Rouge Bunny Rouge Blusher Brush (002)

I've had the Rouge Bunny Rouge Blusher Brush (002) for quite a long time now. I mentioned it when I reviewed the RMK Cheek Brush last year and fully intended to post a review soon after. At the time, I'd added a number of blusher brushes to my collection and this one got a bit side lined. In fact, my love of this brush has been quite a slow burner but I do think of it as one of my favourites now.

Top to Bottom: RBR Contour Brush, RBR Blusher Brush and RMK Blusher Brush

The RBR Blusher Brush is a super soft, paddle shaped brush. It doesn't provide resistance like the contour brushes that I generally favour for blush application and this is probably why it took a while to grow on me. Instead, what it is excellent for is adding a sweep of vibrant or shimmery colour. I pick up this brush when I want to apply a colour like NARS Orgasm, Desire or Illamasqua Morale. It feels so beautiful to the touch that I do have to fight the urge to go overboard with the colour!

I haven't experienced any shedding with this brush, like I did with the RBR Face Contour (012) brush. As with my other squirrel hair brushes, it does give off an animalic smell when wet but this fades once dry. I find it keeps its shape well through washing and storage.

The Rouge Bunny Rouge face brushes are expensive but I would say they are quality tools and comparable to Hakuhodo and RMK brushes, so worthy of an investment. I use both 012 and 002 to apply blusher, despite the fact that the 012 is designed for applying contour. If you're trying to decide on one rather than buying both, I would say that your blusher choice and/or style of application will dictate your decision somewhat. If you use mostly neutral pink or subtle blushers and like to work the colour in, you'll get on well with 012. If you like a sheer veil of vibrant colour, go for 002.

The Rouge Bunny Rouge Blusher Brush is available from Zuneta and costs £47. Rouge Bunny Rouge is also available from Beautyhabit.com for those of you in America.

Disclosure: PR Sample

Recent Empties

I've been collecting up my empties for the last month or so. This is partly for me to keep an eye on how quickly I finish products up. Not at any great rate it would seem and there is a very woeful amount of makeup in this batch. I've linked to previous reviews wherever I can.

The lone makeup item is my RMK Super Basic Liquid concealer. I was quite sad when I realised it was empty as this has been my favourite undereye concealer. It has lasted such a long time as I've swapped and changed, trying others along the way but I always returned to this one. I know I probably should have just replaced it but I couldn't resist trying something new and I've put in an order for the Ellis Faas S202 that I tried last year.

There are quite a few hair bits and pieces that I finished off recently. I've had the Pureology Hydrate shampoo* for a long time but I started using it again when my scalp took against the John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoo (it smells gorgeous but caused spots on my scalp and hairline). It's SLS free and really hydrating, the only negative is that it does take a bit of effort to rinse out thoroughly.

I've gone through several rounds of the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette shampoo and conditioner. I've used it to try and fight the brassiness/ginger glow that I suffer with now I'm only colouring my roots. The conditioner is ok but it's not quite rich enough to tackle my tangled locks.

Including the Bed Head Mega Whip* is cheating really but it was in amongst the other containers for the recycle bin. I received this as a PR sample and Mr. MB seems to have taken his reviewing duties here very seriously, he clearly scraped out every last drop. He's been dropping unsubtle hints about me replacing it for him so it's obviously been a hit.

The I Love My Muff wash* lastest longer than I expected for a small bottle. I'm not going to embarrass myself by explaining the line all over again (you can read about it in my original post) but I surprised myself by permanently switching to using this in preference to my regular shower gel. I mentioned in my review that the products are a bit on the expensive side, so I'm not sure yet whether I will replace this. It's somehow easier to justify splurges on.....erm, other areas!

The last few items are all skincare products. The Naked Truth AHA Cleanser* has had a name and packaging change since I originally reviewed it. The line is now called Dr. Darren McKeown and the simple packaging has been replaced by busy molecular structures. The line does seem to have struggled to find a market as I predicted in my initial review and the products are always reduced in price. In fact, you can currently buy this AHA Cleanser for £6.40 which is staggering considering the original RRP was £17.99. I do wonder what the future is for these products.

