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I.G Tut #1 | Glitter Wing Details


Hello hello, I hope you're all having a great Sunday. I know I only just introduced a brand new series yesterday, but brace yourselves for a new one, because I had another brain wave and I'm really excited to share it with you all (again). I'm not 100% sure what I will be calling this, so atm I've left it as 'I.G Tut', but watch this space haha. Now I have always enjoyed making little makeup clips for the gram, even when the video length was just 15 seconds! I would diligently sit and cut down, speed up, find music and create mini clips, which I personally loved doing and I got a great response from my followers. The chances of me ever starting my own YouTube channel are slim to none, but that doesn't mean I can't utilise one of my favourite platforms and take advantage of their newer 1 minute allowance for videos. At the same time I don't think the videos alone are very useful, so I wanted to combine my main platform (my blog),  with my second largest base I.G and write posts to go along with it. I hope my IG followers find this useful ^_^ I'll be linking products, reviews, talking about techniques and giving you mini reviews of each of the products too.


Video one - base

1. Moisturiser: Embryollise creme concentrate, is the absolute BEST. I very rarely apply anything else before I put on makeup, because it sinks into the skin so well and any foundation applied on top applies beautifully. Especially if its a heavier kind of base. I once tried to use mehron HD over a nivea moisturiser and it just took longer to blend and didn't sit as well. Embryollise does have mineral oil in it, so if your skin doesn't react well with that, perhaps avoid! Otherwise though it's well worth trying out, the best moisturiser for it's price without a doubt.

2. Corrector for under the eyes and around the mouth: I have created my own custom corrector and it was a bit of a spur of the moment thing, but it works SO well! I reviewed the L.A Girl correctors here, and in that post I said how the orange shade just does not work for me because its too strong of an orange. So I decided to try mixing the orange and yellow on the back of my hand and it worked so well! I've not cleaned out a little benefit eyecream pot, and mixed them together which'll save me a lot of time in the morning.

3. Foundation: NARS Sheer Glow in Stromboli (reviewed here) is one of the best bases EVER. I love this and because I've reviewed it already in detail, I won't into too much detail, but basically its the best medium coverage base ever, I adore it! I blended it in with a damp beauty blender, my favourite method of application, the sponge is worth the price I promise.

4. Concealer: I used the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX07 for under the eyes and to highlight of course! I've reviewed this base in full here, and this post also explains the best way to use it and to set it too. I then used the same concealer in the shade SX08 to conceal that horrid spot on my forehead - it can conceal EVERYTHING. I blended it with the same damp beauty blender of course.

5. Set and lightly bake: The Kat Von D Shade and Light palette, which I reviewed here, is my all time favourite and you can see that by how much I have hit pan! 4 shades down, just two to go haha. The shades lyric and levitation mixed together work really well under the eyes. The brush I used is the Real Techniques Setting brush, its fantastic and I need one more in my collection for sure. I then used the orange shade to set over that pesky spot, and it really helped to hide the spot. You wouldn't want to apply the yellow powder over the spot, because it would highlight it and bring it to the surface. The to 'semi-bake' I used the Kat Von D Lock It Setting Powder, which is very lightweight and doesn't appear ashy on the skin. I've not had a chance to talk about this on the blog yet, but I have to say I really like it. For the price you get a lot of product and it does look better than the Coty powder. I use the primark mini sponge for the semi-baking, it is BRILLIANT! Just make sure it's well and truly damp first.



Video two: The Rest Of The Base

1. Brows: I've been using the Colourpop brow pencil in bangin brunette, which is very very similar to the ABH Brow Wiz! I usually wear my pomade, but when I'm in a rush this pencil does an excellent job at drawing out a shape. Plus the spoolie on the other end is perfect for blending the product through - you can't go wrong for the $5 price tag. The next step is to use the essence make me brow in 3 - a total benefit dupe for less than £3! I love this for toning the brows down a little bit, but also for setting them in place and the fibres create a more realistic look too. A real must have. Also for those asking, I always order my essence products online because theres a lot more variety vs. my local store (which also isn't that local by the way).

2. Bronzer: Topshop mohawk, is my all time favourite affordable bronzer', it is the perfect colour for my skintone! I've reviewed it more here. I love using the Real Techniques multi task brush, it is a great size, and ever so slightly tapered so you can apply it at an angle if you want some definition. I use the multi task brush almost every single day, its a must have in my collection, but as far as I remember its only available as part of their sets - they need to sell some of their brushes individually I'd be picking up a lot more!

