Review: Nic's picks Real Techniques brush set

Well hello to you my reader chums! Today I thought I'd do a review on a brush set which I picked up last month and have been loving, the limited edition Nic's Picks Real Techniques set. It comes with 5 brushes, 2 face and 3 eye brushes, all of which have a stunning silver exterior and are incredibly soft. As a big lover of the Real Technique brushes, I gave into temptation when I saw these and as they're limited edition it makes them even more special.

Nic's picks Real Techniques brush set

Real Tecniques Duo- Fibre brush

The biggest brush in the set is the duo-fibre face brush. Initially, I was unsure about what purpose this brush was for because its very light and not designed for packing on too much product. However, because of this, I found it perfect to apply highly pigmented face products such as the Sleek blushes as it applies the perfect amount of blush and is oh so light and soft on the skin.

Real Techniques duo fibre brush

Real Techniques Cheek Brush

The other face brush in the set is the cheek brush, a total opposite to the duo-fibre brush. This brush is very dense, ideal for holding lots of colour and blending. Its the perfect shape to apply blusher onto the cheeks and to contour with. As its such a dense brush too, it'll be great for blending in foundation/BB cream because as I said it holds colour and would be easy to blend in circular motions all over the face. This brush is one of the most versatile brushes in the set and I just love it! 

Real Techniques cheek brush

Real Techniques Angled Shadow Brush

The first eye brush is the angled shadow brush, out of the set, this one is my favourite. It is the softest brush I've ever had and blends eye shadows like a dream. As the brush is angled, it helps get into the crease easier and makes blending eye shadow quicker and simpler. If you're into smokey eyes, this is the brush for you because it'll achieve a perfectly blended smokey eye. Another use would be for under eye concealer because it is again the perfect shape and as its very soft, it won't tug on the skin of the sensitive area under the eyes.

Real Techniques angled shadow brush

Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush

Another eye brush is the base shadow brush, just like the angled brush, it's extremely soft. I love this brush especially because it's amazing at packing colour onto the lid. This and the angled brush are the best duos, where the base shadow brush packs on all the colours and the angled one blend it into a beautiful eye look.

Real Techniques base shadow brush

Real Techniques Eyeliner Brush

The last brush is the eyeliner brush and the only one I haven't used out of this set. Despite this as its quite soft and flexible, I think it'll be lovely to apply lipstick with it because as its angled, it'll be good for the outline. Also, as its a rather small brush, it would be ideal to blend out lipstick if you wanted a more natural look and to tone the colour or pigmentation of the lipstick down.


Overall, this is one of my favourite sets of Real Technique brushes ( which is a big statement because I do have a big love for my many other ones). In my opinion, it has a variety of use for all different elements of makeup looks and all the brushes are very soft! These are limited edition so if I was you I'd grab them whilst you can, I got mine for around the £20 mark.

I hope you enjoyed this review, have any of you tried these brushes?

Thank you for reading <3

Shane Filan's 'You and me' tour with chummy

Well hello to you my reader chums! On Thursday night, Danielle and I went to Shane Filan's tour, as avid Westlife fans we were super excited to go see him! The night was amazing, we had such a unforgettable time, it's lovely to spend those moments with my best friend! The opening act was Ben Montague who had a beautiful voice and was absolutely hilarious, a proper crowd pleaser. We were able to get the chance to meet him and he was such a genuine, happy guy! Onto when Shane came on, the crowd went wild, everyone was so excited to see him come on stage. With many Westlife classics, some covers and a few of his own songs, the night was a memorable one, bringing me back to those days where my mum used to always listen to the songs and the skype calls chummy and I had singing Westlife! My favourite moment was when 'Flying without wings' was sung, it's one of my favourite Westlife songs and it was incredible hearing it live and singing along. Thursday was just a perfect evening and I would love to go back and experience it all again!
Here are some pictures from the night:

Danielle and I <3

Ben Montague opening the show with an array of sensational songs, he has the most spectacular voice!


