Friday Favourites

A brush and a brush cleanser, both cruelty-free.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush 

Part of the amazing Real Techniques Core Collection (£21.99), I've found myself reaching for this more and more often. I've been using it as a general smoothing and blending brush recently, twirling it over foundation, concealer, cream blush, bronzer, and setting powder. It's handled each one brilliantly, smoothing out uneven product and perfecting any slapdash application, giving my makeup a perfect airbrushed look. Real Techniques brushes are brilliant - their cruelty-free synthetic bristles are very durable and keep their shape and softness. 

Want to buy a separate buffing brush? The Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (£9.99) is, I think, the closest single-package brush to the Buffing Brush.

Dr. Bronner's Unscented Pure Castile Soap (£5.99 for 237ml)

I couldn't feature a brush without mentioning this. I originally bought it to use as a shower gel but found its PH level a little too harsh for my skin, so I use it to clean my makeup brushes instead. A few drops can clear off the heaviest caked-on makeup in seconds. I pour a couple of drops (it foams up quickly - a few drops is all you need) onto the brush and mix it with a little water in my hand, circling the brush in the bubbly mixture before rinsing with cool water. I then pat off any excess water on a flannel and leave them to air-dry. My brushes are left soft, clean, fluffy, and free from soapy residue.

There's a lot of preach-y text on the bottle ("enjoy only two cosmetics, enough sleep and Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap" - only two cosmetics? Never!) but the product inside is very good and goes an incredibly long way. I've had mine for almost a year and it looks barely touched, even though I wash my five-or-so brushes at least once a week.

I bought mine at As Nature Intended in Balham, but most health stores will sell it, as does LoveLula, a fab online natural beauty shop that offers free worldwide delivery.

Ingredients: Water, Organic Coconut Oil*, Potassium Hydroxide**, Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol

** None remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin 
* Certified Fair Trade Ingredients


P.S.: Sorry there was no Friday Favourites last week. I had a busy day and then went to my mum and dad's for the weekend - by the time I got to a computer it had gone midnight, making Friday Favourites into Saturday Favourites... I need to be more organised with these scheduled blog posts!

Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend!