovely! It felt moisturising too and I actually get a lot of use out
of these mini 100g shower gels! Would repurchase!
Balance Me Rose Otto Hand Cream
Not a fan of this at all, it felt greasy, took ages to absorb even when
I only put a little on and I ended up only using this at night time because of
this! The scent was OK but I would not repurchase this.
This is super sticky and takes a bit of work to apply but I absolutely
love it! It smells lovely and works so well on rough skin on my heels and
bottom of my feet. Would repurchase!
Makeup
NARS Sheer Glow
This is such a beautiful foundation! It has a medium/full coverage so
it’s definitely not sheer and it doesn’t have a glowy finish either. I actually
didn’t like this the first time I used it, I didn’t think it lasted well on my
oily skin at all and it wore off really easily on my chin. After using it a few
more times though I grew to really like it, it evens out my complexion and
lasts all day now with a few powder touch-ups during the day. I am however glad
to be finished this! I think it’s about two years old though it has a 24 month
expiry date so it’s fine. I will definitely repurchase in the future as this
comes quite close to my all-time favourite Estee Lauder Double Wear but I want
to finish up a few other foundations beforehand!
SEVENTEEN Falsifeye HD Mascara*
This is a lovely mascara for a natural look. It gives a lot of
separation and length to my lashes but I probably won’t repurchase because I
rarely wear mascara that isn’t waterproof!
Beauty Blender
I am obsessed with Beauty Blenders, they give the best finish for me
and I wouldn’t be without one now! £16 is a lot to spend on a sponge but Beauty
Blenders definitely feel the softest to me and give the best bounce making it
so easy to apply my foundation evenly! They also last a good 6 months for me
washing it daily! Will repurchase!
Congratulations if you got through all that! I already have half a box
full of empties I’ve acquired since taking the photos for this post so that
will be up sometime next month! Let me know what you have been finishing
recently or if you’ve tried anything I’ve talked about!
*denotes
a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own.
Danielle xx
If you want to keep up to date with my posts, don’t forget to follow me
on