I got the chance to meet Ben and we took an ace selfie if I must say so myself, he was one of the most friendliest people I've ever met!

This is when Shane sung Uptown girl, which definitely got the crowd going! I loved the backdrop, very 1950s.


Two more shots of Shane singing. I'd love to go see him again, I can't express to you how much fun we both had!

Another picture of Danielle and I <3

I hope you liked this little post on a very memorable night of Shane Filan's tour! Are any of you big Westlife fans like me and went to Shane's tour? :)

Thank you for reading <3 


The best winter lipsticks

Well hello to you my reader chums! Today, as we're now into winter, I thought I would share with you my go-to autumn/ winter lip products. To me, this time of year makeup wise is all about burgundy/ berry lips in the autumn and as it gets nearer to Christmas, I  love a red lip as it adds to the festive feel. 

Whether you're a sucker for a red lip or adore dark lip season in general, here are my best winter lipstick picks.

The best winter lipsticks


MUA Lip Lacquer in 'Reckless'

This is a very recent purchase which I bought yesterday, despite this I've had my eye on it for a while and have swatched it before. It gives a lovely dark red shiny gloss finish and has the greatest pigmentation. I think because of the shininess, it would be perfect for a Christmas party. Costing only £3, it's extremely inexpensive and has great lasting power. I would say, however, that it isn't very moisturising on the lips.

MUA Lip Lacquer in 'Reckless'
Topshop's lipstick in 'Beguiled'

I love this lipstick, its a matte, burgundy/ purple shade. Out of them all, I'm showing you, I'd say this one is the vampiest colour. This lipstick is for those people who are brave enough to pull off the purply/vampy lip look. I used to always wear it to parties and nights out, its just such a beautiful colour.

I think it's great for this time of year. The lipstick does last for a good couple of hours, is very moisturising on the lips and gives an amazing matte finish, a total recommend for you darker lip lovers out there!

Topshop's lipstick in 'Beguiled'

Rimmel's Kate lipstick in the shade 01

 There is just something about Kate's range which is amazing! With ultra moisturisation on the lips, forever lasting power and the nicest matte shade, you can't go wrong with this one if I must say. I love wearing this, as its red, it also gets me in the festive spirit. If you've seen my previous blogs, you'd know I've shown this in a makeup tutorial, I love pairing it with bronze eyes and winged liner.  For £5/6 is a must-buy!

Rimmel's Kate lipstick in the shade 01

Rimmel's Kate lipstick in the shade 107

This lipstick screams autumn to me! It's the prettiest berry/burgundy shade. Compared to 'beguiled', I'd say 107 is more berry toned and 'beguiled' is more purple toned, yet they are very similar shades. Exactly like shade 01, 107 has amazing lasting power, is really moisturising and looks fabulous. Every time I wear this, I feel sophisticated and special, it adds that extra something to your outfit. For the inexpensive price, its such good quality, I would definitely recommend it.

Rimmel's Kate lipstick in the shade 107

BarryM's Loud Mouth lipstick range in 'Diva' and 'Tease'

The next two lip products are from Barry M's loud mouth range. The two shades are ' Diva' and 'Tease'. ' Diva' is a burgundy dark shade, which has a beautiful sheen over the top, giving it more of a lipgloss look than lipstick. As it has this shine, it's not as vampy as previous lipsticks I've shown. 'Tease' is a bright red shade, out of the other lip products is one of the lightest and brightest. Just like 'Diva' it has this shine over the top giving it a glossy red look rather than a matte finish. 

I think both of these shades are perfect for people who prefer the finish of lipgloss but like the pigmentation of lipstick. They don't last as long as the lipsticks I've shown, yet I think they could add a little something to a makeup look with the high level of pigmentation. Both of them are around the £4 mark I believe.

I hope you enjoyed this post on all my favourite winter lipstick picks!

