CHARLOTTE TILBURY LIGHT WONDER FOUNDATION REVIEW

Left: Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation in 'Fair 1' blended into skin
Right: Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation in 'Fair 1' swatched on arm (Not blended)

As Charlotte Tilbury has released her new foundation, the Magic Foundation, which I am eager to get my hands on as soon as possible, I thought I would review her other foundation, the Light Wonder Foundation, which I already own and love. I own the lightest shade of this foundation, Fair 1. I bought this foundation about 6 months ago and it is one that I wear very frequently, as it is very natural looking on the skin.

I would say that this foundation has a light-to-medium coverage on the skin, as it does not cover blemishes very well, but it covers any redness that I may have. It also evens out my skin tone nicely, and it also gives my skin a nice, dewy glow that looks very natural, and not greasy. As I have combination skin, with an oily T Zone and dry skin everywhere else, this foundation is great, as it does not cling to dry patches, but it also doesn't make my T Zone look too shiny or greasy throughout the day. I also really like the consistency of this foundation, as it is a water based foundation, and it is quite runny and it blends into the skin extremely quickly. This foundation is also extremely lightweight, and once blended, you can't feel it or even see it on the skin. This foundation also has SPF15, which is good, as in countires such as Ireland where there isn't much sun, it is handy to have, as many people don't bother putting SPF on daily (Myself included!).

This foundation also lasts quite a while on my skin, and I can go for about 6 hours before having to powder my T Zone again. I usually apply this foundation using my Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush, which blends the foundation seamlessly into the skin. I also usually use the Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow Primer underneath the foundation, as it adds a nice glow to the skin while making the foundation last longer. I also set this foundation using my NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder, as it prevents my skin from looking too oily around my T Zone.

This foundation is definitely one of my favourites, and I used it most days during the summer and on holidays, as it gave my skin some extra coverage and it made my skin look more dewy and glowy, while still looking extremely natural on the skin. I would recommend this foundation to all skin types, except for maybe extremely oily skin. This foundation is quite expensive at €42, but there is a lot of product, and you only need to use a tiny amount to cover your whole face. Although I have used this foundation constantly, I still haven't even made a dent in the product yet, so I can see this foundation lasting me a long time! I would also recommend this foundation to mostly people with very pale and light-to-medium skin tones, as I don't think this foundation has many shades for darker skin tones. Although, you can go to your local Charlotte Tilbury counter and they will give you samples of a few shades to try out, so you can decide what shade you are.

URBAN DECAY NAKED BASICS PALETTE REVIEW

Since I have reviewed all four of the Urban Decay 'Naked' Palettes, it's time to move onto the 'Naked Basics' Palettes range. Today I will be reviewing the original Naked Basics Palette. This palette is definitely my most used palette out of all the Naked palettes, even the bigger ones, and it is so well loved that one or two of the shades are completely used up, so my friend kindly sent me pictures of her palette and swatches of the eyeshadows for this review!

Unlike the bigger Naked palettes, the Naked Basics palette only has six eyeshadows, rather than twelve. Also, all of the eyeshadows in this palette are matte, apart from 'Venus', which is a shimmery highlight shade that I love to use in the inner corners of the eyes. Like the other Naked palettes, the eyeshadows in the Naked Basics palette are amazing quality, and they are extremely pigmented, and although matte eyeshadows can sometimes be quite dry on the lids, these are extremely creamy and buttery. These eyeshadows are also extremely easy to blend, and there is never any fallout with any of the eyeshadows, even the darker ones, such as 'Crave'. These eyeshadows also last for quite a long time on my extremely oily eyelids, even without primer, as they last for around 6 hours before creasing and fading. With primer, however, they last for about 12 hours with no creasing or fading at all.

Although the shades in this palette may seem quite boring, they are extremely handy to have in my collection, and I use this palette whenever I want a soft, everyday eyeshadow look that isn't too noticeable. You could also use the darker shades to make a more daytime smokey eye look. I also love the size of this palette, as it is very small, so it is great for travelling. It is also great for throwing in your handbag for touching up throughout the day. This palette is extremely versatile, and although it is an eyeshadow palette, I have used the shades 'Naked 2' and 'Faint' on my eyebrows in the past and it has worked really well. The only downside about this palette to some people is that no brush is included with this palette, but as I never use the brushes that come with palettes anyway, I don't really mind, and I would rather have a smaller, thinner palette with no brush than have a much bigger, chunkier palette with a brush included.

Lately, I have been using this palette nearly every day. My favourite eyeshadow look using this palette is putting the shade 'W.O.S' all over my lid, as it is the same colour as my skin and it hides any veins on the eyelids, and then I blend the shade 'Naked 2' into my crease to define it. I usually stop here, but if you want to add more definition, then you can blend 'Faint' into the outer corners of the eyes and crease. After this, I usually apply black liquid liner to my lashline to define my eyes, and then I will apply lots of mascara.

I would recommend this palette to everyone. It is great for beginners as the eyeshadows are very easy to blend and the palette is easy to use, but I would also recommend it to people who are a bit more experienced in doing their makeup as it is very handy having a palette full of matte eyeshadows.

SEPTEMBER WISHLIST

All photos taken from www.brownthomas.ie

At the start of every new month, I have decided that I am going to post a 'Wishlist' of the products that I have my eye on to buy! As these are all quite expensive products, I will obviously not end up buying them all (or even any of them) in the coming month, but a girl can dream!

The first product that I would love to try in September is the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. I have heard so many amazing things about this foundation, and I am dying to finally try it! As school has started and so have my breakouts, I would love to have a full coverage foundation at hand, and apparently this one covers all redness and blemishes, but still looks extremely natural on the skin! I would also like to have this foundation during autumn and winter, as all of the foundations that I own are quite dewy, but this one has a more matte, but not completely matte, finish that I think would look nicer on my skin at this time of the year.

The second product on my wishlist this month is the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in 'Soft and Gentle'. Although I don't really like MAC products that much, one of my friends has this and it looks really pretty! It is a shimmery peachy champagne highlighter and although I usually prefer less shimmery highlighters, this one would look amazing for the evening and going out. This product is also quite pricey for a highlighter, as it is €31, but there is a lot of product in it, and I can't imagine that I would ever finish it!

