Crown Brush - HD Brush Set

Ello lovelies!

I recently posted a cheeky Crown Brush UK haul and have been giving the brushes a good ol' test since. My first experience with Crown Brush was at last years London IMATS and some of the brushes I purchased have turned into my daily essentials, so being the impatient girl i am, i decided to couldn't wait for June and picked up a few more!

The biggest splurge of the order was this set, the 7 Piece HD Brush Set which includes six brushes, a mixing palette, spatula and a handy travel case. Not being an MUA means i don't really "need" the palette or spatula but i thought it'd come in handy for mixing OCC Lip Tars and similar products, no more stained hands! Priced at £29.99 i think this little set is a steal considering the prices of other well known brush brands, you could pay nearly or more that amount of money for just one face brush!

Onto the review...

I'm a big fan of the casing, as much as its a fingerprint magnet and a pain in the bum the photograph. But, i think it looks quite classy and has enough room to fit quite a few more brushes in it, which is great for travel since I'd need another blending brush or two! I'm not going to be reviewing the palette or spatula, because frankly i wouldn't know where to start, but I'm looking forward to using them.

Powder brush

First things first, these brushes are ridiculously soft and have stayed that way even after a good few washes. And virtually no shedding, so they get a huge thumbs up from me. Its not the biggest powder brush, but i'm really enjoying using this for all over powder, or on the odd occasion blush (when I'm being extremely lazy) as the plus side of it being a smaller powder brush is it can multitask! My only little complaint is that it could be a little denser.

Blush Brush

Another multitasker! For me, this brush is the perfect size for a more precise contour and has been getting a lot of use in my collection. I prefer slightly larger blush brushes, but it works well again for precise blush application, then i'd use the powder brush the blend it out. Like the powder brush (and all of the brushes in this set) it is super soft and so far, has not shed one single hair! 

Foundation Brush
As you can probably tell so far, I don't really use brushes for their named purpose, as i feel you can use them for whatever you feel works! As a foundation brush this is far, far too small. But for blending or setting concealer, its perfect! I'm a big fan of using more fluffier brushes than the traditional flat brushes for concealer so this has come in super handy! Its dense enough to blend concealer perfectly but fluffy enough to be able to be used for setting powder.

Blending Crease Brush

Perfect transition colour brush for smaller eyes! I've been cursed with tiny eyes so my crease brushes have to be small otherwise my shadow ends up looking like a hot mess. But i love this for general blending or applying a transition colour without it packing too much of a punch.

Oval Shadow Brush
My basic shadow brushes are looking a bit battered so I've been reaching for this little beauty quite often. Its great for a quick wash of colour on the lid or using as a general lay down brush, but the end is fluffy enough to double up as a blender for more simple looks.

Pointed Liner

I'm a liquid liner girl, so this is the only brush i haven't used so can't really comment!

With the addition of a couple of blending brushes, an angled brow brush (Crowns C160 is one of my favouites!) or two and possibly a foundation brush this could be made into my perfect travel set!

Overall, I'm really pleased with my purchases from Crown! I can see me getting a lot of use out of the brushes and more than likely purchasing quite a few more at this years IMATS...

You can find this set on the Crown Brush UK website here.

Whats your favourite Crown Brush?

xox

Laura Mercier - Secret Brightening Powder

Hey lovelies!
This has been one of the products I've been meaning to review for such a long time. I picked this little beauty up on my trip to Florida as one of the many things i splurged on in Sephora, but luckily this is actually available in the UK! I've been using this without fail every time I've worn makeup to set my undereye concealer since October, so it really does deserve a full review!

As far as I'm aware Secret Brightening Powder only comes in two shades, 01 the shade i own, which is translucent with an extremely fine (not detectable on the skin) shimmer and 02 which is more yellow based. I've not explored the world of Laura Mercier too much since its one of the pricier brands available, but i do have a love/hate relationship with their tinted moisturiser.

My main reason for picking this up is that no matter what i use, my under eye concealer creases constantly. Its one of my little bug bears of makeup and something i really wanted to change. I'm pleased to say, since picking this up late September.... absolutely no creasing! I apply it with a 217 style fluffy brush and it works wonders on setting my concealer and on a lazy occasion, most of my face.

I'm not 100% sure why this is so much better than regular loose translucent powders, but at a guess I'd say it is much more finely milled. It is a little pricey at £18.50 here in the UK, but considering I've been using near on every day since October and I'm not even close to being half way through i think its doing well! I wouldn't be surprised if it lasts me an entire year!

I can honestly say, i don't think I'll ever look for another under eye setting powder again and I'll continue to repurchase this as long as they make it! Its gone from a product i didn't really see the point in to something i wouldn't live without. If i lost all my makeup, this would be one of the first things I'd rush out to pick up!

