Monday 30 December 2013

New Additions To My Make Up Bag

I've recently been shopping and picked up a few new things for my make up bag. Some of these items I have seen reviews for and have been desperate to try, and some just a spur of the moment purchase. I love trying new products out and seeing how they vary from what I was previously using.

I purchased:

SLANTED KABUKI BRUSH | The Body Shop. |
| SHEER MATTE FOUNDATION | NARS, Siberia. |
| CREAMY RADIANT CONCEALER | NARS, Vanilla.|
| THE SCULPTING POWDER | Kevyn Aucoin, Medium. |
| PERFECT LIGHT LOOSE POWDER | No.7, Translucent. |


SLANTED KABUKI BRUSH
£16, The Body Shop.

This will actually be my first ever kabuki brush and I only use it to apply my powder. I love The Body Shop brushes and instantly had high expectations for this one. I wasn't let down at all. The bristles are super soft and feel great against my skin. I actually bought this originally with my bronzer in mind but found much better use for it. The powder brush I had before was certainly a lot smaller and often gave the effect that I had caked it on. I find this brush gives my powder an even distribution and helps my skin look as natural as possible with minimal effort. The brush is only a few inches tall and whilst it looks fairly hefty can fit into a make up bag or hand bag with ease. As much as I love this brush, I don't believe it's worth the price and I would definitely suggest picking it up in a sale. It's a fantastic brush, I'm just sure there are far better alternatives out there.

SHEER MATTE FOUNDATION, SIBERIA, LIGHT 1.
£30.50 for 30ml, NARS, Space.NK.

I popped into Space.NK with the intention of trying out the Sheer Glow foundation, when I discovered this one. My skin can get a little oily sometimes and I decided trying to mask it with a matte finish rather than draw attention to it with a glow would be the better option for me. I don't understand why I haven't bothered to purchase this foundation sooner. I was a little put off by how sheer it is but I sooner realised that isn't a bad thing. The coverage is light/medium, but buildable and still looks natural after using a fair bit. I love how easy to blend this foundation is and how close to my actual skin tone the shade is. I would definitely suggest buying the pump (it's about £3) to go with this as getting the liquid from the bottle may be a tad difficult without one. This foundation would be perfect for an everyday 'no make up' make up look. It's breathable and so light on the skin, I sometimes forget I even have any on.


RADIANT CREAMY CONCEALER, VANILLA, LIGHT 2.
£21 for 6ml, NARS, Space.NK.

They certainly weren't lying when they decided to call this concealer 'creamy.' The texture is so rich, creamy and applies with ease. The coverage is medium to high, depending how much you apply and is definitely buildable. This concealer has been the easiest concealer I've ever tried, when it comes to blending. It takes minimal effort and the results are still amazing. I find it perfect for my dark under eye circles and any other blemishes I may have. The price is a little steep, but I love the finish it gives and how it makes my skin look and feel so I really don't mind at all. 

THE SCULPTING POWDER, MEDIUM
£35 for 3.1g, Kevyn Aucoin, Space.NK.

Out of everything in this post, this is my absolute favourite. Contouring has become a huge thing recently and I've been attempting to master it. Whilst still not there, this powder has been a huge help. It's a fairly unique colour, brown, with undertones of grey and red to help simulate the colour of the natural shadowing that occurs on the face. My skin is awfully fair and I was so worried this colour would look so ridiculous on me, but this colour is perfect for people with fair to medium toned skin. This powder actually leaves a better finish than any bronzing powders used whilst contouring due to the fact it is such a similar colour to the natural shadowing on your face. The powder is soft and silky and only a minimal amount is needed, otherwise it can look too dramatic. It blends really well, so you don't look like you've just drawn a brown line on your face. In my opinion, this powder is expensive, but because you only need a tiny amount, it will last for a really long time, so it's definitely worth the money. I would recommend finding a stockist and getting an artist to help you apply it, to see what results you can create with this powder.

 PERFECT LIGHT LOOSE POWDER, TRANSLUCENT
£10.50 for 20g, No.7, Boots.

I decided to try this powder because I'm constantly running out of powder and wanted one to last me a fairly long time. I usually buy a pressed powder and even though I find them more messy, I opted for a loose powder this time. With very few colour options I went for the translucent one. I've found I can never really find a powder that is the perfect shade for me. I was impressed with this product. It's soft and silky to touch and feels so light once applied to your face. I've found it gives me great shine control and keeps my skin smooth and matte. 
I suggest discarding the little sponge that comes with the powder because it can often make it look like you've put too much on. I apply this with the kabuki brush I mentioned earlier in this post and it gives me a light, consistent, natural coverage.


I'm extremely happy with my purchases, have you had any new additions to your make up bag? Have you tried any of these products?
If not, which items are you most interested in trying out?
Also, feel free to give me suggestions of any products you think I might like. 

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