The third product on my wishlist this month is the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder in '1 Fair'. I have seen lots of great reviews on this powder on the Internet, as it is extremely finely milled, and although it is great at reducing shine, it does not cake or look and feel heavy on the skin. While at my local Charlotte Tilbury counter a while ago, I swatched this powder and I was amazed at how creamy and buttery it felt on my hand, as usually powders can feel quite dry and irritating on my skin sometimes. I would also love to use this powder during the winter time, as although my skin can get extremely dry at this time, I still have some unwanted shine around my T Zone, and I would like a powder that feels soft on the skin and doesn't cake.

The fourth product on my wishlist is the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara. In the past few weeks, I have been putting mascara on my lower lashes as well as my upper lashes, whereas before I didn't really like the way mascara on my bottom lashes looked before. The only problem with using a regular, non-waterproof, mascara on the bottom lashes is that it tends to smudge quite easily throughout the day. I can also find it quite hard to use a normal mascara wand to coat the lower lashes with mascara because they are so small. As I have seen many great reviews about this mascara for the bottom lashes, and as it is a mascara dedicated to using only on the bottom lashes so the wand is quite small, I would really like to try this!

The last (and most expensive and unreasonable!) product on my wishlist this month is the Tom Ford Lipstick in 'Pink Dusk'. At €48 (€15 more expensive than Chanel lipsticks!), I doubt that I will ever buy this lipstick, but it is one that I have wanted for over a year, and if I had to choose a makeup product that I would love to own the most, then this would be it. I have seen so many great reviews about the formula and pigmentation of Tom Ford lipsticks, and the shade range is also fantastic. The packaging is also very luxurious! That being said, I really don't think that I could ever justify spending this much on a lipstick or even expecting anyone else to spend this much on a lipstick for me, as I think paying this much money for one lipstick is crazy, and you're really just paying for the Tom Ford branding, as the formula and shade range is a lot like other high end brands, such as Chanel and YSL, and they are at least €15 cheaper! Although, I would still love to buy this lipstick, and I am saving my money to buy it eventually, so I am considering treating myself to it soon!

I hope you enjoyed reading my makeup wishlist, and what beauty products are on your wishlist at the moment?

AUGUST BEAUTY FAVOURITES

As it is the end of August, it is time for another monthly beauty favourites! I have had a bit of an obsession with lip liners over the past month, as I love how precise the application is and how long they last on the lips. I also rediscovered an old favourite eyeshadow palette of mine this month, and I have been using it most days since! I also discovered my perfect mascara in the last few months, and I have decided to include it in this month's favourites as I have nearly used it up, and it is one that I will definitely be repurchasing!

My first beauty favourite this month is the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Liner in the shade 'Pillow Talk'. This is an amazing neutral pink shade that I love to use both on its own and underneath other pinky-nude lipsticks. I love the formula of this, as it lasts all day long, but it isn't too drying on the lips as some other ones I've tried from other brands such as MAC can be. I also love the colour, as it is the perfect pinky-nude shade for me, and it also gives the illusion of fuller and plumper lips! You can only use this to outline the lips, but I love filling in the entire lip with this pencil.

My second beauty favourite this month is another lip liner, but this time it's the Bobbi Brown Lip Pencil in 'Ballet Pink'. I only got this last week, but I have been wearing it every day since! This lip pencil is nearly the exact same colour as my lips, so I love using this to outline and fill in my lips to wear on its own, or under nude lipsticks. It is less pink than the Charlotte Tilbury lip liner, and it is more of a nude shade on me, but as it is the same colour as my lips, it does not wash me out at all. I don't like the formula of this pencil as much as the Charlotte Tilbury one, as it does feel quite drying when applying it to the lips, but it lasts all day long without fading or smudging, so I can't really complain!

My third beauty favourite this month is the Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette. This was one of the first eyeshadow palettes that I bought when I first started wearing makeup about two years ago, and even though I have bought plenty of neutral eyeshadow palettes since, this is still one of my absolute favourites. I don't want to go into too much detail about this palette now as I have a review of this palette coming up on Friday, but I love this palette because there are five matte shades in it, and one shimmer shade to highlight, and it is just the perfect neutral palette for everyday!

My last favourite this month is another Charlotte Tilbury product, and it is the Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes Mascara. I got this mascara back in June, and it quickly became my favourite mascara of all time. I love this mascara because with one coat, it can look nice and natural on the lashes, but with two or three coats it can look like I am wearing fake eyelashes, as it gives so much volume and length to the lashes. I also love this mascara because it is the first mascara that I have ever tried that never clumps, no matter how many coats of it you apply onto the lashes. The only thing I don't like about it is that it can smudge on the lower lashes, but all mascaras do that to me anyway, unless they are waterproof.

MY SCHOOL MAKEUP ROUTINE

As I am finally officially allowed to wear makeup to school this year (although I have worn tinted moisturiser, mascara, concealer and powder to school in previous years), I have come up with a 10 minute makeup routine that I can  do before school every day, that is quick, easy and long-lasting, especially as I will not really have any time to touch up my makeup throughout the school day. Before I start, I would like to say that although we are now allowed to wear makeup to school, I am not saying that this means that everyone MUST wear makeup. I am going to wear a light amount of makeup as I feel more confident and prepared for the day when I do, and as I enjoy doing my makeup every day, it is not a chore to me. I have many friends who do not enjoy doing their makeup, so they probably will not wear makeup to school, or if they do, maybe wear very little of it. There are also people I know who will probably wear a lot more makeup than me to school, and if that makes them feel more confident and ready for the day, then I don't see any problem with it! I just thought that I would do this post to help anyone who does want to start wearing makeup to school and would like some inspiration. I would also like to say that most of the products that I am using are quite high-end and quite expensive, but these are the products that work best for me, and there are some products that I have been using almost daily for the past year, and I still have not had to purchase a new one. You also do not need to buy the exact same products as I am using, you can obviously use your own versions of the same product as they are the ones that work for you. You also do not have to do the exact same amount of steps as me, you could apply less or more makeup if you wanted to. 