3. Contour: ABH Refil Shade in Ash Brown, which I bought on sale from beautybay for an unbelievable price of less than a fiver! Although its not one of their more popular shades, I LOVE it so much. It's not quite as grey as a typical contour shade, but it is deep enough to really add definition. For the cheeks I used the Real Techniques Contour Brush and for the nose I used the Real Techniques Flat Foundation Brush, which was actually a first but it works really well! Both of these brushes are available in this kit, which is also on sale atm.

4. Blush: NARS Torrid is one of my favourites, I have reviewed it here. The brush I used is actually an ebay Jessup one. I love it because the bristles aren't very dense and it blends products out in a more natural way - which is useful for highly pigmented products! I can't seem to find the exact brush kit I purchased, but a quick ebay search shows they've improved their kits a lot and I think its the same blush brush in this kit.

5. Highlighter: Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Sundipped, a full review for this is coming up in the next week or two - I love it! The shades are beautifully pigmented and a little stronger than the previous glow kits (although not as intense as the newest one, as far as I can tell!). The brush I used is the Morphe M501, which is AMAZING! Its a shame they've increased the price, but I have to say it's still worth it and double, because it applies highlighter better than any other I own.

6. Facial Spritz: Mario Badescu Facial Spray With Aloe Herbs And Rosewater, reviewed here. BEST EVER. Can't speak highly enough!




Video Three: Eyes and Lips

1. Crease: MUG Dessert Sands is a gorgeous mustard shade which I LOVE for the crease! As my favourite colours to wear on the eyes are deep reds and browns, this shade of yellow blends so beautifully with them and it is one of my all time favourites. I used the Morphe M504 brush, which is fantastic for blending in any crease shade quickly and efficiently, a real go-to.

2. Lid: ABH Blazing was then blended all UNDER the crease area, mainly on the outer part of the eyelid. I adore the shade and I'm not sure why it's not more popular to be honest! The brush I used was the Morphe M507, again another MUST have brush in my collection! It is perfect for smaller detail work and its a very unique brush in my collection, I love it for the crease and inner corner too. I then blended out the crease again with the same M504, to make it all look seamless - blending is KEY for any eyeshadow look!

3. Main Lid: ABH Henna, all over the lid with a double ended ecotools brush (reviewed here!). Tbh I wish I had applied this with my finger instead as the pigmentation would have been stronger.

4. Lower Lash Line: Using the Zoeva 238 Luxe Precise Shader reviewed here, I ran Blazing under the lower lash line.

5. Inner Corner: Taking that same brush, I popped some of MUG's Vanilla bean reviewed herein the inner corner and slightly further into the lid. This reduced the pigmentation and opened the eyes up a little too.

6. Back to the crease: Using the other end of the ecotools brush (the shader side), I roughly applied some of MUG's Wild West, which is a beautiful deep dusty purple which I LOVE for adding some depth to any look. I then blended it out with the same M504. 

7. Lower Lash Line again: Going back in with MUG's Dessert Sands, I blended it all over the lower lashline, because it looks gorgeous with the red hue of blazing, they're a match made in heaven😍. I then went over the lower lashline again with Wild West, because I felt like it needed some definition and depth!

8. Winged Liner: The Balm's Schwing Liner is a gorgeous, very pigmented, long lasting eyeliner which I have really enjoyed. I don't like the fact that the tip is fraying now, but hopefully with a pair of scissors it'll be as good as new! 

9. Glitter! Horaaaaay, the glitz part. Using the paintglow glitter me up fix gel, I applied a little on the edge of the Zoeva Winged Liner Brush, then I carefully used the brush to apply a line of it just above the wing I had created. I could have been a little more precise with this part, but once the lashes were applied it didn't look too intense! The using a double ended primark brush, I dipped my brush into the certifeye rose gold glitter and carefully patted the glitter over where I had just placed the gel. 

10. Lashes: I've not included these in my video, because I plan to write a post about it and create another mini video for IG. But the lashes I'm using are from Anaqa lashes (IG here) in the style Nour. They're VERY dramatic but really made the look appear glamorous. Also the lovely owner Doua, kindly gave my readers a discount code, so use 'Iqra10' for 10% off your order!

