How I Clean My Makeup Brushes, 3 Ways

Hi everyone, for this week's post I thought I'd talk to you through my 3 favourite ways of cleaning my makeup brushes.

The first is the main 'big clean' one that I do.  Now since I only wear makeup and use my brushes about once a week, I tend to only do this method around every 3-4 weeks.

Firstly I take a little bit of shampoo in my hand and mix with a bit of warm water.

Then I just swoosh the brush around in circles in the palm of my hand for a minute

Then I let the warm water run over the brush to rinse it thoroughly, I also rub the ends of the bristles with my fingers under the water, lightly squeezing through to the tips to help get any shampoo out.

Finally after gently squeezing out the water, I dab the brush on a clean dry towel and dry them as best I can.

Usually the brushes take at least 24 hours, sometimes longer to dry (hence why I don't do them every week!)  So what I normally do is take a smaller old towel, roll one end. . .

. . .and then lay my brushes so the handles are up on the roll, this helps air dry them and it helps stop any water getting in the handles at the same time, because if that happens it can loosen the bristles over time, not so great!

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The next method I use is so simple and easy, I just put a little Micellar Water on a cotton pad

Take a dirty brush and just gently rub it with the cotton pad

Then just dab it off with a piece of clean tissue and allow it to dry, easy!

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The third technique was an idea I had after seeing a video by the lovely Goss (gossmakeupartist) on YouTube last year, about an alternative to the Vera Mona Colour Switch brush cleaner sponges, wow mouthful!

These great sponges come in a little tin and basically all you do is rub the brush around the sponge for a few seconds and it takes off all the old makeup!  But, of course there's a price tag and this method doesn't sanitize your brushes, it only cleans off the makeup for when you may want to use the same brush for various eyeshadow shades for instance, and you need the brush clean quickly without having to wash or spray it in between.

So, for my own 'quick clean' technique, I use these black stippling sponges, I got a pack of two for only £1.53 from Amazon and I keep one in a tin for ease of use.

I swirl the brush around the sponge and voila, clean brush!

After a few uses, I turn the sponge over for more uses and then every-so-often I just wash them with shampoo and rinse when I 'big clean' my brushes, to keep them nice and fresh :-)  If you'd like to see this method in action, go and check out this cool video here showing how it's done.

Please tell me below if you like these ideas and let me know in the comments how you like to clean your brushes or any other tips you'd like to share and until next time, Stay Happy ♥

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My Current Beauty Favourites January - March 2015

Hi everyone, for today's post I thought I'd show you a few of the beauty products that I'm currently loving. . .

To start off with, this Perversion mascara from Urban Decay, I got this in with my Naked on the Run palette recently and I find myself using it all the time.  My favourite mascara (as you may remember because I'm always talking about it), is the Seventeen Doll Lash, which I still love very much, it lengthens my lashes really well and still looks great at the end of a long day, BUT, the Perversion mascara seems to thicken my lashes even more and still lasts really well.  I just love how nice my lashes look when I've used it, so it's fast become my new 'go-to' mascara!

No7 Stay Perfect Foundation - I first got this particular brand of foundation last year in the shade Warm Ivory and even though I used it regularly, I was never 100% happy with it.  It always felt quite heavy and I felt the shade was just a little too dark but as I'd had the digital camera test done to match me with my so-called perfect shade, I thought ok well it must be the right one.  However it wasn't until recently when I went to buy my next bottle, that I told the lady at the No7 counter that I wasn't sure if Warm Ivory was the best colour for me and so she re-did the camera test.  Straight away she said, no your perfect shade is Calico, so that's what I got and wow I am SO much happier with it, it really is the perfect shade for my skin and weirdly enough it doesn't seem to feel as heavy either (maybe it's something to do with that shade or just that bottle, who knows!)

Like everyone on the planet these days, I feel like I'm forever searching for that perfect 'my lips but better' shade of lipstick, but I can honestly say since I bought myself this Soap & Glory Lip Lacquer, which I got in the shade 'Charm Offensive', I feel like I may have actually hit the jackpot!  It is the most perfect rosey/vintage pink type shade that I absolutely love.  I always swore-by Rimmel's Apocolips lacquer in Celestial, which is still one of my all-time favs, especially for the longevity of it but it is slightly more on the yellow/orange side of pink rather than a nice soft rose pink like the Charm Offensive.  I also found that Celestial can look a little thick on my lips which puts me off sometimes, but the Charm Offensive always looks really pretty and natural, and as it's also very long lasting, it's quickly become my new 'lipstick love' :-)  It's a little more on the matt side too, so sometimes I wear it with a gloss over the top, sometimes not but it's nice to have the option.