Before applying any makeup, I make sure to cleanse and moisturise my face, as the makeup will go on better and last longer throughout the day. Once I have done this, I prime my face for makeup using the Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow Primer. This is my favourite primer as it gives my quite dry skin a glow, and it also helps the rest of the makeup to stay on longer throughout the day. This is quite pricey, but I share it with my mum, who also uses it every day. This product also lasts a long time as you don't need to use too much.

After priming, I apply my base. For school, I like quite a light, natural-looking base, so I prefer to use tinted moisturiser over foundation if I can help it. My favourite tinted moisturiser is the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, and I have been wearing this to school most days for the past year and I still have around half of the product left! I only use a small amount, and I buff it into my skin using a foundation buffing brush, such as the Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush or the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. If I am having a particularly bad skin day, I will use foundation, but I prefer using tinted moisturiser as it is much quicker to apply and has a more natural finish on the skin. 

After applying my tinted moisturiser, I like to apply concealer under my eyes and on any blemishes or redness I have. My favourite concealer to use for this is the Charlotte Tilbury Retoucher Concealer, as it is a liquid, and although it is feels quite light on the skin, it has a fair amount of coverage. I also love this as it is extremely easy to apply and it blends into the skin very quickly, making it the perfect concealer for when you are in a rush before school!

After concealing, I will set my makeup using my favourite translucent powder, the NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder. I love this powder as it doesn't cake on my dry skin, but it still sets my makeup and helps it to last longer. A great drugstore alternative is the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 'Transparent', as it also sets makeup and reduces shine, but doesn't look cakey on the skin!

After I have powdered, I will move onto eyebrows. As I have quite thick but uneven eyebrows naturally, it is essential that I fill them in slightly, and brush the hairs into shape. My favourite brow product for brushing the brow hairs and filling in my brows is the Charlotte Tilbury Brow Lift in 'Cara D'. If you would like to know more about this product, I also talked about it in my 'July Beauty Favourites' post!

After filling in my brows, I will move onto eye makeup, and the only eye makeup I apply for school is mascara. My favourite mascara to use for school is the Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes Mascara, as with just one coat, it makes my lashes look much longer, but it still looks quite natural. I also love this mascara because no matter how many coats of it I apply onto my lashes, it never clumps!

Next, I will apply a very small amount of a neutral blush to the apples of my cheeks. As I have very pale skin, my favourite blush for this is the Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush in 'First Love', which I posted a review on here. I love this blush because it is very natural looking on my skin, but it still adds a hint of colour to the cheeks.

The last step of my school makeup routine is lip balm. My favourite lip balm to use for school is the Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm in 'Peach Kiss', as it hydrates the lips while adding a hint of colour and glossiness at the same time. It is also very affordable, and as I am constantly reapplying it throughout the day, I don't want to use an expensive product that I would have to replace frequently.

It may seem like I am applying quite a lot of makeup for school, but I am only using 8 products, and apart from the lip balm and maybe powder, I will not be reapplying any makeup throughout the day. I am also wearing very small amounts of each product, as I want to still look quite natural, but polished. As I said already, you can obviously wear more or less makeup than me to school if you want to, and use your own products that you already own that work for you.

CHANEL ROUGE COCO AND ROUGE COCO SHINE LIPSTICKS REVIEW

From left to right: Rouge Coco Lipstick in 'Adrienne', Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in 'Boy'

From left to right: Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in 'Boy', Rouge Coco Lipstick in 'Adrienne'

I have always been a huge fan of Chanel lipsticks, and even from a very young age, I would always steal my mum's Chanel lipsticks and try them on myself! Last Christmas, I was lucky enough to receive the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in 'Boy', which is now one of my favourite lipsticks ever. I bought my second Chanel lipstick a few weeks ago, which is the Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in 'Adrienne', which is part of the new relaunched 'Rouge Coco Lipsticks' collection with an improved, more hydrating formula.

First up, the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in 'Boy' is a pinky-nude shade. The formulas of the lipsticks in Rouge Coco Shine range are very sheer and hydrating. It is also quite glossy on the lips, which I really like, and it looks very natural on the lips. The wear time isn't very long on this lipstick, only maybe 2-3 hours, and if you have just been eating or drinking, this lipstick will need to be reapplied afterwards, but as it is so quick and easy to apply that you don't even need a mirror, I never mind too much. One of my favourite things about this lipstick is how versatile it is; you can wear it as part of a very natural looking, daytime look, but it also is a great lip colour to wear with a smokey eye.

My newest Chanel lipstick, the Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in 'Adrienne', is a more brown-toned nude with a hint of pink. This is a part of the new relaunched 'Rouge Coco Lipsticks' collection, and the formulation of this lipstick is quite sheer, but not as sheer as the Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks. It can also be built up for a more opaque coverage on the lips. This lipstick also feels quite moisturising on the lips, and it doesn't accentuate dry patches. This lipstick also feels quite light on the lips and it doesn't feel sticky at all. The wear time of this lipstick is about 4 hours, but it does come off quite easily when eating or drinking so you will need to reapply it, but again, I don't really mind because as it is quite sheer, I can apply it without a mirror if I need to. I absolutely love the colour of this lipstick, as although it is a nude, it does not wash my pale complexion out and it lets some of your natural lip colour shine through, which makes it the perfect nude lip for me.

I use both of these Chanel lipsticks very frequently since I got each of them, and they are definitely two of my favourite lipsticks in my collection! Although they are quite expensive, I think you really do get what you pay for, from the extremely luxurious black and gold packaging with the Chanel logo on the lid, to the fantastic shade range in each collection and formulation of the lipsticks. There is definitely the perfect lipstick colour for everyone in each collection, and if you are thinking about treating yourself or someone else to a luxury lipstick, these would be a great choice.

TWO WAYS TO CLEAN MAKEUP BRUSHES

Making sure to clean your makeup brushes regularly is very important, but as it can be very time consuming, especially if you have a lot of brushes, most people do it very infrequently, or with some, never at all. You must clean your makeup brushes as over time, lots of bacteria, skin cells and old makeup residue can build up on the bristles, and then this is then spread all over your face each time you use the brushes, which can cause breakouts. Although it is recommended that we give our brushes a deep clean once a week if we use them regularly, it does take quite a long time, so I like to give my brushes a deep clean once every two weeks, and then in between, spot clean them every other week, or with eye brushes that tend to get dirty quite quickly, maybe every three days.

