Real Techniques, Stila, theBalm, bareMinerals . . .

I love Feel Unique because of the range of brands they stock, from drugstore to high end. They also offer free worldwide shipping on all orders over £10 and that definitely is never hard to spend! Therefore when I get an email announcing there's now a sale on, temptation goes into overload and I spend the rest of the day trawling through what's on offer. Here's some of my favourites:

Real Techniques Brushes

There's a surprising amount of Real Techniques products in the sale, from sets to individual brushes. I currently own the core collection set (reduced from £20.99 to £16.79) so I'm now after the eye starter set (again £20.99 reduced to £16.79). Let's be honest, you can never have too many makeup brushes, especially when the more you have, the less often you have to wash them!

theBalm Mary Lou Manizer

I've seen this floating about a lot lately, both on blogs and in YouTube videos, and now it's £12.80 instead of £16 it's definitely very tempting. It can be used either on the eyes, cheeks, or all over if you really want a glow and from what I've seen gives a very subtle yet pretty finish. 

bareMinerals Cream Eyeshadow

This is a fairly new release from bareMinerals claiming to prime, brighten, smooth and sun protect as well as adding colour. The tones are all very neutral so would be perfect for a super quick every day makeup or for travel since you wouldn't have to faff around with brushes. It's currently £12.75 for certain shades instead of £17.

Stila Eyeshadow Trio

Saving the best till last, this limited edition product really is adorable and I've been wanting it ever since I laid eyes on its beautiful packaging. Aside from this, it also looks a very practical product containing 3 complimentary shades without taking up unnecessary space so again would be ideal for travelling. They have 2 other variations available, both of which are cooler toned but only 2 of the three options are reduced to £13.50 from £18.

What products are you lusting over at the moment?

Lara xo

How I Clean my Makeup Brushes

The task we all hate . . . 

Everyone despises it when the time comes and your brushes are looking a little grubbier than they should, but in the interests of hygiene, it's something that needs to be done. In a quest to find something that would make brush cleaning a little more entertaining, I stumbled across Sigma's 'Spa Brush Cleaning Glove' which promised to be a quick, easy and effective method. However, at $35 and being a brand hard to get in the UK I began to search elsewhere. Of course I turned to eBay, the glorious home of cheap alternatives, where I found a Silicone Oven Glove with the same textured surface and costing only £1.99 plus 99p for postage. I decided there was nothing to lose.

Along with the glove I use a basic shampoo. This is an Alberto Balsam Shampoo which can be picked up for 99p here . I start by laying out my brushes on the toilet lid (classy, I know), putting them in the groups I plan to wash them in, so faces brushes, eye brushes, smaller brushes etc.

I take about 4 brushes at a time and damp them all under a running hot tap. I then squeeze some shampoo onto the glove and individually swirl them in it, rinsing and repeating until the shampoo remains white. The glove is excellent as not only does it stop you burning your hand when the tap starts running too hot and prevent your hands from drying out with all the water and scrubbing, but the lumps and bumps on it really getting into the bristles providing a deep clean with minimal effort.

 The Sigma version has a specific grooved  'shaping' section between the thumb and fingers, however I settle for just using that area to squeeze out any excess water so my brushes dry quicker and then just shape with my fingers.

For drying, I like to lie my brushes flat so that water doesn't seep into the section where the bristle are attached. I use just ice cream tubs lids with a piece of kitchen roll in each. I normally let them air dry, but if you're in a rush I recommend either using a hairdryer or placing them in the airing cupboard.

Overall, I love this cleaning glove and for the price is it definitely not one to miss. It even adds a bit of novelty into an otherwise extremely tedious task!
Lara xo