From Day to Night Feat. The Body Shop*

The festive season for me is all about trying new looks, not only when it comes to my outfits but my makeup choices as well. The Body Shop have recently launched their brand new makeup brushes and I couldn’t wait to try some festive looks out to transform from day to night. The brushes have been designed to help master the latest trends and go alongside the essential brush range they already have on offer.

I was lucky enough to receive the whole new brush range and some make-up. The brushes are 100% cruelty free and have FSC wooden handles making them 100% vegan. The Body shop set me a challenge to take my look from day to night focusing on just the cheeks. With the amazing range of products I was sent, this was really easy. I’ll go into more detail on the products used below.

For the day time look I started off by moisturising then applying Instablur. I then applied some of the Concealer All-In-One with the Concealer brush underneath my eyes and on any blemishes and red areas. I then applied my foundation with the Buffing brush which felt so soft and made my foundation look absolutely flawless. Next I used the Face and Body brush to apply some translucent powder to set my liquid foundation in place. I then used the Down to Earth Eyeshadow Palette and brushed some matte neutral colours onto my eyes with the Eyeshadow brush and the Eyeshadow crease brush to really blend the darker colour through the crease of my eye. I finished the eyes by using the Eye liner brush to apply my gel liner then adding some of the Super Volume Mascara. To finish my daytime look I lightly applied some of the matte lipstick in the shade Rio Fuchsia which gave a lovely natural colour to the lips.

To turn this look into a night time one, I made a few simple changes. I started off by adding some shimmer to the eye from the Down to Earth Eyeshadow Palette with the Eyeshadow brush. I the darkened my crease further with the crease brush, and blended it out with the flat brush. To really make my cheeks pop, I used the Slanted Blusher brush to apply some bronzer along my cheekbones and up and around my temples. The Blusher brush really came in handy here and I applied some blusher to the apples of my cheeks. I then used the Fan brush to highlight. Finally I switched up my lipstick to the shade New Orleans Scarlett which I think really finished off the night time look.

Overall I think these brushes are amazing and there really is a brush for every aspect of your make up routine. They are soft and feel of great quality. If you'd like to check out the entire new range of vegan brushes, head to The Body Shop Website.

*I received these items free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

L.A.B.2 Make-up Brush Review*

I love trying new make-up brushes but never want to spend loads of money on them in case I don’t get on with them. When I was offered the chance to try the L.A.B.2 Make-up Brushes, I couldn’t wait to see how they fared against my usual brands.

The strokes of genius set retails at £18.99 - set of 5 must have eye brushes, some of which can be bought separately.

Brow and Eyeliner Brush £5.99

Designed for precise application of all types of eyeliners and brow formulas this angled brush is great for perfecting that perfectly arched brow. The brush hairs are sturdy meaning you can get a great line with these. I use a powder for my brows and this brush picks up just the right amount of product and allows me to apply my brow powder with ease. This has replaced my usual brow brush and I love it.

Crease Brush
This brush is the perfect size and shape for my crease. The brush applies eyeshadow really well and when combined with the eyeshadow brush from the LAB2 range you can create the perfect smoky eye. The soft bristles blend colours together to soften any harsh lines and is a must have for your make-up bag.

Brow and Lash Groomer
This isn’t a brush I have ever reached for before but I really like having this as an addition to my make-up bag. I use this to brush through any clumps of mascara left in my eyelashes and the comb to brush through my eyebrows after filling them in with powder.

Eyeshadow Brush
This brush is very similar to a MAC 217 and is a fluffy but sturdy brush. I use this to apply eyeshadow over my lid and to blend the colour in with the crease colour. This distributes the colour evenly onto your eyelids, crease and brow bone and is a great all-rounder eye brush.

Pointed Eyeliner Brush £5.99
I was a bit nervous to try this with my gel eyeliner as it didn’t feel as stiff as my usual brush but once coated in the gel this worked really well. It reminds me of using a liquid eyeliner pen. The long handle makes this really easy to use and you can create that perfect cat eye flick with ease. The brush enables you to draw a firm even line across your lid and doesn’t drag across your eyelid.

Overall, I really like the look and feel of these brushes. Each brush has its name clearly labelled on the handle so you know what each one is for. The handles are soft and smooth and lovely and comfortable to hold. The brushes are soft and help you to achieve professional results every time. These brushes are made with FiberLuxe Technology, specially designed with the softest and highest quality filaments. 

Available from Superdrug, you can find tutorials on how to use these brushes here.

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For a tutorial on how to clean your make-up brushes, click here. 

*I received these brushes free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

How I Deep Clean my Make up Brushes

I hate cleaning my make up brushes, it is such a chore however an important routine that needs to be done. If you don't clean your brushes, they pick up bacteria and each day this festers in the bristles of the brush and you ultimately end up smearing the bacteria across your face. Unless you want to be using dirty bacteria filled brushes every day, then it is a task that must be completed every so often.

It is important to give your brushes a deep clean now and again to rid this bacteria. It can do your skin the world of good. I usually clean my brushes every 2 weeks minimum, if for some reason I can't wash them in this time frame, I definitely start to notice my skin start breaking out.

Firstly, I lay all of my brushes out ready to be cleaned, and get a towel ready to lay them on after they have been washed.

I then dampen them with slightly warm water. I then use this face exfoliator pad that I picked up in Primark for around £1.50. I used to clean my brushes on the palm of my hand but I hated how wrinkly my hands used to get and this little tool has helped me no end. The great thing is this little silicone pad can suction to your sink so you don't even need to get your hands wet. You can hold it if that makes it easier.

I pop a small amount of Johnson's Baby Shampoo onto the pad and swirl the brush across the rubber bristles. I then rinse the brush once more in water and repeat this step until the water rinses clean. You can really see the difference between a clean brush and a dirty one!

I then squeeze out any excess water, and leave to dry flat overnight on a towel. It is important to dry these flat because if you stand them upright in a brush holder, some water can trickle down and loosen the glue that holds the brush fibers into place. When dried naturally, they keep their shape.

This is such a quick task and one that definitely needs fitting into your routine. Make up brushes are expensive, so it's important to take care of them. I hope this post has helped.

How do you clean your brushes?