The Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge REVIEW! 💖

I have heard so much about the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. So, when this little beauty caught my eye in Boots, I couldn't resist!

I picked this up for €5.89. Absolute bargain! 

The sponge is super soft and quite different to other sponges like the Beauty Blender in how it's shaped. It's egg shaped. At the top of the sponge, it has a tip but it's flat at the bottom is flat. At the opposite end, it's rounded. Unlike the Beauty Blender, you don't need to wet it but you still achieve the same result. You can use it damp but you achieve the same results, regardless.

So how do I use it? I pop some foundation, as usual, on the back of my hand. I pat a small amount it on to the flat side of the sponge. As usual, I start with the centre of my face. I stipple my foundation on with the flat part of the sponge. Like every other method when applying your base, less is always more. You can always apply more in the places where you need more coverage. 

Anyway, back to business! To ensure that the foundation I've already applied is blended, I turn the sponge around to the round part and again, in a stippling motion, I continue to blend it in. It blends it into the skin beautifully! It leaves you with a flawless finish.

One of my favourite things that about the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, is that it minimises the appearance of my pores. It gives a flawless finish to my foundation without the foundation feeling heavy on my skin. This really is the perfect tool to use for your natural or daytime foundation!

I love this for blending in my concealer! I use the tip of the sponge in a stippling motion to blend it in. Concealer tends to crease and cake up under my eyes but I've found that, that happens less when I use the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I also use this to apply my primer before I apply my foundation. I have found that my primer settles better into my pores because of using this sponge.

Here's a before and after, using the Real Texhniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.

Overall, I would award the real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge:

Packaging: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Performance: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-purchase?: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Real Techniques are fast becoming my favourite brand for makeup brushes. Their products are so easily accessible, affordable and very effective. 

If you see this baby lying around, I'd definitely recommend getting it! Believe me. You'll thank me for it! 👍

What makeup tool can you not live without? 

Love, Linda x

September Favourites

So, can you believe it's October already?! You know what that means, right? It's so close to Christmas! It's so close I can almost smell it! :)

Autumn is my favourite time of the year. I love the transition between Summer and Winter. Not just regarding the seasons but with fashion too. I love the darker, sophisticated colours, layering clothes, getting yo boots on, scarves. And of course there's the shorter evenings, hot chocolate, hoodies, duvet days watching Disney movies, the return of the X-Factor and of course the start of the season of one of my favourite things ever, rugby! (I'm a Leinster girl!)

Right, on to business! My 'September Favourites'.

I'll start with the peak and the pit of the month for me. One of the highlights of September for me was being a model for my best friend (who is a trainee hairdresser) for a hair competition. I had so much fun doing it! I now have amazing ombré hair thanks to Will. He is going to be an amazing hairdresser, and is proving it already. That wasn't the peak of the month for me though. It was getting to see my best friend more frequently. He is amazing and I'm so blessed to call him my best friend. :) The pit of my month was my aunt passing away. It really put things into perspective for me.

OK, on to my favourites.

This past month, my skin has been oilier than it's ever been. As a result of that, I've turned to my trusty Nivea Daily Essentials Light Moisturising Day Cream for Normal to Combination Skin. This is light weight, fast absorbing and doesn't leave my skin looking even oilier than before I applied it.

Something that has made a huge difference to my skin this month is, before brushing my teeth I apply a hydrating face mask to my face, *obviously* and let that work it's magic whilst I'm brushing my teeth. Then I wash it off and finish my usual morning skincare routine. I got this amazing tip from Lisa Eldridge's PMS video. It's something I've incorporated into my morning routine and it makes such a difference! The face mask that I use is Avon Planet Spa Mediterranean Olive Oil Hydrating Face Mask. Pure magic.

Something that has been very apparent during September, were my pores. *le sigh|*
Fear not! I had my new bessie mate to help me. Yep, it's the Garnier 5 Second Perfect Blur Smoothing Perfecting Primer. Without this piece of heaven I'd be lost! It's inexpensive and easily accessible. It's something I've recommended to my friends and would definitely recommend to you.

Towards the end of September, I woke up one morning and looked in the mirror and got the absolute shock of my life. My lips were so swollen, sore and slightly cracked. My top lip was enormous! *scarlet for me*. In that situation you would hope to look like Angelina Jolie. Nope, not me. It was more like looking at Mick Jagger! What caused it? Well, it was a bad reaction to a lip product. Thankfully, my Burt's Bees Lip Balm was on hand to help me out! I'd apply Vaseline first, let that absorb and then apply my Burt's Bees lip balm about 20 times a day. *I'm actually serious*. It took a week for my lips to get back to normal but thankfully they're back to their usual uneven selves again!

My 'go to' foundation and concealer during September was Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation and Inglot Cream Concealer. My favourite makeup brushes were the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, Real Techniques Stippling Brush and Real Techniques Contouring Brush. I love Real Techniques which was created by the amazing Sam Chapman. None of my other makeup brushes compare to my Real Techniques ones. If they're available to you, I'd definitely recommend you getting them! Such amazing quality and really inexpensive too!

I can't let this post go without mentioning something that I have used everyday since I got it. That's my beloved Urban Decay Naked Palette. All of my other eyeshadows are very neglected at the moment at the expense of this piece of amazingness!

My favourite song that has inspired me this past month is the amazing The Script Hall of Fame. I love The Script's music, I just relate to it so much. Their album '3' is one of my favourite albums of all time. Love it! :)

So, there you have it! My 'September Best Bits'.
What's yours?

Linda, x

PS., here's a picture of my new hair! :)