Monthly Favourites | October 2013

Happy Halloween! The inevitable end of the month favourites are upon us again! We truly are nearing the end of the year which is both shocking and fear-inducing for me! I have my end of year exams soon, and then a very nice eight week holiday. But then, I will begin my final year of high school! I'm more scared than excited haha, I am not ready to face the real world! In terms of favourites this month, I actually struggled a little to gather items as I've been using much the same products as featured in previous monthly favourites. There have been a few standouts this month though!

My skincare favourite of the month has been the Garnier Anti-Dark Spot Renovator Night serum treatment. I've been using this for over a month now and a full review will be up soon! This serum contains 4% glycolic acid along with vitamin c to help exfoliate and brighten the skin. I haven't noticed any drastic improvement in my acne scars, but I do feel that my skin's texture is smoother and my scars slightly lighter.

A tool I've been loving again particularly is my Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers. These get their fair share of rave reviews and I gotta say they deserve them! They curl my short, asian-straight lashes super well and makes them look quite nice (considering how meagre they are)! 

I haven't been wearing eyeshadow a ton, but if I want to slap on a little bit of product, I've been reaching for the Maybelline Colour Tattoo metal in the shade Inked in Pink. It's a gorgeous sort of icy, silvery but also warm pink, that complements my skintone well and is a great no fuss eye shade!

Another product I featured way back in January is the Australis Fresh & Flawless Pressed Powder which I have in the shade Darkest Brown (really not a very dark brown at all...). Since I've been going the BB cream route pretty much daily this month, throwing this on to set everything adds a bit more coverage. It's a super soft powder that applies really well to the skin. It doesn't leave a cakey residue and keeps me matte-ish for a decent part of the day.

My favourite product out of the bunch this month has definitely been the The Balm Instain Blush in the shade Toile. I'll have a full review up on this one soon too but WOW! I had pretty high expectations for this product and it has certainly lived up to them! The shade is utterly gorgeous, a deeper peachy-pink with a hint of rose that actually looks extremely natural on me and has an amazing staying power to boot.

I have been using the Nivea In-shower Body Lotion quite a bit this month and I really like it. However, I was unsure about purchasing it (but did to qualify for a voucher) because I don't really need it. It's not that I'm too lazy to apply moisturiser, more that I just forget to. This is nice to have and use, and leaves my skin feeling quite soft, but it doesn't actually penetrate the skin to provide any intense moisture. It's sort of a superfluous product which I enjoy using but probably wouldn't repurchase.

I have been really enjoying the Clear Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner. These are the minis but I did purchase the full sizes. I find these clean my hair really well but don't leave it feeling dry or stripped. The conditioner is so nice - my hair feels amazingly soft and silky after using it! They also smell nice too, nothing to crazy, just nice hair product-y smell.

I've been using the Daiso Detergent for Puff and Sponge to wash my brushes all month and it has been doing a stellar job. It cleans them AMAZINGLY, getting out all of the stains that foundation and concealer would usually leave, making them looks good as new. Awesome for the price!

Oh my gosh, you guys - this book. This book. I think I may have discovered my favourite book of all time!!! It is Divergent by Veronica Roth. It is absolutely amazing and captivating, so well written, awesome characters and romance and just ughhh amazingness crammed into 500 pages. This had me hooked from the first line and I probably would have read it in one sitting if I hadn't had a Chemistry EEI due. If you haven't read this yet, DO IT. It's sort of (ish) similar to the Hunger Games - set in a futuristic, dystopian messed up world and written similarly (first person, present tense). So, if you liked that, you'll probably like this. I'm almost finished Insurgent (the sequel) and Allegiant (the final book) came out last week! There's also a movie coming out next year which I am SO excited for. Let's hope it's a better book-to-movie project that The Mortal Instruments (PLEASE). 

The blurb, to titillate your senses...

