Price Points - does expensive necessarily mean better?

Hey there!

Today I thought I might tackle an issue that I get asked about all the time. My friends comment on my makeup and ask me how much the products I use cost. In my makeup bag there is a definite mix of higher end to cheap drugstore products and the products that I continually use are the ones I love, and in the end, I have products that have cost me £1 that I prefer to the far more expensive counterpart.

For me it all comes down to (as it should) how well the product works for you. For me, my most expensive products are those that I use all over my face because I see this as caring for my skin. Cheaper foundations have a tendency to make me break out more than usual, dry my skin out and make it more oily - none of these things are appealing to me. Since I switched to a higher end product - I use Laura Mercier Oil Free Foundation - my skin has been better. The same goes for powder.

I have also recently switched to a high end mascara. I went from using possibly the worst mascara I have ever used (Loreals Million Lashes Mascara, which was like applying black powder to my lashes, it had so much fallout I ended up with more of it on my face than on my lashes) to the best mascara I have ever used (Lancome Hypnose waterproof). But my Mum only ever uses Maybelline mascara and she couldn't be happier - those products work for her, and she loves them.

The cheaper products that I love are usually eyeshadows and pencils, I also have some really great nail polishes from dirt cheap brands. The eyeshadows that I really love (due to the unparalleled pigmentation and longevity) are MUA cosmetics eyeshadows - theyre available from most Superdrug's here in the UK and theyre basic range (which features every single eyeshadow mono) is priced at £1 a product. I currently have a collection of their colours and use them probably more than any other. They have some really good MAC dupes as well, such as shade 11 which is an excellent likeness to the MAC blue/brown pigment.

I also really like Barry M dazzle dusts and glitters - theyre really well pigmented and you get a decent amount of product for your money. My favourite pigments from their range are Bare (a yellow gold dazzle dust) and Opal (a black and green glitter). And I cant mention Barry M without noting their waterproof eyeliner pens, if you havent checked them out yet, you really should!

I know people that wear nothing but expensive products, but look like theyre using the dirt cheap stuff, and people who use exclusively drug store brands and look amazing! I think the trick is to find a good mix, and play around with products until you find whats right for YOU. Its all well and good going on what someone else uses, but if it doesnt work for you then its not going to stay in your makeup bag.

Hope this has been helpful and a little bit of an insight to what I like to splurge on, and the products I consider a steal.

TTFN
C

50's Look of the day!

Hi guys,

Here is a look that I've been trying out a lot recently, and incidentally a look that 1. A lot of A listers have been sporting recently and 2. Has been seen on a fair few cat walk shows recently.

The look that I've recently been sporting is the 'pin up/ 1950's' - flicked black eyeliner, red drawn lips and hair tied up with a bowed scarf as a head band.

As some of you may have noticed, I have changed my twitter picture, which is incidentally this look.

For those of you who havent seen my interpritation of this look, here it is,

Here I wore the look with a leopard print scarf and very defined eyebrows, but I think as long as you stick to the basics with this simple and sophisticated look then you can change it up as much as you like, maybe a nude or bright coloured lip and either play down or enhance the flick of the eyeliner - or my favourite thing to do is switch up the scarf, change the look to fit your outfit.

The look is really easy to achieve , make your eyeliner thicker as you approach the outer corner and extend to a flick (be this large or small), fill the lips in with a red liner (I use a khol pencil instead of lip pencil as it goes on smoother) and fill in with your fave shade of red, the red I'm wearing in this picture is MAC's 'Lady Danger' which is a matte shade.
For the hair, make a small quiff and tie hair up in a bun and then secure the scarf with bobby/ kirby pins and tie in a bow. And voilà there you have it!

 Hope this was fun to read :)
Comment or tweet me telling me your current look!

TTFN
C

Illamasqua eye pigment and liquid metal

Hi guys, sorry its been a while, Ive been so busy with work I havent really had time to sit down and write, even my book has been put on the back burner.
For those of you who follow me on twitter (@1brushbeauty) then you will know that I recently went to an Illamasqua store and purchased a couple of products.
For those of us here in the UK, there are very few Illamasqua counters around, I found one in a mall around 30miles from where I live. I took my mum who had never heard of the company before, but as soon as she saw the pigment counter she almost hyperventilated with excitement (yes the make up obsession must run in the family).

I chose the pure pigment in 'Ore' and the liquid metal in 'Phenomena' with the mind to use the liquid metal as a base and the pigment as a primary shadow colour.
Ore is a gorgeous golden brown, but unique to this shade, it has a certain something that you cant exactly explain. But I had never seen another product with this exact shade. Most of the pure pigments contain some glitter, but it is fine enough that you can wear it during the day.
Phenomena is the lightest silver liquid metal and is a silky cream pigment that is really dense with colour but has a lovely light silky application. It is a really cool shade that may appear to be a little daunting, but there is no reason that it would not suit all skin tones.

I wanted to give these products a chance before I reviewed them, as I find with some high end pigments all you pay for is the name and the product ends up being the same as a cheaper drugstore product.

I have been using phenomena the most out of the two products and I find its a wonderful highlight for the eyes (when used on the inner corners), it is such a universal colour that you can wear it with any eyeshadow look. I apply with my finger tips as this ensures the best products transfer and allows maximum control of the cream. The only negative I have to warn with this is that if you wear it all over your lids beware of creasing (although I dont really mind it creasing, and as it happens a glossy 'creased' eye is what many of the fashion show models have been sporting this season). The liquid metals make really good bases and add a subtle shimmer when applied lightly or a mind blowing intense molten look when applied liberally.

The pure pigment that I purchased was ore and this is a loose pigment powder. You can apply with a brush on its own which gives a light glow/sparkle but this method maximises fallout so be careful when applying to 'pat' the product in and not 'sweep' with your brush as you normally would. I have been wearing it with a mixing medium to wear as a crease colour and it works wonderfully. It has that golden tinge but can bring lovely warm olive tones out in your make up too. A great way to wear this is over a liquid metal, and this is slowly becoming one of my favorite day time looks.

All in all I highly recommend checking out Illamasqua, either at a counter or online, and products are really as they appear, they apply as the same colour as you see them (which is sometimes the most important thing). They are a little pricey however but, the liquid metals especially, are second to none, there is no product like them on the market.

As always if you have any questions or comments please leave them and I will try and respond accordingly. Please check out my twitter page and let me know if youve been reading my blogs, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading, and until next time
TTFN
C