I was sad when I realised I'd pumped the last drop from my Pai Cleanser*. It has lasted really well and has become a staple of my routine. This is one item I will definitely replace. It smells beautiful and has been a joy to use at the end of the day. It's also really useful to have as I know that even if I have irritated skin, I can still use this to remove my makeup without it making any redness worse.

The last item is a mini Night Cream that came in a set I received as a gift last year. It's from The Body Shop's Nutriganics range. It started out in my soap bag for use away from home but drifted into general use. I wouldn't say it's especially fancy but I found it pleasant to use and not so rich that it caused congestion or greasy face in the morning.

What have you been using up recently? Are you good at making sure you use everything up?


*Items originally received as PR Sample.

YSL Touche Éclat: An Oldie but a Goldie?

I seem to recall that I was using YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch concealer when I first started writing this blog and it was probably one of my early project 10 pan items. Since then, I have tried a variety of different highlighter concealers including Lancôme Teint Miracle, By Terry Touche Veloutee, RMK Super Basic Liquid Concealer (you can see a comparison here) and Healthspan Nuture Illuminating Touch Concealer. The RMK Super Basic Concealer has been become a firm favourite because it's more opaque and the yellow undertone seems to work well for me. Having used a more opaque undereye concealer for a while, I wondered how old faithful would fare. EDIT The shade shown here is #1.

Left - Touche Éclat #1, Right - RMK Super Basic Liquid #01

In bright sunlight, well as bright as it gets in January! RMK at the top, Touch Éclat at the bottom.

Touche Éclat has quite a thin, fluid formula and the colour is very different to the RMK. It's quite pink based however, I don't think the pink tone is as obvious when applied to the undereye area as it is in my swatch. I apply quite liberally but only to the areas of discolouration, so the arc under the tear duct and also at the very outer corner. To blend it in I pat the colour into the skin with my ring finger (you can just make out a finger print in my after picture!).

My undereye discolouration looks particularly shocking at the moment due to minimal sleep, overindulging and the general Christmas drain. I have some redness as well as the usual dark circles. I had my reservations about the Touch Éclat being enough to cover it but to my surprise it worked really well. It knocks down the dark circles and really brightens the undereye area. The bonus of it being a light forumla is that it isn't as prone to creasing or settling into fine lines as a more opaque concealer, although it obviously doesn't offer the same level of coverage. I do find that I have to reapply during the day if I want to remain looking fresh but I find this to be true of all highlighter concealers.

This YSL Touche Éclat was sent to me by CheapSmells.com where it available for £17.95 instead of the usual £24.50. I'm sure you're already familiar with the website but in case you're not, they're an e-tailer offering many perfumes brands and beauty products at discounted prices. They seem to have had added some new brands recently. I realised from their newsletter that they now stock a number of NARS items, including NARS Albatross and three shades of the NARS Multiples. It's well worth a browse if you after a post-Christmas pick me up!


Disclosure: PR Sample

RMK Cheek Brush

I've had the RMK Cheek brush for a couple of months but it's taken me a while to get around to reviewing it. I seem to have expanded my blusher brush collection quite a lot recently with the addition of my Hakuhodo Yachiyo, Illamasqua blusher brush, the RMK and also a new Rouge Bunny Rouge Blusher brush (review to come) which means that I have more brushes to rotate through these days. I like to have a good play with an item before attempting a review and I also I like to have washed the brush at least once, hence my delay. I'm still a procrastinator when it comes to brush washing!

Top to bottom: RBR Face Contour 012, RBR Blusher 002, RMK Cheek brush

I washed the RMK brush for the first time yesterday. As I had anticipated with the squirrel hair, wetting the brush released a bit of an animal pong. This always seems to happen with squirrel hair brushes and I mention it only as it might bother some. The smell does dissipate once the brush is dry. The brush washed well and dried quite rapidly. It fluffed up a little which is again quite normal but retained it's tapered shape nicely. I didn't notice any bleeding or shedding of hairs.

The RMK is a beautifully soft brush. It has a short handle but I quite like this in a blusher brush and as my lovely blogger friend Dempeaux pointed out, this actually quite a good thing for us short-sighted gals! I also think it makes it an ideal brush for travel and this is the one I packed for my recent Christmas jaunt.

