Gem's November Favourites!

Cannot believe it is the start of December, mine and probably most people's favourite time of year!


However, I am here to talk about last months beauty offerings that I could not keep out of my make-up bag, shower, hand-bag... you get the idea :)

First off is a bit of a splurge item

It is the Jouer Matte Moisture Tint. I purchased this off www.cultbeauty.co.uk. It was 30 pound which is equal to about 36 euro, you do get 50 ml of product though which is a pretty decent size. This product is oil free which is perfect for my oily skin and also has an SPF of 15. It has nearly a gel like consistency. It has a decent amount of coverage for a tinted moisturiser and goes on smoothly with hands or a brush, depending on how much time you have. I find it stays on my skin well (with powder) throughout the day. I purchased the shade linen. My shade in MAC would be NC20.

My next fave is the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer.
                                                 
I feel I am late to the party on this one, as I know many people have tried and loved this product. I bought it on a whim on my lunch break in the local chemist (6.99 euro) and it can be found in most chemists and Boots. It has a doe foot applicator, which isn't my favourite way to use it from a cleanliness point of view, I usually decant onto the back of my hand and use a brush to apply it. I love using this under my eyes. I find it creamy and very easy to blend and does a good job of covering my lovely bags of a morning. I use the shade 010 Ivory.
   
The Real Techniques Expert Face Brush is another one of my favourites this month.

 This brush is great when you are in a rush (which I always am). I use it for primer, base and concealer. It's big enough to get your base done quickly but small enough to blend concealer under your eyes and anywhere else you might need it. It is a dense brush too so it doesn't swallow up all the product. I think I might have to buy a back up. It retails in Boots for approx 13 Euro.


As the festive season is fast approaching I had to add in my favourite red lipstick of the moment, however it doesn't have to be Christmas to rock a red lip :)

I was a complete sucker and bought RiRi Woo in the rose gold packaging (22 Euro) from www.brownthomas.com It is a a beautiful matt red that's not too drying on the lips if you give them a good scrub and a good coat of lip balm before hand. It makes your teeth looks whiter which is an added bonus! It can be used straight from the bullet for a full on red lip or if you want a toned down effect apply a small amount to your lips and rub in with your finger for a more diffused but still beautiful look.

Something that I cannot keep out of my shower at the minute:

 The Nivea In Shower Body Moisturiser.
Here is a full review of this product if you want to check it out on our blog.
You can get this in most chemists and supermarkets and if you're lucky Boots  have it on special alot, for about 4 Euro It usually retails for about 6 Euro for the large size!
I have oily skin. I am in my late 20's and still get zits on my face, like a 16 year old. My body however gives me mixed messages, some of it wants to be oily, some of it likes to be dry. The Nivea In Shower Moisturiser helps my bipolar skin. You use on wet skin in the shower after washing and all that good stuff. You lather it on,wash it off and then dry as normal. I then use normal moisturiser on the parts of my body that need it more!

Finally, these have been a fave of mine this month (since I only bought them this month :) )

                                                                             
They are House of Harlow Sunburst Button Earrings. I bought mine from www.shopbop.com. They cost me around 25 Euro with tax and shipping which I thought was pretty reasonable.They are a medium disc earrings designed by Nicole Richie (daughter of Lionel), with faux leather inside the sunburst. I've had my eye on them ever since I saw Heart from http://www.youtube.com/user/ThatsHeart on Youtube rocking them.They are really good quality, can be worn casually but for me I think they will be kept for special occasions.

So these are some of my loves from the month gone by. Hopefully you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

Thanks and enjoy all of the Christmas build up :)

Gemma
 xxx                                                                                                                                                                           

REVIEW: Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (Cool Stocking Filler)

We are really big fans of the Pixiwoo ladies and Samantha Chapman's Real Technique brushes are staples in our brush collection. So when the Miracle Complexion Sponge was launched we knew we had to give it a go. This sponge is not like the old fashioned sponges your granny once used, but instead it is a nifty little tool that allows you to create a full coverage and flawless base in a matter of minutes. 

The beauty blender took the world by storm and we both had mixed reviews on it (Anita liked it but Gemma found her makeup didn't last as long after using it and this seemed to be down to the fact that wetting it didn't agree with her oily skin type). All that aside if you liked the beauty blender and found it worked for you or if you haven't tried it but have wanted to then we think this is just as good, or dare we say it, better and more importantly it is a quarter of the price. 

This is similar to the beauty blender but the reason we prefer it is because it has three different sides which can be used for all different areas of the face aswell as to create different finishes.

Real Techniques Complexion Perfection Sponge

Each time before use you must wet the sponge under warm water and squeeze it several times and the sponge will expand . So if like Gemma this causes you problems then this product may not be a good option for you. 

Rounded side- Great for covering large areas and blending

Flat side of the sponge. Great for achieving a full coverage

• The round side can be used to cover larger areas of the face. If you apply your foundation to the back of your hand, pick up some of the product with the sponge and rub it on to your face then it creates a light coverage. If you are a fan of cream blush the rounded side is great for applying this. 
• For a fuller coverage we like to use the flat side and dab it onto the skin. You can do this only in the areas where you need fuller coverage and use the rounded side on the areas which need less. On the real techniques website it suggests using the round side in a stippling motion to achieve fuller coverage but we have found that the flat side does a much better job and Samantha Chapman uses it this way in her demo video (see link below)! The flat edge is great for getting in around the hard to reach areas such as the sides of the nose, eyes etc.
• The pointed end is amazing for applying concealer around the eyes, the nose area and concealing smaller areas which need precise and dense coverage. You can use the rounded side to blend the product in after applying it to the desired area. 
• The pointed side is also super for contouring the face. It can be used to add cream bronzer under the cheek bones and on the temples and highlighter under the eye, on the forehead and down the center of the nose.

One of our Idol's Samantha Chapman

Check out this link to see Sam demonstrating how she uses the sponge.

There honestly is nothing bad to say about this product. The material it is made from is super high quality. It does exactly what it is meant to do and it gives you amazing looking skin (if the makeup lasts on you throughout the day is a matter of try and see as it really depends on your skin type) . We have tried this out with all different types of foundation formulas and it works well although avoid using it with powder products if you want our honest opinion because it can cause makeup to cake. 

After Application-Before washing though !!!

Once you are done with this you can use some baby shampoo to rinse it off and start fresh again. As this dries it goes back to the original size.

We also love the fact that it is orange, this means it can't get lost amongst your makeup collection. 

Best of all this beauty will only set you back €5.89 (£4.99)  from Boots and at the moment this is on special at buy one get one half price so there is no reason why you shouldn't give this a go. It would also be a lovely little stocking filler for a special girl in your life.

For anyone new to makeup or for someone that doesn't have time to be using several brushes to create an even base then this is just the tool for you. Its super quick and easy to use and it's as cheap as chips! Everyone should try one of these at least once and this is a great option rather than forking out on the, what we now feel is overpriced, beauty blender. 

Have you tried this sponge before or anything like it? 

Have you used the real techniques brush range before, do you love it as much as we do? 

We would love to hear your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Gem and Anita xxxx