So those were my monthly favourites. I'm also going to see Thor: The Dark World tomorrow which I am unbelievably excited for! I've been waiting for so long and cannot even contain myself! My expectations are pretty high so I hope it doesn't disappoint! I'm a huge Marvel fan and an even huger Hiddlestoner (Tom Hiddleston fan) haha.

What have you guys been loving this month, any plans for Halloween?

Toned, Naturally.

Howdy! Today I have another Natural Instinct product to review from their facial line. It is their Clarifying Toner*. I haven't tried too many toners in my life, and to be completely honest, I still don't really know what their purpose is, but I feel like they are necessary in my skincare routine. I feel just plain weird if I don't use one. So I was very eager to try out this more natural, gentle alternative!

The packaging is nice and practical like all of the Natural Instinct products. It comes in a small plastic bottle with a flip top lid (that can sometimes be very hard to pry open!) and a small spout which does a good job at not dispensing too much product. 

One thing that appeals to me most about this toner is that it doesn't contain any alcohol (or any other nasty ingredients!). The toner I was using previously (T.N Dickinson's Witch Hazel Toner) does contain alcohol, and although it's a rather small percentage, I still feel uneasy about using it. Now that I've tried the Natural Instinct one - I don't think I want to go back! In comparison, it doesn't dry out my face at all. The T.N Dickinson's one doesn't leave my face feeling tight or uncomfortable, but it is eager for moisturisation. This one, as the label suggests, makes my face feel refreshed.

The Clarifying Toner* contains some really nice ingredients like Witch Hazel, Rosewater and orange flower. The smell is pretty unassuming, a little bit nutty/wheaty? I don't really know what I'm smelling, it's neither bad nor pleasant, but just 'there'. I've been sweeping this over my face morning and night for quite a while now, more than two months. Like I said before, I'm not entirely sure what the true purpose of a toner is. I've been cleansing really efficiently lately so there isn't a lot of extra dirt left for this to pick up, but if there is, it does. My skin has been in quite good condition lately which could be due to a number of different products, but this certainly hasn't deteriorated my skin's state, and if anything, it is doing good. 

While toning is a bit of an extra step, it's one that I couldn't imagine myself not doing. This toner is a really lovely basic one that will do the job without drying out your skin and in fact feels lovely on the skin. It retails for AUD$9.95 for 125mL of product which I think is a really great price!

What is your favourite toner?

*Product provided for reviewing purposes

On trend, In style

Hi guys! As you guys may have seen through numerous blog posts and instagram photos, November's issue of InStyle magazine contains three full size Napoleon Perdis products! The magazine retails for $12.95, and the products are valued at $82, so that's a pretty darn good deal in my opinion! I hardly ever buy magazines, I'd rather read about beauty on blogs who often, in my opinion, seem more educated on the subject... Nevertheless, I couldn't pass up a deal like this!

The gift includes a cream blush, lipgloss and a mascara that don't have any shade names (aside from the mascara). Like Cherie mentioned, these products aren't available in the permanent Napoleon Perdis range and they seem to have mass produced these particular products for giveaway. This seems to lower the value of them in my opinion as you can't actually purchase them. However, three full size products for $12.95 is often better than you can find at the drugstore, and it doesn't hurt that they have the Napoleon Perdis branding. 

The cream blush is probably the main reason I decided to pick it up. My cream blush collection is very limited (excluding my lipstick-come-blush concoction, the only true cream blush I have is from Model's Prefer) and I really wanted to expand it. The packaging is pretty consistent with other Napoleon Perdis products (see below in a comparison to a palette from them). It is in a plastic/acrylic square compact. I can't decide whether the overall plastic packaging is tacky or chic...It seems, however, very cheaply made. The plastic creaks and doesn't feel very luxe at all. There is no clasp on the compact which thoroughly annoys me - it stays closed on the stiffness of the hinge, which over wear I expect will loosen. There's nothing stopping this from popping open and making a mess! It has the Napoleon medallion on the top and a pretty tiny, useless mirror on the inside.

