Foundation Brushes - Friday Favourites

 I love makeup brushes and I have a lot, but most of the time I think you really don't need that many and lots of brushes are multi-taskers. But getting the right tool and technique for your foundation application is important - I tend to switch between fingers, blender and brushes, whatever works for you is fine but I know there are loads of brushes out there to choose from so here are my favourites.

 Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - they've changed the design of this and it's not quite as lovely as the original but it's still a great size and washes well. Great for medium to full coverage. https://tidd.ly/3np4Zcm

 LimeLife Fan Brush - not my usual shape or size for foundation application but this is great if, like me, you want a lovely sheer coverage blended in to look like your skin. https://bit.ly/2LyPAbZ

 Zoeva - this is my brush of choice when working on clients as I can be precise with where I apply product and build coverage. Ideal for those with a smaller face this is the smallest of the three and it's on sale at the moment. Great for medium coverage. https://fave.co/3bk0nlk

Zoeva Brushes

I'm late to the party on these. Zoeva have been around a while and I have deliberately completely ignored them. Do you know why? Well firstly because when everyone else raves about something I go in the other direction (not always a great idea), and secondly because I assumed they were in some way related to Zoella. I don't have anything against her but I just don't think her products would be my jam.

I was wrong. I got to have a fondle of some Zoeva brushes in a friends kit and they are really nice. So nice that I immediately ordered some when I got home and will probably order more when I need them.

They are a company deeply committed to charity - especially helping women who have suffered domestic violence. They are a cruelty-free brand though they do use goat hair which is combed or shaved at no harm to the animal - for some this may be a bit of a grey area.

emJ Company Make-up Brushes

I've said it before and I'll say it again, you can never have too many make-up brushes. Sometimes I review a product on here and I think 'how many XX do you really need?' but if you use make-up brushes, new ones are always welcome (means you are cleaning less often) and I've been looking forward to these emJ ones for months. It was such a treat to receive some through the post pre-release and I'd like to say that I was sent this as I know the founder not necessarily to review.

I was a little bit anxious. I know how long these have been in the making. It's hard to be critical of something when you know the hard work behind the product but these brushes are absolutely fantastic. Big relief for me. Not ideal for you because you really should get some. I've used all three on myself and clients and they have gone straight onto my recommends list. Everyone I've used them on has asked me the make.

Blog Favourites

My readers are not commenters. Yes I'm talking about you. This is fine. I know you are there and frankly, I'm not a commenter either. But you do send messages and it is so nice to know what products I've recommended that you've bought and loved. I really appreciate this as I find the business of recommending things for people to spend their money on a bit worrying. I mean what if you hate it? Luckily that is yet to happen but I though it might be nice to give a mention to the products that I consistently get messages about. Those products that have made their way into readers routines and stayed there.

These are in no particular order except for the first one. When it comes to feedback the first one in this line-up is the one that I hear most about people loving and repurchasing. This isn't a competition but if it was then entry number 1 would be the winner - by far.

In the Kit - Louise Young Mini Puffs

Small but perfectly formed Louise Young's Mini Puffs may be tiny but they are a must-have in any make-up artists kit. If you have spent time getting skin perfect you don't want to risk moving it if you want to do touch-ups on the eyes but you can put one of these on your ring finger and it's the perfect leaning pad.  They also are the perfect size for doing really precise, delicate touch-ups under the eyes or around the nose or blotting sweat if you are working on set.

MakeupDrop Silicone Beauty Applicator

This silicone applicator for liquid make-up products and though it doesn't flick my switch I can see this really working for those who worry about the various hygiene issues raised with using brushes and even worse (my favourite), beauty blenders.

Rather than being like a sponge this feels more like one of those gel pads you use in your high heels to stop your feet from completely dying. But it's thicker. In fact it feels rather wonderful - like a make-up related stressball.

There are some major pros to this product. You lose no product when using this, all of it goes directly onto your face and any tiny amount that doesn't is very easily washed off. You just need to rinse it in warm water and soap. Because no product, or anything, is absorbed into it then there is nothing to go off, encourage bugs or whatever other horrors can happen to more traditional make-up sponges. You don't have to worry about drying it in a certain way as you do with brushes. This also means you should technically save money as you will end up using less product and fewer brushes and sponges. It feels lovely to apply make-up with and although the price seems quite high you should, in theory, be able to use this for a very long time.

Eco Tools

Up until recently I had never tried an Eco Tools brush. I had heard they were good but as I had never managed to get my hands on one to feel the fibers I'd just glossed over them rather. And I have to admit that I did bad maths in my head - Eco+cheap= bad quality. But I went to their launch a couple of months ago (so good I vlogged about it) and not only got to touch the brushes but we got a fantastic goody bag with lots of bits to try and tons of info about the brand and now I'm a complete convert. Not only do they seem properly Eco rather than just saying they are there are little unnecessary extras that make this brand great.