To give my brushes a deep clean, I like to Johnson's Baby Shampoo (not shown), as it is very inexpensive at €4 for 500ml, and although it cleans my brushes really well, it is very gentle on the bristles. When cleaning my brushes, I like to pour a tiny amount of  baby shampoo and warm water into a bowl and mix them together. I then dip the head of my brush into the mixture and swirl it around until it is clean. I then rinse my brush under the sink with water to ensure that there is no baby shampoo left in the bristles, and I fix the shape of the brush with my hands. I then lay my brushes on a towel at the edge of my desk with the head of the brush hanging over the side to ensure that the shape of the brush doesn't change. When I am cleaning my brushes, I will usually change the mixture after every three or four brushes, so I usually wash all my foundation and concealer brushes together, then cheek brushes, and finally, eye and lip brushes, as I don't want to contaminate my brushes. I usually give my brushes a deep clean this way every second week, especially the ones that I use very frequently.

The second way that I clean my brushes is by spot cleaning them with MAC Brush Cleanser (as you can see in the photo, I need to buy a new one soon!). I use this every other week to spot clean my face brushes, and probably about twice a week to clean eye brushes, as I always like to use a clean blending brush to blend my eyeshadow. This brush cleanser is great, as it cleans the brushes really well, it doesn't take long, and it dries very quickly, so I can use my brushes about an hour after cleaning them. To use this product, you just pour a small amount of it onto a clean cotton pad, and then swirl the brush head around, and all the dirt comes off onto the cotton pad. Some people use a tissue with this product, but the girl at my local MAC counter said that cotton pads are better, as bits of tissue can sometimes get caught in the brush hairs. When I am finished cleaning my brushes with this product, I just hang the head of the brush over the edge of my desk, to keep the shape of it. Although the MAC brush cleanser is quite a lot more expensive than using baby shampoo, it is much quicker and easier, and it is especially much better to use for cleaning eye brushes, as I clean them so frequently, and they dry much faster.

Both of these methods work very well for me, and my makeup brushes have never looked cleaner!

MAC RUBY WOO LIPSTICK AND LIP LINER REVIEW

When I went searching for the perfect red lipstick last year, I came across the MAC Lipstick in 'Ruby Woo', as I had seen so many rave reviews about it online, and how nice it looked on people of all skin tones. When I finally bought it and tried it on, I was amazed at how nice it looked on my extremely pale skin. So when MAC released a matching Ruby Woo Lipliner earlier this year, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I finally decided to get it a few weeks ago on a whim, when I wanted to wear my Ruby Woo Lipstick and I needed a lip liner to wear under it, and this was obviously the closest match I was going to find for the lipstick!

I have talked about the Ruby Woo Lipstick briefly in a previous post about my MAC Lipstick collection, but I am going to go into more detail about it here. MAC describes this lipstick as a 'Very matte vivid blue-red' and I definitely agree with them. This lipstick is a very bright red lipstick that looks almost neon in certain lighting. On some skin tones it may look a bit darker, but on me it looks quite bright, but it isn't so bright that it completely washes me out. This lipstick is a very cool-toned red colour, and it is quite blue-based. The formula of this lipstick is what MAC describes as being 'Retro Matte'. This is the most matte finish MAC does, so this lipstick is extremely matte and there is no sheen or shimmer present in it at all. As this lipstick is so matte, it can be very drying on the lips, but as long as you exfoliate and put a thick lip balm on an hour or so (or even the night before) wearing it, it won't cling to dry patches or look powdery on the lips. Also, because this lipstick is so matte, it has extremely long staying power. It doesn't move at all while eating or drinking. Without the lip liner, this lipstick lasts for about 8-10 hours on the lips before fading. As this lipstick is matte, it also means that it is extremely pigmented, and it is opaque on the lips with just one swipe.

The Ruby Woo Lip Liner is the exact same colour as the lipstick, but just in pencil form. Like the lipstick, this liner is very matte, so it can cling to dry patches if you do not exfoliate your lips and make sure that they are in relatively good condition before applying it. This liner is extremely pigmented, and you do not need to use too much product for it to become opaque on the lips. This liner lasts for about 8 hours on me on its own. I don't think that using this liner underneath the lipstick really increases the longevity of the lipstick on the lips, as the lipstick lasts so long on the lips on its own anyway, but I don't really mind, because the reason why I bought the liner was to make applying the lipstick easier, as I find it hard to outline my lips with just the lipstick and no lip liner without making mistakes.

When I am wearing these two products together, I always outline my lips quite lightly with the lip liner first to make sure that I am getting the shape of my lips right, and then I will go over the line again with the liner. I then like to fill in my entire lips with the liner to ensure that the lipstick goes on evenly, but it does waste the lip liner, and if you wanted to, you could just outline your lips and get the right shape with this product before applying this lipstick. After I have outlined and filled in my lips with the liner, I will go on top of the liner with the lipstick, just to make the colour even stronger and ensure that the products stay on the lips for as long as possible without fading. At the end, I also like to pat the lipstick into my lips to ensure that it doesn't move. 

Although I love wearing both of the liner and the lipstick together, and I feel that they look better when worn together, it is quite pricey, as the liner is €17 and the lipstick is €20. I think that if I didn't own either of these products, but I loved the colour of Ruby Woo, I would probably get the lip liner, as it is more precise and easier to fill in the lips, especially if you are awful at applying bright lipstick like me. It also lasts just as long as the lipstick, and it is extremely pigmented. Although you do waste more of the lip liner when using it on its own, as I barely ever wear red lipstick, I feel like I would never finish the lip liner anyway, as you do get quite a lot of product, and you don't need to use too much to outline and fill in the lips completely.

ANASTASIA DIPBROW POMADE & CLEAR BROW GEL REVIEW

When I was making my list of what beauty products I wanted to get in Sephora on my trip to the US last month, the three products that were highest on my list were the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade, the matching Anastasia Beverly Hills Brush #12 to use alongside it, and the Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel. Although you can order these products from cultbeauty.co.uk, they are a lot more expensive due to the exchange rates. I also wanted to swatch the shades of the Dipbrow Pomade in person and make sure that I was buying the right colour. After swatching the shades in store and getting some advice from one of the friendly assistants in Sephora, I decided to go for the shade Medium Brown, which is the same shade as I have my Brow Wiz in. 

