The Monthly Roundup || February 2014

My recent buying habits have been quite slow and I have to say that I'll be like this for the next couple of months. I'm saving my pennies for when it go to Europe in July (I've already got a shopping list!). So I only brought a grand total of 5 cosmetics this month. And yes, I'm am feeling myself.

February Favourites:

The product which wins the most loved product this month is the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo, something which is helping clear out my skin. It's totally cleared up my forehead, I've got no need to wear foundation there anymore. It's still early days so I'm waiting for it to clear up my cheeks and chin area too. I use this as my morning serum, to prevent any makeup causing blemishes during the day.

Something I've come to love this month is the Real Techniques Duo Fibre Face Brush. I think I've mentioned this before, but it's become invaluable for applying my mineral foundation. It buffs the product in to the skin flawlessly, leaving my skin looking natural and uniform. It also a dream to apply translucent powder with, and because it's quite thin, it works wonderfully with powder highlighter.

I've had some nail polish loves also this month, the Barry M nail paint in Mint Green and the Napoleon Perdis nail polish in White Swan. The Barry M is cheap and cheerful, for $5 the colour is decent, it took me three coats to achieve a level of opaqueness which I was happy with.  I got the Napoleon Perdis with their Valentine’s Day set, and I doubt you can buy it separate. The finish of this nail polish is lovely, super shiny and opaque. Someone asked me if it was shellac, that's the sort of finish this nail polish has. It's lasted me four nights and there's a little bit of chipping, nothing to major (it would be a lot better if my job didn't consist of finger painting and chopping up fruit).

This month in blog posts:

I'm glad to tell you that I wrote quite consistently this month. I started my new feature called The Craft Post, and I featured my Patchwork Lace Curtain. I hope you’re all interested in hearing about my crafty projects I whip up. Next I brought you my first “Empties” post. I reviewed my Real Techniques Brushes and my favourite shampoo and conditioner in Feb. I also wrote quite a detailed post about those products which I just love and can always count on to perform. The body skincare bits also got a mention this month, particularly because it’s one of my New Year’s resolutions to look after it a bit more. You got to see the makeup which I applied daily in summer. And lucky you, you got a peek inside my handbag.

Hope you all had a great February!

X Suzy  

The Review || Real Techniques Brushes

With a bit of my Christmas money, I picked up some of the Real Techniques Brushes. Extremely hyped up in the beauty blogging world, yet they laid untouched to me in the isles of Priceline. I grabbed the Setting brush, the Stippling brush and the Duo-Fibre limited edition collection containing the Duo-Fibre face brush, contour and eye brushes. On the whole I love them, the quality is so much better than the other brushes I've tried.

My favourite brush of the bunch is the Setting Brush. Although its intended use is for precision powdering, I like to use it for concealer, particularly under the eyes and around the nose. It does a fantastic job at blending out my MAC Studio Finish concealer to give a very natural yet flawless finish. It also comes in handy when applying mineral foundation around the nose and under the eyes.

The Duo-Fibre face brush is also very good, I've been using it for both translucent powder and mineral foundation. When used for translucent powder it deposits the perfect amount, nothing over cakey or chalky. With mineral foundation, it's a dream to use. This gives my skin such a flawless look, a concealed and even skin tone which looks natural.

The stippling brush is also very good at doing its job of blending out liquid foundations. I'm having a moment with my BareMinerals Foundation Powder, so this brush hasn't had as much use as you would expect. The finish however is just as I would hope, proving medium coverage with a BB Cream or a Tinted Moisturiser.

The Duo Fibre Eye Brush and the Duo Fibre Contour brush are the least used in my collection, mostly because I'm not an everyday wearer of eyeshadow or contour. However, these brushes do their job, blending out eyeshadow and contour nicely. I'm also known to use the contour brush for blush and it does a decent job at that.

It is no question, I love these brushes. The outstanding quality of these brushes apply the product so well, creating flawless makeup. I only have one minor problem: they have a "free standing base" which means that they can stand up on their own, but they can't all fit inside my brush holders. I think I can handle that though. Although I'm pretty well sorted with brushes for a while now, I've got my eye on the fine liner brush which will no doubt make its way into my collection shortly.

Have you tried any of these brushes?

X Suzy

The Weekend Pamper || Christmas Wishlist

I'm not one for asking for cosmetics for Christmas. Usually, I get a bit of cash to buy all the things I want. First up, is this set from Jurlique. I use all the products in it, and it's currently on sale for $160. Can we say bargain? Its got the beloved Herbal Recovery Advanced Serum in its large size, which retails for $160. Sorry what? So essentially, you get both the Herbal Recovery Night Cream and the Herbal Recovery Eye cream for free. Take a moment for that to all sink in.

The YSL Glossy Stains are a love of mine and I plan on picking up number 107, Naughty Mauve from the Rebel Nudes collection. A neutral lip product is severely lacking in my collection, this looks divine. A neutral lip with purple shimmer running through it does sound a little on the scary side however but I'm keen to give it a try! 

Finally my brush collection is a bit dismal. I would really love to pick up some more brushes from Real Techniques, I haven't tried any yet, can you believe it? If the Duo-Fibre Limited Edition is still around in my local Priceline, it's going straight into my basket. If it is out of stock however, I will grab the Expert Face Brush and the Powder Brush. I'm also lusting after the Stippling Brush, the one I am currently using is HUGE. As in too big for my face huge. 

Finally on my wish list is a pair of the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers. I am an everyday eyelash curler kind of gal, and so this is a necessity (not really) for me to pick up. However, I'm having difficulty deciding whether I should go for the new S-Curlers or the original version...