11. Lips: And the final step 😅, I used the Rimmel liner in tiramisu, which is a firm favourite. It's excellent for natural lip shades, as well as anything orange toned because it does lean on that side of the colour spectrum. I also really like the formula of these pencils. I then used the Huda Beauty liquid lipstick in trendsetter - another favourite of mine! Whilst it appears more orange, once it's dried down it looks deeper and very sophisticated. 



And that is finally the end haha! I hope you guys found this beneficial, I really enjoyed creating it for you, even though it took ages haha. Thanks for all the good feedback I've already had 😄



Thank-you for reading


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I.G Tut #1 | Glitter Wing Details


Hello hello, I hope you're all having a great Sunday. I know I only just introduced a brand new series yesterday, but brace yourselves for a new one, because I had another brain wave and I'm really excited to share it with you all (again). I'm not 100% sure what I will be calling this, so atm I've left it as 'I.G Tut', but watch this space haha. Now I have always enjoyed making little makeup clips for the gram, even when the video length was just 15 seconds! I would diligently sit and cut down, speed up, find music and create mini clips, which I personally loved doing and I got a great response from my followers. The chances of me ever starting my own YouTube channel are slim to none, but that doesn't mean I can't utilise one of my favourite platforms and take advantage of their newer 1 minute allowance for videos. At the same time I don't think the videos alone are very useful, so I wanted to combine my main platform (my blog),  with my second largest base I.G and write posts to go along with it. I hope my IG followers find this useful ^_^ I'll be linking products, reviews, talking about techniques and giving you mini reviews of each of the products too.

Best of Amazon and eBay Beauty Finds 2016


Hello everyone! I hope you're having a great relaxing few days watching movies and eating to your hearts content. I have been looking around for the best deals, although there aren't LOADS of beauty ones this year which isn't great ☹️. The ones I have found btw, are all on my twitter (@blushinggiraffe). ANYWAYS today I wanted to share some of my absolute favourite beauty picks from Amazon and eBay. I also have one or two products which I don't recommend at all, however we'll get to that in due time! I love scouring both these sites for beauty items and more often than not I am happy with what I have found. As this post involves sharing some fantastic deals with you all, I'm super excited and I hope you all enjoy it too.

false lashes case ebay false lashes holder









Starting off with the most obvious thing in this photo, that cute lil pink lash holder case is adorable and will hold three pairs of false eyelashes. I needed a place I could keep my lashes, without stuffing them back into their boxes because that took up SO much space in my drawers. As soon as I saw this I knew I had to have it. Not only is it cute to look at, but it stores three sets of lashes and really does save a lot of room. There is also small compartment for your lash glue and I just could not ask for more, especially at the bargain price of £1.89! I don't wear falsies too often, so I only really have one or two pairs of lashes I'm using at one time. I'll always clean them up gently with some micellar water and a cotton bud after to prolong their life. Since getting this little box, I always know where my lashes are and I always clean them up and put them away so none get lost.

false lashes case ebay false lashes holder best ebay false eyelashes




Talking of falsies, if you follow me on any social media platform you might recognise the actual lashes that are in this case, because I cannot get enough of them OR stop going on about them to anyone who'll listen! I love false lashes as much as the next beauty blogger, but I don't often wear them. So to spend a lot of money on one pair of lashes didn't make sense for me, especially being on a student budget. I'm not sure exactly HOW, but after trail and error of ordering packs of lashes and being disappointed, I somehow stumbled across this pack of three lashes (£1.19) for literally just over a quid and when they came I was SO EXCITED. As you can see from the image above,  these lashes are beautifully fluffy and look gorgeous when on! Some lashes from ebay I've tried in the past are too hard, shiny and obviously plastically which is not a good look at all. These are the exact opposite, and even better? Yes, EVEN BETTER, I don't need to trim them at all which is brilliant. I have stocked up on at least three more packs and I recommend you all do the same.

mehron HD foundation and real techniques brush sets duo fibre


Moving onto an Amazon pick now, I have ALWAYS purchased my Real Techniques brush sets from here because you get the best deals on here by far. I know that Zoeva and other brushes brands have taken over the scene when it comes to the best of the best, however I still stand by my RT base brushes which I use almost every day. Especially the Duo Fibre Brush Set (currently £13.30), I LOVE the face and contour brush, especially for when I'm using very pigmented products like Sleek blushers.

