My Everyday Make-up Routine

Hey guys, hope you're doing well.

Today I'm going to show you what products I use for my everyday make-up routine.

Hi Sam :)

Firstly I start with a freshly cleansed face. I apply my favourite face moisturiser, Cetaphil Moisturising Lotion.
Then I apply Revlon PhotoReady Foundation in Shell over my whole face with a damp Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.
Once that's all evenly applied. I put some Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair underneath
my eyes and over any blemishes. I then blend again with my
Real Techniques Sponge. 

Then I brush out my eyebrows with my Tweezerman for Benefit Retractable Brow Brush.
Using a MAC 266 small Angle Brush I dip it into the shade 'Faint' in my Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
which I fill my eyebrows in with. I then brush through them again with my Brow Brush to get rid of any
harsh lines and make them look more natural. On top I put on Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting
Mascara in Medium Brown to keep them in place.

I pop on some of my favourite drugstore mascara, Maybelline The Volum Express Falsies Flared Mascara.
Lastly, I don't always put blush on but if I feel I need a little colour in my cheeks I will swipe a bit of
Mac Powder Blush in Melba over my cheeks with a Real Techniques Blush Brush.

Photography by Sam Clare

Thanks for reading!

Sophie x

How I Take Care of my Make-up Brushes

Hey guys, hope you're all well.

Today I'm going to be talking about how I take care of my make-up brushes.

When you start getting into make-up, it's hard enough to know what make-up brush you need for what,

let alone knowing how to properly take care of them and get as much use out of them as possible.

So, I'm going to show you how I keep my brushes in tip top condition!

Cleanse your brushes after every use.

Every time you use your make-up brushes, bacteria from your face transfers to your brush. To ensure
you're not putting that bacteria right back onto your skin the next day you need to cleanse your
brush, so it's clean, bacteria free and ready for your next use. I use MAC's brush cleanser. I just put
some of the cleanser onto a bit of kitchen towel and swirl my brush around and voilà!

Deep clean your brushes once a week.

Now I know this is quite a dreaded task. I often forget to do it. It's terrible, I know! But really, you should
be washing them once a week. I usually try to do it on a Sunday whilst doing a face mask or something. 
 use Johnson's baby shampoo to clean my brushes as it's gentle and leaves them very soft. I just pop
some in a small bowl then swirl my brushes around in the bowl. Once they've all been done, I'll run them
all under lukewarm water. It can't be cold or hot. It has to be lukewarm or you may risk damaging your
brushes. Also, as you rinse them out remember to face the brush downwards so the water runs down
the brush. Don't ever hold your brush up with the water running into the brush, otherwise you can
damage the glue inside holding it together, which will then fall out and ruin the brush. Once you're properly
rinsed out all of the shampoo, shape your brushes to their original shape, then leave to dry flat on a
clean flannel or kitchen towel.

Blending Sponge.

For anyone who owns one. I usually just rinse it under lukewarm water. Then, I cover it with baby
shampoo and work it into the sponge. Leave it for about a minute. Then rinse it out until I'm satisfied
it's clean and leave it to dry with the rest of my brushes. You should really be washing this after every use.
This is just so you keep it looking new and clean and to prevent bacteria build up.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER.

NEVER wash your brushes in cold or hot water. Only lukewarm.
ALWAYS wash your brushes downwards to avoid damaging your brush.

ALWAYS dry your brushes lying flat to avoid any excess water running down into the brush whilst drying.

(If possible dry facing downwards without the brush end touching anything, otherwise that is the shape it will dry in.)
NEVER soak them in water. This will again make it easy for the water to get into the glue holding your brush together.

NEVER use heat to dry your brushes. Leave them to dry naturally.

Photography by Sam Clare

Thanks for reading!

Sophie x