NARS Vs. Sleek

Shown above: Sleek Blush in Rose Gold and NARS Blush in Super Orgasm.

I currently have a new-found love for the brand NARS, I bought my first item from them a few weeks ago and fell in love. Of course, this meant I had to also check out Sleek, a British brand that sells good quality products at drugstore prices. I heard that Sleek sold a blush in the shade Rose Gold which is a dupe for the NARS Super Orgasm blush and decided to put the two to the test. 

Blushes Open Together.

My initial reaction on seeing the two blushes together was that they didn't really look very similar at all. The Sleek blush has a very smooth looking finish, a warm pink base tone and very small gold micro-glitters whereas the NARS blush is a lot more 'choppy' looking, a dusty pink base colour with rather large gold glitters. Both look absolutely gorgeous, however in the pan they don't look like dupes of each other.  

Swatches in daylight; Top - NARS, Bottom- Sleek.

Once I swatched the two next to each other on my arm I could clearly see that they are in fact good dupes. You can still see the differences I mentioned above, but the overall look you receive is very similar and one could easily pass for the other. 

Swatches in Indoor Lighting; Top- NARS, Bottom- Sleek.

I personally love both the blushes, but if you're looking for a cheaper alternative then Sleek is definitely the way to go. The Sleek blush was a mere £4.99 compared to the £23 NARS blush. I've worn the sleek blush out a few times now and it really is the perfect colour for me, it's easy to build up for a bolder look, but most importantly it seems to stay put for a very long time. I love the gold glitters, as I really enjoy a strong highlight on my cheek bones and a dewy look to my skin overall, and the glitters really are the perfect touch to the look. I'm planning on trying out a load more products from Sleek and am very happy overall!

My Makeup Brush Collection.

Link to the photo of my brushes: HERE

I've only recently (within the last 6 months or so) gotten into makeup, so my brush collection isn't huge. I only actually have 14 brushes, 3 of them being double ended brushes. 

Real Techniques Brushes.

Disclaimer: This is not my photo.

I have both the original real techniques sets, which I believe are absolutely perfect for beginners. You can buy both sets for a lot less that in store on Amazon, which is where I got mine. I paid around £25 for both the sets, which I think is an absolute bargain! I don't use the foundation brush, and I find it a bit too flimsy for my liking, but the rest of the brushes are so soft and versatile, the sets really do provide you with everything you need as a beginner. 

Urban Decay Brushes.

I have all 3 of the Naked palettes, and each palette comes with its own brush- which I have removed and store with my other brushes. The original Naked palette comes with a flat rigid eyeshadow brush, which works really well to pack on eyeshadow, Naked 2 had a two sided brush, one side is a smaller version of the original brush, the other is a big fluffy crease brush, which I use nearly every time I wear eyeshadow. Naked 3 also has a double sided brush, however unfortunately, both the Naked 3 and the Naked 2 brushes have duplicate flat eyeshadow brushes, which is a shame considering how much the sets cost. However, the naked 3 does have a flat fluffy brush which is amazing at blending. 

Estee Lauder Brushes.

I did use to have the whole set of gold Estee Lauder brushes, however I lost the smaller lip brush and the bigger powder brushes were way to flimsy for me to use. I do like the smaller eyeshadow brush, though I wouldn't buy it again. The fact that its shorter than the powder brushes gives it more stability, however it is still very flimsy and can be hard to work with. Fortunately for this brush, its mobility makes it a good blending brush. 

Wilko Brushes.

I would never have considered buying Wilko brushes if I had just walked into the store, however, after they first launched, everywhere I looked there was nothing but great reviews! I decided to head in and pick some up- considering the most expensive brush is only £4, you can't really go wrong. I chose the concealer brush and the smokey eye brush (which is double ended), and they have really lived up to the reviews. Although they are only cheap, they have held their shape very well, which is impressive considering I use the angled brush all the time. I already have a concealer brush from the real techniques collection, and so I use the concealer brush as a lip brush, which works surprisingly well!

I'm hoping to buy more brushes soon, as there are a lot of brands I've heard about and want to try, plus my collection seriously needs expanding! Let me know what brushes you use down below!

