xoBeauty Makeup Brushes

Any beauty guru/makeup artist worth their salt, knows the value of having great brushes at their disposal. Makeup applies better and looks better when you have the proper tools to hand. These  xoBeauty brushes are no exception. These brushes are made by my all time favourite YouTube beauty guru, Shannon Harris (shaaanxo on YouTube) and in my opinion surpass even Sigma brushes for me (sorry Sigma..) 

I purchased five brushes all together, the 4 piece synthetic face brush set and the cutest little kabuki brush! I purchased the set of face brushes as I was looking to add some new ones to my kit and these have definitely made the cut. It includes a flat/round/tapered/angled top brush. I used them on three clients going to a wedding, and the foundation just applied like a dream! My favourite is the angled one, it leaves foundation looking flawless and beautifully applied.

The little kabuki is no exception either. This little guy applies powder in a nice thin layer and would be great for those who love powder foundations. None of these brushes have shed at all which is fab as that is a huge pet peeve of mine! Another plus is the price! The face brush set is $80 NZ which is roughly about €50, and the little kabuki is only about €14. Shipping is a flat $10 internationally (€6). Considering this is a relatively small company, the prices are amazing! A complete 10/10 Shannon! I cannot wait to buy more of these fab brushes! I also need to check out the lashes too. ;)

My Top Picks for Spring - Lipcolours

Spring is here! And so is my love for all things pink. This time its showing up in my lip products. 

L-R NYX Peaches and cream, Lime Crime Geradium and Centrifuchsia, YSL Lingerie Pink, L'oreal Caress in 01, Lime Crime Velvetines in Red Velvet

Having a paler skin tone means that most pink colours will work for me, with the exception of the very pale pinks which make me look sick. My favourite pink is a hot pink as I feel it gives my skin the most life. A hot pink lip to me, is like a red lip to others. Although I am partial to a red lip on occasion. My most recent hot pink lip purchase is from Lime Crime and it is called Centrifuschia. This colour is not for the faint hearted. It is a glossy and gorgeous bright pink and goes on like a dream. 

I also picked up a second Lime Crime lipstick, and it too has made the cut this spring. This time it is a coral pink, perfect for spring and summer. Again the formula is the same as Centrifuschia, a gorgeous glossy finish. Both colours work on pale skins but would also look amazing on someone with a tan. Next up is a more affordable product, from NYX. In the past few months I have become a huge fan of NYX products, picking up a few new bits whenever I am shopping online. One of those purchases was one of their butter glosses. These glosses are fab! Pigmented and they have a great colour selection. My favourite of the three I picked up is Peaches and Cream, and yes it is as yummy as it sounds.

The next lipstick speaks for itself. How gorgeous is the packaging?! This is one of those colours that is verging on the very pale pink for me, but it works. The formula is creamy and the colour range is also to die for! Yay for us, not so much for our bank balances..  Next is the sheerest one in the bunch but a favourite none the less. This lipstick/balm is one of those products you can just chuck in your bag and throw on without any fuss. Its a lovely light sheer pink that leaves your lips feeling moisturised and lovely. Whats not to love? 

Lastly is probably my favourite, especially for those days when you want to look a little more glam and put together. Its Lime Crimes Velvetine gloss in Red Velvet. Its a gorgeous true red colour and would work great on many skin tones. These glosses go on shiny but dry to a matte/velvety finish, as the name would suggest. They are super long wearing and do tend to stain but that's a minor issue when you see how amazing they are!

So there you have it, my top picks for Spring 2014. :) I hope you enjoyed this post. Thanks guys :)

What are your top lip products this spring?

Triple Threat.

I am definitely one of those people that is completely drawn in by colour, it doesn't matter what it is, if its bright I will buy it. Hence my purchase of the Sigma Creme De Couture Palette. When will I ever be able to pull off yellow eye shadow? Never I'm sure! But I had to get my hands on it nonetheless. The same goes for these gorgeous Sleek blush by 3 palettes. The colour's are so gorgeous that I had to buy four of them! What can I say? I cant help myself! 

These palettes are rich in pigment and have colour's to rival any top beauty brand. Whats not to love about that? The first one I picked up was from the Candy Collection aptly named Sweet Cheeks and is perhaps my most favourite of all four palettes. It consist of one cream blush and two powder blushes as do most of the palettes apart from 

Sweet Cheeks: L-R Cupcake, Dollymix, CandyFloss

Lace: L-R Chantilly, Guipure, Crochet

Pink Lemonade: L-R Pink Mint, Macaroon, Icing Sugar

Californ.I.A: L-R OC, The Surf, Newport Peach

As you can see from the swatches above the pigmentation in these blushers are amazing! For such an affordable product, this is great to see! I purchased my palettes off of the Sleek website where they are currently priced at €12.99 with 8 shades available. Eh hello? Why are you still reading this? Get buying!