The Dipbrow Pomade is housed in a clear pot. The packaging reminds me of that for a gel eyeliner pot, such as the Bobbi Brown ones. The formula of this product also reminds me of gel eyeliner, as it is creamy, but it does not smudge. This product is very pigmented, and you only need to use the smallest amount on your eyebrows. To use this product, I dip the #12 Brush very lightly into the product, and then I wipe all the excess off it onto the inside of the lid. I then draw a very light line below my brows with the product that is left on the brush. Then, I draw small strokes with the brush to fill in any gaps in my eyebrows, using the spoolie on the other end to blend the product and brush through my brow hairs. As this product is very pigmented, if you use too much your eyebrows can look very drawn on, and as I have quite thick brows already, if I use too much of this product it can make them look too thick. Overall, I think that this is a great product once you learn how to use it properly, as it lasts all day (around 10-12 hours) without fading, and when used right, it makes my eyebrows look amazing. I think that as I already have quite full brows, this product might be a bit too much on them for every day, but if you have very sparse brows and want to thicken them up, this is a great product. It can also look quite natural when done properly, such as when Pixiwoo teach you how to use it in this video.

The other brow product I got from Anastasia Beverly Hills while in Sephora was the Clear Brow Gel. As I have quite thick eyebrows, it can be hard to keep the brow hairs in place throughout the day, and as I had heard so many great reviews about this product, I was sure that I would love it. Although this is a great product and it certainly keeps my eyebrows in place throughout the day, I just didn't really like the feeling of this brow gel on my brows, and I also found that the spoolie was a bit too thick, and it would deposit the gel all over the skin around my eyebrows, even with very careful use. I also think that it is quite overpriced, as it costs $22. Altogether, this product is great if you want a clear gel that will keep you brow hairs in place all day, although I'm sure there are cheaper alternatives that do the same job.

Overall, I am very happy with my purchases, as these brow products are all amazing, and I am looking forward to trying out more of the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow products in the future.

THE PERFECT PEACHY NUDE LIP

From left to right: Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in 'Madeira', Marc Jacobs (P)Outliner Lip Liner in 'Honeybun'

When I was in Sephora in the U.S while on holidays a few weeks ago, I picked up two lip products I had heard lots about, the Marc Jacobs (P)Outliner Longwear Lip Pencil in Honey(Bun) and the Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in 'Madeira'. When I tried them on after buying them, I was a bit disappointed. The Marc Jacobs liner looked a bit too peachy on my very fair skin, and the Bite Beauty lip pencil washed me out slightly. I decided to try them on together, lining and filling in my lips with the Marc Jacobs liner before putting the Bite Beauty lip pencil on over it. This resulted in the perfect peachy nude lip for pale skin; as the peach liner gave my lips some colour, but the nude lip pencil gave some glossiness and toned down the peach a bit.

In terms of formula and quality, both of these lip products are great. Firstly, the Marc Jacobs lip liner is the best lip liner I have ever tried, and I can't wait to try the other two shades in the collection. This lip liner is incredibly creamy, and it also stays on the lips all day. It goes on the lips very smoothly, and doesn't cling to dry patches or lines on your lips at all. It is also very pigmented, so you don't need to use as much product to fill in the lips as you would with some other lip pencils. I also love the packaging of this liner, as it is retractable, so you don't need to keep sharpening it all the time. Although the colour of this liner doesn't really suit me on its own, since the formula and packaging is so good it is still one of my favourite lip liners. 

The Bite Beauty High Pigment lip pencil, despite being described as a matte lip pencil, has more of a satin finish. As the name suggests, this pencil is extremely pigmented, which is great for the brighter, bolder colours in the collection, but for the nude shades, such as Madeira, which I bought, can seem to be a bit too pigmented, as for more neutral shades, I prefer a sheerer finish. However, if you are looking for a lip product in a wide range of shades, from nudes to bright reds and pinks, that is very pigmented, this is a great product. The quality of this lip pencil is fantastic, as it is not drying on the lips at all, and it does not cling to dry patches on the lips. This pencil is also extremely easy to use, and it is impossible to go wrong with it. Although I bought a shade that doesn't suit me when worn alone, I still really like this product, and I will definitely be buying more of these next time I am in America!

I love these two lip products together, and I have been wearing this combination non-stop since I got them. The only real downside to these products is their availability. At the moment, you can only buy Marc Jacobs Beauty in Sephora stores in Europe, US and Canada, or on the Sephora US website, which unfortunately does not ship to Ireland, but they are also available on the Sephora France website, which does ship to Ireland. There are no stockists of Bite Beauty anywhere in Europe yet, but you can order them from the Sephora US website if they ship to your country, or you use a third party to ship them to you.

NARS SHEER GLOW REVIEW

Left: NARS Sheer Glow swatched on my arm (Not blended)
Right: NARS Sheer Glow half blended into my skin

After seeing so many beauty bloggers rave about NARS Sheer Glow Foundation last year, I decided to go to my local NARS counter in Brown Thomas Dublin. The lovely girls at the counter gave me a generous sample of it to try in the palest shade, Siberia, which when swatched, looks far too yellow for my skin, but once blended in is a perfect match for my very fair skin. As soon as I tried the sample of this foundation, I knew it was the perfect foundation for me, and I bought it as soon as my sample ran out!

This foundation has a medium coverage, but you could sheer it out to get a lighter coverage or apply more to get a heavier coverage depending on your needs. I apply about half a pump of this foundation with my Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush, and it evens out my skin tone and covers most blemishes. This foundation spreads very easily and is quite runny, so you do not need much of it. With half a pump, I get a medium coverage. If I ever need a bit more coverage I will use one full pump. This foundation is also very easy to blend, and with moisturiser on underneath, it doesn't cling to dry patches or cake at all. Once blended in, this foundation has a very natural finish that isn't too glowy or dewy, but it isn't completely matte either, and it makes your complexion look flawless.

