CLEANING MY MAKEUP BRUSHES

I'm not going to lie, I really don't like washing my makeup brushes. This is primarily because of the amount of effort it takes and how messy it leaves my bathroom sink. This is disgusting to admit, but I have had my Real Techniques stippling brush for about two years and I've only washed it twice. I'm very lazy when it comes to things like brush washing and this is definitely one of my biggest beauty sins. I made a decision yesterday that I would kick the habit of neglecting my brushes and I would step up my cleansing game. That is exactly what I did. Today I collected all of my brushes from my trusty white pot in which they live in my bedroom and held them hostage for about twenty minutes in the bathroom and gave them a damn good clean.

It took me around twenty minutes to wash all of my makeup brushes individually and I was really happy with how clean they were when I'd finished. They normally take forever to dry but I was actually surprised with how quickly they dried on this occasion. 

To wash my brushes, I follow three simple steps. Firstly, I wet the brush with warm water to roughly rinse it of product. This is the first part of the cleansing process because it makes sure excess liquid (such as foundation) is quickly squeezed out. Next, I pump some of No 7's Makeup Brush Cleanser directly onto the bristles of the brush and swirl the brush on the palm of my hand which allows the cleanser to get to work. I've noticed that when I swirl the brush around in my hand, the remaining product that has been collected on the brush is washed away which is a vital step in the process. This is when I actually saw my brush gradually become cleaner.

I really like the No 7 brush cleaner that I used to wash my brushes. It was a very spontaneous purchase when I bought it a few months ago. I have been wanting to try Mac's Brush Cleaner for a while now but I wanted to buy a cheaper product first just to get to grips with how to clean my brushes. Although, now I think about it, I wish I had paid an extra £2.00 and bought Mac's version. I paid £8.00 for this brush cleaner, I do think it is good value for money and it has boosted my confidence in No 7's brand. The only thing I have really used from No 7 before buying this brush cleaner is a powder foundation that my best friend Beth bought a few years ago and that was an absolutely amazing product.

Have you got a specific routine when it comes to washing your brushes?

PIN IT UP

I have been wanting to try a pin up makeup/hair look for quite a while so I was more than thrilled on Wednesday night when my best friend came over as this was a perfect opportunity to experiment. Beth and I are both really interested in makeup and when boredom hits, we normally decide to do each other's makeup. Once, on New Year's eve, we decided at ten o'clock at night to do each other's makeup just because we were sick of waiting for the countdown! I love doing Beth's makeup because her skin is just so flawless and smooth. She has long dark hair which is amazing to experiment with, so naturally I seize the opportunity to take advantage of her amazing features and she becomes my guinea pig.

I was so happy with this look when I'd finished it and it meant that we just had to have a impromptu photoshoot in my garage (vinyls included)

ON THE FACE: Soap and Glory's Archery Brow Tint and Pencil in Brownie Points, Nooner eyeshadow by Urban Decay, Blanc Type eyeshadow by MAC, Studio Fix Fluid in NC15, Coppertone blush by MAC, Red lipstick from Avon.

Pin-up makeup is so simple, it mainly consists of a strong red lip with a nice crease cut or a pale eye. I used Mac's Blanc Type eyeshadow, which has a cosy home in Beth's makeup bag, as a base for the eyes and then blended 'Nooner' from Urban Decay's wonderful Naked 3 palette into the crease. This resulted in a nice nude eye. I then preceded to use my much loved Magic Liner from Topshop to create a winged eyeliner look which really completed the eye makeup. For the red lips I used a lipstick from Avon which I got for christmas as part of a set. 

The hairstyle was my favourite part of this look. To get this curly up do I simply curled Beth's hair towards her face and twisted it into one big curl. I curled all of her hair individually in the same direction to make one big ringlet style curl on each side of her head. The versatility of Beth's hair made this so easy to create. When I had created the two big ringlets, I twisted them to the back of her head and used bobby pins to secure them. The actual look turned out a lot messier than I had hoped but I think this gave a nice twist to the look (excuse the pun). To give the hair a bit of a 1950s vibe, I created a quiff on each side of her parting which made it quite edgy.

AN UPDATE

Lately I haven't been blogging as frequently as I'd like to because of exams, thankfully I've got the majority out of the way.. such as two out of three of my dreaded History exams and both my English Literature exams (thank GOD that I never have to look at Of Mice and Men or The Crucible ever again!) I am so glad that I only have a few left so I can get back into blogging as regularly as usual.

As well as starting my exams, my final day of secondary school also came at the beginning of May. The day was filled with laughter and a few tears as the realisation of growing up sank in to many of our minds and the affirmation that exams were starting three days later hit me too! I am so grateful for all the friends I have made since starting secondary school five years ago and I still remember my first day. Looking back at how much my life has changed since I was a overly tall eleven year old in a blazer that was far too big for me compared to now, being a averagely tall sixteen year old with a blazer that is now far too short on my arms, I honestly can't believe how many things are different.

BRING THE BLING

My mam had a clear out of her wardrobe and I was therefore obligated to have a rummage through some of her hand me downs, so I picked up a stripy top she bought ages ago and it's now mine! I love french fashion and stripes just scream 'parisian'. She got it from a charity shop a couple of years ago but I think it's originally from Marks and Spencer. Even though my mam gets really good bargains in charity shops, when she drags me in them it bores me to tears!

The top looks a bit boring when you wear it by itself so to jazz it up a bit I styled it with a necklace I bought last year from Republic. I like the colour as I am a massive fan of rose gold. I love how simple it is to completely change an outfit just with an accessory! I really like statement necklaces, especially when they're styled with something simple and everyday.

SOAP AND GLORY'S ARCHERY

I have recently become a bit sick of my natural eyebrows and have began a personal eyebrow revolution. My eyebrows used to be really thick when I was younger but after many waxing sessions they have lost their natural thickness and shape.  I have always longed for thinner eyebrows and now they're a little bit thinner I am totally bored of them.

I have found a miracle product that makes my eyebrows look 'presentable' and is so easy to use. I'd like to introduce to you all Soap and Glory's It's no secret that I love Soap and Glory. I've never tried their beauty products before trying this product, only their skincare/bath range, but I was pleasantly surprised. I bought the colour 'Brownie Points' and it is a really good match. There isn't a massive colour range though which is a negative thing about this amazing product as there's only two shades available, one for blondes and one for brunettes. I really like how easy it is to apply, you run the brow tint through your brows with a few strokes with the felt tip applicator and then you switch ends and apply the eyebrow pencil to shape up the brows. It takes about two minutes and then you're good to go.

The photo below is what 'Archery' in Brownie Points looks like on my eyebrows. This picture was taken after I had been to school and I had worn my makeup for about 8 hours. The staying power of Archery is quite good but I think it could be improved as my eyebrows don't look as good at the end of the day as they do at the start.

I am so glad that I've found a decent product that actually does my eyebrows justice and is so easy to use! I absolutely love Soap and Glory.

                         Do you fill your eyebrows in or do you just leave them au natural?