Brush cleaning is such a mundane task. But we all
should know that brush cleaning is super important, skipping this step
can lead to clogging pores and breakouts, yet so many of us still don’t
clean our brushes often, if at all. There are various formulated brush
shampoos on the market; I have tried both MAC's and the Strictly Professional
brush cleaner. I have also used both Johnsons Baby Shampoo and more recently Dr
Bronner’s Castile Soap. However, I have found the easiest, most effective, long
lasting and inexpensive way of cleaning my brushes is actually a bar of Simple Soap! Who would have thought?
Simple soap has no perfume, or colour, meaning it doesn’t ruin my brushes, or break me out. It works wonders on my synthetic brushes, giving them a true deep clean, unlike anything I have tried before. It doesn’t dry out the bristles, or leave them feeling stiff. I use the bar of soap for cleaning my brushes only, so I store it in a plastic soap dish with my other beauty products. On a side note, you can pick up a pack of four from stores such as Poundland and Savers for just a pound.
Along with a bar of simple soap, I like to use my trusty blue silicone oven glove. Yep, you read that right! The glove is a cheaper alternative to the Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove and can be bought on eBay here for just £2.99. This glove is a little large and does look unnecessary, but it is so similar to the Sigma glove, with textures like the wash and rinse and it’s super effective and makes cleaning my brushes even quicker. Also you don’t end up with a wrinkly, dry hand.
I personally prefer to clean my brushes in the evening and allow them to dry over night. I take the damp brush and rub the bristles onto the bar of soap and gently lather them onto the mit, I then rinse under luke warm water and repeat until the top of the brushes are white. Always remember to keep the base of the brush head away from soap and water as this can loosen the glue over time. I always check the brushes for any left over soap residue, you can normally tell because the bristles will feel soapy, but I often squeeze the brush in-between my fingers just incase. I then brush the brushes onto a towel, or tissue to get rid of any excess water and then lay them flat, with the brush head hanging off the edge of a counter. This allows the brush head to dry back into the perfect shape and by morning my brushes are beautifully clean! Simple.
For me wearing liquid liner is similar to wearing a red lip, it can really help pull a look together. I wear liquid liner on a regular basis, near enough every day and I’m slowly making my way through a stash of liners to see what they have to offer.
Soap & Glory’s Supercat Eyeliner is a felt tip liner, with a firm nib. It’s one of the most easiest to apply and can create both thick and thin lines. I find keeping the pen horizontal to my eye and dragging it across works best. It doesn’t pull or tug and there’s no need to go back over the liner as the formula is near enough jet black. The liner dries relatively quickly and has a velvety finish. This liner creates the best cat eye/retro/feline flick, in just a few simple swipes and is easy to remove. You can see me wearing it here.
This eyeliner is close to perfection, however I’m sad to say it has one major downfall... it has the tendency to smudge... *dun, dun, duuuun!*. Now, the liner drys relatively quickly, so doesn’t smudge upon application, however, if worn alone on the lid, I do find that after a couple of hours the liner often transfers to the top of my lids and the feline flick will have faded and smudge slightly. That being said, when this liner is applied on top of eyeshadow/base it lasts all day! You have be warned.
In comparison I rate the Soap & Glory's Supercat Eyeliner Pen above the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner Pen. It is easier to apply than my favourite Bourjois Pinceau Eye Liner, but isn’t as (glossy) black, or long lasting. The pen doesn't dry out as fast as L'oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim and the nib on the Supercat eyeliner is much studier, therefore easier to control.
I may still be on the hunt for the perfect eyeliner, but priced at just £6.00 it’s a bargain and great for beginners. Will I pick it up again, probably, until I find the next best liner...
Charlotte Tilbury’s makeup line is enough to make any beauty addict swoon, so when her collection launched last year, the beauty buzz was incredible and with her range now having launched in the US and Ireland too, I thought it was more than appropriate to share my thoughts on The Dolce Vita Luxury Eyeshadow Quad. The luxury colour-coded eyeshadow palette is one of eight quads to choose from, all of which represent a different look. The Dolce Vita Eyeshadow Quad has four shades from subtle shimmers to a beautiful pressed pigment (no matte shades here!). The fall appropriate quad is versatile and offers a “desk, to dusk, to disco” eye colour wardrobe. It’s a beautiful palette and being an eyeshadow lover/hoarder/collector/addict, I can’t get enough of it and I’ll be honest, I can defiantly see an expensive makeup habit forming.
Now I will start with the packaging and I’ll be honest, I was a little disappointed, as I was surprised to find the casing was plastic. I own the Film Star Bronze & Glow from the Charlotte Tilbury range and the packaging is of a much higher quality. However, the quad is compact, lightweight, doesn't come with those unneeded foam brushes and although plastic, the rose gold detailing and casing is still super pretty.
Now I will start with the packaging and I’ll be honest, I was a little disappointed, as I was surprised to find the casing was plastic. I own the Film Star Bronze & Glow from the Charlotte Tilbury range and the packaging is of a much higher quality. However, the quad is compact, lightweight, doesn't come with those unneeded foam brushes and although plastic, the rose gold detailing and casing is still super pretty.
The eyeshadow quad itself is pretty darn beautiful with four shades, one to prime, enhance, smoke and disco. The rich, bronzy, coppery warm hues are pigmented, silky smooth and easy to blend. The quality of the shadows are top notch and you can build up application depending on what type of look you are going for. In terms of wear, when worn with a primer they can last up to 8 hours, but without up to 5.
SMOKE - Dark brown with subtle golden shimmer
This shadow is slightly metallic and the darkest colour in the quad. The pigmentation isn’t as intense as the enhance shade, but still has good pigmentation.
POP - Gold/copper pressed pigment
This shade is the game changer, taking your look from “desk to disco”. The pigment doesn’t feel chunky or glittery, it is super creamy and applies beautifully (although it can have a little fallout). I like to pop this shade onto the centre of my lid using my finger, as it is difficult to pick up and apply using a brush.
ENHANCE - Shimmery burnt amber
This shadow is rich and intensely pigmented. For me it is this shade that makes this palette close to perfection, I don’t own anything similar and it looks stunning when worn all over the lid.
PRIME - Frosty pale champagne
The pigmentation of this shade isn’t as good as the others, but it is buildable and looks very pretty when worn all over the lid and works well as base and brow highlight. The colour and finish reminds me of MAC’s naked lunch, one of my all-time favourite eyeshadows.
The price-point is high end at £38, which is the same as a Chanel quad (I would rate this palette equal to those). So, do you need it? Well, I wouldn’t say it is a makeup essential! But, it is the perfect palette to make blue eyes pop and just look at it.
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