My Top 10 Makeup Brushes

Along with eyeshadow palettes, makeup brushes are an obsession of mine. In my opinion you can never really have enough and they are just so great to collect. Having said that, unlike eyeshadow palettes, makeup brushes are not something I spend a lot of money on because I think there are definitely cheaper ones out there which do the same job as more expensive ones.

Sorry my brushes are so dirty they are definitely in need of a good deep clean!!

Zoeva 142 Concealer Buffer (£7.95)

Zoeva makeup brushes are probably the most raved about brushes in the blogosphere and on YouTube along with RealTechniques and rightly so. This brush does exactly as its name suggests - buffs and blends all types of concealer seamlessly to give a flawless finish. It's very dense so washes really well and is synthetic so great for blending cream products. It's the perfect size for under the eye or for more precise areas like on spots or around the nose.

MUA F3 Concealer Brush (£2.95)

This is one of the first makeup brushes I ever owned and I've loved it ever since. This brush is designed for concealer and does work ok for that but personally I prefer a denser, thicker blending brush for that so the best way to use this is gel eyeliner. I use this with my Maybelline one and it works amazingly. The top of it is quite wider so you can cover a bigger part of your eye than with most eyeliner brushes and it's so thin so great for a more precise line which I normally go for. It's an amazing price and definitely worth picking up if you struggle with eyeliner - it makes it so much easier!

Real Techniques Sculpting Brush (£9.99)

This is one of several Real Techniques brushes featured in this post because they really are as amazing as everyone says. This is designed for contouring, particularly with cream products, which I'm not really into but it blends my foundation and concealer like no other! I had previously been switching between the Buffing and Expert Face brushes which did do a great job but something about this one is just better. I think the shape definitely helps because it's large enough to do your whole face with but because of the angle on it, it's also great for blending out concealer more precisely. It really makes my foundation look like skin and I would 110% recommend it if you are looking for a new multi-purpose brush or even just a foundation brush.

Real Techniques Duo Fibre Face Brush (part of duo fibre set - approx. £20 discontinued :()

Let me just start by saying unfortunately this particular RT set has been discontinued but I believe you can still get hold of it in some places like Amazon and there are similar brushes in the RT Nic's Picks set too. I've recently been trying to steer away from the dead matte look I'd been going for for a while and going for slightly more glowy, natural-looking skin and this brush is perfect for helping me to achieve that. Because the bristles are duo fibre, they don't pick up too much product so are perfect for a light dusting of powder just where you need it. I would say this brush is great for those of you who don't really suffer from oily skin but still like to set their makeup in place with a little powder. I still do like to pack on the powder on the end of my nose because I hate my nose and I feel a glow can draw attention to it but as for the rest of my face, this is perfect. I also like it for a really subtle application of bronzer.


Real Techniques Multi Task Brush (part of Travel Essentials Set - £20.99)
The name really is perfect for this brush because I can use it for so many different things. My favourite ways to use it are for blusher because it's quite fluffy so blends out very well. Also it's great for bronzer because although it is quite rounded it also tapers down to quite a thin tip so it's good for contouring too. YouTuber Lauren Curtis loves this one for foundation, I'm yet to try this but it does seem to give her a great flawless base. Obviously it's also great for powder. Overall just an amazing all-rounder and a must for me particularly when travelling.

Anself Pointed Crease Brush (part of 9Pcs Makeup Brush Kit (Amazon) - £5.49!!!!!!!)

Just so you know these brushes don't actually have names but I do tend to use it for more precise crease work so I named it that :). It's quite a stiff brush so I didn't think it would be too great for blending but actually it does that job very well particularly if you're using a darker colour which you only want in a specific area like the outer v for example. The whole set is amazing with both eye and face brushes so I would highly recommend picking it up as it's such a steal but still really good quality.

Real Techniques Contour Brush (part of Core Collection - £20.99)

This is a very recent addition to my makeup collection but has quickly become one of my favourite brushes. Contouring is something I am so rubbish at but this brush makes it so easy. I was a bit worried because it seems quite small so I thought it would make my contour a little too precise but actually it blends it out so well it just looks really natural. It's also great to use with concealer. This brush really for me makes contouring fool-proof!

Seventeen Eyeshadow Brush (£1.99)
I hadn't heard anything at all about Seventeen makeup brushes but I decided to pick a few up anyway and I'm so glad I did. This one is a dense, smaller eyeshadow brush which is great for crease work and blending in the outer v. The density means it also applies an all over the lid colour really well and the small size means it is good for applying both the inner corner and brow bone highlight. Such great value for money and easy to get hold of - definitely a worthy addition to your makeup brush collection!

