Review + Kit Essential | ZOEVA Complete Eye Set

Some of you may remember that way back in March, the ZOEVA Rose Golden Complete Eye Set featured in My 20th Birthday Presents post. Well I have now had more than enough to time to test these brushes out and they have become both a personal and professional essential!

This 12 piece set will leave a £56.95 shaped hole in your purse, which works out at each brush costing you less than a fiver. In comparison to the price of higher end lines; this set is a true bargain and with one purchase you have all the brushes needed to create most looks.

The affordable price also doesn't mean you have to skimp on quality. They are amazingly soft, blend product flawlessly into the skin and, after a fair few washes by yours truly, they still feel brand new. Not to mention, they also look beautiful and far more expensive then they really are; what’s not to love? I now use these on a regular basis, either on myself or on clients as part of my kit.

As there are 12 brushes, I don't want to bore you all by going through every single one, instead I’ve picked out four that have been my favourite to work with.

1.  142 / Concealer Buffer

As a girl who can not leave home without her concealer, my attention was naturally drawn to this brush straight away. It has a dense dome shape and is perfect for blending concealer under the eyes, around the nose or over spots. The softness and density of the brush ensures that the concealer is blended flawlessly into the skin, without lifting away the product and removing the coverage. 

2.  228 / Luxe Crease

I doubt there is a makeup lover out there who does not own or heard every makeup artist, blogger and YouTuber using the cult MAC 217 blending brush. Well this Luxe Crease is my affordable alternative and, dare I say, personal preference. The bristles are amazingly soft and blend shadow with ease. I love the seamless transition of colour that this brush leaves behind and I have recently been preferring the texture and effect over my MAC 217.

3.  315 / Fine Liner

I'm sure we are all familiar with that constant battle to perfect our winged liner. Whether working with gel, liquid or shadow; creating a flawless feline flick always takes a silent pep talk, hold of breath and intense 10 minutes of concentration (or is that just me?). 

This brush, whilst not making winged liner a complete breeze, does make the task a lot easier. The angled head allows you to draw the line as close to your lashes as possible and the extremely fine, dense tip keeps the line immaculately precise. Whilst I can't promise that this brush will rid you once and for all of those dreaded liner sweats; I can promise that the task will seem far less daunting.

4.  317 / Wing Liner

In 2015 eyebrows became a national, if not international, obsession. I think we can all admit to being guilty of joining the quest to discover the products and tools that will help you create a pair of Cara D power brows of your very own. This brush has been my answer to just that. The incredibly fine, angled edge allows you to mimic the appearance of small hairs, so that whether you are filling in with powder or gel, the result is a full, natural and precise arch.  

These are my four favourites of the set, but I really have found a use for and love for all of the brushes. They are affordable yet perform amazingly well and I would recommend anyone who is looking for a new set of brushes to give these a go. Let me know what you think if you've tried them and your favourite brushes!

Devon

xoxo

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Kit Essential | MAC Prep + Prime Fix +

When I’m on shoot, there are a few items in my kit that are an absolute essential. This may not always be for their most obvious reasons and so I want to share with you the products that I personally rely on and a few tips of how to make the most of them. Today’s post is dedicated to a well known favourite: MAC Prep + Prime Fix +.

It terms of setting sprays, this isn’t one that is going to massively improve the wear and longevity of your makeup; however this isn't why I love it. 

Firstly, I always use Fix + to 'finish' a look. I find that a spritz of this helps to add a freshness and a slight dewy glow back into the skin. It stops the finished look from looking cakey by blurring the makeup together slightly and melting it into the skin. So, whilst not removing or disturbing the coverage, it keeps the makeup looking natural and not too heavy.

The second reason I rely on Fix + is that it allows me to make the most of my eyeshadows. As a newly qualified Makeup Artist, it can be hard to squeeze luxury palettes within my small budget. I’d rather buy from the drugstore, so that I have a greater variety of colours and finishes and I am able to create any look that is requested. Although, the problem is that the quality of the eyeshadows suffers so that the finished look isn't as professional. My answer? Fix +.

An investment in a £17 bottle will save you the money that you would otherwise have had to have spent on high-end shadows. Lightly spraying a brush with Fix + before picking up any product, will transform the quality of what you are using. Affordable, drugstore eyeshadows become richly pigmented, creamy and blend able; meaning that the overall finish of your look need not suffer! 

Below are swatches of the same eyeshadow but with and without Fix +:

(Left: Without Fix +. Right: With Fix+)

I still use this trick even when working with my more expensive palettes. If there is a certain colour that I want to really standout on the eye; such as a gold, silver, bright colour or a highlight. This is why I never leave home without my Fix +. I hope these few tips have helped or inspired you and I would love to know what you think as well as your makeup essentials!

Devon

xoxo

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Tutorial | Burnt Orange and Gold Smokey Eye

As an owner of blue eyes; I love nothing more than creating looks that will make the colour pop. The opposite shade on the colour wheel is orange; and so any bronze, orange or gold toned shadows are going to make blue eyes shine. Today I want to share with you a recent burnt orange, gold smokey eye I created, love and now can’t stop wearing!

This look, of course, is not restricted to only those blue eyed girls amongst you! It would look stunning on anyone wishing to create a summer themed bronze, glowing makeup look. Also, for those with a more delicate skin tone (like myself) this makes a perfect alternative to a dark smokey eye, which can sometimes look too heavy against a lighter skin. 

I started by priming my lids with my LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer, and then added a thin layer of concealer over this before setting it in place with face powder. This three step routine is a must on my lid to ensure that the shadow stays in place and doesn’t crease. 

I then applied a bright orange shade as a transition colour through my crease. Having not been able to find the colour I was looking for amongst my palettes, I used my Sleek Blush by 3 in Lace. I took the shade 'Chantilly' on a fluffy brush and gradually built up this up, keeping the centre of my lid clear of colour. I also ran this along the length of my lower lash line.

To add depth, I then took the shade ‘Sable’, a warm, matte mid-toned brown from my LORAC Pro Palette, on a clean fluffy brush and blended this through the crease. I placed it over the top of the previous shade but closer to the centre of my lid, so that the orange was still visible on the outside edge.

Then on a large smudge brush, I took the shade ‘Espresso’ from the same palette and, shaking off any excess, placed a small amount of this on the outer corner and inner edge of my eye. I then gently ran a clean fluffy brush over the top of this to blend the colour in with the rest of the shades. On my lower lash line, I smudged out a brown kohl liner and then ran ‘Sable’ over the top. I also placed a nude liner along my lower waterline to widen and open up my eyes.

I finished the look by adding a vibrant gold to the centre of the lid. Taking a small, flat shadow brush, I first sprayed this with a little MAC Fix + before dabbing it into the 'Gold' from my LORAC Palette. The Fix + increases the vibrancy of the shade, turning it into more of a highly pigmented cream shadow; ideal for ensuring the centre of the lid stands out like I wanted. I also added a small amount of this to the middle section of my lower lash line.

I patted this on to the mobile part of my lid, and then took a blending brush and ran this back through my crease to ensure that the edge of the gold blended in seamlessly to the other shades. To ensure that the orange shade I started with still stood out, I took a small amount on my blending brush and gently ran this back over the edge of the look.

I finished by patting on 'Light Bronze' to the inner corner of my eye, adding mascara, filling in my brows with my Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade and spraying my Smashbox Primer Water over the entire look to set it in place. 

I think this will look amazing on anyone, regardless of eye colour or skin tone. I would love for you to give it try and if you do recreate this; be sure to tag me on Instagram @devonmartin.mua so I can see!

Devon 

xoxo

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