HOW I CLEAN MY REAL TECHNIQUES BRUSHES

I always used to find cleaning brushes a chore until I found this really easy method to clean and dry my brushes. Here I have five of my favourite Real Techniques brushes to show you with, they are the Expert Face Brush, Concealer Brush, Pointed Foundation Brush, Contour Brush and the Buffing Brush.

STEP 1- RINSE THE BRUSH HEAD

This first step is very important because it helps you lather whatever soap you are going to be using to clean your brushes. Simply just wet the head (and try to get as little of the handle wet as possible because it will loosen the glue resulting in brush hairs falling out.

STEP 2- CHOOSE A SHAMPOO AND LATHER

For this step you can use any shampoo that you like as long as it is moisturising. If it is not moisturising it will dry out the brush hairs. Once you have squirted a little bit out on your hand, swirl the brush head in the shampoo until it has lathered nicely.

STEP 3- DRYING

Once you have rinsed your brushes you will have completely clean and soft brushes. It is important to dry your brushes upside down so that no water will drip back into the handle. This will make it easy for brush hairs to fall out. I have actually found a way to dry your brushes upside down. Here, I am using the brush case that you get with many Real Techniques brush collections and putting my brushes in upside down. Once you have done this you can put it on your window sill and they will dry naturally in about 3 hours.

I hope you have found this useful!

~Anna

A BENEFIT DANDELION DUPE?

I've finally found a dupe for my favourite blush, Dandelion by Benefit. I love this blush because it is such a nice natural shade of pink which can be used as a blush or highlight. The only downside is the price, £23.50. This isn't the most expensive blush but I go through so many of them it can get quite expensive! I have been searching for a dupe for ages and I have finally found one: ELF Tickled Pink.

Left, Benefit. Right, ELF.

This blush is literally the same shade as the Benefit one and the finish is the same. The only big difference is the smell. The Benefit box-o-powders have a certain scent which is hard to describe. I personally don't like this smell but I know some people do. The ELF one is pretty much scent-less so it is absolutely perfect for me. Also it only costs £3- £5 (depending on where you look) which is over £20 cheaper than the Benefit one. I think that overall I actually prefer the ELF one because it doesn't have the strong scent that the Benefit one has.

~Anna

NARS CHRISTOPHER KANE | STARSCAPE

This beautiful blush is from the new NARS summer collaboration with Christopher Kane. This is now my new favourite blush because it is so pigmented but easy to work with. This is actually my first NARS product and I haven't been disappointed!

The shade 'Starscape' is a beautiful bright pink with peach undertones which makes it more wearable. The pigmentation is so strong that you could build it up to a really bright colour (but I'm not too into that look!) or you can sheer it out to make a nice light pink.

http://www.narscosmetics.com/USA/christopher-kane-2015.html

I love the whole collection and I have linked it above so check it out. But remember to grab it while you can because it's limited edition! 

~Anna