Thank you for reading <3

Top 10 under £10 beauty products

Well hello to you my reader chums! Today I thought I'd do a slightly different post and share with you my top ten under £10 beauty products. I've got a range of different makeup and skincare products all from high street brands.

Here are my favourite top 10 beauty products under £10.

Top 10 under £10 beauty products

Garnier Micellar Water 

Garnier micellar water retails around the £4 mark. After reading many reviews a while ago, I picked it up and haven't used anything else but this in the past six months to remove my makeup. It works a dream, easily wiping off the makeup and is gentle on the skin. It can even take off eye makeup and as it has got no perfume in it, it's ideal for sensitive skin. I just love it and would recommend it to anyone who wants a makeup remover that does the job and is very inexpensive.

Garnier Micellar Water

Creamy Madly Deeply Zoella Beauty 
body lotion
The next product is another skincare one and from Zoe's beauty range, the 'Creamy, madly, dreamy' body lotion. I usually like to use this after the shower to moisturise my skin. I wasn't too sure about it at first because the lotion took a long time to work into the skin, however, once it sunk in, my skin felt really soft and smooth. The lotion has a lovely fresh, relaxing scent so it doesn't feel like you're applying something that's heavily perfumed. It costs only £5 and as the tube is quite big, I reckon it'll last me for a good while.

Zoella body lotion

Collection's Lasting Perfection concealer

Another product is Collection's lasting perfection concealer. This product has been hyped about in the blogging/Youtube community for a good while now and if I'm honest I don't think I've ever tried another concealer besides this one because its always done the job for me and is rather cheap to buy. This concealer helps hide my under eye circles and blemishes and I just love it! I've gone through quite a few tubes over the past few years, however, one of these can last for a long amount of time. A definite recommend and costs around the £4 mark.
Collection lasting perfection concealer

Maybelline's BB cream

The Maybelline BB cream is another face product that I am completely obsessed with! I use this on an everyday basis because it's very light on my skin and gives this lovely glow with a small amount of coverage, perfect just to give your skin a bit of an oomph. I find it very easy to apply and can be with either fingers or a brush. As its a light coverage, I'd say its ideal for makeup beginners because then they'll know if they would want more coverage or liked the lightness on their skin. Even though the tube looks quite small, it lasts for a good while as you only need a little amount for the whole face. Retailing at £7.99, it's affordable and can work for many looks.

Top 10 under £10 beauty products

Tanya Burr's lipglosses

Onto a lip product now, are the Tanya Burr lip glosses. I love her lip gloss range and I have two which are 'picnic in the park' and 'chic'.  Tanya has a lovely range of different colours and costs £6.99 each. These lip glosses glide on so easily, give the most beautiful finish and last for a fair amount of time, I'd say a few hours which in my opinion is good for a lip gloss. They have great pigmentation and are very moisturising on the lips, which is amazing to find in a lip gloss. I've still haven't got round to buying any more colours, but I'm sure I will towards the spring/summertime.

Top 10 under £10 beauty products

Sleek's Faceform kit in 'Light'

Another makeup item is the Sleek Faceform kit in light. With a 3 in 1 kit containing a bronzer, blush and highlighter its the perfect trio to pop into your handbag! I adore this palette, the bronzer is a lovely matte brown shade that easily contours the face and the highlighter and blush have the most beautiful shimmer. All 3 products have amazing pigmentation and when all put together give a lovely look on the skin. I also love how it has a huge mirror, so if you bring this on the go, it saves you from bringing a separate mirror. With it costing £9.99 it comes just under £10, but with 3 products in 1 I say its a complete bargain.

