My Makeup Brush Collection (Featuring RT and Eco Tools)

 

I'm always unsure of the kind of posts my followers/ people like to look at. I know I am always interested in peoples makeup choices and what they have in their collections. I am also quite interested in the nitty gritty of if they are good or bad and if they regret buying them. So I have here for you my Brush Collection, none of the brush I own are technically 'high end', the highest value of one of my single brushes I think is about £11.99 but to me, this is quite a lot for just a brush. I would love to invest in a MAC 187 Duo Fibre but for now, these brushes work wonders for me. This is quite a long post to please be prepared for a little writing but if you are unsure of brushes this may help in some way.

 

I store my brushes in the above jar on my dressing table which was just £0.80p at Ikea Home, I love how it looks on my dressing table and I have a matching one for my cotton pads which only cost £0.75p, bargain. I know us ladies are always looking for pretty storage jars for our brushes and I have to say, I really do love these.

 

Real Techniques Brushes

RT Core Collection Brush Set - (I purchased for £20.99 - seems to have gone up to £21.99 from Boots) Contains Detailer Brush, Pointed Foundation Brush, Buffing Brush and Contour Brush. - I was after this set pretty much because of the holy grail Buffing Brush. I partly regret buying this set just to have this brush as the other ones are pretty useless for the recommended jobs, however they are okay for other uses. So far I have managed to use the detailer brush for small lining of eyeshadow on my eyes, the pointed foundation to help blend concealer and the contour brush I have only used once for highlighter. I was SO excited to have this set also for the fact it comes with a lovely case which can store extra brushes but I don't actually use this anymore. I think if you are after this set JUST for the Buffing Brush I would maybe try another one first or go for another company but if you are after trying them all out then the £21.99 is well spent.

RT Expert Face Brush - After saying the above about trying another brush maybe first, this is exactly what I did with this brush. I did cave and buy the set for the Buffing Brush after (I just had to have it) but the brush was a very good second to the Buffing Brush. It gives a slightly heavier look to your foundation which is what some people want. I found when using it with high street foundations it was very nice but when using it with MAC it was just a little too much for me and I found myself using more foundation as the brush sucks it up a little. I do still now use this brush but usually to apply primer's or shimmer creams on my face and to really buff them into the skin. For £9.99 it is a very nice brush to have in your collection and I don't TOTALLY regret buying this.

RT Blush Brush - I don't really own very many Blush Brushes but after buying most of the RT on offer, I thought I may as well get a matching brush (I am a sucker for a set) There isn't a lot to really say about this brush, I do like that it is a tapered style on the end which allows you to pick up a small amount of product and build it up on the face. It's quite a nice brush to use for multi applications, you can sweep your blush, bounce it on or just blend it on. It's a lovely brush for £9.99 and I don't find myself reaching for anything else when it comes to blush brushes.

Random Brushes

 

Whilst having my RT set and my Eco Tools collection I also have some random brushes I have equipped from gifts or random purchases.

 

Cosmopolitan Powder Brush £5.95 - This was a gift for Christmas and it looked lovely in it's packaging, but the fibres are just NOT what I am used to. I don't really know what to say about this brush, whilst I couldn't find my Kabuki Brush from Eco Tools I needed something for powder so I gave this a whirl but the fibres felt like they were almost scratching my face. Since washing it I have found it is actually a little worse if anything. The fibres have just lost their shape and it is not a very nice brush. I would not recommend this for anyone really, it's not even worth it considering if you pop a few more pounds with your cash you can get something even nicer.  

 

Random Eyeshadow Brush £0.99p? - I think I got this from somewhere like Savers and it was only about £0.99p and I have has this for YEARS. I think this is one of the first single brushes I ever bought when I was about 14-15 and I have to say it's not the bad for a cheap little brush. I can't remember the make (sorry) but if you pop into a local Savers store they have plenty you can get for this cheap. It's not a bad little brush to have.

