How I Spot Cleaning my Makeup Brushes

So it's a Saturday night, the house is suffering right now after last nights Halloween antics. So whilst feeling a little sensitive I thought what better time than any to spot clean my makeup brushes. Not something I really love or hate doing but something that's easy enough to do whilst chilling in front of a film.

Now I know you should wash your brushes at least once a month to get ride of the bad bacteria that can settle on your brushes. But to be 100% honest, I only use the brushes on my face, if I were to use them on somebody else, I'd have cleaned them prier to use. But alas they only touch my face and i'm alright with that.

So the picture above shows everything I use to spot clean my brushes...

My brushes, a clean kitchen roll sheet (maybe two, depending no how much makeup you use and the amount of brushes) and finally the cleaner itself. I like to use the M.A.C Brush Cleaner.

Its the first proper brush cleaner I have tried but since I've started using it am constantly stunned as to how much product it gets out!

1. Layout all your dirty brushes (and if your like me, realize you probably should have done this before now)

2. Set up your drying station. (If you have the Real Techniques travel case, this is a great thing for drying you brushes on as you can angle them downwards. If not you can always use a clean flannel to rest your brushes on whilst they dry.)

3. Grab a clean kitchen towel sheet.

4. Grab your cup and pour a fair amount of the brush cleaner it to it. (You can always add more liquid, but from experience having to much left over is annoying, and you can't exactly up the dirty liquid back into the bottle!)

4. Dip the tip of the brushes into the cleaner and draw in circular motions on the kitchen towel and watch the magic happen! Once all of the colour is out of the bristles, Rinse the brush head under some warm water to get ride of the brush cleaner liquid.

6. Place your freshly looking brushes to one side to dry.
7. Appreciate the cleanliness of your brushes, it might not last long! (Yes this should be done!)

Charlie x

Current Make Up Bag Favourites

Things have changed up a lot since last time, and I am a complete creature of habit, so a change up in my routine is rather long over due for me I'm sure... but why ruin a good thing? Well to make it better of course!

Foundation: After seven years of sticking strong to one brand, the Maybeline Dream Matte Mouse, I took the plunge and tried a new foundation formula! I loved the Dream Matte Mouse, however the last pot I brought had different packaging and what seemed like a different formula too!? It appeared to have small bits of glitter running through it? Now I don't know if that was just that one pot or if they started to use a new formula, but I immediately didn't like it. Like my dad I have oily skin and glitter is a complete NONO for me! 
     I've started using the Maybeline New York, Superstay Better Skin Flawless Finish Foundation in the shade 005 Light Beige. Since changing, I have started to use brushes, (before, my steering wheel might have turned i little bit ivory, whoops!) I find that the bottle has lasted almost the same amount of time that the Dream Matte Mouse did. However I feel that I get a better overall finish, more smooth and blended and that it provides a better 'foundation' to the rest of my make up! 

Powder: I used to use powder a lot when I was younger, because I thought I had too. Well with the Dream Matte Mouse it just started to look bad and well, powdery - not what I was going for. However since I changed up my foundation I find I am getting a lot more out of my powder than previously! I am currently using Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder. It goes on easy, take away the shine and keeps it away for about four hours if I am at work. If I'm not running around anywhere it lasts a little longer. 

Eyes: Over the last couple of weeks, I have only been wearing something on my eyes when I've had work. The most go to thing I have been using has got to be L'Oreal Gel Intenza Eyeliner in 01 Pure Black.
The mascara I've been using is still the same, Maybeline Great Last, Very Black mascara. Still loving it and I use it every day! 

Eyebrows: I never really did anything to my eyebrows until recently. I fill them in a little bit with a pencil I've re-homed from my mum. However my eyebrows can be a bit unruly! I had been searching for a brow gel for months! They only seemed to be sold aboard. Last week however I can across this: Rimmel Brow this Way Gel. I've just started using it but so far I like what i see! 

