January Favourites

Hey there! This is pretty much self explanatory but basically these are the eight products/tools that I have been using non stop throughout the month of January. I would like to apologise in advance for the dodgy-ness of the photos, I tried my best and took these photos a couple of times, but the sun just didn't want to come out. I try not to use flash usually, but i guess this is the exception. 

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfecter BB Cream for Oily Skin

As some of you may know I received this BB cream for Christmas and it’s basically the only thing I’ve worn on my face since. Unfortunately I came to the realisation that the medium is too dark for me so I’ve gone out and purchased the light/clair shade as well, so now I can mix the two and get the perfect shade. In a nutshell; this BB crème is amazing, it has good coverage, leaves a nice dewy look to the skin (which you can always powder), reduces you pore size and has agents that work to reduce and heal blemishes. So unlike wearing a foundation that will often cause you to get more pimples or worsen your acne, this will do the opposite and reduce their appearance both short term (through the coverage of the cream) and long term (the working agents). I’ll definitely be doing full review on this in the very near future, so stay tuned!

Neutrogena Rapid Clear Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub

I am absolutely in LOVE with this facial scrub. I've always had trouble with blackheads but have never found a great face wash specifically targeted for them. I'm not saying this has removed every blackhead from my face, but it definitely has been a huge help in reducing their prevalence and overall I've had less breakouts this month.  It has small orange exfoliating beads that leave you skin feeling zesty and fresh which I love, but they aren't too harsh so you can use it on a daily basis. I would only recommend this for those with normal or oily skin, because it may be a bit drying for some. 

The Magnum Volum’ Express Waterproof Mascara

Basically this is the perfect summer mascara. It lengthen an curls your lashes well, but isn’t too dramatic so you can wear it every day. It is also waterproof so it won’t sweat off in the hot sun nor is there any fallout or flakiness. I have a full review HERE if you are interested.

Cosmetica Manicare Rounded Blending Brush

I'm sorry that I won't stop banging on about this brush, but I do love it. I use it everyday under my eyes to blend out my Bobbi Brown Corrector and it works a treat. If you want to know any more about this brush its all in my everyday face brushes post HERE, but I do highly recommend this brush!

MAC Powder Blush in Fleur Power

As you can see this has been a very well loved product! It is the perfect dusty rose blush for my skin tone and is a little bit muted so I can wear it every day and it will go with anything. I've only had this for a year so the fact that I have hit pan that much already, goes to show how much I really do love it. I think it is a great basic blush for any collection and I'll be quite sad when I finally use it all up. 

MAC Eyeshadow in Naked Lunch

This isn’t just a January favourite; this is an every day, every night, all year round favourite. It’s basically just a beautiful light champagne colour and I absolutely adore it. Naked Lunch is so fuss free and looks great with a nice light matte brown in the crease during the day or something more dramatic like MAC’s Satin Taupe at night. I must say this colour is fairly similar to Sin out of Urban Decay’s Naked palate, so you probably don’t need both, but this is definitely my most worn eye shadow.

Carmex Classic Lip Balm
I'm not too sure where I would be in life if I didn't have this little pot of gold. Its perfect for the hot (over forty degrees Celsius) weather we've had this past month and is the remedy to any chapped lip. It goes with me everywhere so its a little battered on the outside but it still works like a gem!

Rimmel London Kate Moss Lipstick in #16 

I recently purchased this lipstick in my recent drugstore haul which you can check out HERE if you are interested. I have worn this non stop; to work, out shopping, to two birthday parties and a few gatherings... I just can't get enough of it. It is a bright pinky coral and has a great lasting finish, this has definitely been my summer obsession.

Left to Right: MAC Blush in Fleur Power, MAC eye shadow in Naked Lunch, Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in #16

I hope you all had a lovely January, unfortunately it means now my summer is slowly coming to an end and I'm back at school! Anywho, enough from me, what have your favourite products been this January?

Ashleigh xo

My Everyday Face Brushes

 Hey there! Here is just a little run down of the brushes I use on an everyday basis. As you will see, I'm not very faithful to a single brand of brushes but experimenting is good, and I think I have found the perfect (or close to it) combination of brushes.

Brushes in the same order (left to right) as shown in the picture above:

MAC: 129 Powder/Blush Brush- I use this brush to apply setting powder all of my face. If I'm going to be honest I must say that I don’t particularly think this brush is worth the hefty price tag; I think there are definitely more wallet friendly brushes on the market that could do the same job. In saying that, I do use this brush every day, I think it’s the perfect size and its described as 'natural soft with grab' so its not to dense nor is it too fluffy.

Napoloen Perdis: Powder/Blush Brush- This brush is extremely similar to the MAC 129, it is just ever so slightly smaller and is slightly more dense, so it is perfect for applying blush. I do really like Napoleon brushes and I hope to expand my collection in the future.

Real Techniques: Buffing Brush- I’m sure you have all heard a million and one things about this brush but it truly does receive every bit of praise it gets. It is extremely dense so it is perfect for buffing in liquid foundation/BB crème or even just packing on face powder. The fibres are all synthetic so they don’t absorb half of the foundation and it makes cleaning it a breeze. They are also reasonably priced, but unfortunately most of the Real Technique brushes come in sets, this one came with the Core Collection brush set. If you’re from Australia the only place (I know of) where you can pick these up are Priceline.

Real Techniques: Contour Brush- This is probably my favourite brush of the lot, it is absolutely perfect. I have used it for both contouring and applying blush, in fact I am extremely tempted to go by another Core Collection brush set, just so I can have two of these brushes. The tapered bristles make applying your contour colour a breeze, it is the perfect density and the synthetic fibres once again make cleaning it super easy. I won’t say too much more because I am planning to do an upcoming review on a few of the brush sets from Real Techniques.

Cosmetica Manicare: Rounded Blending Brush- I do believe traditionally this brush was intended for blending your eye shadows (which it does do brilliantly), but I personally use it to buff in my Bobbi Brown Corrector underneath my eyes and apply the setting powder on top of it also. This is a great multipurpose brush and I am thinking about going back and picking up another one so I do in fact have one for under my eyes and one for my eye shadows. Once again the bristles are synthetic but they don’t feel cheap, which was something I was sceptical about upon purchasing this brush. I believe it was $15 so it’s not the best or the worst pricing, but it does do its job well. Just to clarify, the order in which I use these brushes are as follows: Real Techniques Buffing Brush, Cosmetica Manicare Rounded Blending Brush, MAC 129, Real Techniques Contour Brush and then finally the Napoleon Powder/Blush Brush.

I would love to try some new brushes, especially eye brushes actually, so if you do have any recommendations pleeeease leave them in the comments. I hope you are all having a lovely day! 

Ashleigh xo