This foundation lasts really well, although even though I have very dry skin, it does get a bit oily around my T Zone after about 6 or 7 hours, and I may need to powder again. I do find that this foundation goes on better and lasts a bit longer with a primer. As I have dry skin, I like to use a more illuminating primer, such as the Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow Primer, but sometimes during the summer when my skin is a bit oilier I like to use the NARS Pore Refining Primer, which is a great mattifying primer for oilier skins. I also powder my T Zone after applying this foundation with my NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder, which helps to keep my T Zone matte for as long as possible.

The only downside to this foundation is that it doesn't come with a pump. As it is quite expensive already at €41, it is a bit annoying having to pay an extra €4 for the matching pump for the foundation. I don't mind this too much though, as the pump can be removed, so you only need to buy the pump once and you can use it with all bottles of Sheer Glow that you buy in the future. There have also been some complaints about the pump, as if you fit the pump to the bottle, you can not put the lid on over it, which caused people to panic that the foundation may leak out of the pump when travelling, or in their makeup bag, but you can actually lock the pump by turning it, so no product will leak out. Some people are worried that the pump will unlock when they are travelling, but I have travelled on both long haul and short haul trips with this foundation and the pump has never leaked!

NARS Sheer Glow is definitely my all time favourite foundation (although I only have four), and I would recommend it to all skin types and skin tones who want a glowy but not shiny finish, as NARS has a fantastic shade range for both light and dark skin tones. Although this foundation is quite expensive, a little goes a long way, and one bottle will last you a long time! I would also advise that you head to your nearest NARS store or counter if possible to get a sample and a shade match, so you can try it out before you buy.

CHARLOTTE TILBURY MAGIC CREAM REVIEW

Recently, my mum bought the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, as she had heard lots of raving reviews about it and she wanted to try it out for herself. I also couldn't wait to try it, as I have very dry skin, and I was sure that it was going to be good, as all of Charlotte Tilbury's makeup products that I have tried have impressed me so far. I also liked the fact that this moisturiser has SPF15 in it, as since I live in Ireland, where we don't get much sun even in the summer, I don't wear any SPF under my makeup, but it's nice to wear a low amount of SPF just in case. This is also only really a day moisturiser, although Charlotte says you can use it at night, as sleeping in SPF is bad for your skin.

The first time I tried this cream, I used it as my moisturiser for under my makeup. As instructed, I only applied a pea-sized amount and I massaged it into my skin, just as Charlotte does. After applying it, my skin felt really smooth, and even before foundation, it looked dewy, but not shiny or greasy. As I have very dry skin usually, I was really happy that my skin was finally glowing! My makeup also went on very well, and it didn't cling to any dry patches or look cakey at all. My makeup also looked more dewy than usual, which I really liked. Since my skin looked so dewy, I did have to powder more than I would have to without the Magic Cream, but I didn't mind. My makeup also lasted very well over the cream, and it looked great all day long. 

The next day however, I woke up with a rash of small red bumps all along my jawline. They weren't noticeable to anyone else, but they felt really dry. I don't have acne, but I do get small spots on my forehead area quite often and an occasional spot on my chin, but I had never gotten spots along my jawline before. Even so, I used the cream again, just to make sure that it was really this cream that was causing the rash. The next morning, I woke up with even more red bumps in the same place, and when I stopped using the Magic Cream for a few days, the rash was gone. 

Even though the Magic Cream reacted with my skin, my mum has been using it most days for the past month and she loves it. She does have to powder a bit more often than she did before, but she doesn't mind because her makeup goes on much better than it did before, and her makeup also looks more natural on her skin. This moisturiser is very expensive at €90, so if you want to try it out, I would advise going to a Charlotte Tilbury counter and asking for a sample to try, as reviews are very mixed about this product. It works wonders on some people, but for others, it can cause breakouts as it is quite a heavy cream. I would recommend that people with normal skin, or dry skin that aren't prone to spots try this cream, as it can make a big difference in the appearance of your makeup. I wouldn't recommend this to people with oily skin, as it will just make their skin appear even oilier. I also wouldn't recommend this cream to people living in hot climates, as it will just cause their face and makeup to go quite shiny and oily.

If you would like to find out more about the ingredients of this cream and recommendations from a skincare expert about if these cream is right for you, you can check out this post by Caroline Hirons, which I found very helpful, as she highlights the ingredients in this cream that may not be suitable for certain skin types. 

MY FAVOURITE BROWN EYELINERS

From left to right: MAC Coffee, MAC Teddy, Charlotte Tilbury Rock n Kohl in Barbarella Brown, KIKO Intense Colour Long Lasting Eyeliner in 03 Pearly Bronze

Over the past year or so, I have amassed quite a collection of brown eyeliners. I find myself using brown eyeliners quite a lot more than I would black, as I find that they don't look as stark against my pale complexion, and I love smudging out brown eyeliner to make an eye look a bit more smoky. I also find that lining the lashline with brown eyeliner rather than black still makes the eye look more defined, but it looks more natural and not as noticeable. Since I own so many brown pencil eyeliners, I thought I would narrow it down to my top four. Here they are, in the same order as swatched:

MAC 'Coffee' Eye Pencil

This is the first brown eyeliner I bought, and even now it is still one of my favourites. This is my favourite brown eyeliner to line my upper lashline with when I want to give my eyes some extra definition without the harshness of a black eyeliner. This eye pencil is a dark, muted brown colour. The consistency of this pencil is quite dry compared to some others that I have, but I don't mind too much as it means that I know I can draw a straight, definite line with it and it will not smudge throughout the day. However, I find it quite hard to do a more smudgy eyeliner look with this liner because it is so dry, and when smudged out, it can go quite patchy at times. It also doesn't last in the tightline or waterline for very long at all, maybe about an hour before transferring under my eye.

MAC 'Teddy' Eye Kohl
This is the perfect warm brown eyeliner. This eye kohl is a warm, dark bronze colour that I love to wear smoked out on my lashline, as it really makes my green eyes pop. The consistency of this pencil is much creamier than MAC Coffee, and its lasting power is also much stronger. I also love using this pencil to define my eyes, by drawing a straight line against my upper lashline. This pencil also looks great smudged underneath the lower lashline. For testing purposes, I wore this eyeliner in my tightline and waterline one day and it lasted for about 4 hours, but personally, I don't really like wearing this colour in my tightline or waterline, as I prefer darker browns.

