Vanilla Beauty x

You can buy the set from a variety of places - Zoeva (€65/£45, £7.50 UK delivery), Beauty Bay (£56.95, free delivery) or Love Make Up (£56.95, free delivery). The brushes come packaged in a gorgeous brown clutch with a rose gold zip and rose gold Zoeva branding.

In February I flew alone for the first time which was a massive thing for me. I flew from Southend to Dundee where my best friend was on placement for a snuggly, rainy weekend. I also went to Paris for a few days with my other best friend which was amazing.

Fast forward to May when my best friend and I went to Majorca for an all inclusive week of much needed laying around the pool.

In July I started my blog (read my first post here) and went to Wales for a week with my boyfriend. I couldn't believe the weather when we were over there. It was 28 degrees and above everyday and just the perfect week. The day we came home we picked up his puppy Buddy who is now a firm staple in our lives.

August was my half brothers wedding which included a hen night at the casino. It was so lovely to spend a day with my very extended family and get all dressed up.

My boyfriend's parents were very, very generous and bought me Nars Sheer Glow for Christmas. I have been lusting after this for a long, long time and can't believe I finally have it. Before putting this on my Christmas wishlist, I read more reviews/blogs than I should probably admit to before deciding the only way to know if I'd like it was to try it.

 I did something risky and didn't get matched but rather guessed my shade. As my skin tone resembles snow, I knew I'd be either the palest or second palest shade. I googled colour swatches about 5 times (using this blogpost) and checked the colour description on the Nars website before settling on Gobi. Gobi is Light 3 - light with a yellow undertone which describes my skin perfectly. If you are pale with a pink tone then Mont Blanc will be your shade. Siberia is one for the pale neutral girls.

I really love the packaging of this foundation. Any high-end foundations I would expect to be in glass bottles and look expensive and this definitely doesn't disappoint. You get 30ml or 1 fl. oz for £31 which I think is pretty good. Packaging wise, the only let down for me is the lack of pump. Pouring it out makes me a bit nervous but MAC foundations also don't come with pumps - must be a high-end thing!

The formula itself is quite watery which you would expect as it's a sheer foundation. Although it's sheer, coverage is definitely buildable and two thin layers can give a medium coverage. Lately I have been putting a base layer of concealer on my acne scars but for purposes of reviewing this foundation, I didn't. Sheer Glow is also non-comedogenic which is perfect for acne prone skin!

As soon as I put this on my skin and started blending it out, I could tell it was a luxury foundation. This blended out amazingly. A really small amount of foundation gave a thin, even layer and I added a little extra on areas of discolouration and scars. I think it's covered my scars amazingly, far better than any drugstore foundation (sorry True Match). The colour is absolutely perfect for me which is something I have never found before. My only issue is that it's clung to some of my dry patches which have emerged as a result of my acne cream but I am due a good face scrub. The foundation gives silky, real looking skin. It also doesn't transfer which is a big bonus.

Above is the finished product with a little added concealer on blemishes. I didn't powder my face as I wanted to see what it would do without being set. I did my make up at about 10.30am and as I write this it is 5.30pm and my face is slightly glowing (as the name would suggest) but nothing too extreme. It's a glow that's definitely welcomed considering how dull my skin has been looking. In future I think I will set it, just to keep from too much shine. I'm really impressed that it hasn't set into my expression lines which happens a lot with my thicker drugstore foundations.

Overall, I think this foundation is amazing. It's definitely lived up to the hype and I would recommend it to anyone who's thinking about it!

The silence is broken, I hope to get into a more regular routine in the new year!

This is the final post in my little Make-Up Brush Collection. Since beginning this mini series I have added to my brush collection in the form of the Zoeva Rose Gold brushes which I will be doing a post on soon! I've only recently got into eyeshadow since getting my Naked 3 palette and the majority of my brushes aren't that good.

Avon Blending Brush: I've had this for as long as I can remember. Avon is a pretty cheap brand that sell good quality make up and brushes and this doesn't let them down. I think it only cost about £3 when I bought it. It's really soft, the brush itself is dense and it's excellent for blending. I strongly recommend checking out Avon brushes.

Urban Decay Double Ended: I'm sure many people now have this brush as it comes with the Naked palettes. I actually really like this brush and it comes in really handy. I use the thinner end to put eyeshadow in my crease before blending out and the thicker end to pack eyeshadow on. I definitely want to check out other UD brushes.

Avon Liner Brush: Another good, cheap brush. This is perfect for getting liner really close to the lash line. Paired with Darkside or Blackheart from Naked 3, it's perfect for non-liquid liner days. Again, I think it was about £3 or £4?

Benefit Hard Angle Brush: This is at least 4 years old and is still going strong. You can find a newer version here which is £16.50, such a good price for the quality. I use this for my brows when I'm using my Brow Zings. If you're looking for a hard angle brush definitely check this out.

Teez Flat Stiff Brush: I know it says stiff in the name but my god this is a hard brush. I very very rarely use it because it actually hurts my eyelids a little. I got this in a Glossybox and tend to only use it as a last resort. I wouldn't recommend.

Topshop Blending Brush: This is one I can't quit make my mind up about. The bristles are very very short so there's not much movement in them. I tend to use this for highlighting my brow bone and the inner corner. This has actually been discontinued but I'm not sure I'd buy another Topshop brush.