Morphe E23 Deluxe Blender Brush (£5.50)
Unfortunately this brush has been out of stock on Beauty Bay for a while now so might be quite hard to get hold of :( I had been looking for a larger eye blending brush for a while because the ones I already had were smaller and flatter then I came across this one and it instantly became a staple! It's such a good price and really works well at blending out any harsh lines.

Real Techniques Bold Metals 200 Oval Shadow Brush (£15)
This is the most pricey out of all of the brushes I have featured in this post, but I would say it is definitely worth it because it is a great multi tasker for the eyes. Because of it's shape being tapered and fairly dense and rounded, but still quite flat on the sides it is great for both packing on colour and blending out. You can easily turn it on its side and use it in the crease as well. I love the packaging as well because it feels really weighty and premium. I do really like it but I would say there are brushes which do a similar job for around £7 or £8 from brands like Zoeva. Still another great one for travelling though because you can use it for several different things.


I hope you enjoyed reading this post :) I'd love to hear what your favourite brushes are in the comments!

Lily :)x

Seventeen Eyeshadow Mono Review

I would like to firstly say sorry for not having posted in about three months now! I recently started a new job which I have been loving and to be honest, all the free time I have had has really been used for relaxing and chilling out because working is surprisingly tiring!

For today's post I am doing a review of 5 of the Seventeen Eyeshadow Monos (£3.89). I bought the shade Rose Quartz a few months ago now and loved it so much that I decided I must investigate the other colours and now I have 5. I have never come across such amazing pigmentation in drugstore eyeshadows before. These shades easily rival my Urban Decay shadows (and better my MAC ones) across colour payoff, lasting power and blendability. They are soooo buttery soft it's incredible - for the price tag you really can't go wrong. Below I have individually reviewed each shade with swatches (picture heavy!).

This photo is just to show the packaging. They come in little square-ish pots which are very sturdy and have a cool little catch which you push down to open them.

Seventeen Eyeshadow Mono - Funfair

This is my most recent purchase and initially I was a little apprehensive about it because it looks very similar to a shade in my Zoeva Rose Golden Eyeshadow Palette which I find really hard to wear. In actual fact it is a peachy gorgeous shade (and probably my favourite) with an almost duo-chrome appearance with the gold running through it. It's so easy to throw on but is still different enough from your standard champagne-pink shade to be really unique and interesting on the lid. I have heard this is a dupe for MAC Expensive Pink as well although I've never tried it so can't confirm this. Definitely a must-have!

Seventeen Eyeshadow Mono - Statuesque

This may look very similar to Funfair but is actually quite different as it is much more of a champagne colour and leans more pink than peach but is still a really pretty shade. It is almost identical to Urban Decay Sin but is a bit darker but definitely has the same amazing pigmentation and creaminess. Quite similar to a lot of shades I own but still a staple in my collection.

Seventeen Eyeshadow Mono - Rose Quartz

This is the one I first heard talked about on YouTube by FleurdeForce and I always trust her opinion because she's very honest and genuine so I knew I had to get it. I would say in person it is a bit more lilac/purple than it looks in the pan but I still love it a lot. It is a silver/champagne with a taupey/lilac undertone and remarkably similar to By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock (which I don't own but have swatched). It's a unique shade in my collection but still subtle enough for day-to-day wear. Probably the most pigmented out of them all but I did have an accident with it the other day which is why there is a chunk missing out of the corner :(.

Seventeen Eyeshadow Mono - Walnut Pearl

This is probably my least used shade out of them all simply because I don't really tend to wear such warm eyeshadows. It is a coppery-rust shade which I think would look great on green eyes and does look quite nice on brown eyes (like mine) as well but I just find it a little hard to wear for some reason. The pigmentation is great though so if you're into warm autumnal colours then I would definitely recommend this one.

Seventeen Eyeshadow Mono - Brown

In contrast to the other, more inventive names we have Brown which is, as you would think, a nice cool-toned brown which is dark enough to be used in the crease or outer corner for definition but still light enough so be a one-shade-wonder all over the lid. A very versatile shade which suits all eye colours and looks and a must in any makeup collection.

Swatches (natural lighting)- L-R: Funfair, Statuesque, Rose Quartz, Walnut Pearl, Brown

Swatches (artificial lighting)- L-R: Funfair, Statuesque, Rose Quartz, Walnut Pearl, Brown

Overall if you can't tell already I am so impressed by these shadows. The quality is incredible and I will definitely be picking up some more. There are 7 or 8 more shades in the collection but I believe most of those are more bold shades and less neutral but I'm sure will be just as pigmented and amazing if those are more your sort of shades. If you only get one I would say get Rose Quartz just because it is so unique and such a universal shade which will flatter most skin types I think.

Thank you for reading!

Lily :)x