A very recent discovery of mine, thanks to the beautiful Onika (blog here), as been the Mehron HD Foundation (£8.50). It is one of the most seamless, beautiful foundations I've ever tried and it photographs SO amazingly! I like it so much that I'm thinking of picking up two more shades, one darker and one lighter for whenever I do my families makeup for special occasions. It is a cream formula and you get a lot for the price you pay. I'll of course be doing a detailed review in the upcoming year, but for now take my word for it and check it out online - if you're looking for a base which'll leave you looking airbrushed, you need Mehron in your life!

sigma brush cleaning mat dupe


This one is VERY cheeky and I've been debating about if I should share this on the blog or not, because it is just that bad. Yes some person in China have totally ripped off Sigma's brush cleaning mat design and it is pretty bad of them...also needless to say I doubt I'll ever be getting an invitation to become a Sigma affiliate! However I have been using this every time I've washed my brushes for the past few weeks and decided it would be most unfair to keep it from my lovely readers. If someone on Sigma's end is reading this and is upset...please don't shoot the messenger! The brush mat cost me about a fiver, vs the twenty odd quid the actual one is and thats what mainly drew me in. Now having looked online I can't find the exact one I have, the seller has stopped selling it...however there are very similar ones available for between £3-£6 here. This brush mat makes washing brushes SOOO much easier! I cannot believe how much quicker my brush washing routine is and it saves my hands from getting so wrinkly too. Obviously it's a personal choice on if you feel comfortable purchasing this kind of product...if the price difference was a fiver, I'd have gone with the actual brand. However I'm a student, I don't have £20 to spend on a rubber mat to help me wash my brushes y'know?



Finally, not to end this on a bad note but these two products I wouldn't necessarily recommend to you all. I always say that it's important to show you guys the not so great stuff, as well as the wonderful products too. Starting off with the cute little panda, this is an undereye brightening base and I saw it on another blog many months ago. The blogger said it really helped her makeup, most specifically her under-eyes and it acted like a primer for her. That sounds amazing as you may know my undereyes are the bane of my life, however after trialling this out for a good few weeks...I just don't really see much of a difference! So I won't be buying it again (despite the cuteness).

I also picked up a pack of 10 'mineral pore strips' from Amazon, mainly because I saw some pretty good reviews. However they really are NOT strips, its a very gooey consistency, that you have to spread evenly over the face (designated area). You then leave it to set for 15-20 minutes and carefully pull it away from the skin...at which point I realised this is not the stuff for me. It hurt so badly, my eyes were stinging and my skin was left really red. Plus there was barely any gunk taken out from my skin :( so that was a fail.

Aside from the above, I hope you've found some great picks. I have LOVED so many things that I've found from Amazon/eBay, which not enough people know and talk about. I'm also glad I finally have a post up where I have linked the lashes cause I talk about them SO much (they're just that great!)


Have you got any picks from either online stores that you love?



Thank-you for reading




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Best of Amazon and eBay Beauty Finds 2016


Hello everyone! I hope you're having a great relaxing few days watching movies and eating to your hearts content. I have been looking around for the best deals, although there aren't LOADS of beauty ones this year which isn't great ☹️. The ones I have found btw, are all on my twitter (@blushinggiraffe). ANYWAYS today I wanted to share some of my absolute favourite beauty picks from Amazon and eBay. I also have one or two products which I don't recommend at all, however we'll get to that in due time! I love scouring both these sites for beauty items and more often than not I am happy with what I have found. As this post involves sharing some fantastic deals with you all, I'm super excited and I hope you all enjoy it too.

My go-to / 'everyday' makeup routine


Hello everyone, it has been over a week since I have had the chance to sit down and blog because I have started my teacher training journey and all I can say thus-far is that I'm VERY TIRED. It'll inevitably get a little easier once I get out of the erratic and super relaxed university lifestyle (i.e no real routine and plenty of late nights followed by lie-ins). I thought I'd ease back into blogging with my go-to makeup as of late. This was kind of my everyday summer makeup, because I had a lot more time of course and this is kind of like my favourites post of August too, because these are the products I reached for again and again.

