Best Budget Brushes

After my Drugstore Starter Kit video the other day lots of people expressed an interest in a similar post/video about my favourite budget brushes.. well here it is!

The video will be up on my YouTube channel on Monday (I'm trying to schedule so I don't have weeks of dead air time when Milo arrives) so to get that as soon as it's live go SUBSCRIBE!

It was difficult to whittle it down and I rambled on about a lot of brushes in the video but here I will show you the absolute essentials of my collection that i would recommend as a good basic starter kit.

First up are the face brushes..

Sigma Duo Fibre F50 Stippling Brush (£12.99 here)
I now use this soley for powder as it dusts just the right amount over my face and doesn't leave me feeling over-made up and cakey but it is also suitable for applying liquid foundation.

ELF Powder Brush (£3.50 here)
Could be used for liquid or powder foundation, buffs in easily for an airbrushed finish and covers a large surface area.. It would be my number one for liquid foundation if I was to apply with a brush.

Benefit Slant Powder Brush (£4.85 here)
I actually purchased this from eBay a year or so ago.. I have no idea if it's genuine but it's lasted well and doesn't shed. It's the perfect shape to sculpt my cheeks with Blush/Bronzer.

Eyeshadow...

Sigma E40 Blending Brush (£7.95 here)
This is my absolute holy grail brush. If I had to pick only one eye brush it would be this! You can use it to put a wash of shadow across the lid, lightly define your crease and above all... blend blend blend!

Samantha Chapman Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush (part of the starter set £20.99 here)
This is a close second to the E40. It will lay down shadow and blend if you're in a pinch. It's the best  multitasker in the Sam Chapman starter set.

ELF Crease Brush (£1.50 here)
This is possibly my favourite crease brush and one I reach for often. For £1.50 you need this! It's just a great shaped brush that's easy to use.

Eye Definition...

Angled Eyeliner Brush (£3.50 here)
The only liner brush I've ever liked. You can use it wet to line with shadows or with gel or cream formulas. It's fine enough to get a precise line and thick enough to line quickly.

Samantha Chapman Real Techniques Brow Brush (part of the starter set £20.99 here)
This replaced my angled brush from QVS I used to use for my brows. It's short but thick so will hold a good amount of powder if you favour bold brows or quickly fill in lighter ones.

Samantha Chapman Real Techniques Accent Brush (part of the starter set £20.99 here)
Last but not least. I love this. Another great multitasker from the Sam Chapman starter set. I generally use this to define my eyes with a darker shadow or smudge my eyeliner for a smokey look.

There are so many more brushes I have and would recommend but these are my must-have-can't-live-without ones. You could definitely live with a smaller selection at first though. I'd say you need a good powder brush (this could double up as a blush brush if it's not too large), Something like the Sam Chapman Base Shadow Brush (that you can shade, define and blend with) and an brow brush (if shading in your brows is your thing). If you choose wisely you could live with a few hard working brushes.

I hope this post helps some of you looking to bulk out your collection on a budget or those of you just starting out. If you have any great budget brush recommendations please leave me a comment.

Miss BB

Look!! New Budget Beauty Brand!!

This is just a quick buzz about the new makeup range launching from Look Magazine. It arrives in selected Superdrug Stores today but as far as I can tell it's not online yet. It's a comprehensive debut offering everything fom foundation to nail polish with prices ranging from £4 to £18. I've heard the packaging  is a hit and miss with beautifully comissioned artwork on some items and nothing but clear perspex on others... Why not keep the branding consistent? It's all speculation at this stage as I haven't seen any of it in person but any new budget makeup brand is going to peek my interest so I thought I'd let you know what I do so far. As soon as I know more or better still have it in my hands I will post again, in the meantime if any of you have managed to get a peek already.. what are your thoughts??

How would YOU spend £500?

So... some or all of you will know what I've been saving my money for lately.

It's been the reason I've had no hauls and no new beauty products to share here with you lately (apologies)

Anywho... so I have my money all saved and this week Lee and I are off work so the plan was to .... SHOP! My problem is this... can I really spend all that money on one item?

Here's what I've been saving for...

There are 3 different prints and 3 different sizes... I'm undecided on print but I think the size will be the MM which is Medium... mostly because the largest seems comically big for an everyday bag but also because when Lee and I get maried my initials will be MM!

The size I want costs £465.. Other than my computer and my car I have never spent even close to that kind of money on one item and I'm nervous to say the least.

I may never have this chunk of cash saved again specifically for this so I feel like I'll regret not buying it if I spend the cash elsewhere but would I rather regret not buying this one thing or buy it and regret spending all that money on something that just doesn't live up to my expectations? I don't go around flashing the cash and although I've discovered I spend an obscene amount of money on makeup etc but it's different spending £50 here and there on a beauty hall splurge and spending this huge amount on ONE THING!!! ugh! Champagne problems, right?

I was looking at what else I could get for the £500 I have saved...

When you look at it like that I'm a bit... eek!

So...I'm asking you.. if you have £500 to spend.. what would you spend it on?