Have you tried this product?

Whats your Laura Mercier favourites? Let me know in the comments!

xox

Sneaky little Fyrinnae haul...

Okay, so maybe just one more haul...

How cute are the new little bags?

Its no secret, i bloody love Fyrinnae. Visual Kei Lip Lustre is probably one of my all time favourite lip products and i'd had my eye on Pygmy Hippo for a while, but when they released their new Retro collection.... I just had to place an order.

I absolutely adore the formula of their Lip Lustres, they remind me of a liquid lipstick, but with a silky texture that doesn't bleed. Oh and some of them stain, which i LOVE. They get a massive thumbs up from me for being so long wearing and so comfortable on the lips. At $7 a pop (and extremely reasonable shipping the UK) they are pretty darn cheap too!

Pygmy Hippo
"Matte medium rosey plum shade, not quite mauve. Neutral-warm. If you wonder about the name, just search Google images for "Pygmy hippopotamus baby". It's not that the shade is an exact match for their little pink undersides, but they're simply rather adorable beings."

Glamorous Rebel
"Bright, rich cherry red. A cool hue, but should work for most neutral and olive skintones as well. Matte finish (no shimmer but applies with a slight glossiness), and is likely to stain. 50s Retro Collection."

(Colour descriptions taken directly from the Fyrinnae website, click on the names to go check them out!)


Pygmy Hippo - Glamorous Rebel - 1952
(Not the greatest phone picture!)

They also included a sample size of 1952 which is a gorgeous warm red that leans orange on me. I am SO pleased with my order and can't wait to feature these in a FOTD soon!

Have you tried anything from Fyrinnae?

xox

FOTD: Spring Greens

Ello lovelies!

It might be snowing out, but today i've cracked out the good ol' salt spray and experimented with some colour! I'm a sucker for buying greens, after neutrals they are probably that colour I'm drawn to most. But as many as i buy, they are not reached for often, so with the weather *hopefully* getting a tad warmer soon i thought i'd give wearing some colour a whirl! And lets not forget, Emerald Green is Pantones colour of the year for 2013, so hopefully we'll see a lot of it around!
Eyes:

MUA - Eye Primer
NYX - Rocky Mountain Green Jumbo Pencil
Inglot - DS498, DS477, Pearl 418 shadows.
MAC - Dazzlelight
Collection - Extreme Felt Liner
MUFE - Smoky Lash Mascara
Anastasia - Brow Powder Duo

Lips:
Revlon - Peach Parfait Lip Butter

Face:
NARS - Sheer Glow Foundation
Maybelline - Radiant Dream Lumi Concealer
Laura Mercier - Secret Brightening Powder
Maybelline - Stay Matte Powder
Tarte - Glisten
NYC - Sunny Bronzer

What colours are you looking forward to cracking out as the weather gets warmer?

Next stop for me, orange/corals! Me and MAC's Vegas Volt are going to be best friends this summer.

xox

The Week of Hauls... #3 MAC Cosmetics

Its the last one, i promise!
(for a little while at least...)

I've had my heart set on some new MAC goodies for a while now, but common sense has always told me i didn't "need" them. Well i ran out of common sense and splurged a little bit! I got the majority from Debenhams with 10% off (which is still on right now) so i won't include prices.

Fix +
This is a back up as I'm quite a way through my current one. I included this in my Winter Favourites post, so check that out for more info on it.

Studio Fix Fluid NW13
Another one included in my Winter Favourites (I'm on a bit of a MAC kick lately). They have recently extended their Studio Fix shade range (hurruh!!) to include a few deeper or in my case lighter shades. I adore my NW15, but have to mix it with my Illamsqua Skin Base unless i have tan on. I had a sample of NW10 which was surprisingly too light for me so i picked up this little beauty.

Strobe Cream (travel size)
I've wanted to try this for a little while so finally took the plunge. My plan is to mix it with my studio fix fluid when i want a more radiant look. I plan to do a full review on it soon!

Plumful Lipstick

Nobody ever has enough MAC lipsticks, right? Plumful is a shade I'd had my eye on for a while. You'll probably see this in a FOTD sooner or later as its a right gem.

168 Brush
Its significantly smaller than i had expected as i am used to my slightly battered Sigma version of this brush. But the size makes it perfect for contouring and it is SO soft! Can't wait to give these a try.

217 Brush

I don't think i really need to say much about this, do i? I had to finally own one.

239 Brush

Another cult favourite brush. I suppose it was time to upgrade from my Elf shader brushes...

208 Brush

I love me a good brow brush. First impression though, I'm a little underwhelmed as it doesn't seem to be as good a quality of the others. Time and testing will tell i guess!