The brush hairs form a flat paddle shape. The hairs pick up pigment well (though not so well with very compacted powders) and deposit the colour in a sweep: the tips of the hairs feel grippy yet super soft on the skin. In the course of expanding my collection, I have come to realise that I favour a more densely packed fluffy or domed shaped brush for blusher application. I think I tend to buff in colour rather than just sweep. The RMK has fluffed up significantly with washing so I may be able to apply colour with the tip more so now as well as just the side.

I think this is a lovely brush and has a very luxurious feel at a lower price point than similar squirrel hair brushes. I bought mine from Selfridges in London and I believe it cost around £35 (annoyingly I have mislaid the receipt in one my cleaning escapades). For those living in the US, you can get hold of RMK brushes through BonBonCosmetics.com.


Disclosure: The Rouge Bunny Rouge bushes shown here were PR samples, I bought the RMK myself.

Brush P*rn for Hump Day!

I swear everyday has felt like Monday this week. I've tried three or four times to write a post this evening, I just think I'm too tired and grumpy to write anything sensible. As I'm incapable of being totally silent I can't really call this Wordless Wednesday but here is a little something to get us over the hump.

I'm off to stroke my face with a few of them in the name of research. If I'm not back by Friday, send in a search party!

My Current Staples

Although I like to wear different things regularly and I'm often hot on the tail of something new, there are certain core items in my collection that I know will never let me down. Some are products I use daily and others are items that I know will instantly get me out of a tight spot! Especially for those times when only have five minutes to make myself presentable.

Several of these items were sent to me as PR samples. I sometimes hesitate when it comes to including these items in favourites posts in case people are somehow suspicious of my motives. However, these are genuinely products that I love and will be replacing myself when they run out. Wherever applicable I have included links to more detailed review posts and I have indicated all PR samples with an asterisk. 

BECCA concealer in praline* and the LMdB concealer brush* - these two items together are my secret weapon. I dip the brush directly into the pan and then apply to any blemishes or areas of redness. The concealer is a great match for me and I really like the consistency of the 'thinner' concealer in the right hand pan. The brush is superb at sheering out the concealer and blending seamlessly. For those of you that can't access Le Métier de Beauté, I think the Hourglass large concealer brush might be a suitable alternative.

RMK Super Basic Liquid concealer - I have mentioned this concealer many, many times before but this is my favourite for the undereye area. I've had this for over a year now and it's still going strong. I imagine it won't be opaque enough to suit everyone's needs but I like the fact that it's more opaque than most other highlighting pens. The yellow undertone seems to work well for me too.

Max Factor Second Skin foundation* - I don't wear foundation every day but if I'm in the mood or feel like my skin needs extra help, I will reach for Second Skin. I was introduced to this by makeup artist Caroline Barnes and it works very well on my skin. It's not a heavy coverage and has a slightly dewy finish which rather kind to moderately seasoned skin! I can slap it on with my fingers quickly so it's also perfect for speedy makeup.

NARS Laguna bronzer- I recently mentioned that I have entered bronzer mode now the sun has disappeared. I have a couple of bronzers that I like but Laguna is my favourite. I have been applying it with this very cute little Essence brush that Mookie on the Bench kindly sent me.

Cream blusher - I am cheating a little here as I have several cream blushers that I reach for in emergencies. I find cream blusher is definitely the fastest and most forgiving formula. Particularly as it can add a little life into the face by adding a sheen at the same time as colour. My personal favourites are BECCA Turkish Rose, Edward Bess After Sunset and Hourglass Cheek Stain in Rouge.

W3LL People Univeralist #2 Highlighter* and RBR Eyes Wide Open Pencil* - These are my current face brightening favourites. Both of these are very easy to use and I find them impossible to overcook because of their consistency. The pencil is very creamy and easy to blend out. It's great for the brow and as an inner corner highlight. It is possible to use it elsewhere on the face too. The W3LL People highlighter is very easy to use highlight the tops of the cheek bone. I have actually been know to draw it directly onto my face and then blend with my fingers. It isn't so creamy that you end up with a big stripe so there's no fear you'll end up looking like an 80's throwback. I promise! The W3LL People Universalist stick is available from Being Content and I shall review it very soon.