My base of choice has been the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation in 7 (£32.00), I wore this throughout my London trip and pretty much every-time I wore makeup in August. It is so beautiful when applied, whether my skin was in a good state or more on the dry/rough side, some how light wonder foundation manages to not accentuate any flaw whilst still providing enough coverage to get me that 'my skin but lets face it, way better'. My skin glows like no tomorrow, without looking sweaty or disco-balling. In fact it looks VERY similar to that famous tutorial Charlotte T did on her youtube channel, recreating Amal Clooney's wedding makeup. I've probably watched it about 20 times, if you don't know what I'm on about this is what I'm talking about! Just to give you an idea of how much I love this, I'm thinking about purchasing the shade 6 for the winter time, as 7 will be far too light. Now I own a silly amount of bases, so to even consider picking up another shade of one I already have really speaks volumes.

Application: I've liked applying this with the Real Techniques Buffing brush, I find it doesn't alter the coverage unlike when I tried it with a damp beauty blender. 

Concealer wise I have been OBSESSED with the Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer in medium (£10.00) and I really cannot believe I have skipped over this time and time again in the highstreet! This is probably the most perfect corrector shade I have ever tried for my dark circles, I've recently been using the Benefit erase paste again, which I used to swear by and it has nothing on this at all - plus its double the price! As for concealer, I've been using the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX07 (£38.00) which is true HG status for me and I adore it. The coverage is fantastic, a little goes a long way and when set correctly. I have a detailed post of the SSEs coming up in the near future because they're rather expensive and not the easiest to work with, but I can't imagine my makeup routine without it now, so it must be pretty fantastic.

Application: The corrector I always apply with my ring finger in the darkest areas under my eyes. One layer is more than enough to actually correct the darkness and it doesn't cake up at all - so great! I've recently been doing most of the concealer application with the same finger too, getting the majority of it blended in and then finishing off with the beauty blender before setting. 

Setting wise, theres nothing better than the Kat Von D Shade + Light palette ($45.00) coming to the UK really soon 🎉 which is definitely HG status for me. I love mixing the lightest colour with the yellow shade and it both sets and highlights the face perfectly. When I don't use this palette, I massively notice a difference in my makeup so it is another staple. If I have time I'll lightly bake under the eyes with the Coty Airspun loose powder ($8.99), which works really well to set down such a creamy formula like the KA SSE!

Application: Real Techniques Setting brush (£4.89) for the yellow powder and a damp beauty blender for the bake!




Moving on to the cheeks, this summer I have been using my usual blusher of choice: NARS Deep Throat (£23.00) which is basically the most beautiful blush for everyday that was ever invented. I tent to stick to the same KVD palette for bronzing up the face, using the middle shade in a 3 shape for adding warmth and the shade on the left to sculpt out the cheeks. For highlight, Laura Geller's Gilded Honey (£21.00) has been my go-to. When I first got this, I didn't love the baked formula but if you use more of a stiffer brush it picks up the product better.

Application: for blusher I use pretty much any synthetic round brush, my favourite of late has been one from an ebay set I reviewed here. I've been using the large fluffy powder brush in the same set for bronzer and for highlight it's been all about the Morphe M501 (£6.25). Like I said the bristles are a little more firm as a natural haired brush, which makes it excellent for picking up powder formulas. 

anastasia beverly hills palette sienna and peach sorbet, makeup geek eyeshadows in creme brulle and mirage, tarte gifted mascara, the balm schwing liner


Finally moving on to the eye makeup (as I change up the lips all the time), I have really loved wearing a warm eyemakeup look whenever I've had the time. When I went to London, I decided to use my lovely ABH palette to create a quad of shades I could use everyday. Since then I've not actually switched them out because I've been enjoying them so much. The red shade is ABH Sienna - basically the most perfect terracotta brown there ever was in all the lands, a little bit of this in the crease and along the lower lashline is all I need to add some depth and warmth. The shade to the right of Sienna is ABH Peach Sorbet - a lovely all over the lid colour for brightening up any look and it is perfect for everyday too. Going clockwise, I had to pick MUG's Mirage - my all time fave brow bone highlight. It is a beautiful satin formula which is slightly off-white and again works fantastically as an inner corner highlight too for everyday. Finally the most wonderful crease shade to ever exist: MUG Creme Brulee SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS EYESHADOW! You can already see I've made a bit of a dent in it and it is by far a game changer. Yes it looks like nothing much in the pan, but trust me it makes a world of difference.