The colour is a really lovely, wearable and natural dusky, tawny type rose-pink. It would pretty much complement any look and I think would go well with most skin tones medium and lighter. The texture is very thin and slippy, almost greasy feeling. It doesn't look greasy on though, giving more of a healthy glow to the cheeks. It isn't a cream to powder and is therefore also wearable on the lips, albeit a little drying and line accentuating. It isn't too pigmented and I feel that it is very easy to blend away entirely, but it is easy to build. I like to apply it with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush. Due to its sheerer nature and thin texture, I find it very short wearing. I wish it lasted longer but it wouldn't be hard to touch up, but the packaging is pretty inconvenient for that.

The lip gloss is actually really nice, and I like it more than I expected I would. The packaging is also not that great on this...It's aesthetically pleasing in a hexagonally shaped tube and a gold lid, but very badly made. My tube was fine but the suction thing that cleans the wand as you pull it out dislodged into the cap therefore causing the wand to come out LOADED with product. It's pretty ridiculous. I'm not the only one to have this problem either. Sometimes when I open the tube it will be fine but others not so much... The lip gloss itself is nicely pigmented, with a thick, slightly sticky texture - I would say to the same extent as the MAC Creamsheen glasses and therefore decently wearing. It has a sweet scent, sort of similar to the Maybelline Baby Lips in Antioxidant Berry (if my memory serves me well). The shade is a light nude-peach with a very fine, hardly detectable golden shimmer. It isn't too light for me and makes my lips look really nice actually. Again, a wearable shade that I think would suit most people and makeup looks. 

Lipgloss, Cream blush

The set also came with the Lashes to Lashes mascara but I'm yet to open it as I have others waiting in the wings, and a couple open already. From my understanding it seems like a pretty standard mascara, with a standard brush. Nothing fancy.

I'm happy with the set and will get use out of the products but I'm not a fan of the sucky packaging and seeing as these are coming from a premium brand, I expected better quality packaging. In my opinion, there's definitely a decline in the quality (of the packaging). The products themselves are nice, but nothing I would pay full price for. I would still recommend picking the issue up if you remotely like what you see. You can find out more about the products on InStyle's website.

Did you pick up the mag? If so, did you have similar issues with the packaging?

NOTD | Snowflakes

Hi guys! Today I have NOTD which is very light and delicate. It's mainly a white nail polish look which combined with the glitter topping, I think is quite Spring appropriate but is something that would looks great all year round and would go with any outfit! I've also been noticing a lot of people wearing white nail polish, I'm not sure if it's an actual trend, but I've noticed it a lot!

On all of my nails I have Sportsgirl Snow which is a beautiful shade! This might be discontinued as Sportsgirl tends to switch out their nail colours with the seasons, and I picked this up a while ago on sale. Where white nail polish is concerned, they are notorious for having bad formulas. Sportsgirl have quite hit and miss formulas, and Snow was sadly more of a miss. It took three coats to opacity and was quite streaky and uneven on the first two coats, so it had to be applied with care! I tend to not really go for white polishes all over as they can look a bit stark and jarring against my skin tone, especially those really bright whites that look chalky and almost as if white-out has been painted on the nails (yuck!). Snow is a slightly pinky-grey leaning off-white which is accentuated by the faint golden-red duochromatic shimmer running through it. It's a bit hard to see but it overall gives the shade a softer look. 

On my thumb and ring finger, I've used OPI Pirouette my Whistle as an accent glitter top coat. I was going for a very delicate, light, barely there look and this seemed to go perfectly. It consists of light silver-grey hexagonal glitters and smaller silver glitter particles. It's very dainty on the nails and it goes well over both dark and light colours. Also the formula is very nice, the glitter is rather densely packed so not too much fishing is needed! 

