Who Was On Top!?

Bronzer- Soap and Glory Solar Powder

Concealer- Mac Pro Longwear Concealer

Blusher- Benefit Dandelion Blush

Foundation- Max Factor Face Finity

Palette- Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette

Lipstick- Kiko 902/Mac Shy Girl

Brows- Soap and Glory Brow Archery

Mascara- Clinique High Volume Mascara

Mask- Simple Deep Cleansing Mask

Brush- Mac 217

Battle of the Brushes

The final face fight, I know shed a tear, is all about the brushes! I love brushes to the point where I've had to stop myself from buying more because it will just be an unnecessary purchase. I've picked my most used brushes, one from each 'application category' and I'll be putting them against each other to see which is my favourite. Let's begin!

First up is foundation and let's start with the Expert Face Brush from Real Techniques. I'm very fond of this brush. It's the brush that I never adore but it's always there when I want my foundation to look a bit more natural. It's soft but dense so it buffs in really well but sometimes it can be a little bit too small when I'm in a rush. Then there's the Sephora 49 Brush. I love this brush. Some people find that these types of brushes 'paint' the foundation on instead of buffing it into the skin but I like the flawless finish that this brush gives me and paired with the L'Oreal True Match foundation it's like perfect skin in a bottle.

Eyes eyes eyes! The first eyeshadow brush I ever got was the Mac 242. I love this for packing shadow onto the lid and it's especially great with pigments. The Mac 217 is infamous in the beauty world for being amazing and it's definitely worth the hype! It perfectly puts product in the crease and blends out edges beautifully. I don't know what I ever did before this brush. Another similar blending brush is a little fluffy brush I got in an Avon kit about eight years ago and it's a nice, soft and reliable little brush.

To finish with the rest of the face brushes is the Real Techniques Blush Brush which I use for bronzer.  As with all of these brushes it's really soft and fits well into the hollows of my cheeks to contour and is also big enough to give an all round bronze. Last but not least is the Real Techniques Stippling Brush. I used to use this for foundation, and I really liked it as it made everything look really natural, but now I use it for highlight as it doesn't apply too much product and make the face look too shiny.

Who's come out on top? I think that the Mac 217 has literally changed my life so much that it has to be my favourite brush.

Mash of the Masks

Next up in the 'face fights' series are face masks. Over the past year I've tried out a fair few face masks to try and combat my oily skin and I've narrowed it down to three, so let's put them to the test. First up is the No Clogs Allowed Mask by Soap and Glory for oily/combination skin. This is a warming mask so you put it on, then wet your hands and rub over the mask which warms it up. The warming effect is nice and soothing but in some areas where the mask is a little thicker it can be a little too hot. The consistency is very odd, quite watery but a little gritty. It does say shake before use but even then there's still a lot of thin liquid.Unlike some of the other masks it doesn't seem to have much of an effect on my skin other than getting rid of some of the oil. Next is another Soap and Glory Mask, The Fab Pore. This is a thick mask with some 'beads' in it which burst when rubbed into the skin. You leave it on for 15 minutes before washing up and it's for all skin types. When on the skin this mask is very relaxing and cooling and leaves my skin feeling fresh and seems to keep spots at bay for a few days. The problem is it doesn't seem to have any long term effects on the skin. Finally it's the Simple Deep Cleansing Face Mask. I really like using this mask as it's quick (you only leave it on for three minutes) and isn't too messy to use as it's in a tube, unlike the second Soap and Glory one. It keeps the spots at bay and feels like it draws all of the badness from my skin. This has to be my favourite mask because it suits my skin perfectly and so far we've had no problems (fingers crossed this continues).

Lash out of the Lipsticks

Time for the lipsticks! I was never the biggest wearer of lipsticks but over the past 12 months I've built up a nice little collection so let's get going. First up is my Kiko Smart Lipstick in 902 Pastel Pink. I bought this whilst I was in Barcelona in the summer and I'm so glad I did. It's pretty much the same as my natural lip colour so when I put it on it's a my lips but better kind of thing. It was super cheap (just €3) and is balmy and lasts a decent amount of time on the lips. Next up is the Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 28. This was the first lipstick that I ever bought because I thought it would look good on a night out. It's not a matte formula but I'd say it's 90% matte with a little bit of shimmer and not as drying. I don't wear this that often but when do I wonder why I don't because it gives a pop of colour that is really flattering. The second lipstick I ever purchased was the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Heather Shimmer. I bought this thinking it would be a good nude but it's quite a bit darker than my normal lips. It takes me quite a while to apply this as if I do a 'one sweep' motion it goes on a bit too dark and looks like a crayon, weird I know, so I have to use a lot of coats to dab it on. However, when it's on it looks really nice, a bit Velvet Teddy-ish, the only problem is that it doesn't last too long on the lips. Another nude in my stash is the Rimmel Lipstick in Pink Nude. I'd say that this was more coral than pink but it's a really good lipstick. The colour is flattering, similar to the Kiko one in terms of application and lasting power. The only thing that lets this down is the fact is has quite a pearly finish and sometimes looks a bit strange on the lips. Last but not least is Mac Shy Girl Lipstick. This is such a beautiful coral colour that sits nicely on the lips. This is my go to smokey eye lip as it looks gorgeous. The only problem with this is if it's not dabbed on it can look a little streaky. The winner of this is a tie, I just can't choose, between Kiko and Mac. I use them both so much as they are both beautiful colours with my favourite type of formulas.

28, Heather Shimmer, Nude Pink, Shy Girl, 902