My eyeliner of choice has been The Balm's Schwing Liquid Liner (£13.50) which is SUPER pigmented. It's actually the darkest liner I have ever used in my life and the best part is the colour lasts all day. Sadly it is not without its issues however, if you happen to get water on your face it transfers instantly and runs down the cheeks very dramatically. Still it works well for the most part and I can create a dramatic sharp line with little to no effort. Finally, last but not least, my mascara of choice in the Tarte Gifted Mascara (£21.52) which has knocked benefit's They're Real out of the water for me. It separates and adds volume like no other mascara, it layers up well and the best part is that it's really easy to remove, major dealbreaker! 


So that is my go-to makeup routine, especially for the summer time. Of course I switched things up now and again, however I did largely stick to these products and I wanted to share them all with you. I do however want to reduce these kinds of posts in which I talk about loads of products, they're getting really uninspiring for me to type and I feel like they're kind of repetitive too. Just to let you know, I am currently deep into my teacher training course and I am REALLY busy. However I do want to continue blogging and reading other blogs and commenting whenever I can, just bear with me! The next two posts are going to be quite specific as they have been requested and on my to-do list for quite a long while. After those posts I'm not really sure, but I imagine I'll be trying to switch up my content a little and do more focused reviews as they're the most 'useful' posts I feel like I share!

What are some of your staple makeup products that you reach for without even thinking about?




Thank-you for reading




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My go-to / 'everyday' makeup routine


Hello everyone, it has been over a week since I have had the chance to sit down and blog because I have started my teacher training journey and all I can say thus-far is that I'm VERY TIRED. It'll inevitably get a little easier once I get out of the erratic and super relaxed university lifestyle (i.e no real routine and plenty of late nights followed by lie-ins). I thought I'd ease back into blogging with my go-to makeup as of late. This was kind of my everyday summer makeup, because I had a lot more time of course and this is kind of like my favourites post of August too, because these are the products I reached for again and again.

Review | Brushes That Look Exactly Like The Real Techniques Bold Metals Line



Real Techniques bold metals dupe review



Hello everybody, long time no blog D: Third year deadlines are slowly but surely coming to an end (thank goodness) and I've taken out a couple of hours to blog, before I hit the journals again.

So back in January, I stumbled across these very familiar looking brushes on ebay and decided to pick up two sets, one for me and one for my mother. Unfortunately the seller from which I purchased both of these sets (yes I chose different sellers because I wanted to see if there was any difference), is no longer selling them...I don't know why this happens on eBay but there was hardly any difference between either set so I'll link another one at the end of the post if you want to purchase it yourself. The price of this seven piece brush kit is between £5-£6.50, so of course as it was such a bargain I had to purchase it and I have not been disappointed!

Now before we get into individual reviews, you may be wondering why I haven't called this a dupe post...well the thing is I don't own any of the original bold metal brushes.  For my budget they're a little too pricy and I'd much rather spend £20 on a NARS blush, or put it towards an eyeshadow brush set from Zoeva, so I wasn't ever compelled to purchase any of the brushes. Not that they don't look beautiful! I'm just quite the savy shopper haha. Therefore calling this a dupe post would be untrue, I'm not comparing these directly to the originals (although they have cheekily included the RT initials on the barrel of the brushes too!) as I haven't used them, but from whatever knowledge I may have of specific brushes I'll do my best to comment.

Real Techniques bold metals dupe review
Starting with the obvious the original bold metals brushes are actually made from metal and feel heavy and weighty when you pick them up. These brushes are most certainly not made from metal, they're created from plastic and are super lightweight. The bristles are incredibly soft as they're synthetic and each brush works well with powder, cream and liquid products. Also all of these brushes have the same name as the originals, so let's get into the details shall we!

Large Fluffy Powder Brush 100 
This brush is great for applying powder, the bristles aren't very dense so it doesn't pack on the product which is exactly what I look for. I'm not a fan of a powdery face, however having an oilyish T-zone means that a bit of setting is required in order to keep the shine away. A quick dip of this brush in powder and swish onto the face is perfect and it takes less than 3 seconds. I also enjoy this brush for bronzing up the skin, again the fluffiness of the bristles means it evenly distributes the product on the skin. Also the barrel of this brush is ever so slightly squashed, which makes the width of the head a little elongated, again making it easier to apply bronzer to a designated area. On simple makeup days, a quick sweep of this along the cheekbones creates the most effortless definition and warmth at the same time.