I ended up liking this mani a lot more than I thought I would, and I wore it for almost a week (also because I was too lazy to change it, haha)! I think it's really pretty and feminine and would suit a bridal look or something of that sort really well! 

Are you a fan of white nails?

Sleek Cheeks

Today I have a very cheek centred post for the blog. I'll be featuring some products that the UK brand Sleek is probably most famous for - their blushes and contour kit. Sleek is a drugstore brand that offer very bright and pigmented products for a very reasonable price. I have to share the powder blush in the shade Pomegranate and the Contour Kit in the shade Light.

The packaging on both of the products is - yep, you guessed it - very sleek. Both products are encased in matte black plastic thin compacts with very secure closures, and an accompanying mirror. They are very compact and I love that the packaging is simple, practical and not excessive.

I'll start out with the blush. Sleek offer a multitude of shades in their singles, as well as their Blush by 3 trio palettes. I already have way too much blush and also those BYS trios which are very reminiscent of the Sleek ones. I don't, however, have any shade in my collection similar to Pomegranate which was one of the reasons why I picked it up, along with after hearing rave reviews on this particular shade. 

The blush looks quite metallic in the pan, but does not appear that way on the cheeks. In fact you can detect hardly any shimmer on the cheek, and it gives off more of a satin finish. The shade looks quite scary in the pan. It is a deep, pomegranate, maroon, berry shade. It looks purple leaning in the pan but I find it applies and sheers out differently (see blended swatch). This product is incredibly pigmented so sheering out is a must. Despite its strong pigmentation, it isn't at all hard to blend. I find that working and building in light layers is most effective - it's always easier to add on then take away. One tap into the pan (making sure to tap off the brush too) is a good amount for each layer. With too much product on the brush, it gets harder to blend and is very easy to overdo. The texture of the blush isn't particularly soft and it isn't powdery which is a good thing, but it isn't hard or chalky. It's the perfect in between! 

Transferring to the cheeks, it pulls a bit more of a red-y burgundy berry than in the pan. Coming into the Spring/Summer months, I haven't been reaching for this shade much as it is definitely more Autumn appropriate. I think it would be perfect for that time of the year! I tend to focus the colour on the outer apples of my cheeks and upwards and I definitely wear it very lightly. Keep the colour concentrated because if applied to too large a surface area, it can tend to look ruddy, particularly if you've gone in with a heavy hand, it can look a tad swollen. The product lasts quite well on my skin and is still noticable 10+ hours later, but it fades considerably (keeping in mind I've applied it very lightly, and it depends what base I'm wearing).

Swatched heavily, Blended

SUNLIGHT: Swatched heavily, blended

On to the Face Contour Kit in the shade Light. Since I was ordering online, I didn't want to order a shade too dark so I went with the lightest just in case. It comes in three shades so they cater for pretty much all skintones, though Light may be too dark for the lightest of the light. I probably could have gone for medium but Light still gets the job done.

The Light shade consists of a slightly warm toned medium-dark brown contour colour and a light silver toned champagne highlight. The contour shade is matte and the highlight is metallic at its base but does contain sparkles (not glitter, or individual shimmer bits) that catch the light. I do wish that the contour was a bit cooler in tone so as to make it more effective in the shadow imparting area but it's depth still works well to create a natural and not-too-obvious contour (depending how heavy handed you are). However, this shade can also work well as a bronzer. The highlight provides a nice dewy finish and isn't too stark or obvious either but does give a lovely glow.

The texture of the highlighter is pretty similar to the blush, probably given that they are of similar finishes (though the highlight is much more sparkly and probably a bit less pigmented). The contour shade has a harder feel (still not chalky) but gives off less pigment (keeping in mind the blush was very potent). It blends well and is very easy to work with, especially for a matte powder. These both last quite well on the skin but do fade considerably throughout the day. 

