The 15p Brush Cleanser Alternative.

If you're looking for a great budget brush cleanser, look no further. 

I've tried a lot of different products when it comes to cleaning my make up brushes. It's one of my least favourites chores, so I'm always on the hunt to find alternatives that will thoroughly clean my brushes in record time. I'd heard Nikkie (of Nikkie Tutorials) briefly talk about how 'hotel soap' was one of the best things to clean your brushes, so I thought I would put a plain white soap to the test on my brushes. I popped into my local Tesco and picked up their Everyday Value Soap at only 15p and, without being overly dramatic, IT IS THE BEST BRUSH CLEANSER I HAVE EVER USED!

Filthy brushes. Lovely. 

This soap is all you need guys. AND 15p!

I can't vouch for how this fares with sensitive skin as it does have a slight 'soap' fragrance, so if you are especially sensitive it may be best to check the ingredients. It does, however, imply that it can be used with babies, which implies to me that it should be sensitive skin friendly - but don't quote me on that! 

Ooh, working up a lather...

I use the soap in a similar way to how you would use a Beauty Blender Solid Cleanser, so I will draw my main comparison from that. Firstly, the price difference is HUGE - with the Beauty Blender Solid Cleanser coming in at around £15. It is also only a fraction of the size and quite simply just awkward to store, whereas the Tesco soap can just be popped in a soap dish to the side. As the soap bar is so much larger, it is a lot easier to work up a lather, too! 

I really struggle to see why solid make up cleansers cost so much after trying this. Personally I think this is better than the Beauty Blender Solid Cleanser, so much so that I feel a little bit angry for having potentially paid quite a bit to be sold what was essentially a teeny bit of soap. 

If you have a particularly stubborn foundation that you can't shift, then maybe you would need a little extra help still (although I am yet to find a cleansing product which does any better). A little drop of Olive oil does the trick to help lift it off before you give it a good clean with soap though. 

Ah, all clean.. that's better. 

I am honestly totally blown away with how good this is for cleaning brushes and will be in no rush to try any more over-priced soaps any time soon. I really hope I can convince at least one of you to pick it up - it's only 15p so no loss if you aren't a fan (although, I'm pretty sure you will be!)

xxx

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ECOTOOLS Complexion Collection Correcting Concealer Brush + GIVEAWAY!

Although I haven't tried many of them, all of the Ecotools brushes I own I really enjoy and use on a nearly daily basis. When I saw they had released a new range of 'Complexion Correcting' brushes I was really keen to give them a go!

I decided to opt for the concealer brush ($4.99) as I tend to suffer with blemishes more often than I would like! I usually find applying concealer to these areas quite tricky as often the brush can just move the concealer around on the area rather than actually making it stick to the area. This is the problem this brush aims to tackle as it allows you to stipple the concealer on to the area without moving it around.

The brush is vegan, made with recycled aluminium and bamboo handles and has a dual fibre synthetic head. I use predominantly synthetic brushes and most furs cause me to have an allergic reaction and I think Ecotools make some of the softest brushes I have tried. This brush isn't SUPER soft, as it is intended for stippling and some rigidity is required, but it is certainly comfortable to use on the skin.

All in all, for general concealer use I will still stick with my Real Techniques Setting Brush, but for tackling tricky blemishes this brush has become my right hand man!

I was surprised to see that these are no longer available to buy in the UK (although I picked it up from Boots about a month ago). The good news, however, is that I have an extra one to giveaway to one of my readers! Hoorah!

GIVEAWAY RULES 

• Anyone can enter, I am happy to post internationally.
• Entries must be in by 12th October.
• A winner will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter
• I will contact the winner privately and as long as they are happy for me to share that they have won I will announce on Twitter and/or Facebook also. If I do not receive a response within 28 days, a new winner will be drawn. 
• You can enter via Rafflecopter by following on Twitter, following on Bloglovin, visiting my Facebook page and tweeting about the giveaway (this can be done once a day to increase your odds of winning!)
• GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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The £4 Travel Beauty Bargain!

EVERYTHING FITS!

I wouldn't normally designate an entire post to a purchase like this, but I have been loving this so much that I simply had to share it with you! 

If you don't already know, Archer and I are currently staying at my Mother's house in West Dorset whilst we wait for our new house to be ready for us to move into. 

A few days prior to leaving, I realised I didn't really have anything suitable for transporting a few weeks worth of make up in. I decided Primark was my best bet for picking up something cheap and cheerful and I found this floral number at an absolute steal of £4!

I'm not usually a floral kinda girl, but something about this bag I just love. The print it quite diffuse and arty - I love the blues in it! 

But what I really love about this bag is the shape. It's essentially an oversized make up bag - and anything oversized is a good thing in my books. You can fit LOADS in this, including bulky palettes, foundations, tools etc... There's also a zip pouch inside as well which is so handy for little bits like bobby pins and hairbands! Because the bag itself is quite flat, it fits snugly into my suitcase without taking up much space (which is very much necessary when travelling with a toddler who requires a ridiculous amount of everything).

The quality of this bag seems really good as well, it's thick and sturdy and doesn't scream Primark. 

All in all, if you're looking for something to store a large amount of make up / beauty bits in, then this will be up your street!

What do you guys think of this bag?

xxx

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Beauty Blender Micro Mini Review

Left - damp, Right - dry 

So whilst I was at IMATs I finally had the chance to pick up some of the Beauty Blender Micro Mini's . I love the original Beauty Blender and use it most days, so it's safe to say I was pretty excited to try these out. 

Like the original Beauty Blender these are pretty versatile and can be used for most cream products, although they are mainly intended for applying foundation and concealer in those smaller areas. 

They work best when damp, much like the original, but I was surprised to see that they didn't expand very much as shown in the photograph above. You can see, however, that they become much smoother as a result making application more seamless. 

The application of these didn't overwhelm me. Don't get me wrong, they're good and provide seamless coverage I just didn't particularly think there was an improvement on using the original Beauty Blender - especially for buffing concealer in. If you like to use separate blending tools for different jobs, i.e. one for foundation, then one for concealer and one for highlight then these may be worth investing in. 

If you're new to using Beauty Blenders then I would definitely recommend purchasing the original one as I think it does everything the Micro Mini's can do! 

Have you tried these?

xxx

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