Real Techniques: Expert Face brush vs Buffing brush

When Sam Chapman of Pixiwoo fame joined forces with Real Techniques to create a brush line, it instantly took the beauty world by storm. They're good quality, accessible, cruelty free and most importantly, affordable. During the past couple of years I've tried out the majority of brushes from the line and until very recently was of the opinion that the Buffing brush was my absolute favourite. Then I discovered the Expert Face brush and the battle for my brush-loving heart was well and truly on.

Real Techniques brush comparison

The Buffing brush has a lot going for it. It has a nice lightweight handle and soft bristles which are fairly densely packed. The top of the brush is slightly domed. I use this for blending in concealer on large areas, foundation and cream blushes. When applying foundation it can be used in a stippling fashion to get a bit more coverage or in a buffing motion to blend the foundation seamlessly into the skin. The main downside to the Buffing brush is that it's only available in the Core Collection of brushes which costs £21.99. I wasn't a huge fan of the other three brushes in the set. Had I found a use for the other three brushes, this would be a great value set but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

The Expert Face brush has a more ergonomic shaped handle, which I like. Initially I thought it looked a little small but I haven't found that to be an issue. The brush head is smaller and the bristles are more densely packed. I use this brush slightly differently to the Buffing brush; I tend to almost 'paint' my foundation on and then buff it in rather than using a stippling motion.I find that I get more coverage from my foundations when using this brush. I use the Expert Face brush exclusively for foundation but I suppose it could be used for cream blush, contour and highlight products too. It's certainly a good size to deal with the more precise placement of contour and highlight. Aside from being a brilliant brush, the Expert Face brush is also available on its own, priced at £9.99.

The Winner?

I think it's quite clear that for me the Expert Face brush wins in terms of performance and value. That doesn't mean I'll be dismissing my Buffing brush, however. I will continue to use this for foundation and I do prefer it for concealer under my eyes as it's softer on the delicate skin. I'll also continue using it for cream blushes. If it was possible to buy both brushes separately, I'd still want to own both.

Just a heads up; Love Make Up is running a limited offer for a free Expert Face brush if you pick up the Sam's Picks kit. 

Are you a fan of Real Techniques brushes? What's your favourite brush for foundation?

Stace xx

A Foot Cream Face Off: L'Occitaine vs. The Body Shop

It's taken me a while to feel up to writing today's post. I'm just going to put this out there; I hate feet. They freak me out. Even 'nice' (shudder!) looking feet make me feel a bit squeamish. However, this is a beauty blog and making my feet look a bit less disgusting is part of my regular beauty regime so it's about time I reviewed the products I use. 

I normally exfoliate my feet in the shower, then I'll apply a foot cream and put on some cotton socks. I prefer to do that before bed but I do try to use a foot cream every day or at least every two days so sometimes I'll just pop on the socks for half an hour before I have to leave the flat. Right now I have two foot creams that I alternate between and I like both of them, but for different reasons. This post is going to be a comparison of both products.

First up is The Body Shop's Spa Africa Honey & Beeswax Hand & Foot Butter. A bit of a mouthful! I can't imagine using this on my hands as it's very thick so I use it exclusively as a foot cream. The pot is a bit fliddly and unnecessary in my opinion. This is priced at £10 for 125ml (here) and I've been using this pot since the end of April, at least once a week.

I tend to use this foot cream once or twice a week at most partly because I don't want to waste it if my feet don't need such a heavy duty cream and partly because it takes quite a while to sink into the skin, meaning that I really do need to have this on overnight. 

The product itself smells gorgeous. It doesn't smell like a typical foot cream to me; I often think of them as smelling quite minty or herbal. It's the best foot cream I've used in terms of how moisturising it is. You do need to exfoliate your feet beforehand, but then any foot cream requires that step. If you find you struggle with dry skin or if you only want to have to use a foot cream once a week, this is definitely one to check out! I've already repurchased it.

PS - I bought this on Essiebutton's recommendation.

The second foot cream I use regularly is L'Occitane's Shea Butter Foot Cream. This is priced at £18.50 for 150ml (here). The packaging is functional and thankfully, a lot less fiddly! 

I bought this on a bit of a whim and at first I wasn't overly impressed by it but I like using it in combination with The Body Shop's Honey & Beeswax foot butter. If I use that twice a week, I'll try to use the L'Occitane cream at least three times and I find it just helps keep my feet hydrated. On its own it's not enough.