Contour, Highlight

SUNLIGHT: Contour, Highlight

COMPARISON: Sleek, Elf, Jane Iredale, Essence, Napoleon Perdis

A comparison of the contour shade with other bronzers in my collection. I don't own any highlighters similar in shade to the Sleek. As you can see the E.l.f bronzer from the contouring blush and bronzer kit (in shade St. Lucia) is the darkest but it contains some golden shimmer making it not as good for contouring. The Jane Iredale Bronzing Powder in So Bronze 1 and Essence Matte Bronzing Powder in Sunny are similar to each other and much lighter and more orange than the Sleek. The last is the Napoleon Perdis from the Ultimate Nude Palette which is also lighter and more orange. Out of my collection, the Sleek is definitely most appropriate for contouring.

That was quite a long review but I hope you enjoyed! Overall both of these products are absolutely amazing quality and are very well priced! I would definitely recommend them and would pick up some more products from Sleek! You can purchase their products from their website and the shipping is extremely cheap to Australia (only about $3 or so!).

Have you tried Sleek cheek products?

Go Grease Lightning!

Hey Guys! I've got a skincare review for y'all today. It is the Lush Grease Lightning Spot Treatment. I bought this because a few people including Ingrid from Missglamorazzi said that this helped prevent acne from leaving scars in the first place. My skin scars like a mofo, even if I barely touch the darn thing, I get a horrible dark mark that doesn't fade for months and months. Keep reading to see if it lived up to the claims!

The packaging is comprised of a small plastic bottle with a pump dispenser. I like the fact that it has a pump, meaning in theory, easy and hygienic release of the product. However, the pump is quite stiff and even if you try to be careful, you cannot control how much comes out. 1 squeeze releases a lot of product and in most cases too much. This often leads to me applying the product quite liberally. Even so, the bottle is quite big for a spot treatment, so I think it will last for a good long while anyways.

Coming from Lush, the product contains natural and organic ingredients such as Tea Tree and Witch Hazel which are both known for their acne fighting properties. Containing very natural ingredients as opposed to other typical acne treatment ingredients (Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxide), it is very gentle, and therefore not as effective. It doesn't sting or dry out the area at all so if you have sensitive skin, this would be a good option. Like I said though, it isn't as potent or effective as, for example, the Origins Super Spot Remover. It takes longer to clear any given spot whether it be a whitehead or cystic. In my experience it doesn't work too well on cystic acne. The spot won't clear for about a week, but I do feel it is better than not applying anything. On whiteheads it works a little better, healing them in some cases overnight, or in a couple of days (depending on their size). These are my experiences from using the treatment twice a day (morning and night).

In regards to scarring, to be honest, I don't see that it really helps prevent spots from leaving scars in the first place, or help clear previous scars. The marks left behind are still as bad as they were when I was using the Origins spot treatment. So, it was a bit disappointing in that regard, however my skin does scar VERY badly. Maybe you will be in better luck if your skin isn't as badly affected.

The consistency is described as a gel, but I find it to be more of a gel/jelly texture. It is a little bit hard to get it to absorb into the skin. I find it almost forms a thin film over the skin and therefore isn't amazing for wearing under makeup (especially if I've applied it quite liberally due to aforementioned reasons). When applying makeup or anything over the top, the film sort of rolls/balls up and is needed to be picked off. I find the best way to apply it is very thinly, and leave a bit of time (maybe 20-30 minutes) before applying any makeup. The product has an overall herbally smell, mostly lavender. It's not offensive and I actually find it quite nice.

So overall, I'm not the hugest fan of this product. It's not a bad spot treatment by any means but in my opinion, it's not good. It is very gentle though, so if you want to go that route, this is a good option. I'm sad that it didn't work as I wanted it to, but it just goes to show that skincare products work differently on everyone! Again, I'm on the hunt for a good spot treatment! I'll definitely finish this one, but won't be repurchasing. I also got a sample of the Mario Bedascu Buffering Lotion for cystic acne, so I'll see how that one goes! Lush Grease Lightning contains 45g of product for AUD$13.95.

