The Ordinary Coverage Foundation | Beauty

You guys know my obsession with my Sleek Make up CC Cream, it's been my go to foundation for like the last 3 years! I just love the stuff but the reality is, it's a deliciously light foundation and recently I just felt my skin looked blotchy and lifeless and this foundation doesn't help because it isn't a "coverage" foundation!

I have heard a LOT about The Ordinary foundations and skincare but haven't ever tried anything from the brand until I realised that they do a high coverage foundation. I noticed that House of Fraser has a little concession in their Oxford St store so I thought I would go in and have a little swatch!! I will say The Ordinary have a pretty good shade range in the sense they cater for different undertones like pink, yellow or nude. The shade I opted for was 1.1N because I'm pretty pasty but I'm fortunate in the sense I have a pretty neutral undertone.

The first time I applied this product I actually used two full pumps which definitely was too much and I applied it with my beauty blender. I would say after two hours I noticed it started to cling in odd places on my face like my chin and around my mouth which I hated bit from a distance I did love the colour match and it actually looked like I had foundation on. It's worth noting that I didn't use a primer so there were a few things that kinda didn't work from an application point of view. The next time I tried it I used my Real Techniques and used two small pumps (or one full pump I guess) and I definitely think this applied better much better than the first time! 

I have to admit, I'm not used to a high coverage foundation so it took me a few attempts to really decided whether I liked it or not. I definitely felt that this foundation kinda sunk into my acne scars a little too much which I wasn't thrilled with but this is why I think using a buffing brush works better than a beauty blender because you can really try and buff this out a lot better. Whilst the application is better using the buffing brush, I just still couldn't get this product to work for me at all. I was so gutted because I wanted to love this product, like everyone else does but I just couldn't get it to work for me. Apart from the acne scars the product just went all blotchy and kinda melted off my face in really weird places 

Even though I am disappointed I think it just this type of coverage, because the colour match is really lovely, I am still going to try out the lightweight serum foundation. The price is so good I think it's worth taking the risk and trying the other foundation. 

Which foundation have you struggled to work with? 

Barry M Mist & Fix Setting Spray | Beauty

Guys, I have to let you into a little secret, I've never used a setting spray! I know, but I just thought that setting sprays would on be used on nights out and never for like normal day to day use and almost all of them are matte look and you guys know I am ALL about the dewy/glowy fresh look. That was until I saw this little gem in Boots in Oxford St and thought I would give it ago, it's the Barry M Mist & Fix Dewy Setting Spray. 

Since working in London again I just felt like my make up wasn't lasting like AT ALL by half way through the day i just looked crap quite frankly and it was stressing me out a bit, I tried other foundations which just didn't work for my skin so I was at a loss until I saw this setting spray and thought I have nothing to lose. You have to bear in mind that I put my make up on at 6am, then I have to get a bus, 2 trains and walk 20 mins to the office in the morning, I then sit in an air conditioned office which gets really stuffy and a little stagnant so it's no surprise that by midday my makeup isn't looking fresh. 

Right from the first day I tried it I noticed the difference it made, half way through the day you could still see my highlighter and contour as good as I did it first thing in the morning. Eyeliner no longer run underneath my lower lash line, and my base just looks so good. At times it makes my skin a little shiny but it doesn't look bad, it doesn't make me look sweaty or anything nasty, just gives me a really lovely dewy finish. 

I give myself like 3 squirts, 2 in a criss-cross motion on the lower half of my face and then 1 just towards my forehead. It's important to keep a good distance between you and the product because if you spray too closely you just end up getting really wet which kind of defeats the objective of the product. My only grumble is that I wish this was in a bigger bottle, that said, I have probably used it for at least 4 of the 7 days during the week for just over a month and it hasn't ran out yet so it ain't too bad! 

It's crazy but this little Barry M Setting Spray has made a difference to my confidence with my make up because it allows me to wear the stuff I adore but just keeps it in place for longer and I don't feel like I look crap when I am walking around the office any more. For me, this product was easily the best product of 2017 - hands down! 

