REVIEW: EcoTools Fresh & Flawless Five Piece Complexion Set

Hey there!

Last month, I picked up these babies for €16.95 in Boots and they haven't disappointed me so far!

In it you get a flat concealer brush, buffing concealer brush, precision foundation brush, complexion blending brush and full powder brush.

The bristles are cruelty free and the ferrules are made from recycled aluminum. That's always very welcome here at My Make-Up Vanity!

The flat concealer, precision foundation and the full powder brushes are really good and are great to have in your brush collection. They are great quality brushes and do their supposed job brilliantly but, the brushes from this set that I tend to reach for the most are the buffing concealer brush and the complexion blending brush and those are the ones that I'm going to talk about today.

The buffing concealer brush is perfect to use for blending the concealer to the under eye area. It gives an airbrushed look, just how I like it! Before I found this brush, I used to find that no matter what concealer that I applied to this area, they always tended to look cakey. Since I've started using this, it has made such a big difference to how it settles to the fine lines in this area. I use this brush to apply the powder to set the concealer under the eye too. It's perfect for buffing the edges of concealer applied to blemishes also! It's definitely my most loved brush in the set!

And lastly, is the complexion blending brush. This is the perfect brush for giving a natural, airbrushed finish to the skin. Whether it's cream, liquid or mineral foundation, this brush helps the foundation to apply beautifully to the skin. Although the bristles are quite compact, they're still flexible enough to leave your skin looking flawless!

I'm very eager to try more of the makeup brushes from EcoTools. Have you tried any of their products? Have you any recommendations?

Linda, xo

Products I Regret Buying!

Hey there!

Over the past few months, I've bought some things that I had high hopes for but I was let down by. 

There aren't many so let's get down to business! :)

After seeing some hype online about the Garnier Moisture Match Ultra Hydrating Rich Cream, I gave into the hype and bought this. I had high hopes for it but it completely let me down. I found it to be very greasy on my skin and after about an hour of applying it, I could feel a massive spot ready to attack. Not sure if it was something else causing these mysterious breakouts, I decided to give it a shot anyway. Worst mistake ever! This does not agree or like my skin in anyway! I think maybe that the strong (but beautiful) scent had something to do with this. Sad days.

The next product is something that I read a lot about but I didn't get the hype surrounding this at all. It's the L'Oréal True Match Foundation. I don't like the finish of this foundation and the fact that it made my pores look bigger than they usually do. It just didn't do anything for me! I do love the L'Oréal Nude Magique Eau de Teint though! :) That is hands down, my favourite L'Oréal foundation! 

Like I've mentioned before on previous blog posts, I'm constantly on a mission to find a face primer from the drugstore that is comparable to a higher end one. After reading some reviews online about the Maybelline Baby Skin Primer, I decided to continue my mission! This is the most disappointing purchase of them all. It just seems like a pointless product. It did nothing to help to improve my pores which was hugely disappointing considering one of the claims that comes with this is that it's an 'instant pore eraser'. I didn't find that it helped to keep the oily parts of my skin matte either. From consistency to longevity, this is definitely one of the most disappointing products that I've tried in awhile. 

Ok, enough ranting! Onto the last item.

It's the Collection No Clumps Definition Mascara. Well, it definitely clumps the lashes together. I think the wand is too flimsy and that because of that it's hard to control it. Too much of the product comes out on the wand and the formula is way too thick for me! I tried but I just couldn't get the best from this one!

So there we have it, the products that I regret buying over the past couple of months. What products do you regret buying?

Linda, xo

February Favourites!

Ah, February. My favourite month of the year! It was an absolutely hectic one, it wasn't as good to me as I had hoped but that's life, eh?!

Fashion wise, I love February because you're past the dreariness of the dull winter wardrobe colours, and back to adding a little colour back into our lives!

My favourites from February are a bit of a mixed range. So, let's get down and dirty...

I don't know if this is just me but, during the winter, I'm not one of those ladies that likes to apply fake tan. I don't know, maybe it's just because I'm lazy. This however, is my favourite time of the year to tan - when spring is in the air and summer's so close you can almost smell it! My favourite tan of the moment is Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan. It is hands down the best tan that I have ever used. Being a super pale cailín, it's a pain trying to find a tan that looks natural. THIS however, is the answer to my prayers!

So, as I've mentioned before, I have ombré hair. I was thinking about dyeing it and going back to brown all over but seeing as we're heading towards summer, I said I'd give my locks one more chance! One of the reasons I wanted to go back to having completely brown hair was that, the blonde is so expensive to maintain. That being said, the products that I'm about to mention, have made a considerably big difference to the blonde part of my hair. I've been using the Bleach London Silver Shampoo and the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Highlight Activating Conditioner. I use the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go Blonder Lightening Spray too. Using these three products has really made a difference in eliminating and preventing the brassy tones that usually come with blonde hair.

Next is skincare! My favourite cleansers always tend to be Garnier. I don't tend to use their moisturisers because they usually break me out in massive ugly spots. Trust me, I'm not exaggerating. OK then, maybe a tiny bit. I recently decided to give Simple skincare a try again as I hadn't used any of their products since I was a teenager. I bought the Simple cleanser, used it on my skin and instantly remembered why I stopped using it back then. After first application, it didn't take long for the attack of the zits! Ugh, not good! So I went back with open arms to my Garnier Simply Essentials Cleansing Lotion. And so far, so good!

And lastly, this is something that I love and I have carried around with me everywhere (well in my handbag, otherwise that would just be weird)  since I bought it. It's the Inglot Loose Powder. It takes away the shine from my skin and makes my makeup last longer than most face powders do. Although, it does tend to get a bit messy with it being a loose powder and all but I can forgive it for that - it's worth the mess!

And there you have it, my February favourites.

What have you been loving recently?
Linda, xo