Random note that relates to the title (of the post and product!), I went to see John Frost's production of Grease which was recently being performed at QPAC. I quite enjoyed it but they did change a few of the key points from the movie, and Sandy's leather disco pants outfit was nearly as flattering or 'sexy' as in the movie. It was a lot of fun though!

Have you tried Lush Grease Lightning? What are your thoughts?

Collective Haul | September

Heyo! Today I have another collective haul from the month of September. It was school holidays and more free time = more opportunities to go shopping! Haha, I don't think I did too much damage, and some of these were repurchases!

First up for the skincare:

I recently won a giveaway from Jen over at The Shopping Queen. I won a pack of the Michika Complexion Synergist Rejuvenating Anti Fatigue Facial Mask (whew, what a mouthful!). This is a pack of sheet masks which contains a lot of great ingredients. I still haven't used the sheet masks I got from Daiso, so my first time was with these. I really enjoyed the experience, albeit a little creepy, but it left my skin feeling refreshed, moisturised and super smooth. Thankyou Jen and Michika!

I went a lil' crazy with the skincare at Priceline. A couple of sales combined with a voucher offer spurred on the purchases of the Indeed Labs Hydraluron and the Garnier Dark Spot Treatment Night. Hydraluron has garnered SO much hype, and it was 30% off (~$24) so I decided to get it. I haven't tried it yet, and to be honest I'm not really sure what to expect from it. The Garnier Dark Spot Treatment Night is a new product I believe as I've not heard a peep about it. It's a serum with vitamin C and 4% glycolic acid to help fade dark spots. You guys know how much I love the moisturiser, so I decided to give this a shot. It was also 20% off, bringing it to $15. I'll definitely let you guys know how this one goes! Priceline gave a $5 voucher if you spent over $35, however to redeem this voucher, you had to spend another $35 or more. Annoying huh? Anyways I ended up repurchasing the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo (review here) as this is one of my holy grail products and I'm almost out of my current one. To get the $5 off, I bought a couple of other things you'll see later in the post.

The makeup-y things:

I actually didn't go too crazy with actual makeup but what I did buy was quite expensive...

I puchased the The Balm Instain Blush in the colour Toile. This was on my last wishlist and I was finally able to buy it. I was reluctant to hand over the full price of $26.95 (cringes) but The Balm hardly goes on sale. I've been using this so much since I got it, the colour really complements my complexion and so I think it was worth it! I'll have a full review up in due time!

Some nail stuff. I ended up getting another Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat in the shade Peach Fuzz in the Chemist Warehouse sale ($5). This one contains peach and yellow bar glitters which totally remind me of like a baby chick or duck. Cute! And perfect for Easter. I also got a couple of things from Witchery. It sounds like I shop there a lot, but I really don't! They had a survey going and if you completed it you got $10 of instore credit. My mum and I both did it but my mum didn't want to buy anything so I used hers also. I got this gorgeous nail polish in the shade Sweet Coral. It's a neon orangey-coral shade. It's super bright and realllllyyy eye catching on the nails. Awesome Spring/Summer shade! It was $12.95 so I got it for $2.95. I also got another Lip Gloss Wand because I LOVE my other one. This one is in the shade Tangelo which is a peach with golden glitter. It's a little sheerer than Blossom, the glitter isn't gritty, and it's still the same non-sticky formula. Also this one has a much better scent - a yummy vanilla and I wanna say coffee? scent. Full price this guy is $14.95, so I got it for $4.95.

I picked up another Nivea Lip Butter, this one in Vanilla & Macadamia. I bought this in my second Priceline trip. I've hit major pan on my first one and like I said in my Monthly favourites, this is the only lip balm my lips have been agreeing with! This one smells amazingly delicious also!

I repurchased the Essence Lash and Brow gel mascara. I pretty much used every last bit of my first one (it was gross and gunky too, plus the packaging broke). Love this for setting my brows, and it is super cheap at $3.50.