Cheeks: I never really done anything with my cheeks, they go red enough on a daily basis as it is! But I guess with personal growth, the flush of red embarrassment has died down a lot (thank god) so I've started experimenting in blushes!! Ohhh they are a lot on the high street! My first starter however, is from a brand I've spoken about before, Sleek! I decided to stick to something I've used before and pick a pallet that gives me more than just the one option! This one is the Sleek, Blush By 3 - Lace 367 so far I am liking Crochet - the orange shade for that summer fresh look!

Lips: Lips change on a daily basis, and to be perfectly honest, I haven't warn any lip products for some time now. I have however, picked up The Body Shop Solid Oil Lips and I am testing it out! If things go well I'll let you know! 

Charlie x

M.A.C | Pro Palette | Eye Shadow No.2 Quarry

The Shadow: Quarry

Quarry has a slight purple, grey - taupe sort of colour too it. Although it is matte colour, it isn't dull. 

It is build-able, perfect for an everyday look and can blend well. Great for a smoky eye if you don't like harsh colours like dark brown and black. 

I use this colour for a crease or base colour mostly. I wear it a lot for work as it stays on for a suitable length of time. 

Although this is my second M.A.C eye shadow, I'm still learning what I can do with this shade. How best to apply it, learning what to put it with and what Not to put it with (Shimmery light colours don't tend to look good with quarry on me? Maybe I'm not blending enough) 

Unfortunately I can't give you too much information about this one, I love the colour, the purple/plum under tones work well with my green eyes. I don't experience much, if any fall out and it blends nicely into the crease with my Real Techniques detailer brush. 

I will experiment with this one more and give you a better informed post about how I've learnt to use Quarry. Would you like any pictures or example images or what I learn to use it with? Please let me know in the comments below!

Charlie x

  

27th Of June 2014.

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.

I know I've been gone a while, a lot of things have happened, finishing uni, getting a job, meeting new people, weddings and sad events. 

Unfortunately, during June, and a couple of days after her 12th birthday, our little Tish passed away.

Tish was our first dog, and after 12 years with her, it has been difficult to try and get along like normal with out her.

Tish never has been 100% healthy, when she was a puppy she needed a life saving operation just 10 weeks old. I remember how I felt then, having to leave her at the vets for a week, I was scared and worried we would never see her again. Since that first operation she was on a flurry of tablets all the time, building until she took eight tablets a day, fluctulating of course through the years with different illnesses and problems.

It wasn't until the day she passed that I suddenly realised that she had been a real trooper all the way through her life. Always being happy and cuddly, ready to play and ALWAYS ready to creep over for a fuss, she never complained, got angry or become difficult to deal with.

You don't realise what you have until it's gone, and you also do not realise that everything and everybody else deal with things differently. I never realised how selfless our dog was.

I think unless you have had a pet that's been part of the family, regardless of the time length, you deal with their passing differently. Personally I'm not good with change, even realising that there isn't anybody there to finish off the sunday chicken after the sunday dinner, or that, that same thing hasn't been sat under the oven waiting for the chicken to cook for two hours.

Our house is a lot emptier without Tish, she was part of our life for a long time and always will be. I feel that this has been a long time coming and that I need to write about it to help myself with the process as well as to share her life and story. I'm really thankful to have shared in her life. She taught me a lot and continues too, especially teaching me that...

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.

Barry M Matte Nail Polish?!

What is this magic?!

Well I guess it's not such a shocker seeing as a few years ago I found some Matte Nail polish by OPI which was a gorgeous midnight blue, but I hadn't ever seen the brand anywhere before:

Pinterest

This is the first that caught my eye!

I've never tried a Matte polish before and was curious about how it would work and look. I guess a part of me didn't really believe it (nieve I know). Well the other week I went out and brought one.

Surprisingly it has lasted five days pretty well. Normally my nail varnish chips two days later. In our course we work with our hands a lot, making set designs, so naturally things get covered in glue and it peals of the paint. This polish has managed to withstand a lot of potential chipping!

All in all, I wasa plesently surprised by a Matte Nail Polish and would consider buy more from the collection, I think, for me personally it is something I would wear more in the autumn/winter, leave the bright, shiny polishes for summer!

What do you think about matte nail polishes? Do you like them? hate them? Do you own any??

Love Charlie

xx