 

The Body Shop Foundation Brush £12.00 - Now when I pop into Body Shop, I always have a voucher for £10 off when you spend £25. You get these when you spend over so much for your next visit to the store, or I go online who always have offers on there to encourage you to buy online. I got this brush I think for about £5, me and my mum put some cash together for some bits and bobs and I needed a new foundation brush. Now this brush really did serve my well for the time I used it and I did love it. I'm not a huge fan of these paint brush style brushes anymore and I prefer my Buffing Brush to any of these now. It isn't a bad brush at all and if you like this style then it is an AMAZING brush to have. It washes up really nicely and the other day I actually used it to help blend my concealer which worked a treat.

 

 

Eco Tools Brushes

 

Eco Tools 6 Piece Brush Set £15.00 - This set was my first ever Brush set purchase and I have to say it was a lovely little set to have. I do still find myself using some of them to help with my makeup even though I have my RT as they really are great little brushes. The set contains a Blush Brush, Eye shading Brush, Eyeliner Brush, Lash and Brow Groomer, Concealer Brush and it comes with a Cosmetics Brush Roll. Admitidly I don't have the brush roll or the Lash and Brow groomer anymore. I do not find myself really reaching for any of them but the Eyeliner Brush for my brows, Eye shading brush for eyeshadow and the concealer brush now and again for, well concealer. The brushes all have wooden handles with metal fittings and are lovely and soft brushes. These are great to have and I would recommend this to anyone on a budget.

 

Eco Tools Kabuki Brush £9.99 - I bought this brush to go with the above set as it didn't contain a powder brush and I didn't love this one for a long time. I recently found it the other day and I love using it with my MAC Studio Fix powder foundation. It gives a lovely finish to the skin and helps to be a build able coverage as too much product doesn't get picked up. I loved this brush and I have just found my love for it again. A bargain for a great brush!

 

Eco Tools Custom Coverage Buffing Brush £9.99 - I actually bought this brush on a BOGOHP (buy one get one half price) offer from Boots just as a brush to have. I really needed a powder brush as I lost my Kabuki one (I've found it again woo!) and just wanted to take advantage of the offer. I've actually been using this to buff in my contour powder which works a treat but I am actually going to try and use it now and again as a foundation brush just to see how it compares with the Buffing Brush from RT. I love this brush for contour but I think it will be amaaazing for foundation. Its so soft and flat it makes an amazing buffing brush.

 

Eco Tools Large Powder Brush £9.99 - As I mentioned, I needed a new powder brush and this was a large soft lovely looking brush that I just had to get. It's a bit of a strange one, I am used to powder brushes being round but this is very flat for a powder brush. I feel it may be a nicer brush for blush or highlighter but it's not too bad for powder. I don't regret this but I also don't love it.

 

I hope this has been an interesting post for some of you or maybe helped some of you when it comes to some new brushes. If you have any more questions then just let me know and I shall answer them. I'd suggest if you like the sound of any of the RT or Eco Tools to get yourself down to Boots as they are included on the 3 for 2 beauty offer!

 

 

 

 

January - March Empties.

 

So I haven't done an empties post in a LONG time and quite frankly, they have been building up in  my little through away bag. So i've decided to just do them all at once and get this over and done with! I will give a brief explanation of the product, how I thought it worked/ was and if i'd repurchase or not. So here goes!

 

LIVE Colour XXL in Cyber Purple - So I was going through a 'I want purple hair ...' phase and at the time I currently had Red/Brown hair. I felt like the product had quite a good lift on it, my hair definetly went lighter with a hint of purple too it and was a lovely cool toned colour. I just wish it went a little more purple but beggars can't be choosers. I'd possibly repurchase this product if I wanted to go purple again but I would maybe use something else before it, just like colour b4.