Charlotte Tilbury Rock n Kohl Liquid Eye Pencil in 'Barbarella Brown'

Although I only bought this eye pencil recently, it is already my favourite eye pencil that I own. This eyeliner does it all. It looks amazing smoked out on the upper and lower lashlines. I also use it to line my upper lashline sometimes, as it stays put all day. This eye pencil is a dark chocolate brown colour. It is quite dark, so it gives the definition of a black eyeliner, but it is a bit softer. My favourite thing about this eyeliner is its lasting power. I wear this on my tightline all the time, and it lasts for about 8 hours without transferring at all. It also lasts for about 6 hours on my waterline. Since this is a kohl eyeliner, it is very creamy, and it glides on so smoothly on the eyelid and the tightline. These eyeliners are by far the best pencil eyeliners I have ever used, and I have my eye on the other colours in the collection too.

KIKO Intense Colour Long Lasting Eyeliner in '03 Pearly Bronze'

I got this eyeliner on a recent trip away, and I have been wearing it ever since! This eyeliner is an amazing coppery bronze colour that looks great against my complexion and green eyes. This eyeliner is very creamy, so I love wearing it smudged out on my upper and lower lashlines. Since it is so creamy, it doesn't last on the tightline and waterline at all, so you can only really wear it on the actual eyelid. For the price, this eyeliner is great, and it comes in a variety of colours. It smudges very easily, but once it sets, it doesn't move.

These brown eyeliners are all great, and I use each one frequently. Although brown eyeliners can seem boring, they are very handy to have in anyones makeup bag, as sometimes black eyeliner can be too harsh and noticeable. I love brown pencil eyeliner, and I find myself using it much more often than any other eyeliners, as they are so quick, versatile and easy to use. 

DRUGSTORE VS HIGH END: CREAM EYESHADOW POTS

Lately, I have been loving using cream eyeshadow pots, especially because they are so quick and easy to apply. My two favourite cream eyeshadow pots are by KIKO and Charlotte Tilbury, and as they are at completely opposite ends of the price spectrum, I thought I would compare the two! The cream eyeshadow pots I am comparing are the KIKO Cream Crush Lasting Colour Eyeshadow in '01 Pearly Vintage Rose', a light champagne shade, and the Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadow Pot in 'Marie Antoinette', a golden mink shade.

Both cream eyeshadows are housed in small round pots, with the brand's logo on the top of the lid. The only significant difference between the packaging of these pots is that the KIKO one is clear, and the Charlotte Tilbury one is more frosted. I like the packaging of both of these eyeshadow pots, although I would say that the Charlotte Tilbury packaging is slightly more luxurious, but the KIKO eyeshadow pot has lasted better in my makeup bag, as the Charlotte Tilbury logo is starting to wear off on the lid.

In terms of the actual product inside, which is the most important aspect, the Charlotte Tilbury cream eyeshadow pot is significantly creamier and easier to apply than the KIKO cream eyeshadow. When using a brush to apply the eyeshadow, there is not as much of a difference, but when using your fingers the KIKO cream eyeshadow tends to go very patchy on the lid, whereas the Charlotte Tilbury cream eyeshadow is very creamy and easy to blend with your finger. You also do not need to use as much of the Charlotte Tilbury cream eyeshadow to get an opaque finish, although maybe this is because the shade of the KIKO cream eyeshadow that I own is very light. In terms of finish, both eyeshadows are quite shimmery, but they have no traces of glitter. Both eyeshadows last about 8 hours on my very oily eyelids with my eyeshadow primer, the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, but without, the KIKO one lasts about 3 hours and the Charlotte Tilbury about 4 hours before creasing.

The last noticeable difference between these two cream eyeshadow pots is the price. The Charlotte Tilbury cream eyeshadow pot is €26 for 0.24 oz, and the KIKO eyeshadow pot is €6.90 for 0.14 oz. Although the Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow pot contains more product than the KIKO one, it is significantly more expensive.

I love both of these cream eyeshadow pots, and I would recommend both to everyone. It really depends on what shade and finish you want your cream eyeshadow pots to be. KIKO has a selection of 16 shades, with both shimmer and matte finishes. They are mostly quite bright colours, with a few natural, more wearable colours thrown in. Charlotte Tilbury however, has 6 shades, with all being shimmery. All the Charlotte Tilbury shades are very wearable, bar the 'Cleopatra' shade, which is a turquoise colour. All in all, both products are fantastic. If you want a great cream eyeshadow pot on a budget, the KIKO ones are great, and they have a great selection of both natural and bright shades. If you are willing to spend a bit more in return for a slightly better, creamier formula with slightly easier to wear shades, then I would advise you check out the Charlotte Tilbury cream eyeshadow pots.

URBAN DECAY NAKED SMOKY PALETTE REVIEW

From left to right: High, Dirtysweet, Radar, Armor, Slanted, Dagger

From left to right: Black Market, Smolder, Password, Whiskey, Combust, Thirteen

From left to right: Thirteen, Combust, Whiskey, Password,  Smolder, Black Market

From left to right: Dagger, Slanted, Armor, Radar, Dirtysweet, High

Sorry for posting two Naked palette reviews in a row, but as the new Naked Smoky Palette is finally out in Ireland tomorrow, I thought I would review it to help you decide if this palette is for you or not. I managed to get my hands on this palette on the day it came out in Sephora while I was in America, and I have been testing it and trying out all the eyeshadows since. Although I have only had this palette for about two weeks, it is already one of my favourite Naked palettes. Before getting this palette, I could never create a nice smokey eye without it looking too heavy, but this palette makes creating the perfect smokey eye easy, and you can make a brown toned smokey eye or a more grey, classic smokey eye. I didn't think that this palette would suit me, as I rarely wear a smokey eye, but with this palette you can make natural, everyday smokey eyes and build it up if you want it to be smokier.