Do you use setting sprays for everyday wear?  

Decluttering My Make Up Collection | Beauty

Being a beauty blogger we just can't help buying all the latest damn products and I am the first to admit I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to make up. My problem is, I tend to keep my make up style the same everyday, every now an then I might whack some eye shadow on or wear a matte lip but I don't wear this stuff every day. 

I think when I moved to Italy I realised just how much make up I wore, the Italians embrace a very natural style of beauty, of course they wear make up but it's always dewy fresh faced natural beauty, not over the top contour and lashes upon lashes. So when I moved out there I just stopped using all of these palettes I had collected for months. It got to a stage where they were just taking up all this space so I just got rid of them, considering the majority were out of date anyway because they hadn't been used for like a year or longer. 

Getting rid of everything made me actually realise what I wanted for example, I don't wear eye shadow a lot but when I do I like those nude tones but I also like a bit of shimmer, so I went on a hunt to find something that would meet my exact needs and ended up buying the Two Faced Natural Eyes palette which I actually use a lot so this was a great investment.

I also stopped impulse buying which I have to admit I have started to do in the UK again but I will stop. Instead of buying stuff just because it's new in, I was spending time swatching everything and thinking about whether I actually like the product and not what the latest beauty product is such as the NYX Lip Lingerie - this is the most perfect shade for me because it's a nude that's also a matte liquid lipstick. 

It's so easy to get swept up into the hype of advertising and paid placement deals on blogs, that I have no problem with but I do think real opinions are something that is lacking in the blogging industry right now. But by getting rid of everything and starting again you realise what you actually need. Instead of buying something because it's a new in product, stop and think did I need a new highlighter? Will I throw away my current highlighter if I buy this one? If the answers no, do you really need to buy it?

I find that now I have less make up I am using more of it if that makes sense? I can clearly see what I have and I love all the products I have so I am more likely to try out different looks as and when. Obviously my approach of just throwing everything away is a bit drastic but you could go through your collection and if you haven't used in the last 3 months, throw it out instead.

Have you thought about decluttering your make up collection?  

Clarins Concealer Stick | Beauty

This is another Clarins sample I got from my beautiful friend Vernia, this is the Clarins Concealer Stick in the shade 01 Light Beige. 

I have a love/hate relationship with concealers because it's so bloody hard to find the right one, the colours are always very limited and then you have to figure out whether you want one like this or a more liquid one, it's just always such a hard decision. I'm still hunting for my perfect one. 

When I swatched the Clarins concealer stick on the back of my hand the first thing I noticed was what a great match it was for me it just seemed to blend in quite well. But when I went on their website there are only like 4 different shades available for this concealer stick which isn't a great range for different skin tones. The formula of this product is quite thick and creamy which does give really great coverage though I did find it kinda fell into the creases which did look a little cakey but you just have to blend this product out for a more natural look. 

I found that this Clarins Concealer stick is actually very long lasting which is great because you know that your make up is still in place towards the end of the day. This retails for about £19.50 which isn't the cheapest product out there but it certainly isn't the most expensive I've never really looked at Clarins for makeup, but I'm really starting to open to Clarins as not just a skincare brand but a makeup band. 

What make up do you recommend from Clarins?

Makeup Revolution - Redemption palette iconic 3 | Beauty

I know what you're thinking, I'm late to the party again! But I'm one of those people who doesn't like to buy make up online simply because I like to have a look and a swatch. Makeup Revolution took a while to come to my Superdrug so I just didn't buy anything for ages. 

Beauty bloggers absolutely adore Makeup Revolution and there are thousands of posts written about their various products so I was a little overwhelmed as to what I should get. However I went for the Redemption palette Iconic 3 because I've heard it's a dupe for the Naked 3 palette which is a palette I really really want and for £4 you simply cannot go wrong. 

