Money Well Spent: MAC Chromagraphic pencil NW25/NC30

Hi everyone

Today I wanted to share my thoughts on the MAC Chromagraphic pencil in NW25/NC30 with you all. The reason being I’m really loving it and reaching for it frequently in my daily routine. The pencil is a skin-tone colour which can be used anywhere on the face. It is quite a hard pencil, which made me initially think it would drag and be difficult to work with, but the colour transfers well, and it is easy to apply.

I love it for putting on the waterline to take away redness and brighten the eyes; a skin tone colour is much more natural then using a white on the waterline. I also like using it around the lips to outline if i'm using lipstick as it makes the colour look a lot neater as well as taking away any darkness or pigmentation around the mouth. Another way it works is as a base on the lips before lipstick to give a truer colour and helps the lipstick last longer. I have tried it as a base on the eyes too and it gives a nice even colour to work onto as well as helping the eye shadow colour to go on more pigmented.

 I love products that can be used in multiple ways as they are handy and you always feel that its money well spent when you reach for something everyday. Another reason I like the pencil is that because it is so small you can apply a small amount and be precise, for example when outlining the mouth, or you can apply more when using it as a base.

The pencil costs £13 but is only available at MAC Pro stores or on the MAC Pro website. It also comes in a lighter colour for paler skin tones and a darker colour suitable for darker skin tones. If you are thinking about getting it id say go for it, I have nothing negative to say!

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One size doesn't fit all: Contouring

Hi everyone

Just to clarify before you all think that all I do is write about  contouring, its definitely not I have a lot to say about many things but my last post sparked up some things I wanted to mention on the subject, i'll try and be snappy.

Contouring is a great tool and technique which when done well can really enhance features and parts of the face. However, it’s not universal in the way it should be used. Yes there are parts of the face whereby the use of contouring will flatter many different  face shapes, for example, under the cheekbone, jaw line and temples but this does not mean you can follow the same steps for everyone. Instead of following a guide, to get the most out of your contouring, really look and respond to the face you are working on. Aim to bring out the parts on the face which will flatter that particular individual.

The so-called ideal face shape and, the one which is most desired is oval, so a good tip is to look at the face you are working on and decide which parts need to be skimmed to make that particular face look more oval in shape, which, in turn should give you a guide of where you need to contour. For contouring cheekbones try keeping the contour line off the cheek area as this will look more natural. One other tip, use a cream for a softer contour or if you want more definition try using a powder.

I feel like getting habitual with a technique such as this (moreso as an MUA not so much on yourself) means it ends up sloppy and imprecise, it’s all about getting the best out of what you have and is not a one size fits all!

Hope these are some helpful tips I’ll stop myself now as I could go on forever.

Shabs

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Real Techniques Contour Brush Review: So much more than a contour brush!

Hi everyone,
I had the urge to do a review on this brush because I love it so so much and am stunned by how amazing it works. The brush comes in the ‘core collection’ in a set of four made by the well-known You Tuber Samantha Chapman from Pixiwoo. The reason I actually bought the set was for the increasingly popular buffing brush (which I will be reviewing separately) so it took me a bit of time to try this one when putting on my makeup as it was not the reason I bought the set.

 I don't contour on a regular basis, which is what this brush has been labelled to do (but of course, you can use any brush for any use). Whenever I have tried to contour I never really get a precise enough placement of colour and you may laugh, but I have quite a small face, so I really don’t like big or normal sized face brushes to contour. Aside from this, I am too lazy to do it on a regular basis as it adds another step to my routine.

After using the buffing brush a couple of times I looked to begin trying the other brushes in the set and picked up the contour brush. I thought I would give contouring a go that day, as I wanted to see how the brush worked. Just like the buffing brush, the contouring brush was extremely soft and nice to touch. I put quite a lot of product on the brush (I must have been going for a heavy contour) and used it just under my cheekbone and the colour went on so effortlessly and blended out within seconds almost as if I didn’t even do anything. The brush did all the work for me, something as an MUA I will always look for as it makes my job easier. I then realised I really didn’t want to put the brush down and added a cream highlight with it which worked just as well. Furthermore, I picked up my blusher and used a small amount of that with the brush too. I then ended up with a dirty brush.

This is an amazing brush as it is so precise due to its size and shape. It blends the colour as you apply it and even if I’m being heavy handed with picking up the product it never leaves me with a stripe of colour. It is extremely multi-use as it works with powder, cream, highlight, contour and blusher, (the reason I want another 10 of them!) and I have yet to keep using it as I’m sure the list goes on. Due to the hairs being synthetic the brush(es)  are not limited to either cream or powder giving you an endless amount of freedom in the textures you can use it with, I haven’t had the brush for very long but as I said I don’t want to put it down.

Coming onto the topic of price, it is in my opinion a steal at £21.99 for the set of four, and if we were to divide it evenly that would mean it works out at around £5.50 per brush, which is crazy. It does not come alone as far as I’m aware so you would need to buy it with the others but that’s not really a negative for me. I’d recommend you all get yourselves one it will be glued to your hand if you’re anything like me.

Let me know your thoughts!
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Available at Boots: http://www.boots.com/en/Real-Techniques-Core-Collection-1403_1252038/