My top 4 make up brushes product review

I celebrated my 25th birthday recently and received a fair few presents to commend my ripe old age. Amongst the presents I received what has since become my favourite foundation brush ever which has since inspired me to write a piece about my favourite make up brushes. If you are a regular reader of The Beauty Blog, you will know that I rarely splurge on make up and prefer to buy high street or online rather than designer brands. This is also true for make up brushes but it does not make them any less suitable than their more expensive counterparts. So without further ado I give you my favourite beauty brushes.

I have a somewhat large collection at home of new foundation brushes still fresh within their packaging. I almost always receive make up brushes as stocking fillers and clearly it has now followed suit on my birthdays. To add to my ever growing collection of make up brushes I received a beautiful one by so eco from Tesco surprisingly. It has fast become my favourite foundation brush, made from wood and synthetic hair, it is a real treat on the eyes. The so eco foundation brush is light and evenly weighted so it even feels feather light in your hands. I especially liked the ergonomic grooves on the brush for the thumb and forefinger to rest easily. The brush head is as soft as a dog's ear (if you can imagine how soft that is) and it works evenly to spread the foundation across the face. I really like this foundation brush as not only is it a perfect accompaniment to my make up bag, but it looks aesthetically pleasing with the light wood and rose gold finish. The so eco foundation brush has an array of credentials to add to its' name. The so eco foundation brush is cruelty free, hand cut and trimmed and vegan friendly. At a mere £5 this was an absolute bargain and I love it!

Next up is the angular rose gold brush that I received many moons ago in a long forgotten Glossybox. When I first reviewed the Luxie 504 Large Angled Pink blusher brush, I was not immediately impressed with the size of the brush head (the original review can be read here). Now however, I absolutely love the Luxie 504 Large Angled Pink blusher brush and it has since replaced my usual Angled blusher brush by AVON. I love the baby pink colour of the Luxie 504 Large Angled Pink blusher brush as well as the softness of the brush head. I really like angled blusher brushes as the shape stops you from overloading the brush with too much product. In my experience however, angled brushes do make it more difficult to tap off excess product. If however, you simply place the blusher brusher into the product rather than dabbing the blusher brush (as is often easier with flat or round head brushes) this limits the amount of excess product. The Luxie 504 Large Angled Pink blusher brush allows me to sweep my St. Moriz bronzer across my cheekbones and help to define them even more. I am so glad angled brushes have made their mark and they are definitely here to stay for me! 

I hardly ever use eyeshadow brushes, but when I do, I like to use either my eyeshading brush by look fantastic feel better or the eyeshadow brush by marsk, (which of course I have previously reviewed). The eyeshading brush by look fantastic feel better is long and thin which makes it really easy to apply powdery eyeshadows. The eyeshading brush looks and feels like a paintbrush and it is because of this design that encourages a more tapered finish.The head of the eyeshading brush is splayed out to allow a fuller coverage on the eyelid. I really like the eyeshading brush as it is both light and soft which makes applications even easier.

Last but not least is the eyeshadow brush by marsk which is shorter in length and fatter than the eyeshading brush. That said however, the marsk brush is not difficult to use as a result of its' size and is quite pleasant to use. The head is soft and fat so you can really load up on product if you wanted to! I like the bamboo finish of the eyeshadow brush as it gives it a more natural luck.

I'd love to know your thoughts and what your favourite make up brushes are, let me know in the comments below! P.S. I have a 5th favourite make up brush which I'll update the post once I've taken a picture! xx

March Glossybox product review

I've been quite lax in updating my Glossyboxes allowing the months' to build up again. I honestly think it's because I'm just not excited by the range of products in the Glossyboxes. As March's box proved it's very much the same as what we usually get with a few new treats being the exception. March's box included yet another light diffuser (or blusher) by So Susan, an angled blusher brush by Luxie, yet another facial serum this time by Hey Honey, another facial moisturiser this time by OLAY and the exception this month being sample size bottles of shampoo and conditioner by -417. Not particularly exciting but that's not to say I don't like the products it's just they're all a bit samey and don't really offer anything different. Having said that out of the six products in March's Glossybox I loved four of them and they have permanent residence in my make up bag.

