Summer Favourites

Yes, it's summer! And I've been waiting all year for summer... despite the fact that I'm kind of missing the winter chill but nevertheless, this means.. trips to the beach, endless days of sunshine (of course!), ice cold drinks and most importantly slapping on that sunscreen!

So... since summer in Sydney is getting pretty humid and sticky. Make up wise, I've been keeping it minimal and natural.. as usual! Here are a few things I use / carry along with me on the regular.

Real Techniques Foundation & Kabuki Brush

So last Friday, I received these Real Technique brushes in the mail. It was really quick shipping cause I paid for express shipping and I was also in need of new brushes. 

I purchased the Kabuki brush purely for traveling purposes despite it not being a retractable brush (which I'm still trying to find a cheap and good quality one) it still does justice. I love it regardless, even though it might get a little messy if not taken care properly. 

The foundation brush was kinda a substitute for my Sigma F40 brush, I wanted to use that 'Foundation' brush as a blush brush but so far I've purely just been using it as a Foundation brush... so meh.

The brushes are really good quality. They're very comparable to the Sigma brushes but I find these more sturdy and also cheaper as well. The Foundation brush stands on itself when placed upwards and the Kabuki brush opens in half in order to be used as a contouring brush. I see these brushes much more durable compared to the Sigma brushes in terms of the packaging. The RT brushes are made out of Teklon I believe and it's made out of some sort of Metal (Aluminium?) as compared to Sigma's wooden brushes? (Correct me if I'm wrong)

The Kabuki Brush is unbelievably soft, so soft I can swipe it on my face all day. SO SO Soft, like... I love it. I gave it a few washes with my MAC Brush Cleaner and the softness is still there, which is a plus! Haha!



As for the foundation brush (pictured is when I just washed it with the MAC Brush Cleaner) I know it's looks a bit dirty (because I rushed it) but the Foundation Brush is a bit dense. I found that when I applied my liquid foundation it was a bit streaky, I had to use my Etude House Baby Doll Puff (otherwise known as an alternative Beauty Blender) to blur out all the harsh lines and such. As a blush brush it's likewise similar but I found applying blush with this brush is strangely better.

I purchased the Real Techniques Kabuki Brush for $9.99US and the Foundation Brush for $7.99. I think express shipping was $10... but normal shipping which takes 2 weeks I think cost $6. I also got $5 off for my purchase on iHerb too! 

You can use this code NUY236 to get $5 off your purchase there! 

With the comparison in prices here in Australia, Priceline is the only store that has these brushes stocked. 

We all know Australian cosmetics and any beauty related items here are highly inflated due to import taxes and what not. I believe the Kabuki Brush is not avaliable yet and the foundation brush retails for $19.99AU (which is double the price I paid on iHerb!) 

Overall, I like these brushes. I'm willing to try out more of Samantha Chapman's Real Technique brushes in the future. So glad I got these and finally tried them out for myself. It's worth the buy I say.

Have you used any Real Technique brushes before and if so which ones do you recommend? If not, which one are you willing to try out? 

Love, J 

My Make Up Essentials.

So I thought I would update you guys with my make up essentials, I know it hasn't been too long since I last posted mine but I thought I would update you guys with the latest products I've been using lately as well as many of the few that I've recently bought that I absolutely adore!

When it comes to make up, I love to keep it simple and light. I have normal/combination skin, so most of the time it's never too dry or too oily.

When it comes to foundation, lately I've been mixing mine with Lancome's Photogenic Lumessence and MAC's Studio Moisture Fix. Of course, before foundation... you have to use PRIMER! I never apply foundation without face primer! HOW CAN YOU NOT!? Together it works like a charm and is pretty long lasting. I always aim for light to medium coverage for that natural look, I always use roughly about a 5 cent amount for my face and dot it on face and buff it out with a stippling brush for that airbrushed look.

My favourite as well as affordable to me, would be Natio's Ageless Illuminating Primer. Don't let the word "Ageless" put you off, assuming it's for mature aged people. It's definitely not! It's mainly for everyone with all different skin types. It works like a charm and was way better than my old Face of Australia primer which I absolutely hated! I felt like it was just a moisturiser and didn't do much justice. 

