Taupe & Pearl: UK Affordable Beauty and Accessories Blog

March Wishlist 2013
1. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush- The Expert Face Brush is very similar to the Buffing Brush which is included with the Core Collection and is slightly bigger, with longer bristles and a rounder shape. The Expert Face Brush, despite being smaller has been reviewed as being perfect for buffing in foundation and using powder products as well. 
Even though I love the Real Techniques brushes Im not sure Id use all of the Core Collection so this seems a perfect option. Im also looking at the Deluxe Crease Brush, only available in the starter set, bah!

SALE! BeautyExpert.co.uk is having a 15% off sale on Real Techniques brushes: use REALTECH15 at the checkout

2. It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye- Ive always had dark circles under my eyes, even when Ive had plenty of sleep and have tried just about every high street concealer I can get my hands on.
The Bye Bye Undereye concealer was developed with plastic surgeons in Brazil and is now used to conceal bruising and swelling on the face and body of surgery patients. According to It Cosmetics, their Bye Bye Undereye is a 'full coverage, waterproof, yet moisturising, concealer with anti-ageing ingredients to combat dark circles while it conceals'. I'm sold! I can only find it online and it is quite pricey but from the reviews it sounds like it could be in the running for a HG product. Unfortunately Ill have to guess my shade from the online options, which range from light to deep. It Cosmetics also tell us on their website that '70% of skin stones are neutral medium' (Im hoping thats a typo!).

3. Maybelline One by One Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara- I just cant get enough mascara! Maybelline is my go to brand for mascaras and I own 5 different types, but after seeing photos and reviews of the separation this formula and brush can achieve Ive decided I have to have it! 
This Mascara has a 'lash- catcher brush' with 300 bristles which sounds ideal as my lashes are very prone to sticking together with absolutely every mascara. I also prefer waterproof mascara because when I go out I tend to sleep in my mascara (its a sin I know!), and with a non waterproof formula I usually wake up looking like a panda with 3 eyelashes because theyre so stuck together. Ive also got my eye on the Volum' Express Colossal Smoky Mascara (love the brush of the original Colossal) with collagen and matte shadow pigment, I told you I cant get enough mascara!

4. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk- The Jumbo Eye pencil has been reviewed as the perfect eyelid base for making shadows look more vibrant and keeping them in place, a highlight for the inner corner of the eye and as a liner for the waterline. It sounds like a mixture of all the things Ive been looking for recently, and for £4.50 it wont break the bank either.

5. Stila Convertible Colour for Lips and Cheeks in Petunia- Ive seen this shade on a few people and it looks lovely, so natural and healthy. Recently I had a brainwave and have been using (youre going to laugh at this) lipbalm and lipstick on my cheeks as blush, it actually looks pretty good! I swipe a few times then blend in, because the formulas are quite glossy it gives a nice healthy highlighted sheen as well as colour without being shimmery. Probably best not to try this out with a matte lipstick but my favourites for the cheeks are Bourjois Sweet Kiss in Rose Innocence and Rimmel Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake. A product that is actually designed to go on the lips and cheeks sounds perfect, and the packaging is so sweet too.

6. Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation in 52- I bought this foundation in shade 54 when it first came out and had never tried a Bourjois foundation before. As sometimes happens, the colour that looked perfect in the shop turned out to be completely wrong in daylight. I'd been happily wearing Healthy Mix Serum in 52 and Healthy Mix in 53 until I tried the 123 again the other day, the colour is still too dark for me but I thought the coverage and finish were lovely. The 123 Perfect is a matte foundation with yellow, mauve and green colour correcting pigments, and a velvety almost cream-to-powder style finish. Usually I find matte foundations a bit too drying and dullifying (is that a word?) for my skin, but it would be lovely not to have to powder and then repowder the centre of my face.

7. Mac Correct and Conceal Palette in Light- I saw a video review of this product and new I'd love it- I love correctors and use my Fraulein 38 corrector palette everyday, and I love Mac concealers but sometimes the NC20 just looks a little off in colour compared to my skin tone or foundation. The palette contains 4 different shades of Studio Finish concealer and two corrector colours, a peach and a yellow. Im toying between the light and medium, my nc20 concealer sometimes looks quite light for my skin, especially as I fake tan my face so am never truly the same colour every day, but the pictures Ive seen of the medium look really quite dark and I think shades that are too dark look much more strange than shades that are too light.

8. La Roche Posay Effeclar Duo- Maybe Im a little late on the bandwagon with this one but after seeing gorgeous Tanya Burr's results using this cream I dont think I can ignore the hype any longer. The Effeclar Duo contains Niacinamide and Piroctone Olamine to purify the skin and prevent breakouts, and LHA/Linoleic Acid to eliminate dead cells that clog pores.
Not everything works for everyone, but for a lot of people this has been a miracle product and at the moment my skin is blemish free for just a few days at a time, so I think this is definitely worth trying.

9. Sigma E25 Blending Brush- I only have a couple of blending brushes and theyre getting quite old and a bit scratchy so had a look for something new. Everyone's heard of the Mac 217, its been used in just about every pro tutorial Ive ever seen and it really is meant to be an essential bit of kit but not everyone has £17 to spend on a little brush.
The best alternative Ive come across is the Sigma E25 which sells for about £10 and is also available in travel size which is really handy. If youre on an even tighter budget then the Coastal Scents Pro Blending Fluff Brush (made from goat hair) has some great reviews and sells for about £5, making it a great alternative to the Mac 217.

Do you have any of the products on this list, what do you think about them? And whats on your March Wishlist?