My little assistant 'helping' out with the photographs

Gosh Velvet Touch pencil in Truly Brown and RBR Long-lasting Eye pencil in Lola - Quite often when I am in a rush I will skip eyeshadow and just apply liner. If I wear eyeliner on it's own I prefer to use a brown pencil (unless of course I am going for a winged liner with red lipstick, in which case it has to be black). Both the Gosh pencil in Truly Brown and RBR pencil in Lola are lovely colours and quick to apply because of their consistency. They also last very well. As an aside, if you're a fan of brown liners may I point you in the direction of London Makeup Girl's recent comparison post. I am very taken with the depth of the Tom Ford Espresso liner.

Shu Uemura brow pencil (H9, Seal Brown) - I very rarely use anything else for filling my brows. The pencil is a hard forumla and doesn't transfer very much unless you are wearing foundation (or primer) that has strayed onto the brows. I find this has some major advantages: if I am not wearing foundation it will give me a natural finish, when I am wearing foundation it will tranfer more and give a more defined look. So, essential it works with me rather than against me.

Mascara - Again, a generic item. My favourite mascara is Hourglass Film Noir but I don't currently have a tube and I am working my way through several others. The Max Factor Xperience* is a good everyday mascara. I like MUFE Smoky lash for a more dramatic finish.

RBR Sheer lipstick in Murmurings and Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Bonheur - When I am in a rush I reach for one of these two lipsticks. The sheer formulas make them very easy to wear and perfect for the cooler months. The plummy shades are also great Autumnal choices. I find both Bonheur and Murmurings have enough pigment to show up as a colour on my lips already pigmented lips.

I haven't included any eyeshadows. It was a concious decision as I have so many eyeshadow favourites that we would have been here all week. Plus, as I mentioned above, if I'm in a rush I will often skip eyeshadow altogether. I do have some cream eyeshadows that I will use for a quick eye look. I have actually realised in the course of writing this that what I really lack is a lovely taupe cream. This will be next mission! One thing I have been enjoying recently is the Chanel Illusions d'Ombre in Illusoire. A friend was kind enough to send me a scoop (she's my makeup crack dealer!) and it is as lovely as I'd hoped.

Do you have any special makeup staples? Which are the products you reach for on a daily basis?


Disclosure: Items marked with * were received as PR samples.

Undereye Concealers

My undereye concealer stash!

I can't take credit for the idea behind this post. It actually came about from a conversation I had with Dempeaux on Twitter this morning. I mentioned that I'd had another broken night of sleep (to be honest it's the norm for me) and I joked that concealer would be required! I have alluded to the fact that I feel undereye concealer is an essential part of my routine before and I am forever on the hunt for 'the one'.

Touche Veloutee #01

My most recent acquisitions are the By Terry Touche Veloutee which I bought in the shade Porcelain 01 and Lancome Teint Miracle concealer in shade 02 which was sent to me for review. The other concealers shown here are RMK Super Basic Liquid Concealer in shade 01, Benefit Erase Paste in 01 Fair and MAC Moisturecover in NW20.

After a little breakout (never, ever use face wipes, not even in desperation) I decided to skip foundation and just apply concealer. Having worried previously that I had picked up Touche Veloute in shade that was too light for me, wearing it without base highlighted just how wrong the match was. It's very light and as it's quite pigmented it shows up clearly as you will see below.

Natural light

Flash

I was surprised when I swatched all of the concealers together just how much variation there is in the shades. The RMK is very yellow, the Lancome quite pink and MAC NW20 is very dark and peachy but with the exception of the Touche Veloutee, I think they all look OK once blended.

Touche Veloutee on the left

Touche Veloutee

Teint Miracle

L- Touche Veloutee, R - Teint Miracle

L- Touche Veloutee, R - Teint Miracle (with flash)

I find that the Touche Veloutee is only wearable when I apply it over foundation. It has a brightening effect that way but I only need tiny amount and as one click dispenses enough to cover a quarter of my face, there is a lot wastage. I find the Teint Miracle has a similar brightening effect without looking too light or obvious. The Teint Miracle is quite similar to YSL Touche Eclat so it's more sheer than the By Terry.

L - MAC Moisturecover R - RMK Super Basic Liquid

L - MAC Moisturecover R - RMK Super Basic Liquid (with flash)

MAC moisturcover and the RMK are the concealers I tend to choose most frequently. I think their undertones work better with my skin as they're not so pink. The RMK remains my favourite for both match and coverage, I still find it surprising that it works for me considering how yellow it is.