Priming is like a major essential when it comes to applying make up! Without it - It's like... not brushing your teeth?! LOL (I can't think of anything better). Face or Eyes, I can't see why someone would skip this! Obviously, face primer allows my foundation last longer as well as create a barrier between the skin and the make up in order to prevent breakouts. 

After that, I apply Benefit's POREfessional, it is absolutely AMAZING! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to conceal their pores?! Because I have large pores on the high points of my cheeks and I often notice they get accentuated when wearing foundation after a long time. This makes sure your pores are minimised and also evens out the skin. It can also be doubled up as a primer as well!

For concealer, I'm not a huge or heavy user of concealer but I got Benefit's Erase Paste for the under eye dark circles as well as minor blemishes I may have. It's just another product I use here or there when I'm really bothered. 

As for the cheeks, Benefit's Hoola is a holy grail bronzer for me! I discovered it ages ago but never had the courage to give it a go. After using Australis Bronzing Powder (I still love it), but Benefit wins me over! After trying it out at Myer, I was in love! One Hot Minute by Benefit I think, is as great but Hoola is just beautiful. Lovely for contouring the cheeks as well as a nice natural flush to the face. 

NYX's Mosaic Powder in 01 is my highlighter. I'm not a 100% fan of this but I just use it. I want that iridescent glow on the high points/apples of my cheeks. A light dusting of this and viola! 

As for the eyes, Urban Decay's Primer Potion is a definite MUST. Obviously, being the world's best selling eyelid primer (I believe so). I would never go back to any other primer, ever. It is a bit pricey if you're on a budget but it is something I would invest on. 

Eyeliner is a huge thing for me, I think doing my eye make up is the most time consuming thing for me. I have to have it perfect or else I'll be constantly annoyed that it's not perfect (probably except when I go to Uni - I couldn't careless what I look like because I end up being a sloth there anyways LOL) But my go to eyeliner would be anything that is crayon (twist up) and waterproof. 

I've used Chanel, Maybelline and Covergirl for tight lining - I'll choose whatever works. I currently use Skin Food's Waterproof Eyeliner which is amazing! It's the only eyeliner I use right now and it works like a charm, just as great as the Chanel one but a quarter of the price!

Another eye make up product which I use along my crayon liner is also MAC's Fluidline It's a gel liner and it's awesome when applied with an angled eyeliner brush. Any other brush, I think it doesn't give that right application and just kinda looks tacky... in my opinion. 

Naked 2 Palette... I love it to bits but I haven't been giving it enough love to the other colours on the palette! I've been using Blackout to set my eyeliner as well as Half Baked and Bootycall to highlight my inner corners of the eyes. Sometimes when I'm adventurous or just wanna add a bit of colour to my eyes before heading out I add Snakebite or Busted to the upper inner corner of my eyes. 

Mascara is also a huge factor too! I prime my lashes with Urban Decay's Eyelash Primer. It's a mediocre product, I've noticed that my lashes has been stronger and also lengthened a tad. It's just an extra thing I do for my lashes because I'm determined to get thicker and longer lashes. 

I tend to alter between mascaras and I've gone through so many drug store brands and they always seem to fail me. I've stepped up into High End Mascaras and I'm not going to turn back! I currently alter between Dior's Iconic & Extase as well as Tarte's Lights Camera Lash (This is not avaliable in Australia and I've purchased it from eBay - but avaliable at Sephora). I sometimes use Lancome's Hypnose Precious Cells, which is mediocre. 

Eye care? Under eye circles? Puffy Eyes? I use The Body Shop's Elderflower Eye Gel. Get go to 'depuff-er' and refresher around the eyes treatment! 

For setting the make up and all, I don't give much love to my Australis Translucent Powder because I tend to skip it or even so just not bother with it. But I decided to include it in because it's something you would wanna do to make sure your make up doesn't run and stay put. 

As for perfume, I've been using Lush's Solid Perfume in Vanillary and altering between Katy Perry's Purr and Christian Dior's Miss Cherie. Other than that, it's either just plain Rexona for Uni LOL. 

There was some minor things left out but these are the most go to items in my make up kit. Hope you found this post somewhat useful! And til next time, happy reading! 

Love, J.