The texture is definitely more of a cream compared to the buttery texture of the other foot cream I use. That has its benefits because it means the cream sinks in a lot more quickly so I can easily use this in the mornings if I have to. I'm not in love with the scent; it's very herbal and not what I expected from a shea butter based cream really. However, that does mean it feels quite cooling and makes it nice to use on tired feet too. I'm not entirely sure it's worth the £18.50 price tag or the accolade of 'foot cream of the year' (according to InStyle) but it's not a a terrible product either, I just think there are cheaper alternatives or other creams that work better.

I hope this was helpful to some of you!

Stace xx

LUSH Lip Scrub VS Clarins Extra Firming Lip & Contour Gentle Exfoliator

I've been using both of these products for a while now so I thought it was about time I did a comparison of the two.

Price

The LUSH lip scrubs retail at £4.95 for 25g. I have the limited edition Pow Wow flavour which is no longer available but these do come in Bubblegum, Sweet Lips and Mint Julips flavours all year round. The Clarins lip scrub is £18 for 20ml and only comes in one flavour. The LUSH scrub is obviously better value for money.

Packaging

LUSH sells their lip scrubs in a glass pot whilst the Clarins scrub comes in a plastic tube. Personally, I much prefer lip products which come in a tube so the Clarins would win this category for me.

Ease of Use

The LUSH scrub is quite dry in texture and has large exfoliating chunks (mine also includes popping candy which is...interesting). The Clarins scrub is more like a gel with small exfoliating particles. The LUSH scrub tends to end up all around my mouth and clothes when I use it but it is easy to get off - you just lick it! The Clarins is much less messy but I'm not a huge fan of the taste of it so I tend to wipe it off with a tissue. I find the Clarins much easier to scrub my lips because it doesn't fall off like the LUSH does.

Results

After using the LUSH scrub, my lips feel soft and they are left feeling moisturised. I like to use this before going to bed. The Clarins scrub is the one I reach for when I want perfectly exfoliated lips before applying a bold lipstick. I don't find it leaves behind a moisturised feeling but it does seem to make my lips feeling and looking extremely smooth. 

Summary

I purchased the LUSH scrub first and I do like it but if I was to repurchase either, it would be the Clarins. The main reason I use a lip scrub is to make sure my lips are smooth before applying a strong lip colour. I don't struggle with chapped lips very often so I don't feel the need to exfoliate all the time. I think if you're curious about these sorts of products, try the LUSH scrub first. If find the LUSH gives you the level of exfoliation you need and you can cope with that scrub falling off everywhere, then great. If that bothers you (as it bothered me!) then try the Clarins. But don't expect it to taste as nice!

I hope this was useful! Do you use a lip scrub?

Stace xx

Firming Creams: Soap & Glory Sit Tight Vs. Jergens Naturals Skin Firming Body Moisturiser

I've used both of these products for a reasonable length of time so I thought I'd share my thoughts with you on which I prefer.

I bought Soap & Glory's Sit Tight back in January and instantly loved it. I thought these sorts of creams were gimmicky products and didn't expect this to work. Sit Tight is a thick yellowish cream and I did find that you need to use a reasonable amount of it each time. I could really feel this working - it tingled for quite some time after I applied it. My boyfriend said he noticed a difference even though I hadn't told him I was using the product. My skin looked and felt much smoother. I think this is an excellent product and would be great to use before/during a holiday if you're going to be in swimwear. It costs £14.30 for 200ml from Boots and I found one tube lasted me around a month if I used it every other day.

After hearing about Jergens Naturals Skin Firming Lotion on YouTube, I decided to pick it up. At £3.99 for 350ml, it's a lot cheaper in comparison to Sit Tight. I like the fact it has a pump because it stops me from using too much. This is definitely a lotion - it isn't very thick at all. This is good because it means it sinks into the skin much more quickly but the downside of this for me is that it doesn't feel as though it's doing anything. My boyfriend has said he does notice some difference (again, I didn't tell him I was using a firming cream) but I don't think it's anywhere near as good as the Sit Tight. I can't feel the difference in my skin which I found with the Sit TightI will continue to use this, though, as I've had it for a couple of months now and still have well over half of the bottle left.


I would say that if you're looking for something heavy duty to use for  a short time before a holiday or special event, go for the Sit Tight. If you're looking for something to use every day, all year round, go for the Jergens.

I hope this was helpful!

Stace xx