I've used Essentials Complete Care SPF30 Day Lotion for Normal/Dry/Combination Skin by OLAY for years and I love it! Needless to say I was excited by the OLAY Regenerist Luminous Skin Tone Perfecting Cream that came in March's Glossybox. The full size retails at £29.99 and we were instead provided with a small sample sized bottle. I don't have any age spots or dark patches on my skin, I do have scars from picking spots but that's about the only noticeable discolouration on my face. The write up for the product suggests that the OLAY Regenerist Luminous Skin Tone Perfecting Cream hydrates, exfoliates and smoothes skin leaving a glowing complexion. I used the OLAY Regenerist Luminous Skin Tone Perfecting Cream as a primer under my make up and my skin had a noticeable sheen to it after using this product. I only apply a little bit to my face and work it into the skin which does wonders to the skin. I really like the OLAY Regenerist Luminous Skin Tone Perfecting Cream and it didn't disappoint to what other OLAY products are like. The OLAY Regenerist Luminous Skin Tone Perfecting Cream is a definite keeper for me.

Next up is the Hey Honey Good Morning Honey Silk Facial Serum which retails at a whopping £28.81 for a full-sized bottle. I was surprised to find that when I applied the Hey Honey Good Morning Honey Silk Facial Serum to my finger it was bright yellow! The white and pink bottle is slightly misleading for the canary yellow colour that comes out of the tube. Once blended into the skin it becomes absorbed by the skin so the colour is irrelevant. Of course as it's made with bee honey I really shouldn't have been so surprised by the colour. I love the Hey Honey Good Morning Honey Silk Facial Serum and although I found it a little greasy when I first started using it, my skin has never looked better. At first it did feel a bit odd on my face but I've had similar reactions from other products that contain bee venom or honey so maybe there's a theme here. Like the OLAY Regenerist Luminous Skin Tone Perfecting Cream you only need a small amount of the Hey Honey Good Morning Honey Silk Facial Serum. I usually apply the OLAY Regenerist Luminous Skin Tone Perfecting Cream first and then follow it up with Hey Honey Good Morning Honey Silk Facial Serum and when used in conjunction both serve well as primers. My skin has a noticeable glow to it now and my make up stays put all day long. Two products that I would definitely think about re-purchasing if the price ever comes down!

The Light Diffuser by So Susan is essentially a blusher duo and provides a nice golden sheen to the cheeks. I actually didn't use the Light Diffuser by So Susan properly, you're supposed to sweep the darker shade under your jawline and down the side of the nose. The lighter segment is then used to highlight the bridge of the nose and atop the cheekbones. I on the other hand swept the Luxie Rose Gold Large Angled Face Brush 504 over both shades in the Light Diffuser by So Susan and dragged the mixed colour up and over my cheekbones. Blended together the Light Diffuser by So Susan provides a subtle golden glow to the face which I really liked. The colour is not too obvious and is quite subtle on the face. I love the soft touch of the Luxie Rose Gold Large Angled Face Brush 504 on my face although I personally think the head is a little too small. I loved the pink colour of the Luxie Rose Gold Large Angled Face Brush 504 and the handy mirrored compartment in the Light Diffuser by So Susan. Although I think both products were a little on the small side, I did however enjoy using them.

Lastly I tried the -417 Catharsis Vitamin Mineral shampoo and conditioner which retails at £16.89 per bottle for a full sized version. The write up for -417 Catharsis Vitamin Mineral shampoo and conditioner sounds promising. Supposedly the shampoo and conditioner is packed with Dead Sea moisture balancing minerals which energises the hair leaving it gleaming and hydrated. All fine and a credible description until you hover over the word Catharsis in the title. Not to be a dick and get all literary on you but I don't actually understand how a shampoo can offer catharsis, a state which provides emotional relief so I'm not sure how shampoo and conditioner can provide this state. That said I didn't feel enlightened or relieved after using the -417 Catharsis Vitamin Mineral shampoo and conditioner. My hair felt dry and heavy and applying a generous amount of both to my hair. I had high hopes for this product but unfortunately I was disappointed with the end result. The small sample size bottles are perfect for travelling for a few days but -417 Catharsis Vitamin Mineral shampoo and conditioner won't replace my usual Pantene Pro V Repair and Protect shampoo.

Overall I really enjoyed using March's products and I know I mentioned that they were the same type of products that we usually get, but I have found some new favourites which will be added to my make up bag.

Let me know what you thought of March's Glossybox in the comments below xx.