Real Techniques Bold Metals - 300 Tapered Blush Brush

Real Techniques? Rose Gold? Great for contouring?! Yes please.

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be sent this beautiful Real Techniques(*) brush from the recently released Bold Metals collection. 

With the tapered design on both the handle and the bristles, the brush has been designed to apply blusher, bronzer or highlighter in the most practical was possible. For the ins and outs of the brush click here (!). I'm not the girl to go to for the aerodynamics of this brush, but I can tell you how much I like it...

Personally, I love this brush. I love the look, I love how it sits in my hand (and of course on my dressing table!) and I love how it applies whichever product I have chosen to apply. The rose gold handle is complimented by the pinky tint at the top of the brush and the bright white bristles make it very clear how much product you're about to put onto your cheeks. 

I've washed this brush and each time it is cleaned it's as bright white as when I first received it. I haven't noticed any bristles falling out and there's no staining from any product that I've used.

Overall - I bloody love this brush. I want the entire collection and I want it now... so there's that.

If you want to pick up your own tapered blush brush you can get it from Boots here in the UK or from the Ulta website in the US for around £24 / $24.

I was sent this product free of charge. To read my full disclaimer please click here.

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This week's purchases...

I had a little mid-week browse and of course, ended up coming back with a handful of things I most certainly do need thank you very much.
Firstly, Real Techniques are giving us ladies an even better way to apply our eyeliner with this silicone nibbled liner brush. Whether you're into your cat eye or your Cleopatra I've got a feeling this is going to be one of the summer's staple products. £5.99 here (click!)
I stocked up on the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer and thought I'd also give the Maybelline Baby Skin primer a go. I've given it a quick test on the back of my hand and I'm impressed with how well it blurs any imperfections. (concealer here £3.99 and primer here £7.99)
Lastly, the Bleach London Silver Shampoo. It's absolutely my new favourite shampoo - I've been using it up to 3 times a week since last November and I've only just got to the bottom of my 250ml container. Absolutely loving life with this one, especially since it's only £5 per bottle here (click!).

So, after that little ramble I'm off to relax since my Easter holidays have just begun. 17 days with no children needing my help or rhyming my last name with willy. If that doesn't deserve a pink gin and tonic from M&S then I don't know what does!

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Previously Posted Products - Where are they now?

It's often hard to tell if a blogger has kept a lasting relationship with products - the constant influx of must-haves and holy grail items means that sometimes there's a few words and photos about a moisturiser/foundation/eyeliner and then that's it... it disappears off into the archives.
The reality is that it's not the done thing to repeat product reviews unless it's a re-purchase, but again, what do people want to read; re-buys or the newest thing on the market? It's difficult.

I thought I'd give a little bit of love to some products I've reviewed before just to ensure that you all know I really did like them and they still have a permanent spot in my make-up bag!

The Dermalogica Clear Start Welcome Matte Moisturiser (review here, click!) is still very much loved. I use it in the mornings as it provides a great base for make-up. The mattifying element means that once it has sunk in I can just buff or blend my foundation in on top and there's no slipping or sliding about! This exact moisturiser isn't available online but click here to buy the updated version of this product (!).

My HD Brows palette (review here, click!) is something I use pretty much every day - I have lost the slanted brush that came with it which is a bit of a pain but I've got a couple of brushes I can use as replacements. I use one colour strictly for my brows and then there's a darker brown that I occasionally use as a liner on my top lid.
The best bit about this palette is that I have had it since September 2011 and I still haven't hit the pan on my most used shade! That's over 2 years of use... If you're worried about the germyness then I'd like to add that I wash my brushes frequently and haven't experienced any adverse effects from not chucking it out after the recommended 6-12 months of use. Click here to buy (!)

Liz Earle's Signature Foundation (mini review here, click!) is my absolute favourite foundation for a night-out. My daily make-up doesn't require a medium coverage base so I save it for when I want to make more of an effort. It has a relatively matte finish which means I can buff in some blusher and highlighter and I don't look shiny too early on in the night - ideal for me. Click here to buy (!)

The coveted Real Techniques Stippling Brush (mini review here, click!) is definitely still in use in my house! I use it with the Liz Earle foundation and it gives a perfect finish. There's really not much more to say about this except I'm so glad I bought it. Click here to buy (!)

Finally, the Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser (featured here, click!) - when I first tried this it was in the try me kit and since then I've bought at least two more pots! This is pretty much a night cream for me but it's a daily moisturiser and isn't too heavy to be used under make-up. I love how creamy it is and how luxurious it feels as it works its magic. Click here to buy (!)

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Real Techniques Duo Fibre Collection

I bought these brushes about 10 days ago from My Pretty Face Place for the incredible price of £13.59 and I'm so glad I did. I've put off buying them for a while because I couldn't justify the price tag from other retailers - I've seen them range from £20 upwards in high street stores. Although for three brushes that isn't a high price it seems a little steep when I've never experienced duo fibre brushes before.

The packet consists of a face brush, a contouring brush and an eyeshadow brush. They can be used with both cream products and powders, though I've not experimented with creams so I can't really write about them for that.

I've seen a couple of reviews that mention the smell when the packet is first opened but I didn't experience that at all. I've used these brushes for about a 5 days and since they're for face products I'd expect to have noticed if they smelt horrid. They come in a slightly spongy base which smells plasticy (because it's made of plastic.....) but the brushes themselves are stink free.

I love using the face brush for blusher, especially for a shade that's quite pigmented. The bristles of the brush are less dense than the usual Real Techniques brushes so I find that I can use a deeper colour without looking like Bobo the clown. The sparseness of the bristles allows for a light, even application that looks relatively natural.

The contour brush is my least favourite of the three, only because it's quite a small brush and I'm used to much bigger brushes for applying bronzer. However, for highlighter (like MAC's MSF from my last post here (click!) ) it does mean that there can be a concentrated application across my cheekbones, nose and chin with little fallout.

The eye brush is one that I use once I've completed my eye look to blend in the different shades. I really like it because the brush is so soft that it doesn't scrape or scratch around such a delicate area.

Here I've compared the duo fibre brush (the white one) to two of the brushes from the starter set for eyes. I'll be posting a review of those brushes soon, promise! As you can see the duo fibre brush has longer, less densely packed bristles.

Overall I'm glad I bought these brushes, and to be honest if I ever have to replace them I'd pay the higher price that I've seen in drugstores. The face brush is completely worth it as I've never used a brush like it and it's solved my blusher woes.

This collection limited edition but they have been out since about March this year so they're not so limited that you can't get hold of them anymore.

You can buy them for anywhere between £13-£25 depending on the retailer but I bought mine here (click!).