IRISH BRAND WEEK: BLANK CANVAS COSMETICS

Festivity has truly began 'round these parts as for the following 10 week-days, i will be showcasing the crème de la crème of Irish beauty products, and brands alike in order to share the love and convey the impeccable products originating from the Emerald Isle, available both here and further a field..

Blank Canvas Cosmetics are no stranger to the blogging world, what with receiving rave reviews left right and centre from Irish beauty bloggers galore and a vast selection of highly affordable brushes and cosmetics available, with no compromise on quality. However, undoubtedly the main influence of my love of this brand is their powerful philosophy; "The face is a blank canvas with endless possibilities" undoubtedly the meaning behind their branding.

I am a strong believer that the ability to apply good makeup all depends on the tools you use. High quality brushes are undeniably a huge factor to the final look, and with tools from this superior brand, you are guarantee'd to get that desired finish. From fluffy blending brushes, to tapered contour brushes, these black glossy handled brushes have overtook some old reliables for a place in my daily line-up. With their retractable brush range, BCC even extend to covering your on-the-go touch ups..

F03 LARGE DUO FIBRE STIPPLING BRUSH: (£11.00/€13.99)*
This beautifully soft stippling brush works wonders both creams and powders. From stippling liquid foundation to lightly dusting powder blush, the semi-dense bristles work at providing that air brushed finish. Stippling brushes are a definite essential in any brush starter kit, however this is undoubtedly one of the softest and easiest to work with, the i have tried.

F42 LARGE CONTOUR/POWDER BRUSH: (£12.60/€15.99)* 
For those blessed with already sculpted features this slightly tapered contour brush can be used to further define. For those lacking, this brush works best to achieve an all over bronzed glow, or the the dense bristles to blend out harsh contour previously applied with a more precise brush. An all rounder,  and a good 'un to add to the collection.

F05 FAN BRUSH: (£7.80/€9.99)*
The loosely packed bristles of this fan brush make it perfect for dusting away any fall-out left behind post eye makeup application. However it's multi-purpose nature leads it to work incredibly at lightly dusting powder highlight along the tops of the cheek bones, or for lightly sculpting out cheekbones.

F40 SMALL TAPERED BRUSH: (£11.00/€13.99)*
Undoubtedly my most used of the bunch, the tapered design of the bristles make this brush perfect for sculpting out cheek bones for a high-definition contour and for blending concealer under the eye area. This brush's uses are never ending, even extending to be used to lightly dust highlight on the upper cheek bone.

E24 FLAT SHADER BRUSH: (£5.50/€6.99)*
Perfect for packing on the shadow, the dense bristles of this flat shader make it the perfect companion for working with pigments both wet and dry. Also ideal for precision application, particularly applying a touch of glitter to centre eye-lid to add shape and definition to an otherwise deep smokey eye. Undeniably the brush to start all eye-makeup brushes collections.

E26 BLENDING BRUSH: (£5.50/€6.99)*
The only brush one needs to fulfil the duty of both a crease brush, a precise blender or for lightly dusting shadow all over the lid. Made of soft natural hair, the bristles make this the perfect brush for blending shadow through the crease for a natural finish. To create even further definition, use to achieve diffused edges of any smokey eye.

GLOSSY BLACK RF20 RETRACTABLE: (£11.80/€14.99)*
This flat-top kabuki brush encased in a sturdy glossy black hardware is the perfect on-the-go essential. It's densely packed bristles make it perfect for applying foundation during your daily work commute, or topping up powder throughout the day.

METALLIC RF20 SHORT RETRACTABLE: (£11.00/€13.99)*
The smaller answer to the aforementioned RF20, this brush is even more compact. The beautifully metallic pink hardware makes it perfect for achieving the desired levels of hand bag chic. With a smaller surface than the RF20 it's more suited for topping up blush or bronzer on the go, or even for chucking in the bag to fulfil a multitude of duties.

With a vast variety of brushes available, choose from a range of different bristle types from synthetic to natural fibres. Whether you are adding to your never-ending collection, or starting out your collection, BCC touch all bases at a budget friendly price..

* denotes PR sample, read my full disclaimer here. 

BEAUTY: TOP 5 EYE BRUSHES

Along with an excessive makeup collection often comes an even bigger collection of makeup brushes. Each makeup brush i own comes with a makeup brush of the same purpose that always stays left behind in it's pride of place on my dressing table. Having only one face and only two eyes makes it impossible for me to use each brush in my stash on a daily basis, and there is a set collection of brushes that i reach for on a more regular basis. I decided to take you through my favourite eye brushes which i managed to whittle down to just five..

NANSHY BLENDING EYE BRUSH - LINK(*): The first on the brushes list, is a beautifully soft blending brush from Nanshy. This is part of the Masterful Collection which has yet to launch, but you can get more information and a 20% off code here! The flat blending property of this brush makes it perfect for applying colour through the crease along with adding a dash of colour on the lower lash line. It's one of the more multi-tasking brushes of the selection as it also works brilliantly at applying a wash of colour all over the lid, while it's semi-dense bristles work at blending out all those unwanted harsh lines. It's also the perfect shape for applying colour to the outer third of the eye.

CROWN C441 BLENDING CREASE BRUSH - LINK: Another blending brush, but unlike the other this Crown brush works solely at blending out harsh lines and blending colour through the crease. This domed shape blending brush has loosely packed bristles which work at blending any colour. Unlike many other blending brushes, with this brush you don't do most of the work. This brush has the ability to blend out colour seamlessly without being too time consuming. It's also perfect for blending a transition colour through the crease before creating a smokey or any dramatic eye.

CROWN C213 CHISEL MINI SMUDGER - LINK: When it comes to smudging out colour on the lower lash line this brush from Crown Brushes is first rate. It's densely packed bristles make it super easy to smudge colour onto the lower lash line. It's the perfect small flat shape for blending out eyeliner for a more smokey look while not making it look ridiculous and messy. This brush is definitely the go to for a good smokey colour on the lower lash line, and in my eyes is essential for a smokey eye in general, alongside a good blending brush.. obvs.

CROWN C431 PRECISION DETAIL BRUSH - LINK: A pencil brush is definitely not an essential, but is definitely a good one to have in your stash. This one from Crown Brushes is the perfect tapered shape smoking colour onto the lower lash line and smudging out eyeliner. However, this brush is also perfect for applying brow bone highlight as it the perfect shape and size. Its also suitable for applying colour on the outer V of the eye pre-blending!

CROWN C208 CHISEL DELUXE FLUFF - LINK: A supersized flat shader brush to reduce the manual labour involved in applying a wash of colour to the lid. This brush makes it easy to apply colour to the full area of the lid in just one go. The densely packed bristles make it perfect for packing on colour to get the shadow to it's full colour and pigmentation intensity. It's definitely an essential in any collection, especially for all you lazy, the less work the better kind of gals.

And that's it, my full guide to my favourite makeup brushes. From blending to packing on the colour, these brushes have got you covered..