To be honest I think it was the price that got me more because it is so bloody cheap it's really easy to try out various different palettes and shades from this brand which actually is a massive appeal for those of us who love makeup. The thing that really drew me to into purchasing this specific palette was the range of shimmers it had. I adore pretty shimmers, never really been a massive fan of of the muted matte shades so I love the fact that this only has like 3. Don't get me wrong I understand the need for the matte shades for definition but I don't need a whole palette full of them. 

I was incredibly impressed with the quality of the product, I mean this is a budget makeup brand but the quality is amazing. I like that some of the most shimmery ones in the pan can be built up on the eye to look the same intensity. I am also incredibly impressed with the longevity of this product, my eyes look pretty for hours without needing any sort of touch up! 

I totally understand the hype now and can't wait to get my hands on more.

Which Makeup Revolution products would you recommend?

Urban Decay - Perversion | Beauty

This came in my Naked On The Run palette, I have never tried Urban Decay Perversion before but I've actually heard quite a lot of good things about it. Technically it's more of a travel/sample sized product to fit in the palette but I think that's really great because I can try it out see if I love it and if I do I can buy it. 

I actually quite like the brush on this mascara, I haven't used a fluffy brush like this in quite some time, I always use the plastic bristled brushes.

When I first applied Perversion I was quite shocked at how much I liked it, I expected it to make my eyelashes clump together like most of these type of brushes do. But I found that this mascara actually did a really good job of separating my lashes, and I mean each individual lash. When I was done with the first coat I loved at how voluminous my lashes looked but for me they didn't have that "wow" factor that I always go for. It was only when I applied the second coat after the first coat drying that really gave me some impact. This product's tag line is "Bigger. Blacker. Badder" lashes and you know what I have to agree.

I'm quite fortunate because I have long eyelashes anyway so can wear most mascaras, I think if your eyelashes need a bit more curl I don't think this would work as well for you. 

I find with some mascaras after two coats of the product my eyelashes are pretty stiff because they are coated in the product but what I found with Perversion is that my eyelashes still remained quite soft, though they are perfectly coated in product and look amazing they aren't stiff and hard when you touch them. It's a great lightweight product.   

I really actually love this Urban Decay Perversion mascara, so much so I'm even considering buying a full sized one. I love that the Naked On The Run palette is opening my eyes a little more to Urban Decay as a whole. 

Have you tried Perversion?

Urban Decay - Naked On The Run | Beauty

Oh it's a beauty isn't it?

This is my first Urban Decay product and it's the Naked On The Run palette. Ever since I started blogging I have seen so much hype about the Naked palettes and I desperately wanted Naked 3 but the price tag has always put me off it a little because I didn't NEED it, I just wanted it. 

I went to Westfield with my dear friend Vernia a couple of weeks ago, but I turned up early so I thought I would just have a wander around the Beauty Section in House of Fraser which is a terrible idea just after payday. First stop was the Nars counter, I very nearly walked out with a Satin Lip Pencil however I thought I would just walk over to the Urban Decay stand, you know, just to have a look. Immediately I was drawn to this one, I have seen several blog posts about the Naked On The Run palette and it was just so beautiful in real life too. 

You get 6 great sized eye shadows, from left to right Dive (my fave), Fix, Resist, Dare, Stun and 5050. 3 Shimmers, two mattes and one shade that can be used all over the lid or even as a highlighter. I cannot get over the quality of these shades, the shimmers are stunning, literally stunning. They are incredibly pigmented which means you can either use them with a light hand and have a sexy subtle shimmer or you can go all out for the more bronzed goddess look. 

You also get a bronzer in a medium matte shade, that kinda has orange tones which I will have to be a little careful of but it blends out really nicely. A blusher in a vibrant pink shade, which has quite an impact but if used delicately it just adds pretty flush to the cheeks. We have to remember I have quite pale skin so most things I have to use with a light hand. 

You also get a Perversion mascara, a 24/7 Glide On eye pencil and a Naked lipgloss in a rose shade, all of which I will definitely use. 

