New In | New Years Beauty Buys

CHANEL VITALUMIERE AQUA FOUNDATION | MAC LIPSTICK IN BRAVE | JO MALONE WOOD SAGE & SEA SALT COLOGNE

I'm not sure what it is about the festive period, but after Christmas and into the New Year I always get this overwhelming urge to splurge. I went sales shopping over the weekend and typically, my beauty haul consisted of full price only items. 

First up was an essential repurchase, of which I knew would never be in sale. Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation in 10 Beige is my go to everyday foundation and my current bottle is putting up a serious fight to give me product. At an eye-watering £33, this isn't the most purse-friendly option but I simply cannot be without - a light to medium coverage that looks, feels and glows like skin should. 

Like most girls, I've been sucked into the Kylie Jenner mauve lip craze thanks to her incessant Instagram postings and research showed that MAC was the brand I needed. Amongst the few products the interweb threw out at me, Brave Lipstick (£15.50) seemed a common theme and so to the MAC counter I went. I asked to try on the lipstick first to ensure the colour suited my skin tone and it was love at first swipe. Brave is a satin finish, packed with pigment, a comfortable wear and has become a fast favourite in my makeup bag already. 

On a previous shopping excursion (told you I've been #feelingspendy) I popped into Jo Malone. I have been lusting over the Wood Sage & Sea Salt fragrance since I happened upon a sample in a magazine. Unfortunately, they were out of the cologne but the consultant kindly gave me a generous sample of the Body Creme so I could at least try the fragrance on my skin. I cannot even begin to explain the commotion this fragrance has caused at home - I smothered my hands in it the minute I got through the door and my mum became obsessed with it too (Mother's Day present sorted). I went back in over the weekend and alas, they had restocked the Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne - destiny some (me) might say. Lets be real, I'm crap at describing scents but the JM website tells me this 'woody' fragrance it has notes of Ambrette Seeds, Sea Salt and Sage, but I also detect a hint of fig. Love. I will most definitely be adding the Body Creme to my birthday wishlist. 

Have you treated yourself to anything since Christmas?

Sephora Classic Mineral Powder Brush vs. Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki

A little while ago I posted a 'vs' blog on foundations (read here) and it went down really well.  This time I'm comparing two of my face brushes, the Sephora Classic Mineral Powder Brush and the Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki.  

Sephora Classic Mineral Powder Brush #45

I picked up this brush whilst in Spain in June. I'd heard a few great reviews and wondered if I'd like it more than the Sigma F80.  It was around €16 (£13) when I bought it which I thought was reasonable. Although the name suggests this is for use with mineral products, I use this with liquid foundations.  The brush is soft to touch but I find that when I apply product it can feel a little scratchy but not to the point where you can't stand it.  It's great at buffing in base products for a flawless finish - my favourite foundation in conjunction with the brush being MUFE's HD foundation.  Unlike the Sigma F80, this is a rounded kabuki and is far fluffier and a little less dense.  The bristles are synthetic meaning that they clean easier and because this brush isn't so dense, I find it dries within a couple of hours.  

Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki Brush

I've had this brush for around 10 months now and I love it.  It was £14.99 from Love Makeup, who stock a lot of the Sigma brushes.  This is a great liquid foundation brush, the bristles are extremely soft and glide over the face nicely, creating a flawless finish.  I really like using Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua with this brush as it gives the perfect finish and helps to achieve a higher coverage.  As you can see, the bristles on the F80 are more tightly packed, making the brush far denser in comparison to the Sephora.  As well as foundation, I also find I can use this brush with my concealer and also it's great at getting under my eye area with my YSL Touche Eclat.  The synthetic bristles mean that again, it cleans fairly easily, although as I've used it quite a bit, it's stained now. Might be time to get a replacement! This brush takes a long time to dry, I washed all my make up brushes yesterday morning and when I took this photo's a day later, the middle bristles were still a little damp.  

Both brushes have pro's and con's but are great at general base make up application.  For a smoother feeling, all around product brush the Sigma F80 is great but if you'd rather one brush for one job then the Sephora is equally as great.  The only downside to the Sigma brush is the time it takes to dry whereas the Sephora brush takes a lot less.  Right now I'm reaching for the F80 as I feel I can do it all - foundation, concealer and under eye concealer in one but I do fluctuate from time to time to the Sephora brush.  

Unfortunately the Sephora brush is extremely difficult to get hold of in the UK - it's time they came back to the UK and opened up some stores!

Have you tried either brushes? 

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow vs. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

In my recent monthly favourites post (which you can read here) I mentioned that I had been loving two foundations in particular.  Benefit's Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow and Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua have had me singing 'eenie meenie miney mo' most mornings, but what is the real difference between the two? 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B10 - £31.00

Chanel's make up always seems to have a lovely, fresh scent to it, which makes application all that luxurious. Vitalumiere Aqua's packaging is different to most of the Chanel foundations, in that it has a twist off lid and you need to squeeze the bottle to get the product out.  It's a light coverage foundation which is buildable depending on the look you're going for, or if you're like me, how you're skin looks that day.  It gives the face a healthy glow and a flawless finish.  The foundation only comes in seven shades which is quite limiting and I even find my B10 to be slightly too dark.  This will change in the summer when I tan but isn't ideal during winter.  The shades are yellow in tone, so great if you have red undertones or hyper pigmentation.  I find that, personally, this foundation doesn't have great lasting power and can go patchy during a long day, even with primer. I love the finish too much not to use it.  

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in 'I'm Pure 4 Sure' - £24.50

Benefit's long awaited, first liquid foundation had received a lot of hype and greatly deserved I think.  The packaging embodies Benefit's aesthetic, feminine and fun.  The foundation has a pump which makes life a lot easier when it comes to how much you need.  I usually use between 1-2 pumps, again depending on how much skin is looking that day.  Another light coverage foundation with buildability, HFOW (it's A LOT to type out...) comes in nine shades, catering for both yellow and pink undertones.  It claims to be brightening which I agree with, I feel I get a much more dewy finish with this base, compared to Vitalumiere Aqua.  Compared to the Chanel foundation, I feel this stays on my skin a lot longer and I now find myself reaching for it when I have a long day at work or uni ahead of me.  

Both foundations have pro's and con's and are great for different things.  If you're looking for a foundation for an event or occasion that's lightweight and gives your skin that sought after healthy glow - Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua is perfect.  If you're looking for a light coverage foundation to wear to work that brightens your skin to give you a more awake appearence then Benefit HFOW is the choice for you.  Both products contain 30ml of foundation.  If I had to choose between the two right now I would go for Benefit over Chanel - but that could always change!

Do you have either of these foundations? Let me know in the comments below what you think.