A Lady Likes: Makeup Goodies

It started with just needing a contour brush and I ended up with a basket full of makeup! (I tell myself I really did need all these things anyway . . . ehem.) Moving on! I bought everything except the eyeshadow palette and the contour/ highlighter sticks from Priceline, which is where I buy all of my makeup/ skincare products. They had some great savings on so luckily it all cost me under $100.

I went for this contour/ sculpting brush from Real Techniques, because I read a lot of good things about it and I must say that I love it. The brush is flat and is on a perfect angle to contour my cheekbones. Also the bristles are soft and gentle on the skin without being too flimsy. The bristles grip onto the product really well and they don't leave streak marks. The handle itself is very comfortable to hold and has a lovely colour. I found you can use this brush by holding it very close to near the bristles are. Around this area it has a little indented area where you can hold onto and apply your product with if you're wanting a very sharp, defined look. Gripping the end of the brush in the black area allows for blending and creating a soft look. I have heard great things about their other brushes too and have my eye on the bold metals collection, which look amazing.

I love blushes that provide a beautiful, rosey flush. I scoured the many testers and found this one by Bourjois in the shade Rose Frisson (Frosted Rose). It has a very subtle, rosey sheen that is very pigmented and has lasted me all day. It comes with a very cute little brush and a mirror and doesn't take up too much space in my makeup bag, which is a bonus. It also has a lovely rosey scent, which is really nice too. It's pretty in a pot!

One product that changes around a lot in my makeup bag is my mascara. I am always on the hunt for a mascara that will extend my lashes without clumping. I went for the L'Oreal Telescopic mascara in black because a friend of mine wears it and I loved how it separated and elongated her lashes. The wand is different to what I am used to because it is rather bendy and I am used to sturdy wands. It's not a bad thing though because I find it is easier to maneuver through the lashes. The bristles have great grip and are very short and sharp, which allow my lashes to be separated and lengthened (there's worse when mascaras clump your lashes together as you brush them). The actual mascara product itself has a nice liquid consistency, which doesn't clog. I also like how it's very buildable. It doesn't provide large, bushy lashes but I find going over it with a larger mascara brush allows me to create that.

I also bought two eye pencils from Maybelline, which are from the Colour Show range. I bought the both dark brown and the black, as they are the two eye pencil colours I use the most. The pencils are kohl pencils and they have a matte, pigmented finish. They also last on the eyelid all day without smudging. They are also really easy to blend onto the eyelid if wanting to create a smokey look.

I'm a huge fan of Nude by Nature products and was very excited when they introduced their pressed mattifying mineral veil/ translucent powders as they are so much easier to carry around. It took me a while to get round to this one because I had the other version in a little container, which lasted me a long while. I love how this compact comes in a little pouch with a flat powder pad, however I find it's better applied with a powder or kabuki brush. It really controls shine and isn't cakey, which I love.

You can never have too many brushes! Well, I tell that to myself anyway :D I needed a blending brush so I went for this one by Models Prefer, which also comes with a flat liner brush. I love it because the bristles are soft and they don't pull. Plus it was a bargain!

I popped into a little local makeup shop and they were selling some products I hadn't heard of before, though my sister had and she said they were good. I was after a cream contour and highlighter so I bought LA Girl's Bronzer and Hi-Light stick in Brazen and Cashmere. They both glide easily onto the skin and are easily blended. They aren't too pigmented in that they have a sheer sheen to them, but I believe it can be built up. The bronzer gives a sun-kissed glow and the Hi-Light stick is very creamy. You can even use the bronzer as a cream shadow if you wanted.

My sister and I went half on Morphe Brushes eyeshadow palette, of which they had a range on display. We went for this palette (Warm Palette) as it reflected the kinds of shades we use the most. The shadows are soft and powdery. I wouldn't say they are very pigmented but they are buildable and blendable. You can see the swatches below, which go downwards from column 1-7.