A major selling point of this product is how easy it is to just slip in your bag or travel with. I commute into London everyday, sometimes I go out after work which means I have to take my entire make up bag with me, which is a little bulky. But this has everything apart from my make up brushes and foundation. The mirror is bloody big as well so you can easily do a full face of make up in it. 

I'm so so so happy that I bought this, I definitely think it's worth the £37 price tag.

Have you tried the Naked On The Run Palette yet?

Benefit Fake Up | Review

I've been looking to a little while to fine something that I could just use around my eyes to cover the dark circles a bit but my massive bug bear is that most shades are slightly too orange for my skin tone. I never think to look at Benefit's range, though I spend a disgusting amount of time in Boots but not every Boots sell Benefit products. 

I was recently given a gift by one of my work colleagues which was the Benefit's Fake Up concealer.

This product is a little different in the sense the concealer is actually encased in a hydrating balm, which kinda reminds me of Vaseline. This is  the lightest shade of 3 and I'm pretty impressed with how it blends as I was sure it was going to be too orange again but it's really not. 

Another thing I was worried about was that this product could be a little too oily, it's incredibly hydrating but how would that actually work on my skin? Not that bad actually, though it does leave some residue on the skin its very easy to rub in and doesn't make the area around your eyes look shiny at all. Pretty impressive. I have read quite a few different reviews, some say it had great coverage and others say the coverage is rubbish but for me, it works really well. I'll be honest, I don't have massively dark circles under my eyes, but more often then not I do have slightly darker circles and a couple of bags hanging "lovingly" under each eye so this works for me.

I will say you don't need a lot of this product under the eye, the more you add the greasier it will get, so just a quick swipe under each eye works really well. 

Have you tried Benefit's Fake Up concealer?

Sleek Make Up - Au Naturel Palette | Review

If you have read my earlier post this week you'll be aware that I had a minor slip up in Superdrug and ended up buying two new Sleek Make Up i-Divine palettes, so I thought I would talk about the other one today.

I was really looking for something that was a pretty standard palette that didn't cost too much, to have a bit of shimmer but a lot of other shades that I could build up or achieve that "natural matte" look. Sleek Make Up's Au Naturel palette seems to tick all the boxes. 

Top Row left to right : Nougat, Nubuck, Cappuccino, Honeycomb, Toast, Taupe

Bottom row left to right : Conker, Moss, Bark, Mineral Earth, Regal, Noir

Lovely selection of neutral shades

I really struggled to get swatches of all of the shades, my good old pasty arm and the lighting just proved to be a real pain so the only ones that really showed up were 

Left to right : Conker, Mineral Earth and Taupe

I just need to make a special mention to the size of the mirrors in these palettes, they're bloody massive which is really handy, actually, I could do a full face of make up using this mirror if I was on the go. 

The colours I have been wearing lately are Nougat for the base, Taupe over the lid and Moss to contour/define. I am seriously loving this look on my eyes at the moment, as in I have worn this everyday this week, sad but true. They're just so pretty together but subtly pretty. 

Love this palette, really happy with it. In fact I love both of the i-Divine palettes I have, both very different but both just as lovely. 

Have you tried this palette?

Sleek Make Up - Oh So Special Palette | Review

I'm going to need someone to take my bank card off of me. I've ended up buying yet more Sleek Make Up, but this time I ended up buying two i-Divine eye palettes.

I'm going to start buy showing you one of the two the Oh So Special eye palette. 

This is easily the prettiest eye palette I've come across for a little while, excluding any of the Naked palettes because I haven't purchased those. To be honest whilst I was in Superdrug, I was going to walk out with the other palette I picked up when I just thought I would have a quick swatch of this one. The next thing I knew I was at the till paying for both, but at £7.99 each it isn't that bad. 

Look how pretty the colours are!

This palette consists of 12 different colours, 5 shimmery shades and 7 matte  shade all compliment  each other really well. 

So let me talk you through them...