2017 is their 10th Anniversary and they've changed things up a bit completely redesigning the brushes and making the packaging more responsible. The brush handles are made from sustainable bamboo and have been slightly changed to make them more comfortable to hold - I have to say the length and weight are very nice to work with. I have small hands so I often find brushes are too long. These are great and means they fit in most make-up bags. The packaging is made up of recycled, natural, sustainable materials - tree-free paper and rPET clamshell (recycled polyethylene terephthalate). You can tell the new brushes as they have gunmetal (or patterned in some cases) ferrules - the old design are a sort of bronze colour.

The Basic Brush Kit

I've been thinking about this post for a while but the problem is I love make-up brushes so it's really hard for me to not get carried away. What I thought would be useful was a list of all the brushes I would use to make up a basic, personal brush kit. Lots of brands do brush sets (Louise Young, Bobbi Brown and Real Techniques to name but three) but quite often if you are not a make-up artist or super into make-up you end up with a brush or two you don't really use (if this has happened to you let me know the brush and I'll tell you an alternative use for it!). 

When Launches Go Right - Eco Tools 2017

As the beauty industry has taken off launches are now happening all the time. It's always lovely to be invited and most of the time I don't review or mention them because, well how interesting is it to hear about an event that you didn't attend?

But every now and then a launch will be really well organised and set-up and the one I went to on 30th March in London for Eco Tools was just that. The event itself and the products we were given to try inspired to do this vlog when I got home.

Sorry for the breathlessness and the dark lighting. So nice to feel like a brand is genuinely interested in you finding out as much as possible and wanting you to fall in love with their products. It worked - I'm totally inspired, enthused and have started testing them already. Reviews to follow.

Thanks so much to Eco Tools and 3 Monkeys | Zeno for the invitation and for the fab time.

If you haven't already then do subscribe to this channel, check out my blog www.londonmakeupblog.com and come and say hi on social media where I am @corinnaharrod

You can check out the full range of Eco Tools brushes here - http://bit.ly/2nicck2

CLOSED: November Giveaway - LMB Turns 10

This is late! I only just remembered yesterday that it hadn't gone up. I was distracted by my biggest small boy turning 4. FOUR. How did that happen?

Anyway this month the prizes are two of my absolute favourite products. I have them in my pro kit and in my personal make-up and they really revolutionised my life once I started using them.

The first is the Louise Young Lip Trio in Free Bird. This is the most amazing palette for those who love a nude lip as you can create any colour of nude you want by mixing the three together (or using them individually if you want. The slimline packaging and usuable brush and mirror mean you can slip this into your handbag and it takes up hardly any room. I the whole range of these and use them over and over again and have never had one break which is pretty impressive considering how much they get carried around.

The second prize is the LY27 lip brush which I found to be the perfect size and shape lip brush - and I've tried a lot. It is a natural hair brush and can be used for lipstick, balm and lipgloss and makes it so easy to get really precise application.

October Giveaway - LMB Turns 10

I'm really excited because I'm completely passionate about each of the prizes in this month. All three of them would come top in their categories for me: favourite lipstick, favourite gel liner and favourite liner brush.

The first is All Fired Up a retro matte lipstick from MAC and for me the perfect deep pink for those who want to wear a red lipstick but can't quite carry it off. It's long lasting and looks incredible and works well with a gloss over the top if a matte finish is not for you. I will be doing a quick review of this later in the month but in the meantime you can see and read my original review here. 

The Inglot AMC Gel Liner is a must for those who like their liner waterproof and long-lasting. It comes in a load of colours but of course for me it has to be as black and matte as possible. It's got a great, easy-to-apply and lasts all day. Another product to feature both in my pro and personal kits, I wrote a full review of it a while ago which you can read here.

July Giveaway Prizes - Friday Video

A closer look at this months prizes...

CLOSED - LMB Turns 10 - August Giveaway

As August is my birthday month I'm going to include something that is one of my absolute favourites, the eye palette I would have on my desert island and probably my most recommended products - the Louise Young Essential eye palette. I am so pleased to be able to give one of these away. When Louise sent it over I think I went ultrasonic with excitement. 

There are so many things I love about this palette I'm not going to list them all here but I will write a full review of it soon. You can my not-so-quick review of it here. I use it everyday and on most jobs I do. If you lost all your make-up this palette would pretty much have you covered - brows, contouring, smoky eye and simple blending. Black eye shadow fans, this is the only one to use.

To go with this amazing palette I have an LY30 Angled Brow brush perfect no only for creating great brows but for doing powder liner too and some NYX HD eye primer which I use pretty much every day.