Phew, so thats it for my hauls. *fingers crossed*

 

What have you been hauling lately?

 

xox

The Week of Hauls... #2 Crown Brush UK

Heya lovelies!

So i got some more goodies through the post today i thought I'd share with you. I'm planning to do a full review with actual photographs (rather than this slightly shoddy Instaspam one) of all the brushes seen here, so don't you worry!

10 Slot Leatherine Case - £6.57
I've needed a travel case for quite some time, as much as i love my Sigma Make Me Up holder, its bulky and doesn't actually hold a lot of brushes. So this little, inexpensive case seemed to be the perfect buy!

Pink Zebra Tweezer - £6.99
My Mum is sick of me using hers to put it bluntly and i can't apply false lashes for shit without them. Ha.

7pc HD Set - £29.99
Impulse buy! This beauty comes with 7 brushes, a pretty swish case, a mixing palette and a spatula! First impressions, OH MY these are soft brushes! And no longer will i have to mix my OCC Lip Tars on the back on my hand! Full review coming soon.

C160 Angle Liner - £2.29
This is a repurchase as i love mine and would like to keep one specifically for brows as i tend to reach for this for lining my bottom lash line.

C433 Pro Blending Fluff - £6.09
My go-to eyeshadow brush. I am one of those lazy people who could basically do an entire smokey eye (bar botton lash line) just with this brush. I'm a big fan of these and they are such an affordable alternative to the MAC 217.

C323 Lip Brush - £2.19
Another repurchase, you just can't have enough lip brushes!  

You can check out all of these on the Crown Brush UK website here.
Just one more haul left this week... And its a MAC whopper!

Who makes your favourite brushes?

xox

My Makeup Obsession is now on Facebook!

Ello lovelies!
Just a quick post to let you all know My Makeup Obsession now has a Facebook fan page!  So theres another way to keep up with my blog posts and hear about the latest beauty related news that i (and hopefully you) find exciting.

You can head over to it by clicking here!

You can also find me elsewhere online on Twitter, HelloCotton and Bloglovin.

Hope your all having an amazing day! 

I've got cheeky MAC and Crown Brush hauls coming up for you lot this week.

xox

The Week of Hauls... #1 Boots.com

Hey lovelies!

Me and my credit card are no longer friends... I may have broken my no buy this week.... epicly. But on the plus side to this it means i have three(ish) hauls to share with you guys. The first that arrived was my Boots.com goodies! I had taken advantage of their 3 for 2 offers and currently if you spend £70 you can use the code MUM2013 to get a further £10 off.... i just couldn’t resist. So i stocked up on some essentials and got a few naughty bits.

    

Dr Jart + - Water Fuse BB - £16
I'd been eyeing this for a while but trying to use up some foundations (i have far, far too many) before i took the plunge. Couldn't refuse with the 3 for 2. Full review coming soon.

Soap and Glory - Sugar Crush Body Buttercream - £10.50
've fallen in love with the scent of the Sugar Crush range, after getting the scrub in the Boots Star Gift at Christmas i new i had to have the entire range. To me, it smells a bit like lime, cola cubes and brown sugar. Not the most refined scent, but i absolutely adore it.

Soap and Glory - Sugar Crush Body Wash - £6.50
Clean On Me is my holy grail shower gel, i won't use anything else... Until i discovered they do it in the Sugar Crush scent. So *fingers crossed* it'll work just the same but just smell more delicious.

Soap and Glory - Make Yourself Youthful Serum - £16
You might be seeing a trend here... I quite like Soap and Glory. This is repurchase, at first i wasn't sure i was going to pick up another one but after not using it for a month or so i really missed it. So i picked up another two to stock up, i haven't done a full review on this so if you'd like to see one, let me know in the comments below.

Collection - Lasting Colour Lipsticks - Vintage Rose & Sweet Tart - £2.99 Each
Honestly, i only picked them up to get my order above the mark to get the £10 discount and as i plus you got a free Extreme Felt Eyeliner. From the swatches, the shades aren't like anything i own (and definitely not like the swatches on the Boots website). But first impressions are good!

Oilatum - Natural Repair Face Cream - £7.65
Holy grail moisturiser. My local Boots has stopped stocking it in store... WHY? OH WHY? So i took the opportunity to grab a few tubes. This moisturiser is hands down better than anything I've tried for dry skin, both "drugstore" and high end. I'd even see it out hydrates Embryolisse by a mile.. If you're skins on the drier side, pick this up, NOW, you won't regret it.
 

So thats it for part 1 of my naughty week of hauls...

What have you been buying lately? Let me know in the comments!

xox