Top row from left to right: Bow, Organza, Ribbon, Gift Basket, Glitz, Celebrate.

Bottom row from left to right: Pamper, Gateau, The Mall, Boxed, Wrapped Up, Noir

I was so eager to try out these shades, I wore them the next day to a wedding, I decided to use Organza with Wrapped Up to contour and they looked gorgeous together. So pretty. 

My fave shades from this has to be, Organza and Gateau - actually in the pan these shades look incredibly similar but when you swatch them they really are different but equally as gorgeous. I also like Gift Box and Wrapped Up. 

Have you tried this palette yet?

My Makeup Essentials

I thought I would show you what makeup essentials I couldn't be without. I'm a bit of a creature of habit as in, when I find a product that I love I pretty much use it until it becomes extinct aka discontinued which is my biggest heartbreak. 

Most of the makeup tools are new because I've only just discovered my love for makeup brushes but I am on a strict spending ban now and some of the products are a new edition. I thought I would start with what I put on my face before I put my makeup on...

Olay Essentials double action cream is by far my favourite face moisturiser, honestly this stuff is a God send! In fact I did write a review out it and you can read it here. 

I also use the Garnier UltraLift anti wrinkle cream, yeah I know, I'm paranoid about wrinkles already. This product I actually only use on my forehead as I have quite deep frown lines between my eyebrows. I do think it has helped to lessen the appearance of these wrinkles in particular but lets face it, it isn't magic. I only use the smallest amount so it's lasted me ages.  

I got this Balance Me wonder eye cream in July's Birchbox and was quite pleased when I saw it. Does it get rid of fine lines? No. Do I still love the product? Yes. It's so refreshing to put on under the eye and reduces puffiness I shall definitely be purchasing this one. 

Once all my lotions and potions have absorbed into my skin I move onto my lovely skin primer.

This is a tiny sample of the Porefessional by Benefit. I bloody love this stuff! I only use a small amount and the sample size has lasted me ages and the best bit is I have another sample size one unopened for when this runs out so I won't have to buy the actual size for ages yet. 

Moving onto the face...

Foundation :- I'm currently using a combination of two, Rimmel Wake Me Up in Ivory, this was on a recommendation from another blog and I've fallen in love. I also use Max Factor Lasting Performance in Natural Beige, this one is actually a little dark for me but when I blend the Rimmel and the Max Factor together it makes for a really nice base. 

Powder :- Of course it has to be the Rimmel Stay Matte powder in Silky Beige. I think everyone uses this, it's a good all rounder, nothing fancy, it does the job - well. 

Contour and Blush :- The much talked about Sleek Makeup Face Form Palette in Light. I love having all three things in one little palette, you can actually read my review on this one here. 

Onto my favoruite thing, my eyes...

Eyeliner :- L'oreal Superliner I love this liquid eyeliner it's perfect and always shapes my eyes so nicely. I also use a pencil eyeliner along the lower waterline but it isn't in the picture as I don't actually use a huge amount it's all about the drama up top for me. 

Mascara :- It has to be L'oreal Volume Million Lashes right? I don't even need to say more just read my post where I gush about this product here.

Eyeshadow :- Lately I have been loving Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Paint in Rich Russet, the stuff is just so easy to wear. I also have been wearing from the Barry M Natural Glow palette the last to shades on the right hand side (not the blush) this is a cheap and easy palette for beginners, colours are super blendable but aren't exactly ground breaking they do a good job you can read my review here. 

Not to forget...

Eyebrows :- I have incredibly fair eyebrows and get them threaded every month or so. To be honest, I'm not very good at doing my eyebrows and like to keep them fairly natural, I'm blonde it's highly unlikely that my eyebrows are going to be brown or black so I'm not going to draw them on like that. I use the Max Factor Eyebrow pencil in Hazel because it just defines them nicely and they don't look over done. 

And that's about it! Sorry that turned into a massively long post, just look at the pictures. 

What are your makeup essentials?

