AYU PRO - Makeup Brush Review ♥

So, AYU is back on my blog again featuring some brand new products! You all loved my first review of AYU Makeup featuring their contour palette so I'm more than happy to keep spreading the word and let you in on their brand new brush collection. You can read my other detailed review of AYU right here :) It'll warm you up for this bad boy!

Okay, so AYU recently brought out a new PRO series keeping the Makeup Artist in mind while maintaining their budget-friendly prices. There are 4 beautiful brushes in this collection and I'm delighted to have come across their unusual & technical designs.

  

Let's begin with their PRO Large Shadow Brush. 

To the Makeup Artist or just enthusiast, flat eyeshadow brushes are mandatory to complete a makeup brush kit & have many uses.

It can be used with both cream and powder products so versatility is a given with this guy. You can use it to apply a base colour all over the lid, to help define the light shadow on a cut crease and better yet, it doubles as a concealer brush! It would also be perfect for cream contouring smaller areas like the nose & cupids bow.It has a round head & thick dense hairs allowing application to go on as pigmented as possible.

On the right is a look I created for a client dressing up as a peacock recently. If it weren't for the Pro Large Shadow brush, I wouldn't have been able to create the 'cut-crease' effect.  Retails at only €5.95 here

Next up is the PRO Detailer Shadow Brush. This brush has a slightly smaller head than the one above for a really precise application. Small brushes like these have multiple uses. 

Again, to be used with both wet and dry products, the PRO Detailer Shadow can be used to highlight the brow bone, the inner corner of the eye, to smoke out eyeliner or just to apply eyeshadow beneath the eyes. It has dense hairs to allow for an intense application and is a little rounder than the 'Large Shadow' brush above to give it some leg-way for buffing & blending too. Retails at €5.95 here

Now for the PRO Eye Liner Brush which happens to be my favourite from the collection. It has a head as thick as a needle and therefore super tiny. It was created for precise eyeliner application whether it be your gel or liquid on top or your pencil & shadow on the bottom. I've now used this multiple times to help define my eye look in different ways. I can happily say that it does what it says on the tin!

I've bought many pointed eyeliner brushes like these over the years. Some from MAC,  Crownbrush and others just from eBay - yet I've never had one with hairs so strong. With the other ones I'd find that after multiple uses the bristles would begin to come loose & branch out, losing that precise pointed tip. I've now used this eyeliner brush 4 or 5 times and even after product application, then cleaning it with harsh surgical spirits, the shape remains as does the density. This is a huge plus from me as the others seemed to have been more of a waste of money in the end. I could just never find one fine enough, until now. Retails at €4.75 here

Last but certainly not least is the PRO Waterline Liner Brush. Although it's labelled as a waterline brush, I find it has many uses that go far beyond that. It does fit into the eye waterline perfectly for an even eyeliner application, I've also been using it to apply shadow beneath the waterline, smoke out eyeliner on the upper lid and even applying gel liners onto the lid. It can also be used for highlighter application on the inner corner of the eye and beneath the brow bone, not to mention creating that feline cat eye that all of my Saturday night clients go mad for. Retails at €4.75 here

Makeup I did on myself featuring all of the brushes in this collection for a recent night out. I used the Large Shadow brush all over the lid to apply MAC's Blanc Type eyeshadow. For the under eye I used the Detailer Shadow brush to blend out orange shadow & the Waterline Liner brush to apply a thin line of brown eyeshadow. To finish off, I applied Inglot Gel Liner #76 (white) in the waterline using the Eye Liner brush. See, multipurpose all the way!

I can genuinely say that I am really happy to find this collection and all of the brushes do exactly as intended. AYU's initial collection features softer hairs with more of a focus on blending. These however really have been designed for the professional who yearn to create a look that entails more than that. Those who wish to explore the fields of technical eyeliner and unique eye designs, this is definitely for you. Averaging from €4.00 - €6.00 you can't really go wrong. Still, the prices of these products astound me. I can happily vouch for these little guys. 

Browse AYU's complete brush collection here :)

Thanks for reading!

Martha x

Green Eyed Girls: Best Colour Combos! ♥

Did you inherit the rarity that is green eyes? They're the most uncommon eye-colour in the world and absolutely gorgeous too. I love red hair and green eyes together. I receive a lot of emails from girls wondering what colours to use for green eyes. Unlike the blue-eyed beauties out there that have the right idea, my green eyed clients & fans (weird to say) seem to be at a loss and don't know what to go for next. It's not too difficult, really! Read on :)

The Theory

You're always supposed to refer to the colour wheel when choosing the perfect colour combination. Choosing a completely contrasting colour to the subject will make it pop! Have a look at the colour wheel to the right. See your eye colour? Now head to the opposite point of the wheel and choose that colour! As you can see, reds/pinks are shades that work for green.

So, what colours work for green eyes?

Don't be afraid to ease out of your brown and start playing with purple. Purples, pinks, coppers, cranberries & oranges are guaranteed to make your blue eyed pop. The contrasting red tones will illuminate that vibrant green colour! Try rose-gold or sparkly peach on the lid too. Gorgeous! To be on the safe side, read about what to avoid below!

What colours to avoid for green eyes?
Each to their own of course but technically you should avoid colours that are similar to your own. Greens will just over-power your eye colour (unless they're mega bright) and that's not what you want. Blues will also have the same effect. Basically, go for the right side of the colour wheel as your eye colour is based on the left! Try to avoid your gray, taupe, blue, navy and teal & lime shades. You need something to compliment your green eyes as opposed to over-powering them. Of course if you find that something else works for you, work away!

Martha's Top Picks for Green Eyes
MAC Cosmetics eyeshadows 'Cranberry, Coppering, Red Brick, Sketch, Deep Damson, Mythology, Phloof' €10
Urban Decay - Naked 3 Palette  'Dust, Burnout, Buzz' €18
Inglot eyeshadows '453, 335' €6
Sleek Sunset Palette €10Makeup Revolution 'Insomnia, Naive, Purple Haven, Candy Frosted, U Know U Want To, Rave All Night ' £1

So for green eyes, the contrasting colours are red & pink. In saying that, you shouldn't restrict yourself to them. Makeup is all about experimenting, being creative and feeling good about yourself. You can't do that using the same colour every single day, but it definitely flatters to use them. And trust me, they will pop! Of course there are girls with naturally bright eyes that no matter what they do, any colour will work - (luckyyy). Always experiment with your own makeup and even try out the 'no-go' shades to see what works for you. Makeup isn't black and white. If it was it sure would be a lot easier though! Do what works for you and makes you feel good.

I hope this post was helpful for you green eyed girls out there. Let me know what you think and even better, let me know how you get on with the experiment!
Thanks for reading!
Martha xx