*The Original Beauty Blender* - REVIEW

Hey guys

For the longest time ever, I used to use my bare hands to apply makeup. From eye shadow right down to foundation. I was too afraid to venture into the unknown and rather expensive world of makeup brushes.

I made the transition to brushes a couple of years ago when a good friend of mine showed me her Mac makeup brush collection and I thought, I need me some of these NOW. Especially since my interest in eye makeup was growing and getting the desired blended effect was just not happening with my fingers.

So I went ahead and splurged, and randomly splurged a lot, on not one brand of makeup brush but many...this is getting very wordy....

Anyway I then discovered the amazing world of sponges. I had heard of this phenomenon for a while but loved my Mac face brushes too much to let go, having then had a little jaunt with the Real Techniques face brushes I decided to buy a Beauty Blender since it was on for £21.00 for two on Beauty Bay. A bargain, since one usually retails at circa £16.00

Oh my god guys, this sponge is amazing, no longer do I have to use separate brushes for my foundation, contour and highlight, even concealer. I can use every little nook and curve of this sponge and it does the job fantastically.

It provides an absolute flawless finish, and has just revolutionised the way I apply makeup on a daily basis. Long gone are the days when I used a brush for makeup. Poor face brushes are currently lying dormant in a drawer, never to be seen of again.

A bit about the Beauty Blender, when I first got my hand on these I thought they were the mini version of the original, they were quite tiny from what I'd seen. I then discovered that they had to be thoroughly washed and squeezed of any excess water before you left them damp and ready to use. At first I thought the application of an almost wet sponge on my face would ruin and disturb my makeup but for me I felt like this added to the effect and gave me a dewy look, which I love.

So glad I purchased the pro pack which was released in Black and came with two sponges because I love these!!!

Now to find a use for my other brushes....

X

*Drugstore Dupes* - Kiko EyeShadow Sticks

Hi guys

It's been less than a year I think, since I first discovered this brand. It may have been when my sister hauled me into the Oxford Street store one time in London, gushing about the bronzers etc etc etc...

I did buy a bronzer that day, and fell in love. Ever since I was happy to hear a store opened more closer to home 💃. Recently I visited and purchased a few of the eye shadow sticks, having heard a few rave reviews I thought I'd try them out for myself and see what the fuss was about. My god were the reviewers right. These are amazing!!! 

I bought three colours, numbers 37 (Burgundy), 38 (Golden Taupe) and 44 (Ocean Blue) -

The colours look terrifying in the tube but apply and look really natural on the lids. I wear them as part of my everyday makeup routine and have received many compliments, especially when wearing the reddish brown shade.

The lighting in the picture doesn't do the colours justice but do go ahead and check out the website for swatches - www.kikocosmetics.co.uk

These are a great dupe for the ByTerry Ombré Blackstar shadows if you're looking for a lower price point product - I bought these for £4.80 each which I believe was the sale price, but these RRP for £6.80 which is a steal compared to the £29.00 each for the ByTerry sticks. However, to give credit where credits due - the ByTerry ones are more shimmery with glittery specks as oppose to these, which appear matt on application.

Kiko claim that the sticks have a long lasting 8 hour sticking power, and I have to agree - the shadow is still on my lids unless I rub it off myself and so buttery  as a result. The formula is so blendable once on the lids and doesn't set at all which means you have more time to blend away and play around.

Eyeshadow sticks are a quick and easy way to get a wash of colour on the lids without making a huge effort with powder/cream shadows and brushes, it literally takes one or two swipes and a bit of blending with your fingers and you're good to go! These also act as a great base for other powdery eyeshadows!

I will definitely be buying more shades when I next pop into my local store, the shade range was quite extensive and a poor friend of mine was getting quite irate at having to wait whilst I swatched away!

See you soon people xxx