LIVE Luminance in Ultra Violet - After using the above dye and wanting it to be a little more purple toned, I decided to pick up this dye as it claimed to work on even dark hair. The colour on the box really sold me, I was so hoping for lucious purple hair and to look like Miss Perry herself. Of course it was too good to be true and my hair practically went black. It was very shiney but the purple tint I had was pretty much from the dye before. I got this reduced as they were clearing the stock from my local Tesco and I just wish I never bought 3 boxes (I still have 2 left and no longer want it ..) I would NOT repurchase this product.

Colour B4 Extra Strength - So after all the above happened, I got bored and wanted rid of my strange purple/ black colour. Whenever my hair is annoying me or I'm bored of the colour I always reach for this miracle bottle. It really does rid you of colour you didn't want and gives you a cleansed head of hair. I love this but I am realistic and when it's washed off and I am left with a ginger/ warm copper colour, I am pleased. This is because I read the leaflet inside and realise it won't get me back to my original blonde. If you are realistic and read the contents, you will be chuffed with the results. I would always repurchase this when it's needed.

 Lush Fresh Facemask Cupcake - Cupcake is a gorgeous chocolate mint mask that refreshes oily skin that is also spot prone. I loved this mask as soon as I was given a sample to try which is why I went back to buy a pot straight away. I am actually trying to convert to longer lasting masks as these only last 3-4 weeks and have to be kept in the fridge which can be annoying. I would repurchase as a treat when needed or if i'm having a breakout.

Lush Fresh Facemask BB Seaweed - This mask claims to be calming on the skin, after telling the assistant how much I loved Catastrophe Cosmetic I was suggested this one and I have to say, they were wrong. I hated this mask so much, I can't really remember why but it just didn't work for me. I'm pretty sure it irritated my skin, I actually washed half of this down the sink just so I had the container to return. I would not repurchase this.

Lush Fresh Facemask Catastrophe Cosmetic - This used to be my go to mask, even though as said above that it is annoying they have to be kept in the fridge and used within 3-4 weeks I still loved this and was always buying a new pot when it was finished. I then didn't use it for a few months and my skin had a weird breakout eventually so I got another pot. I regret this SO much. I don't know if they have changed it or anything but it just irritated my skin so much that it actually broke me out. I will not repurchase in case this happens again.

Ultrabland Fresh Face Cleanser - This is an amaaaazing cleanser that I always see myself reaching for. It is one of the longer lasting products from Lush, it has about a 2 year expiry date on it and can just be kept lying around (not in the fridge!) It is a cream to oil cleanser when rubbed into the skin and rids you of all makeup, even MAC. I would recommend this to everyone who wears longer wearing makeup.

No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser - This is one of the smaller sized bottles from the No7 Beautiful Skin range. It says it is best to rub into skin to rid of makeup and to place the muslin cloth (included with the bottle) with hot water over the face and let this melt away the cleanser. I use it slightly differently and pop the cleanser on, rub into my face and then rub off with the muslin cloth. I find this is really effective and leaves a nice feel to the skin. It rids of most makeup (not as strong as ultrabland) and leaves skin feeling soft and clear.

Neal Yard Remedies Rose Toner - This was a gift to me from my boyfriend at Christmas and normally I have never used anything so expensive and extravagant. But boy I am glad he got me it. I LOVED this product, I actually used this as a cleanser with cotton pads to rid me of makeup and leave my skin feeling refreshed and soft. It really bumps off makeup so I can imagine used as an actual toner would rid you of dirt and leave your skin all lovely and clean. I would recommend this to everyone and as soon as I have the cash, I will repurchase this.

The Body Shop Seaweed Pore Perfector - I bought this whilst The Body Shop on line had their buy 2 get 2 free products as I would normally not spend £10 + on a priming product, but wow. This stuff really did work. Once you have cleansed/ toned and then apply this, your skin is silky smooth and pore free ready for your foundation. I loved this product but I used it up so quickly. I would repurchase but I'd prefer more product for my money.

St Ives Apricot Face Scrub - I don't think there is much I need to say about this product, It is one holy grail product I could never be without. Well right now I am, and it is making me sad. For around £4.00 for a tube it is a bargain and this lasted me months so it worked out cheaper in the longer run. I would deffo repurchase.