Smashbox Photo Op - Eyeshadow Trio | Review

My lovely friend gave me the Smashbox Photo Op - Eyeshadow Trio in Aperture because she never really uses eyeshadow and she knows I'm trying to broaden my whole make up spectrum. 

The three shades that come in this trio are Alabaster, Sky and Truffle. To be honest I think that all of these shades are pretty safe and easy to wear 

They showed up fairly well on my arm, kinda matte. I think the really cute thing about this trio is that it comes with a couple of instructions on where to place which shade. Which is a little handy for a newbie like myself.

I really liked all three shades but I didn't know how well they would work together. 

I will admit I was a little disappointed when I applied the Smashbox Photo Op Trio to my eyes. The colours are actually pretty pale and I've got quite pale skin anyway so it didn't really stand out at all. I think this trio would look stunning on dark skin. So as a complete look, it just didn't work for me, pretty lack lustre.

However if I break down each individual shade I quite like them. 

Alabaster is a pretty standard nice base colour for any eyeshadow really so I'm definitely going to be using that one. 

I actually really love Sky, it's got a subtle shimmer that just lightens everything up, it's one I would probably reach for if I was looking for a very subtle everyday look. 

Truffle is fab for a bit of eye contouring, a very matte shade that would just work well over the top of my other shades. 

So I definitely think I will use them, just not all together! 

Have you tried any of the Smashbox Photo Op trios? 

Benefit's Stay Don't Stray Primer | Review

When I first received Benefit's Stay don't Stray in an old Birchbox I had no idea really what to do with it. I didn't even think I would even use this. 

However, I'm starting to wear eye make up more often, I blame all the gorgeous blogs I follow now. What I have noticed is that my eyeshadow tends to disappear by the end of the day and usually ends up in the creases on my eye lids - sexy I know. 

There could be a few reasons why this happens, the weather - it's bloody flippin hot so everything is melting off of me, the product - pretty cheap palette from Barry M as a start set etc etc 

So whilst I was taking off my make up the other night, I remembered that I have this Benefit's Stay Don't Stray eye primer and realised that I must try it out. 

It looks exactly like a concealer that you would use to cover blemishes even the little wand applicator is exactly the same. 

I apply Stay Don't Stray on my eyelids before I put my eyeshadow on, I just gently add a couple of dots to each eyelid and blend. I leave it about a minute to let it set then I apply the eyeshadow. 

After my first day I was actually really impressed with Stay Don't Stray. I put my make up on at about 6:45AM and I checked it through out the day and it still looked really good. By the time I walked through the door at home at 7:45PM when I had a look I noticed that some of my eyeshadow had gone into my creases but the majority stayed put. That's like 13 hours guys!!! 

Yesterday I really put it to the test because it was incredibly hot, I walk to and from the office each day which in an hour in total at a quick pace. I then went for a run/boot camp style workout with my friend Nikki after work leaving my eye makeup there just to see how hard I would have to work to make it "Stray" so to speak. When I checked at 10PM, though a whole lot had seeped into the creases there was still SOME left on my eyelids!!!

I really think this is a handy product, it does to what it says it does. I'm now really glad that I did receive this in my first Birchbox. I'm going to try it with other brand eyeshadow to see whether it'seven better.

Have you tired this product yet?

Sleek Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette | Review

I know I'm probably very late to the party but I finally bought something from the Sleek Make up range and boy am I happy! I bought the Face Form Countouring and Blush Palette in 373 Light.

I was having a wander around Superdrug not really wanting to buy anything special but I seemed to find myself looking at the Sleek Make up section. I'll be honest, I'm incredibly new to this whole face contouring stuff, I have seen some amazing pictures and videos where a face can be transformed into something model-esque  with just contouring alone. But I've never tried it myself. 

As my blog grows and I find myself looking at hundreds of videos I realise that actually everyday contouring doesn't have to be something scary and looks sort of easy to do so I've been having a think about whether I should try it or whether I'm going to look like a scarecrow with all these lines across my face that I'll fail at trying to blend.

