Úr Makeup Flesh Tone Beauty Sponge

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

Todays post is on a product from a newly set up Irish company called 

'Úr Makeup'. The brand was created and set up by makeup artist Nichola Graham. Nichola is well established in the industry having worked with some top brands such as Tv3, Diet Coke, Knor and Mistubishi over the past 14 years.

Nichola was a guest speaker back at a beauty blogger meet up I attended last October, this was when I first became aware of her company.

The main thing that struck me about her business was the fact that her cosmetics range is a non private labeling company, the first of its nature here in Ireland!

When Nichola got in contact with me with regard to trying out some of her range, I happily said yes :) I had high expectations and I'm pleased to say she didn't disappoint!

The first item I tried out was the flesh tone beauty sponge.

I have tried a few of these sponges from various different companies but to be honest I wasn't expecting my experience to be much different…..

thats where I was wrong!

I have been using this sponge for roughly a month now, aside from the application side of things the first thing that I noticed was the quality of the sponge. I have used it around every third day and I haven't noticed any wear and tear so far, which wasn't the case with some of the other sponges I picked up cheaply on eBay!

If you are unfamiliar with these beauty sponges you might not know exactly how they work. The beauty behind the sponge is that once it comes into contact with water it expands, almost doubling in size.

I know a common problem some people find with sponges is the fact that you end up using more foundation than you normally would if using a brush.

Due to the fact that you saturate the sponge first, this I find tends to stop the sponge absorbing the foundation.

Using úr Sponge 

(see what I did there huh huh)

1. Turn on the tap and give the sponge a good soaking. 
2. Make sure you squeeze it out really well, you just want the sponge to be a little bit damp.
3. Take a foundation of choice apply to the back of your hand or to a palette.
4. Using patting motions pick up the product with the sponge.
5. Begin application!

Application

I tend to use a couple of different motions to apply the foundation with the sponge. I roll the sponge across the skin and I lightly pounce the sponge over the skin. This way I get a light to medium coverage and a flawless application, absolutely no streaks to be seen!

As I like a full coverage look I roll the sponge into my pressed face powder, I then gently press the sponge onto the skin to avoid moving the foundation around underneath.

The shape to the sponge means you are not limited to just using it for foundation. The sponge has a fine tip which enables you to apply concealer in those hard to reach areas like under the eye area.

Lets talk price!

While I was able to pick up sponges on eBay for a pittance, they weren't very durable so it wasn't worth it constantly having to replace them.

Up until now I had been using my Blank Canvas Cosmetics Airbrush Blender Sponge which I love dearly. I've reviewed that here.

The BCC Sponge retails at €6.99 where as the Úr Makeup sponge costs €4.00

Its currently on sale €3.20 at the moment, even more so a bargain!

Ever since I've been introduced to the úr makeup sponge, my BCC one has just been gathering dust. As I am all about the bargains and ensuring I get the best value for my money, when the times comes that I need to purchase another sponge it'll be the úr makeup sponge I buy.

Lets wrap it up!

• Affordable
• Durable
• Applies products flawlessly
• Supporting an Irish Company
• Readily Available 
• Comes in different colours

If you are looking for a budget friendly sponge, this is the one to buy!

For more information head over to the site which you can find here.

Thanks for tuning in!

Eimear x

Blank Canvas Cosmetics Airbrush Blender Sponge

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

I think everyone at this stage has heard of the Beauty Blender, I heard about it a couple of years ago from some of the beauty guru's on YouTube.

It seemed that everyone was raving about this little pink sponge.

 Naturally, curiosity got the better of me so I looked online to see what the big fuss was about. The first thing I always look at is the price and my god this has a hefty price tag..almost $20 for a sponge. Yes, a sponge.

I never really thought that a sponge would be any use for me personally when applying foundation and I most certainly was not going to part with that kind of money! When I was at the Beauty Show in the RDS back in March I popped over to the Blank Canvas Cosmetics stand and I picked up one of their sponges, I had been meaning to for awhile as their sponges are only €6.99!

A lot cheaper than the Beauty Blender!