The miscellaneous items:

To make up the $35 for my second trip to Priceline, I bought the Nivea In-Shower body lotion. I've heard good things about this and I am SO lazy when it comes to moisturising my body. I didn't need it though...I was originally planning to pick up Bourjois Peach on the Beach, but they were sold out. So I ended up getting this - it was also on sale so it was around $7. They had also sold out of the intense version, but my skin isn't too dry. I've used this a couple times already and so far I really like it!

I repurchased both of the Beauty Care Co Makeup Remover pads and the Green tea facial wipes for $2 each. I'm not fussy at all and these are pretty much the cheapest you can get. However, I actually do REALLY like the face wipes.

I FINALLY managed to pick up a couple of the Daiso detergents for puff and sponge. Every time I go they are sold out of the stuff! They had a lot there so I bought two, they aren't completely full either. As everything is in Daiso, they were only $2.80 each and they work amazingly well. Just to mention, they changed the packaging from blue to pink.

So that was my haul! I still really want to buy the Bourjois lip crayon but I guess another time! I'm really trying to save for my trip to Hong Kong, and also my friend has offered to get me some things while she is in the US. I'm trying to formulate a wishlist, and it's very hard to cull products, haha!

Have you tried any of these products?

Brush Up | Cheeks

Hi guys! Today I have the last of my Real Techniques brush reviews (for now!)! I have the Blush Brush and the Stippling Brush. Both of these are sold individually as opposed to in sets. These two are probably my favourites along with the Buffing Brush!

As with all of the Real Techniques brushes, they have coloured aluminium handles with names and a rubberised base. They are lightweight and sturdy. These handles are pink which are colour coded to the 'finish' range, used to add finishing touches to a makeup look. The brushes sold individually have fatter bases. The function of this is so that the brushes can stand up. Personally, I store my brushes in a cup so this is actually a hindrance as they take up quite a bit of room in the cup. It would be helpful for those who don't store them that way, but not all the brushes have that base (eg. individual eye brushes) and I find that since the handle is already quite thick it still stands (eg. Buffing Brush).

On to the brushes though! As always with Real Techniques, they are made of super soft, synthetic Taklon bristles which allows them to work with all sorts of textures. 

The Stippling Brush is different to a lot of other similar, duo-fibre stippling brushes. Typically the white to black hair ratio is one to one, whereas on this one the white hairs are much shorter. I have not tried any other stippling brush so I can't compare, but my thoughts are that the other variations look quite floppy. The Real Techniques version is a lot stiffer, the bristles themselves are soft, but it doesn't have a fluffy soft effect on the skin. This and the different density of the bristles make it very effective with cream products, like cream blush. It's also great at applying powder blush (especially more pigmented ones) as well with foundation products - liquid and cream. It gives a lovely, very light application of product.

The Blush Brush is probably one of their best selling brushes and definitely my favourite. I use it every time I wear makeup! It is a unique shape for a blush brush. It's not domed, and the closest I would say it is in shape is to a tulip brush, though those definitely come to more of a point. The Blush Brush is a combination of the two, it's a petal shape which comes to a slight tapered dome. It isn't floppy at all either. This works really well for pretty much all powder products; face powder, blush, bronzer, etc. It's really not too big either due to the taper. I use the tip for blush and bronzer, the bristles around it blend the product simultaneously providing a super easy application! The density is nice and fluffy, and it applies both pigmented and sheer blushes/bronzers really well. I use the side for setting powder due to the larger surface area there. Amazing! And it feels like a little paw stroking your face haha - bonus!

Definitely two standouts from the collection right here! I love them both to bits, and none of the Real Techniques brushes I own have shed at all in the numerous times I've washed them. AMAZING quality for an amazing price! I've got my eye on their new face sponge, travel essentials set and the expert face brush next!

What are your favourite Real Techniques brushes?