Tuesday 31 March 2015

Bold Metal Brushes by Real Techniques

Arched Powder
Flat Contour 
Angled Liner 
 
Pointed Crease 

Recently Real Techniques introduced their new line of brushes, the Bold Metal Collection. As soon as I saw them and I knew I needed them in my life. They have been hugely popular and it took me a while to get my hands on the ones I wanted, but I have finally got the 4 out of 7 that I wanted. 

Arched Powder

I love a good powder brush and this hasn't failed to impress. I love the angle of the brush as it gets in every corner of your face, which larger round brushes don't do. It's really soft on your faces and the powder sticks to it really well.

Flat Contour 

I think this is definitely my favourite out of the four. I love that the bristles are compact, which makes it quite a solid brush. The flat angle of it allows you to do perfect contour lines and definition. The first time I used it I used too much powder on the brush, not realising how heavy it would apply. However next time I just used a lot less and built it up until I got the desired look. This is a brush that is going to be my go-to when it comes to contouring!

Pointed Crease

I've been on the hunt for a pointed crease brush for a while, so I was really happy that this was in the new collection. It glides easily along the lid and allows you to create a definition along the socket line, making it easy to blend out, or great to leave as a defined line.  

Angled Liner

Great for creating that cat-eyed look, this is my daily brush and it is the perfect thickness for creating any line and gets into the inner corners of the eye really well. I much prefer this type of liner brush compared to fine liners and I think it gives more of a precise line .

I am in love with all of these brushes and really can't fault them. The quality and texture of the them is great and they look very high end and elegant. 
Overall I think Pixiwoo have done a great job in creating a higher end line of brushes that are great quality and do the job perfectly. I would definitely recommend these brushes that I tried and I think that they're up there in terms of quality with brands such as MAC. 

What are your thoughts on the new Bold Metals Collection?

xoxo

Thursday 12 March 2015

Slimming World- Weeks 1 & 2


If you read my previous post, you'll know that I recently started Slimming World (SW). I'm now entering my third week, so I'd thought I'd give a little update on how I've been doing. 

Week 1

Well the first week was a challenge, trying to adjust to a new way of looking at food, counting how many syn foods I can have, weighing out certain foods. I did find that I was really hungry, and on SW you're not supposed to feel hungry. They say to fill up on all the 'free foods' such as fruit, veg and meat and even though I seemed to eat large amounts of fruit, it just wasn't filling me up. I do exercise a lot, so I think I just wasn't eating enough calories. As I was eating so much more fruit then usual, I felt very bloated throughout the week, so I wasn't really sure what the scales would say. But I was pleasantly surprised that after 1 week I had lost 3.5 lbs! 

Week 2

After a good start in week 1, I felt the second week was a lot harder. I missed my favourite sweet things and although I done the same amount of exercise and followed the same food plan, I had a feeling a wouldn't see a great loss or any at all. I managed to lose 1lb, which I wasn't that happy with, considering I done the same as week 1. I would ideally like to lose 2lbs a week, but a loss is a loss I guess. 

A negative of the diet is the cost. All diets cost and I don't think this is that much different to others, however I have found that I have spent quite a lot of money on fresh fruit mainly. As they are speed foods and meant to speed up the weight loss, I have been trying to eat loads of fruit and veg, which isn't cheap. It really is so much cheaper to eat unhealthily these days as you can spend £20 on food in Iceland, such as frozen pizza and chips to feed the family for a week, and spend the same on fruit and veg that only last a few days. My purse is definitely feeling the negative affects of dieting. I shop in places like Aldi for my fruit and it still costs enough and doesn't last, so my next mission is to figure out how to do this on a budget! I do feel that my life the last 2 weeks have been consumed by food and SW and I need to not let it take over my life. I also invested in a new pair of digital scales so I can keep track of my weight accurately throughout the week and if I miss any meetings.

So after 2 weeks I have lost 4.5lbs and I don't think that's too bad.  I would update you in a couple of weeks with my progress.

xoxo