Real Techniques bold metals dupe review
Triangle Foundation Brush 101
I have to say this brush was the one I was most dubious about, it's definitely very unique! The shape is a 3D triangle, with three flat sides and it ends with a neat little point at the end. I checked out some of the reviews of the original (which costs £22 by the way!) and there were some complaints of it being rough and scratchy. Like I said I can't speak for the original, however this version is lovely and soft to use on the skin. This brush really surprised me too, it's a lot more useful than it looks. I enjoy it for applying and blending out concealer, cream contour and most surprising for me, it works well for setting the under-eyes and baking with loose powder too! Probably the best thing about this brush is that you can use each side for a different purpose in one use. I'll blend my concealer in with one side, apply and blend contour with the second and with the third I apply powder. It's a fantastic brush for travelling - for obvious reasons!

Real Techniques bold metals dupe review





Both the rose gold brushes were what I was most excited to try, I mean a girl can never have enough blush or contour brushes am I right? heh. If any of the original brushes tempted me, it was these two but I'm glad I held back and purchased this set instead now!

Blush Brush 300
One of my favourite brushes in the set by far! The head is small and tapered, ensuring you can apply blusher just on the apples of the cheeks without going all clown faced. Similar to the powder brush, this also has a squashed barrel (which you can see clearly in the next photo I hope) so this adds a flatter dimension to the brush. I wasn't sure if this would be helpful at first, however it makes the brush more versatile, you can use it for highlight, blending out contour using the tapered tip, or simply using the flatter side of the brush to pack on pigment onto the cheeks. I personally LOVE blusher, my makeup isn't complete without it, however I like to apply it directly over my contour line and blend it in. This gives me more of an elongated lifted look and I highly recommend you try it, rather than popping blush all over the cheeks if you have a rounder face. This isn't my all time favourite blusher brush, but it's landed a spot in my top three and I think everyone could find a use for it in their everyday makeup routine.

Real Techniques bold metals dupe review

Contour Brush 301

I noticed straight away that this brush isn't the best copy to the original one, which seems a lot more rounded and neat. As you can see there are to stray hairs - not a big deal and probably quite expects. But the main difference is that this brush has one flatter edge and one rounder edge. The second difference is that this brush seems to be wider in diameter to what I expected. This means that when blending out contour, it's a lot easier using the rounder edge on the side, rather than straight up using the flat part of the brush. I tend to use this brush more when I'm using cream products, or if I'm using a powder bronzer it'll be lighter shade. Sometimes with a strong bronzer colour it can look a little harsh, however it's all about control and practice. I am much more used to using a small round brush for contouring, over this style of brush and I haven't fallen head over heels for it - but it's a nice addition to my collection.

Real Techniques bold metals dupe review


Finally we have the eyeshadow brushes, which I didn't have any expectations for and certainly wouldn't spend the full price for any of them - MORPHE/ZOEVA have my heart instead!

Shader brush 200
This is a great brush for quick shadow application all over the lid. When I only have 10-15 minutes to do my makeup I tend to use one side of this to blend out concealer around the brows (a new thing I've been doing which has made the HUGEST difference!). I'll then flip over the brush and use the other side to set a base shadow all over the lid and it's a great brush to have as it blends out cream and picks up powder with ease. Not great for precision work at all, but everyone needs a large shader brush!


Pointed Crease 201
This brush is pretty decent, but nothing outstanding. I use it to add depth to my crease, but as the size is medium, it's not great for blending out, nor is it good for smoking out the lower lashline. The two primary uses are really to add a deeper shadow into the crease, or to blend two shades together on the lid. It's also decent for adding a bit of inner corner highlight and I guess it would be good for pin point concealing too. It's not a must have in my opinion, however it's a nice addition.


Angled Brush 202
I didn't really bother with this brush for a long time, however I've recently misplaced my ABH brow brush so I started using it with the dip brow pomade and I really like it! It is firm enough to add shape and small enough to give you control. Best brow brush ever? No. It is a very welcome brush in my stash though, as I seem to lose eyebrow brush left, right and centre!


So there's my review for the set everyone! If you're interested in buying it here is a link. I would recommend it if you're looking for some newer brushes but don't want to spend more than a tenner. I could do most of my makeup with a beautyblender and just this set, which is pretty awesome ^_^ There are obviously some brushes I like and use more than others, but I have genuinely used each brush a handful of times, washed them a few times too and been very impressed. They feel pretty cheap but they do the job good enough for me.


Do you own any of the Bold Metals brushes? Would you recommend splurging on any in particular?

Thank-you for reading ♥




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