I also picked up this little wonder on recent visit to Boots, the Max Factor Excess Shimmer cream shadow in the shade Copper.  I first heard about this in Essie Button's Current Drugstore Favourites video and I just thought it looked such a pretty shade and a bit lighter and more shimmery than my old faithful Maybelline Color Tattoo in On & On Bronze.  I couldn't wait to swatch it when I got home and I was really happy to see that the pigmentation was really good, the shimmer was really beautiful and it took a bit of getting off too, so I knew it would last well.  I then used it the following week on my birthday night out and I was really happy with how it looked, just with a little black eyeliner and mascara.  If you like eye-shadows that are long lasting, don't crease and have a nice lot of shimmer, then definitely go and have a look at this one.  The other shades available in the range aren't the best in my opinion, they just don't seem very everyday/usable shades, but maybe that's just me!

I know I've mention this before but oh I just love this gloss, the Tanya Burr Aurora lip gloss, it's just so pretty and wearable.  I love using it alone and over the top of other lip sticks or lacquers.  I would love to invest in some of her other shades but I just never know which ones to go for, there's so many!  I also have Afternoon Tea - which is a really pretty summery peach shade, Heart Skipped A Beat – which is lovely and light for those days you just want a very sheer touch of red shimmer and Smile Dream Sparkle – which again I go to very often but more to use over the top of other lip colours as it's quite sheer but quite sparkly too.

I have talked about this Garnier Micellar Water several times in the past and if you would like to read my full review on it, you can do there here.  But I just thought I'd mention it again because it's something that I use every single time I take my makeup off and it never fails to impress me by doing such a great job and so effortlessly (especially on my part).  I don't have to rub my eyes or keep going over and over the same areas to remove the makeup, it just lifts off as easy and anything.  There's no nasty chemicals or strong scents, which is certainly something I don't like and it always leaves my skin feeling beautiful and soft and cleansed.  And I can honestly say, especially since I've been using this product for nearly a year now, that my skin has most definitely improved since I've been using it, it's not as oily and I get far less blemishes than I used to!  So a winner all round :-)

So have you tried any of these items, what do think?  Or let me know in the comments below, what current beauty favourites you're loving right now and . . .

Until Next Time Stay Happy ♥

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Makeup and Fashion Summer Wish List

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a great week!  For todays post I have a little list for you of a few things that I am very much wanting to own at the moment.  There's always little bits here and there that I'm either saving up for or wanting to find but these few things have been at the top of my list for a while now.  So to the list –

1.  Garnier Micellar Water, I've heard so many good things about this stuff and I can't wait to try it out for myself.  I found this one on the Boots website for only £4.99 and as it's a brand I really love, I'm really looking forward to getting it.

2. The Bourjois Effet 3D Lipgloss, again the reviews for this product make it a so very tempting, the swatches I've seen are equally appealing and since my new 'makeup crush' items are lip glosses, I really want to get my hands on one of these!

3. Statement necklaces, I'm not usually a fan of giant necklaces but some of the ones I've seen around lately are so beautiful, I think they look amazing with a plain T'shirt or with a shirt like the one pictured.  I also love this one from Debenhams.

4. I love the look of a pretty floral dress for the summer, I do have a lovely cream dress with red flowers which I love but, well one is never enough really is it :-)  This one is from New Look, I think it's in the sale that's currently on but I've seen lots of other lovely ones too!

5. I am so in love with this style of patent low heel shoes, aren't they just absolutely gorgeous!!  I just love the nude/stone colour too, they go so well with any outfit. These ones are also from New Look.

6. Tanya Burr Lip Glosses, oh how I desperately want to get my hands on these!  I'm a big fan of her YouTube channel and I've heard so many people rave about these.  My favorite shades so far are Chic, Aurora and Smile, Dream, Sparkle.  These shades look so beautiful swatched from what I've seen online and I'm sure I will like some of the other shades too.  Unfortunately my local Superdrug doesn't stock them but I am determined to find them. . . very soon oh yes!

7. Makeup Revolution Redemption palette 3. . . Now I'm a huge fan of the Urban Decay Naked palette but the price mark isn't always the friendliest to my wallet, but this lovely new brand has come out with supposedly an exact dupe for the UD Naked 3 (if you haven't heard already!) And at only £4.00 my wallet is feeling a little happier!

8. Lace or crochet waistcoats, they just shout hippy chic and I just love the way they look.  I wish I knew where this actual one was from (this is a Google image) but I've found quite a few similar ones here and there.

9. I am really into maxi skirts this summer and I've been after a lovely patterned black one just like this.  Sadly even though I've spent far too long searching the net for it, I just can't seem to find this actual one anywhere :-(  But I did find a very nice very similar one at New Look for £17.99

10. Flower Garlands, again so hippy chic and just so cute, I LOVE pink roses and these garland/hair bands add such an adorable look to any summer outfit.  Again New Look comes up trumps with a very pretty one for only £3.99.

What items or products are you desperately wanting at the moment, let's have a good chat about it in the comments :-)

Also just a quick note to add – I have some very exciting posts lined up over the coming weeks for you all, including more reviews, my favourite 'My Lips But Better' selection of lippys, another 'Little Visit To' with some gorgeous photos, a lovely large June/July haul and some exciting news. . . So watch this space!!
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Have a wonderful weekend everyone and stay happy ♥

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