Dye My Hair With Me: Pink Lilacs.

Hey guys, this is just a super quick post as I'm working all day today but didn't want to leave you guys empty handed.

My hair has been looking quite drab and dull the last few days, so i decided to liven it up by using my hair mask dye to dye it a pinky lilacy colour. My hair has always been pretty dry, and the bleaching doesn't help it, so I use this hair dye mask to add some moisture back it, whilst adding a bit of fun to my look. Here's what you'll need:

- An empty tub, container or bowl.

- Cheap conditioner 

- Coconut oil (or another hair oil)

- A hair dying tool (optional)

-Hair dyes of your chosen colour

Okay, to start, I simply add a load of conditioner to the container, making sure I have enough to cover my whole head, and a little extra to really saturate it. I also add a little bit of coconut oil for added moisture, and then mix it up really well.

Next, I add some of my pink dye, I'm using pink carnation by directions, but you can use any brand or colour that you choose. I recommend using a vegan dye as they don't do any damage to your hair.

Once I've reached the darkness I want the dye to be, add a little bit more as some of the dye will wash out, and it won't be as strong as the colour looks here. Then I add a small amount of the colour violet, as this pink dye is too much of a neon colour for my personal liking, and the purple tones really cool the colour down.

I mix the colours together really well, to make sure I'm not left with any blobs of purple dye or coconut oil. The final colour looked like this:

This is the kind of tone and colour I think complements my skin tone the best, it's the colour I tend to sway towards when dying my hair a crazy colour. Here's my hair colour before adding the dye, as you can see it's looking pretty drab, and the purple dye is fading in patches- it's really time for a touch up.

I add the dye, and then leave it on for around half an hour, unfortunately I am unable to show you guys a finished picture, as I am writing this post sunday night and won't be back before this post publishes. If you'd like to see the final result, you can follow me via the instagram link on the side bar.

I'm really optimistic about how the colour will turn out, it looks like a really pretty colour at the moment, I'm just hoping it will stick. 

Thanks for reading, please leave me a comment :)

My Eyebrow Routine

Okay, so this is my natural eyebrow shape. They're pretty thin and bare around the edges, with a few bald patches, but they're not too bad. Still, I choose to fill them in most days, and I like to opt for a natural look. In this photo I have already used a spoolie to brush my eyebrows out.

First, I use my M.A.C eyebrow pencil in Lingering (which was featured in my recent haul) to draw a basic outline for my brows. I draw a full line along the bottom, attempting to create a slight arch as my brows are pretty damn straight. I also draw a line along the top of my brow, but I tend to follow my natural shape here, and I leave the front little hairs unlined.

I use a spoolie to Blend out the product into my eyebrow hairs, and then use my Anastasia Dipbrow pomade in medium brown (also featured in my haul) to fill in any remaining bare patches. I then blend again, just to make sure everything looks smooth and natural.

Next, I use the colour 'naked' from my Urban Decay naked palette to set my brows before applying a translucent powder over my whole brow as my natural hair colour is very ashy, and I always feel as though my brows look to warm if I skip this step. 

Finally, to finish everything off, I conceal the area around my brows using benefits boi-ing concealer in shade 1, before highlighting my brow bone. I feel as though this step really helps create the illusion of an arch in my brow. 

Please ignore the silly faces I'm pulling in the photos, this isn't my forte! :)

Please remember to check the side bar for updates on what's coming next!

Recent Haul and Review.

Link to the related instagram photo

My birthday was just over a week ago, and so I chose to treat myself to a few products I've been looking at for a while. I've had the chance to put the products to the test, and decided to review them for you all!

1. E.L.F Daily Brush Cleanser. 

£3.95 / $3.00

I bought this product in an attempt to force myself to clean my brushes more often, and I have to say it has worked. I simply spray the cleanser over the brush, then rub the product off on a towel. Although it does do a reasonable job at cleaning brushes, I can still easily see left over pigment, especially from darker coloured shadows. On a basis of price to product ratio, I feel as though this is very expensive in the UK for the small amount you get- at an equivalent of just over $6! It also has a very strong smell, which lingers on the brushes- and I have found slight damage to my brushes since I started using this. 