To enter all you have to do is follow me on YouTube and leave me a comment below letting me know your YouTube username.This competition is open until 27th August 2016. Good Luck

In the Kit - Louise Young Make-up Brushes

Being a make-up artist and writing about beauty, make-up and skincare means I'm not slavishly loyal to any brand. I try what I get my hands on and if it works I'll keep using it until I find something better. For many make-up artists brushes are an almost guilt-free shopping pleasure. You always have an excuse to buy new brushes, there's nothing worse than not having the exact one you want to hand and no one likes having to clean brushes mid-way through a job so it's best to have plenty to hand. And ones that can do more than one thing are often the best.

However, if I was told I was only allowed to use on make of brushes both in my kit and on myself there's no question that Louise Young Cosmetics is the brand I'd go for. And I'm not alone. Her brushes are found in kits all over the world - in TV studios, film sets, bridal specialists and the backstage areas at all top fashion shows. And with good reason. These brushes are handmade in the UK (you can see how in the video link below) and all created by Louise, one of the hardest working artists in the business and a complete perfectionist. All the brushes (and the make-up in her range) are made for her, they are things she wants to use when she's working. Which means I've yet to use one of her brushes and not really get why it's in the range.

LMB turns 10 - February 2016 Giveaway (NOW CLOSED)

Thank you to everyone who got involved last month. Now to February's giveaway and I have three really exciting prizes.

The original Naked Palette from Urban Decay is 7 this year and although I have one in my kit that I do use sometimes, it is here as the winner of the go-to eye palette for my personal use. Whenever I don't know what eye make-up to wear or I don't have very much time, or when I go on holiday this is the palette I reach for.

Beauty Blenders

One of the things I get asked about a lot is make-up brushes. Which brush works best for a certain product, skin type or look, what the brush does that I'm using on a client, what my favourite brand of brushes are and the answer is constantly changing. Yes there are some brands that I think are very reliable in terms of quality and there are lots out there that I haven't got round to trying yet so can't pass comment on, but one of the most asked questions is what's the best brush for applying foundation for problem or more mature skins and I used to recommend a stippling brush. However, recently I have been favouring a Beauty Blender so I thought it would be useful to do a little feature on beauty blenders - the original and those from other brands, specifically the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion sponge because this is the high street alternative, the easiest to get hold of.

Japonesque Solid Brush Cleaner Quick Review - Sunday Video

I'm a big fan of this...

How to Clean Your Brushes with a Solid Brush Cleaner

I've given the Japonesque Brush Cleaner to a couple of friends recently and have been asked how to use it properly... so here it is!

Japonesque Solid Brush Cleaner

Since I trained as a make-up artist I have used Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) to clean my brushes. It's fast, dries quickly and I know that my brushes are really clean and safe for use on the next client. For my personal brushes I use MAC brush cleanser which is the only shop-bought one I've tried that actually does anything. I've never had success with the olive oil/fairy liquid combination and I'm too lazy to try any of the solid cleaners. With this pregnancy however, I wanted to find an alternative to IPA which is actually quite toxic smelling. Nothing is going to dry as quickly as IPA (which makes this so good for pro make-up artists) but I felt sure something would get my brushes as clean and frankly, MAC brush cleanser is quite hard work even if you don't have to wet the brush beforehand and I felt sure I could find something that got brushes cleaner. 

I've found it, Japonesque Solid Brush Cleaner is good for your brushes, gets them really clean and smells amazing. It's so good I bought some for my sister and my mother - both of whom are particularly naughty about cleaning their brushes. If you use make-up brushes, you must clean them, they will last longer, your make-up will go on better and most importantly it is really not good for your skin to use dirty brushes. I know it seems like a total ball-ache but this brush cleaner is actually not too time consuming - I use it while I wait for the bath to run. They take a while to dry, again that's why I do it at bath time then lay them flat near a radiator.

So why is it so good? Its reasonably quick, yes it took me a while to clean my mum's poor sad foundation brush that hadn't been cleaned since I was last home with my trusty IPA but used regularly this really takes less than a minute per brush. It's also so easy to take with you when you travel - lid screws on and it's reasonably small and flat. My brushes are clean, smell fantastic and feel like they are in great condition.

To use just wet your brushes, swirl in the soap, rinse thoroughly and then lay flat to dry. It's really important not to tip your brushes bristles up - this would dissolve the glue that holds them in and your brushes will be ruined.

I've used mine every week for the past couple of months and it still looks pretty unused making the £16 very reasonable in my view.

What You Need to Know - Japonesque Solid Brush Cleaner

• £16 or US$20
• 56g/2oz
• Contains Goat Milk, Lauric Acid, Coconut Milk and glycerin amongst other things. 
• Available in the UK from Space NK, John Lewis,
• Available in the US from Ulta Beauty,

Friday Video Quick Review - MAC Brush Cleanser

This is definitely the best of the shop-bought brush cleansers I've tried so far. It doesn't get your brushes as spanking clean-looking as I'd like but it doesn't damage them and doesn't smell grim.