La Roche-Posay Solution - Cleansing water is a huge product at the moment and I received this as a free sample for the PR company of La Roche-Posay. I loved this product and it really does rid you of makeup and stubborn mascara. Right now I am waiting for my Bioderma water and I'm finishing off my Vichy 3-in-1 water too but I prefer this over the Vichy one straight away. I will see how the Bioderma fairs but if it is no good, I will repurchase this.

Dove Hair Therapy deep conditioner for Colour Hair - This is a small sample size (Bzzagent product) and I sent about 10 of these which I'm just finishing off. This is a lovely thick, pinky conditioner for coloured hair that nourishes and helps care for dry hair. After using colour b4, I put a whole sample bottle of this on my hair and it gave me lovely soft ends. I would repurchase this.

The Body Shop Rainforest Nurition Shampoo and Conditioner - These were given to me as a free gift when I spent over so much at the store. I wouldn't really say they give my hair 'nutrition' or help to make it softer but it's a nice silky shampoo to use. I like the shampoo but the conditioner really didn't so much for me. I would buy the shampoo just for the lovely lather and feel to my hair but not the conditioner.

Umberto Gianni Morning After Dry Shampoo - I don't really know much about this product, It came with a makeup bag that I purchased and I tried to use it. It only gave me about 2-3 uses and it didn't really do much, if anything it actually made my hair more greasy. I would defiantly not repurchase.


So sorry for the long post but that was my empties for the past 3 months, I'm actually shocked at how little I managed to use up, I shall have to keep going and see what other bits I can use. I'm not sure if this would have helped anyone but hopefully it was helpful in some way or a little informative to someone.

Thanks for reading, if you want a more indepth review on any of the products mentioned just leave me a comment and I shall get on it for you!

Lucky xo

What's Inside My Makeup Bag (updated!)

This is a pretty self explanatory post, this is just one of those 'what's in my make-up bag' but this is more of an everyday version. These are all the brushes and products that I use for my everyday/ work make-up. I use a range of products from different makes, some higher end and some just high street products. Most products I use generally are made for sensitive skin or are one's i've tried and they have been okay with my skin. I'll label everything in the photo's with names and shades and prices. If you want to know any more information just leave me a comment and I shall get back to you!

Body Shop Mango Lip Butter - £4.00 , Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Curl in Black - £7.99 , MAC Blush in Margin - £17.50 , Barry M Lip Gloss Limited Edition (no shade stated, free with Impulse)

MUA Makeup Academy Undress Your Skin Flawless Primer - £3.00 (usually £5.00), Boots Vitamin E Gentle Eye Cream - £2.54, La Roche-Posay Effaclar K - £13.00, Lacura Face Care (Aldi) Shimmering Day Cream - £3.00, MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in NC15 - £20.50

Lacura Face Care (Aldi) Shimmering Day Cream - £3.00, Fearne Eye Colour Compact in 6 shades - Ebay £3.00 +, Revlon Colour Stay in Addictive - £7.99, MUA Heaven and Earth Eyeshadow Palette - £4.00

MAC Blush in Margin - £17.50, MAC Pro Longwear in NC15 - £24.00, MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC15 - £20.50, Rimmel Glam Eyes in Beauty Spells - £6.99, Lush Lip Tint in A Million Kisses - Ebay (discontiued in store £6.20)

Real Techniques Brushes

Buffing Brush/ Pointed Foundation Brush/ Detailer Brush/ Contour Brush - £20.99, Blush Brush - £9.99, Eco Tools Concealer Brush/ Eyeshadow Brush/ Angled Eyeliner Brush - 6 Piece Brush Set £15.99, Eco Tools Large Powder Brush - £9.99, Eco Tools Custom Coverage Buffing Brush - £9.99

If you would like any of the above reviewed or more details on an item just leave a comment below!

Lucky xo