review: real techniques stippling brush by samantha chapman.

i'm soooooorry. i know, i know. you're probably gagging and clawing away at your own face, having seeing yet ANOTHER review about the real techniques brushes that were designed by samantha chapman (who is one half of pixiwoo). i guess the hype stems from the fact that they use this brush a lot in their tutorials (so i've heard). i admittedly haven't watched any pixiwoo tutorials in a long while simply because i haven't had the time, but seeing as i didn't own a stippling brush up until now, i was curious about it.

this brush is designed for buffing in foundation, but i just don't see myself using it that way. it's probably just me with my massive head (because i'm so brainy, obviously) but the brush just seems too small for that - so i'll be sticking with my beloved kabuki brush. instead, i find more use in this brush for cream products or things which may not work as well as 'regular' brushes such as illamasqua skin base, topshop cream blushes, liquid highlighters... things like that.

there is one product in particular which this has been a godsend for. unlike the above products (where i could just use my fingers), i sometimes struggle to use nars' multiples on my cheeks. if i use my fingers it could look uneven, and using normal blusher brushes just doesn't pick up enough product. so, the stippling brush is absolutely super for that! it's small enough to control how you are applying the cream product on your face, but wide/dense enough to get a decent amount of product on. i only found this out today though.

face: no 7 'beautiful skin' day cream, 17 primer, bourjois healthy mix foundation (52), collection lasting perfection concealer (#2), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).
eyes: urban decay primer potion, benefit creaseless cream eyeshadow (get figgy), rimmel kohl pencil, maybelline gel liner, revlon 'grow luscious' mascara, mac eyebrow pencil (stud), the body shop brow & lash gel.
cheeks: topshop (neon rose), benefit gilded highlighter (tangerine gold).
lips: revlon 'just bitten' lipstain (passion).

what i also really liked is how it feels. it's not as soft as brushes by the body shop or urban decay, but softer than mac. i also love how it buffs blusher into the skin and gives it a really soft-looking, more polished effect. would i recommend this to absolutely everyone? no. i only think it's a must-have if you're a blusher fiend like me and have a lot of cream blushes, or have less of a football head than i do and could use a small brush to buff in your foundation.

cons? oddly enough, i don't think i really have any. like i keep saying, i think it'd be pretty cool if they brought out a bigger version of this that would buff liquid foundation quickly. all in all, i'm just pleased that samantha chapman has obviously made people think about buffing in products into their skin. it really does make the world of difference (~i did it before it was mainstream guise~) in terms of finish and how polished your make-up looks.

in other news: i submitted my 21,000 words! but as time passes, more doubt creeps into my mind. i'm starting to think that all of those words were terrible. that aside, i also get to enjoy an extra £112 per month all to myself as i'm no longer having to commute. recently i used some of that and treated myself to this crystal-encrusted bracelet (which won't surprise those who have read my previous jewellery post). it reminds me of cleopatra, medusa, basically ALL of the historical/mythological bad bitches out there. what do you think?

bracelet - kenneth jay lane.