L - Erase Paste, R - Nothing

The Erase Paste is my least used. It's quite a 'sticky', thick formula and I find it's another that can look a little obvious on my skin. I think it does a good job of covering up the purple under my eyes though which I think you can see in the picture above.

As always I have a little list of other concealers I would like to try. Most notably RMS 'Un'cover Up, Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer and Becca Compact Concealer. What is your favourite concealer for the undereye area? Is it a product you rely on too?

RMK Super Basic Liquid Concealer

I've been meaning to write this review for a while. I was reminded to do it when I used Benefit Erase Paste this morning on my undereyes. I have become rather attached to this concealer as it happens. It's not perfect and we're certainly not talking holy grail territory but I use it a lot and it definitely deserves a mention.

Super Basic Liquid Concealer comes as a Touche Eclat style pen. That is where the comparison ends. This is a very opaque concealer and although the SA warned me not to use it on blemishes as it is a highlighter, I've used it in that way when I've been in a rush and find it works fine. I don't really see this as a highlighter at all, as far as I can see there is no iridescence or light reflection. It's certainly quite pigmented. You can click on the image above to enlarge the photos.

The aspect of this product that I really like is that it's quite a dry formula. It sets (without feeling drying for me) and doesn't move around and crease unlike my MAC Select Moisturecover. It last well too.

What I don't like is that it's quite yellow toned. I don't always notice this but sometimes when I've applied it I do feel the colour looks wrong. I prefer a peachy colour to correct my dark circles. My preference for it's consistency and staying power wins over the issue of the colour though.

Here's what you've all been waiting for, the before and after shots:

Hopefully you can see that it really does take the edge off my dark circles. The colouring is a little different in the before and after photos but this is due to lighting and I suspect I have added foundation in the after photo as well. It definitely reduces the redness at the inner and outer corners of my eyes, as well as lifting the area generally.

I really do like this concealer and I reach for it almost everyday in preference to my Moisturecover and Erase Paste. I will no doubt finish it off. I'm not sure I'll re-purchase immediately as I have a couple of other concealers I'd like to try but I can see my buying this again in the future.

The Super Basic Liquid concealer costs £19. I bought mine from Selfridges but you can also buy RMK cosmetics from ASOS. It's definitely a brand I'd like to investigate more. I was really pleased with the cleanser and liquid soap samples I tried too.

RMK Cleansing Oil and Creamy Soap

I received a sample of the Cleansing Oil and Creamy Soap when I purchased the RMK Basic Liquid concealer during my London shopping spree. I was absolutely thrilled as I have been wanting to try an oil cleanser for some time. Both samples were a generous size and I managed over a weeks worth of use every night.

It's recommended that you use the oil first and then use the soap after to remove all traces of make up. Although it is gentle enough to use to remove eye make up without irritation, I found I couldn't remove eyeliner and mascara with the cleanser alone and had to use a separate eye makeup remover.

The oil has a lovely scent to it, it has a subtle minty smell and I found it quite herbal. Apparently there is also a hint of rose to the scent. It has a pleasant slippy feel to it. I added a couple of drops to my cupped palm and then massaged in to the face with both hands. I think that the warmth of your hands helps the oil penetrate the pores more easily, helping to lift out make up and dirt. The action of massaging the cleanser in to my face felt nice and soothing. To remove, you wet your hands and rub over the oil to emulsify, then rinse with warm water.

I was happy to use the Creamy Soap as a second step as I felt the oil didn't leave my skin feeling clean enough. I think that's more about my mind set than anything else. I like my face to feel really fresh and clean. The cleanser leaves the skin feeling moisturised rather than as if there is a residue left though.

The Creamy Soap has a really interesting texture. The blurb describes it as that of whipped cream, which is pretty accurate. It foams up very well and you only need a small amount per application. The foam doesn't dissipate on the face and does indeed feel very creamy. It washes off nicely and doesn't leave your skin feeling dry or tight like some soaps do. The combination of the two products together left my skin feeling beautiful clean and hydrated at the same time.

I really enjoyed using these two products as part of my cleansing routine. I'm hoping to try a sample of the Shu Uemura oil for comparison but I intend to buy full size versions of the cleanser and soap in the near future. You can buy RMK skincare from Selfridges stores or order online from www.lookfantastic.com.

Have you ever tried oil cleansers? Do you like them or have any other brand recommendations?