The beauty behind this sponge is that in doubles in size once it comes into contact with water. One of the reasons that I didn't think the sponge would work well for me was because I thought it might just soak up my foundation.

As the sponge is used while damp this is not the case. 

Ensure to well saturate the sponge and give it a good squeeze out, then its ready for use!

I use the sponge to apply my concealer, foundation and face powder.

I find that as the sponge is used while damp, it gives a light to medium coverage to the foundation but it also gives a dewy and natural appearance to the skin. Personally I like a full coverage look which is why I use the sponge to apply my face powder. This way, I am still getting a flawless finish to my foundation just with a little bit extra coverage.

The shape of the sponge allows you to apply products with ease.

The tip of the sponge enables me to get right into the inner corners of my eyes and blends out my concealer to a beautiful finish.

I like to apply my eye makeup prior to foundation so I can clean up any fallout from the eyeshadows. I always opt for a more elongated shape to my shadows opposed to rounded, I use the tip of the sponge to also sharpen up the edges of my eyeshadow with concealer giving me an exaggerated cat eye appearance which I adore. The sponge fits nicely in the palm of my hand, I find that because the sponge curves in at the sides I can grip it better opposed to if it was just rounded in shape.

Generally I use the tip and side of the sponge to apply my concealer and to stipple and roll on my foundation. Followed by using the base of the sponge to press on my face powder this way I can really work it into the skin.

Afterwards I go in with a clean face brush and lightly sweep over the face to ensure the foundation and powder are blended seamlessly into the skin rather than caked on top of it.

The Blank Canvas Cosmetics Airbrush Blender Sponge comes in 4 colours in this style. Pink, Yellow, Purple and Lilac. Blank Canvas Cosmetics also stock a rounded baby pink sponge. As I said above these sponges cost only €6.99 so they are very inexpensive in comparison to the Original Beauty Blender.

I have found the sponge to be of a very high quality, I've noticed no splitting or tearing of the sponge whatsoever and I have been using the sponge frequently since March.

I couldn't recommend the sponge more :)

If you want to see how to apply concealer, foundation and powder using the sponge then just click on the video link below!

For more information head over to 

www.blankcanvascosmetics.com

Thanks a million for tuning in guys, hope you enjoyed the review/tutorial!

Talk to you soon :)

Eimear x

Max Factor Miracle Touch Liquid Illusion Foundation Review

I have been using this foundation for the last 2 years and I can honestly say I love it! This is my 'go to' foundation for a night out.  The shade I use is "Golden 75", I use this shade because when I am going out I wear fake tan.

For me, this is a full coverage foundation which is what I consider a must for a night out on the town opposed to day to-day makeup. It has a cream like texture, it blends beautifully. I also find with this foundation a little goes a long way. However if you have problem skin and would like a bit more coverage, this foundation is buildable without giving that caked look. I have often used this alone just as a concealer. The one thing I would say about this foundation is if you have dry skin it tends to settle into those areas. But overall the texture, coverage and the lasting power of this foundation is amazing.

This foundation set me back €19.99. I think I have re purchased this foundation maybe three or four times. Each time I have bought it in Boots. Each time I have been given a €7.50 voucher off No 7 products so when you take that into account the foundation isn't that expensive. Plus I have a Boots Advantage Card so I'm clocking up points on that each time i make a purchase :) 

I like the packaging, its compact there is a sponge applicator included. It was a nice touch to include the sponge but like every other applicator that's included in makeup sets, I find it ineffective. I don't use the sponge, I feel it leaves streaks when I apply the foundation. Instead I use the inglot duo fibre 27TG to buff the foundation into my skin. Applying the foundation with this brush leaves a lovely airbrushed look to the skin.

Personally, I wish there was more product included. When I first saw the foundation the packaging lead me to believe there was a fair amount of product, but that is not the case. The black part of the packaging includes the sponge. You have to twist this off to get to the foundation, so the foundation is the clear part at the bottom of the container. On the packaging it states there is 12m of product included. However in saying this, a little of this foundation does go a long way. 

Overall

Pro's

• Blends well
• Only need a small amount
• Good coverage
• Buildable
• Good lasting power

Con's

• Settles in dry areas
• Not a lot of product included