Frills 'n' Spills

I bought this brush kit after I left my blusher brush at home when I went to Mark's house. Normally I wouldn't mind but I had his work Christmas party to attend and I only had powder blushers with me. Cue a panicked purchase in Boots... I was so impressed by my purchase that I just had to share them with you! I apologise for the vague terms that I use, I'm not a beauty blogger but when I find something that works, I stick to it and sing its praises to anyone who will listen. Harriet wrote a post recently about her new favourite  make-up brush and that inspired me to share my favourites...

As it was only a small store they only had a couple of brushes to choose from and this 5 piece set worked out to be the cheapest. I hadn't really heard of Eco-Tools as a brand before but the fact that they are cruelty free and eco-conscious is a real bonus for me!

 I have always preferred fairly full blusher brushes and I love the fact that this one is slanted as I can apply products much more precisely than before whilst still giving a nice flush of colour. One sweep with this brush and you are done!

 Clumpy eyelashes begone! There is nothing I hate more than clumpy eyelashes and along with the blusher brush, this is the one brush I reach for daily. I only wish the eyebrow brush was a little more rigid, my eyebrows need a firm brush to be tamed!  

I am ashamed to say that I haven't actually used the other 3 brushes from the set as I don't actually know how to use them! I have always been a fan of applying my make-up with my [clean] hands and so the other brushes seem a bit pointless to me but I would love to hear your recommendations on how to use them or any YouTube gurus that I simply have to follow! 

Have you got any Eco-Tools brushes? How do you apply your make-up?

   

One of the best things about being a blogger is finding new blogs to read and thanks to Sherin I have a new favourite: Inslee Sketches. This insanely talented illustrator has some gorgeous work and I sat and read her blog back to the beginning as I was absolutely in love with her sketches and illustrations. 

I could have featured every single one of her beautiful illustrations but I narrowed it down to a few favourites, I clearly like illustrations of pretty girls in dresses!  I have taken all these images from the Inslee blog which you should really check out!

Do you like fashion illustrations? Have you discovered any new blogs recently?

P.S. I thought that this would be some light relief from my (rather heavy) post on Friday, thank you for all your lovely comments, they really made me think! 

I was a little unsure about how to style it after Mark said I looked 'Bavarian' in it but the gorgeous detailing and soft velvet convinced me that it would be the perfect dress for Christmas...

The name on the label said Anna Belinda and when I Googled it, it turns out they are dress designers based in Oxford. I don't know if this is a custom piece but it fitted like a dream and I couldn't have chosen a better dress for eating my body weight in food in! 

What did you wear for Christmas? How would you have styled it?

One of the best things about having a blog is being lucky enough to try out products that I might otherwise not get the chance to. I was contacted a few weeks ago by Mat from PGUK and he very kindly offered to send me a copy of 'The Cookiepedia' by Stacy Adimando. You all know how much I like baking and I thought that it would be a good opportunity for me to try out some new recipes and hopefully showcase a fantastic cookbook at the same time... win win all round right?

My words won't do justice to the gorgeous scenery and wonderful holiday that I just came back from. I love Italy but Palazzola was something else entirely, my jaw actually dropped when we first arrived and I don't think I ever fully recovered. It was a minimum of 38°C each day when we were there and I even managed to get a tan through my Factor 50!

Hanging out with the Swiss Guards

I absolutely loved the holiday and you could do as much or as little as you wanted and I would definitely go back in a heartbeat. 

Have you ever been to Italy?

A HUGE thank you to Claire, Eloise, Kat, Florrie, Chloe and Clara who kept the blog ticking over when I was away, I couldn't have done it without you!