WARNING: This product is designed to be used on synthetic brushes and not natural brushes.

Personally, I will not be re-buying this product, however it is something worth trying out if you can find it on offer. 

2. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Siberia.

£31.00 / $45.00

As someone who hasn't worn foundation in 5 years, I was hesitant to spend this much money on one. However, I asked for a sample at the NARS counter out of curiosity and instantly fell in love, less than a week later I bought the full sized version. I gave up wearing foundation when I was younger as I found that my sensitive skin would become irritated and break out from even wearing it for a few hours! However, this foundation has impressed me so much! Not only can I not even feel it on my face, but the foundation itself makes my skin look so clear and radiant. I do find that I break out if I wear this every day for a few days, however it a vast improvement on my previous experiences with foundation. If you have the spare money, I cannot recommend this enough!

3. M.A.C Self-Sharpening Eyebrow Pencil in Lingering.

£13.50 / $16.00

Having only ever filled in my eyebrows with my Urban Decay eyeshadow in Naked, I decided I wanted to step up my eyebrow game and delve into the world of eyebrow pencils. I knew I wanted something very thin, light and precise- and this M.A.C pencil gives me just that. It's so quick and easy to use, and lets my subtly build on the patchy areas of my brows without making them look unnatural. I cannot recommend this enough to someone who (like me) is just entering the world of drawing on eyebrows!

4. Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Medium Brown.

£15.00 / $18.00

I stumbled across this on sale, and after all the wonderful things I had heard about it, decided to bite the bullet and pick it up. Choosing the right colour was the main issue for me, as I had no option but to order it online. I ended up choosing medium brown over dark brown as my eyebrows are a light ashy brown, and it matches very well (as long as I apply it with a light hand). It took a couple of tries to get it right, but now I find it easy to use- Plus it will last through absolutely anything!

5. NARS Copacabana Multipule.

£29.00 / $39.00

I honestly cannot put into words how much I love this product. Every time I have gone up to the NARS counter without fail, I would swatch this on my hand and gaze at awe in how pretty it is. So I decided that it was time to finally commit and I couldn't be happier, I want them all! I'm currently using this as my highlighter, though I am debating putting it all over my face under my foundation as an illuminator as it makes my skin look so dewy and radiant. 

6. Sleek Blush in Rose Gold.

£4.49 / $6.99

I am constantly hearing good things about the brand sleek, and decided to put them to the test with one of their famous blushes. The rose gold one is probably the most famous and is often referred to as a dupe for NARS Super Orgasm. I have to say I am very impressed by the quality of this blush- I tend to stray away from drugstore brands, as I don't wear makeup everyday and so enjoy the quality of mid/high end makeup when I do wear it. However I do really love this blush, and am considering buying more of their products in the near future. The rose gold micro glitter almost serves as a highlight, so I like to apply this blush a little higher along my cheek bones that I normally would.

NOTE: I apologise if any of the American pricing is wrong, I used google to search for the American pricing of each product- However there may be some mistakes.

D.I.Y Brush Cleaning

How I Clean My Makeup Brushes

Personally, I spend a lot of money on my makeup brushes- I find them to be one of the most important parts of makeup application. I feel as though you can achieve a flawless look with cheap makeup, as long as you have high quality brushes. So, I like to keep them clean and healthy, not only to protect my skin, but also to lengthen the life of the brushes. 

So, how do I do it?

Well, brush cleaners/cleansers can be very expensive, so I personally choose to use organic soap. The soaps from Lush are always amazing, and don't contain any harmful chemicals that could ruin the shape or texture of the brush. The one I'm personally using at the moment is called Baked Alaska, and looks like this:

Disclaimer: Not my image.

I run the sink full of warm water (Don't use boiling water as you could melt the glue inside the brush), then soak my brush, before swirling it over the soap, and rubbing it in my hand. I keep doing this until the water from the brush runs cleaner, then gently towel dry the brush, and lay it to air dry. You should always allow your brushes to air dry in a way that the bristles of the brush are below the bellow, so that water runs out of the brush as it dries.

I repeat this process once a week, and use E.L.F's spot cleanser each time I use the brush. WARNING: This brush cleanser should only be used on synthetic brushes!