Sleek's faceform kit
Sleek's faceform kit shades

MUA eye shadow palette

Onto eyes, MUA palettes are a must, I just love them! I have 3 of their palettes, two neutral ones and a night out one, the picture below is the MUA undress me too which you can see has had a lot of love. All of the palettes have beautiful pigmentation with a variety of different colours, some matte and some shimmer. MUA undress me too has very creamy light shades and includes a few darker shades like the black, giving you the chance to experiment with day and night looks. For £4 they are a complete bargain and ideal to experiment with makeup.
Top 10 under £10 beauty products

Rimmel's Stay Matte powder

The Rimmel 'Stay matte' powder is another very hyped about product. It easily gets rid of shine and helps set the makeup all day. I think it costs around £4 and is essential in your makeup bag in my opinion.

Rimmel's stay matte powder

Maybelline's cream eye shadow in 'On and on bronze'

Another eye product would be the Maybelline colour tattoo in 'On and on bronze'. As you can tell by the huge dent I have a big love for it. I use it as part of my everyday makeup under eye shadows. It has the prettiest bronze shimmer colour which helps give the nicest neutral eye. I have a couple of these colour tattoos, they are really easy to apply, have good pigmentation and help the eye shadow last all day as well as giving an extra oomph of shimmer.

Maybelline's cream eye shadow

Kate Moss range for Rimmel - lipsticks 

My last top ten product is the Kate Moss range of Rimmel lipsticks. The one pictured below is in shade 107. I have two of these, the other being shade 01 and they have been my go-to lipstick this autumn/winter. Both of which give the nicest colour pigmentation, lasting power and are very moisturising on the lips. I  usually find some lipsticks can be quite drying but not these, they have the same kind of feel as a lip balm, very soft and silky on the lips. Also, they are very easy to apply and give a beautiful matte finish. For the price of around £5/6, they are my favourite lipsticks I've tried and I can't wait to get my hands on more.
Rimmel lipstick in 107

I hope you enjoyed my top ten beauty products for under £10!

Thank you for reading <3

Book review: The Twins by Saskia Sarginson

Well hello to you my reader chums! If you read the post of my current favourites, you'll know I've been loving the novel 'The Twins' by Saskia Sarginson. I was able to sit down and finish it and oh my goodness what a good book it was

The Twins by Saskia Sarginson review

Initially, the thing that gravitated me towards this book was the fact it was about twins. As I'm a twin myself I love reading different ideas and perspectives on what others think of twins or how they perceive them to be. The author got this ideal spot on, some of the thoughts the two characters have are very relatable to how I've felt about my twin. I love the way she switched from twin to twin giving their view on all the stories and flashbacks that occurred in the novel and how it affected them individually because usually twins are treated as one person so it's refreshing seeing the twins have their own views.

Plotline

The plot itself was really insightful, interesting, and thrilling. From the first page, I was hooked into Viola and Isotle's life, wondering what was to come and what to expect. This novel was an easy page-turner, drawing you in on every single page, leaving you wanting more. It explores the ups, downs, heartbreaks, and all the fun times in the twins' life and unwinds why they are like the people they have become. The book has a couple of unexpected moments that were shocking and ends on a point leaving you to make up in your own mind what you think is going to happen next. I think ending it like that was quite satisfying because it is dependant on the reader what they think will happen from that point further and didn't finish on a happy or sad moment, but a hopeful one.

Characters and relationships

The characters in the story, I really warmed to, as the novel is so insightful you learn a lot about the characters mainly Viola and Isolte, and feel for the heartbreak and torment they go through in their family. Also, you share the joy when they spend time with John and Micheal, as well as learning a lot about their bond which is a key thing. Even though they are twins, they are still really different from one another and did keep secrets from each other in fear of hurting the other or being the one hurt by the other. I think this element was a good way in exploring their relationship because it showed despite their bond they do need their own privacy.

Overall thoughts

 This book is such a bitter-sweet read, with all the things that go on, however, it was so amazing I just couldn't put it down and I would really recommend it! I could sit here all day and say how much I enjoyed the novel, but I wouldn't want to give anything away and those who haven't read it, can find out for themselves.

Thank you for reading this review, I hope you enjoyed <3