When I saw the Sleek  Face Form Countouring and Blush Palette tester I was actually pretty impressed, it seemed to have everything that I wanted to try, in one palette and at a reasonable price of £9.99. 

I went for the light shade because I do have fair skin but I do need a bit of colour a definition to my face. I did notice that the Dark palette doesn't have a blush in it, it has a bronzer instead, just to point out to any of my gorgeous darker skintone readers. 

As you will see the highlighter has a pearlescent shimmer to it and the blush is very pigmented with lots of shimmer in it, so if you aren't a fan of a bit of shimmer I'd probably say it isn't for you. Here are the swatches

The highlighter is very hard to detected against my pale arm but I think that's the whole idea right? To just add a bit of light into certain areas of the face, you wouldn't want to look too metallic. 

I will admit I'm kinda in love with this palette. I tried it out when I first bought it and was surprised at how easy it was to use and blend, I only use it around my cheek bones. I will admit I'm not great it it yet but I know the more I try the better I'll get. I will say that the brown countour shade is fractionally too dark for my skin tone but what I like about this product is that you can blend it however you want, if I want just a faint line it blends out really easy. I think it's perfect for the newbies out there like myself who just want to try coutouring.

I do just have to point out that I really like the packaging too, it's very Sleek I like the simplicity of it. I also love the weight of the palette which I know if a bit of an odd thing to like but I really do, it's quite heavy. It also comes with a great mirror that's a really good size. I'm super impressed. 

Have you tried anything from Sleek. 

Beautyblender | Review

One of the most exciting things I got in this months Birchbox was the Beautyblender. I'll be honest, before I started blogging I had never heard of it, but when I saw it I knew it was a big deal.

How cute is that? 

It also comes with a little cleansing bar of soap to wash it after use, which I think it fab! 

I've never really used sponges, I've tried to in the past but just felt that sponges absorb the foundation instead of actually putting it on my face. 

I'm not gonna lie, it took me a lot of YouTube videos to find out how to use the thing and I was looking at it thinking it's pretty small it's going to take a while for me to cover my entire face. 

How to use it

The magic thing is that you have to wet the sponge, I mean completely drench the thing and it doubles in size 

It doesn't even fit into it's little pot anymore. 

To wring it out simply put it in the palm of your hand and make a tight fist, don't stretch or pull it dry! Just squeeze. The sponge will stay a little damp but there shouldn't be water dripping from it. 

How to apply make up

I put my liquid foundation on the back of my hand as I always do when putting on my make up. Right now I'm using two different foundations, I've caught the tiniest bit of colour which means my Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation in Ivory is just a fraction too light. 

I simply dabbed the Beautyblender into the foundation and bounced it on my face. It's so important that you don't drag it across your cheeks as the application won't look as good. Just bounce, bounce, bounce...

The verdict

I bloody love this Beautyblender!!!!! Honestly, I'm really impressed with it. The coverage is amazing, I use brushes and I love my brushes but this Beautyblender is something else. 

It pushes the foundation into every crease of your skin, making sure that your face is perfectly covered. I'm relatively new to the make up world, I've always worn it but I'm experimenting far more and this is a stand alone make up tool. 

I really struggled to get an after picture because of the lighting was a bit naff yesterday and I don't really do entire face shots on my blog, so all I can do is urge you to watch the YouTube videos on how to use the Beautyblender and buy one. It's really impressive. 

I probably wouldn't use this everyday just because I'd look incredibly done up just to be going into work when I don't need to be. But I am going to be using this every time I go out or when I go to an event, the Beautyblender is coming out. 

Washing the Beautyblender 

The cleanser is bloody fantastic, it really cleans the Beautyblender incredibly well. The one thing I will point out is the hot pink dye did wash off with it, which is worrying because I don't want that transferring to my face but it almost looked brand new again. 

The Beautyblender really is an amazing make up tool. 

Have you tried the Beautyblender?