This palette has 12 eyeshadows in it, the same amount as the previous Naked palettes. The layout of the eyeshadows in this palette is different to the previous palettes, as unlike the previous palettes, which have the colours laid out ranging from light to dark, this palette has the eyeshadows laid out in order of finish. There are four shimmers together on the left side, four satins in the middle, and four matte eyeshadows on the right side of this palette. Most of the eyeshadows in this palette are very pigmented, but some were quite disappointing. As you can see in the swatches, two of the matte shades, 'Thirteen' and 'Combust' are extremely patchy and they aren't pigmented at all. The satin eyeshadows are all pigmented and very easy to blend, which makes creating a smokey eye much easier. Two of the shimmer eyeshadows, 'Armor' and 'Radar' were a bit disappointing, as they lacked some pigment and there was some fallout with 'Armor', which I have never experienced with an Urban Decay eyeshadow before. With my NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, these eyeshadows last for about 10 hours before creasing. Without primer, I would say they last for about 3 hours, but I have very oily eyelids.

This palette is extremely versatile, as you can create all sorts of smokey eye looks using this palette, from an everyday smokey eye to a deep, intense smokey eye for nighttime. This palette also comes with a double ended brush with a blending brush head on one end and a pencil detailer brush head on the other, which is surprisingly quite good. I wouldn't use them instead of my MAC eye brushes, but if you are a beginner with makeup, I would say to do a nice smokey eye you would only need an extra blending brush, such as the MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush, to use at the end just to blend all of the eyeshadows together, and a flat eyeshadow brush such as the MAC 239 Brush to pack eyeshadow onto the eyelid, to use alongside the brush that comes with this palette.

Despite getting some pretty average reviews online, I really enjoy using this palette and although there is some fallout with some eyeshadows, and there has been some criticism about the wear time of these eyeshadows, I think that by using an eye primer, which I always use with any eyeshadow anyway and I advise everyone else to do the same, can solve these problems. My favourite smokey eye look using this palette is a golden-brown toned smokey eye look. I pack 'Dirtysweet' all over my eyelid using a MAC 239 brush. I then blend 'Radar' into the crease and in the outer corners of my eyes using my MAC 217 blending brush, or the blending brush end of the brush that comes with this palette. Then, I blend 'Whiskey' into the crease and outer corners also, using the same MAC 217 brush, but I make sure to put most of this eyeshadow into the outer corners of my eye, just to make the eye look a bit more smokey. Then, I will use the pencil end of the brush that comes with this palette to bring 'Dirtysweet' all along my lower lashline, right to the inner corners of my eyes. I then do the same with 'Radar'. I then do the same with 'Whiskey', but I stop at about halfway of my lower lashline. To finish off the look, I line my upper lashline with a black liquid eyeliner, and I will line my tightline with a black pencil eyeliner. I then finish off with lots of mascara on both my top and bottom eyelashes, and if I was going out at night I might even wear false eyelashes. I love this eye look, because it is a lovely golden-brown smokey eye that isn't too dark or intense. If you wanted, you could make it a bit smokier by adding a dark brown shade in the outer corners and crease the eyes, and maybe instead of using liquid liner, you could use a brown liner smudged along the upper and lower lashlines. The possibilities are endless with this palette, which is what I really like about it.

Overall, I would advise any smokey eye lovers to buy this palette, and also anyone who would like to try and start wearing a smokey eye look, but they are a bit intimidated and are not sure of what shades to use, as this palette also comes with a small booklet that shows you how to create a few different smokey eye looks.

The Naked Smoky palette is available in Debenhams, and it costs €46.

URBAN DECAY NAKED 3 PALETTE REVIEW

From left to right: Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz, Trick

From left to right: Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside, Blackheart

After having posted a review last week about the Naked 2 Palette, I thought I would continue my reviews about the Urban Decay Naked Palettes, and write about the third palette in the Naked range, the Naked 3 Palette. This is my second favourite Naked palette, with the original palette being my favourite. Although, on a recent trip to America, I managed to get my hands on the brand new Naked Smoky palette on the day it was released in stores, and it is fast becoming my favourite Naked palette! Check back on the 5th August for a review on the brand new Naked Smoky palette, which is also the day it is being released in Ireland.

Back to the Naked 3 palette, like all other main Naked palette, there are twelve eyeshadows. ranging from very light highlight and lid shades to darker, smokier crease and outer corner shades. This palette is great if pink toned eyeshadows suit you, as it can do everything, from an everyday rose toned eye, to a rosy-brown smokey eye. Like the Naked 1 and 2 palettes, most of the shadows in this palette are shimmery, with two quite sparkly shades, and three mattes. All of the eyeshadows in this palette are great quality and they are extremely pigmented, with the exception of the 'Dust' shade, which has a lot of fallout. These eyeshadows also last about 10-12 hours on my eyelids when using a primer, but without a primer, they still last about 6 hours on my extremely oily eyelids.

As I have very pale skin ('Siberia' in NARS Sheer Glow, 'Light 1' in Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder foundation, all other foundations are too dark for me), I find the pink tones in this palette very flattering on my pale skin and against my green eyes, but I know many people with medium and darker skintones who do not use this palette much, as it isn't as flattering on their skin. Because of this, I would make sure to test it in store before buying, or even asking a sales assistant to try it on you if you are in a department store. As this palette does suit my complexion, I love this palette and I am always using it, especially when going out at night or to a party, as I can create a light rose toned smokey eye that complements my skin and eyes perfectly. Because these shadows are situated in such a sturdy tin, I also love taking this palette with me when I go on holidays. The only bad thing about this palette, in my opinion, is the double-ended shader and crease brush that comes with it, as it is really bad. I have to admit that I threw it away after the first time using it, and I would advise you to use your own brushes instead!

One of my favourite eye looks using this palette is popping 'Trick' all over the eyelid, and blending 'Nooner' into the crease and blending it out, and then putting a tiny bit of the shades 'Factory' mixed with 'Darkside' into the outer corner. I then like to line my lashline with my Charlotte Tilbury 'Barbarella Brown' Rock n Kohl Eyeliner, and add lashings of mascara to complete the look.

I would recommend this palette to anyone who likes wearing rose toned eyeshadows, as it has twelve amazing shades all in one palette. The eyeshadows are fantastic quality, and they are very easy to use and blend, so I would recommend them to both beginners to makeup and people who love makeup.